The Charter Oak

Christopher Kostow’s casual-cool retreat continues to be a well-regarded and rightly applauded Napa mainstay. With soaring ceilings and a hulking hearth, the beautifully restored dining room is an apposite setting for the chef's California cooking.
Much of the featured produce comes from their own farm, and a whole bounty is on full display in a simple bowl of just-plucked veggies, best matched with a fermented soy dip. Kurobuta pork ribs; chicken with preserved lemon; sweet potato with brown butter and herbs—nearly everything from mains to sides bears traces of the flames and are best enjoyed as a group. A recent starter of aged Wagyu beef tartare with ember mayo and milk bread may just be one of the finest versions we’ve seen yet.