La Salette: Sonoma, California

La SaletteI never thought that Portuguese food would be so delicious.  Sure I’ve experienced plenty of French delights and Spanish food is quite readily available if you know where to look.  But Portuguese, in a place like Sonoma, can only mean one thing: greatness.  La Salette definitely delivered and gave my girlfriend and myself a dinner to remember.

Of all the restaurants and cafes in the area, La Salette belongs to a special group that come both highly recommended and are not packed with tourists in the middle of wine country.  I can imagine that La Salette has its fair share of out of towners, but it really seemed like it was at home among the historical buildings in Sonoma’s central square.  It’s location is a little off the beaten path but they do have a great little patio for outside dining as well as a fully-stocked bar and indoor seating.  We chose to sit inside due to the inclement weather that had made its way in that afternoon.

Given the fact that La Salette is situated in the heart of the Sonoma Valley I expected it to have an excellent wine list comprised of Sonoma brands like Coppola and Mayo.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that along with some of Sonoma and California’s finest vino, La Salette also offers quite a few other greats from around the world.  There was almost every continent represented on the list, a mark of a restaurant that appreciates a variety of fine wine just as much as its patrons likely do.

In the European tradition, we were offered a small appetizer before our first plates arrived.  A small traditional nut and cheese pastry was brought to our table immediately after making our dinner selections.  After this plate we were brought our main dishes.  I ordered a pork tenderloin called the Rechado.  It came with figs, olives, and almonds in a port wine sauce with potato and cheese croquettes.  The dish was superbly balanced and offered my palette a true tour of Portuguese flavor and flair.  My girlfriend ordered the Arroz a Valenciana, a rice dish with shellfish and chicken.  It was equally as delicious albeit a bit lighter than my tenderloin.  The wine pairings we both selected were spot on, as the wine and food blended with the elegant yet quaint atmosphere of the restaurant to create a truly unique and unforgettable dining experience.

After a meal like that we certainly wanted to try dessert.  We ordered a couple of glasses of port and dug into the Caramel Desire, a dish that included cinnamon-vanilla bean crème brule, cobblestone ice cream glazed with coffee-caramel glaze, and a small pastry nicknamed a “caramelized apple” bathed in pecans and caramel sauce.  It would certainly have been far too rich a selection for just one person to enjoy.  Dessert helped to balance out an already surprisingly well-balanced meal at La Selette.  After an experience like this I could only sit and wonder how and where this meal could be improved upon or topped.  La Salette offered us a distinct, enjoyable dining experience that I will remember for years to come.  Prices a little steep but you most certainly get what you pay for and more at this lovely restaurant.