Ad Hoc (Yountville)

Ad Hoc was one of the last stops on our roadtrip to Canada and back. We decided to take our hosts of sorts to Ad Hoc since we'd given them the Ad Hoc cookbook as a Xmas gift. Rezzie was made 2 months in advance and we weren't sure what to expect as the menu wouldn't be decided until the day of. As we drove down the OR coast to Napa we viewed the menu on Ad Hoc's website...Baby Iceberg Wedge Salad / West TX Style KC Strip Steaks / Fried Soft Shell Crab (supplement) / Cypress Grove Chevre's Humboldt Fog / Peanut Butter Bars. A very simple menu and kind of blah but oh well...what'll you do since the rezzie was set already?

We arrived early for our rezzie and had to wait as another Asian family finished their meal...table was at the front of the house but roomy enough for our party of 8. The place only had a single stall bathroom for each gender. Hmmm...not so good since us women can take a while but again...oh well. We were finally seated and reviewed the simple menu for the night. A bread basket was served and we were all ravenous so we chowed down on the bread from TK's Bouchon Bakery which was just down the street. I'd expected the bread to be better but the butter made it more palatable. We finally decided on a bottle to pair with our meat...2008 Tres Sabores Zinfandel. A nice substantial red to go with the steak and light enough to pair with the crab. Most of our dining companions didn't drink but they would indulge in a just a bit to go with the flow.

Baby Iceberg Wedge Salad...nice and light. The dressing was just right and the bits of bacon were soooo good! You could taste the quality of the bacon and the freshness of the lettuce. The tomatoes were perfectly ripe and the sliced radishes added just enough kick to keep things interesting.

West TX KC Strip Steak...cooked to perfection! The meat was the perfect medium rare and served with super fresh English peas. There were bits of porcini mushrooms and spring onions in the peas that went perfectly. Just the right flavor combinations. When the waiter asked the littlest gal in our group how she liked it...all she could muster was a thumbs up as her mouth was busy chewing. The side dish that accompanied the steak was Ad Hoc's version of a loaded potato...potatoes fried in duck fat then served with creme fraiche, pancetta crumbles and a smidge of chives. Very good.

Fried Soft Shell Crab...a little on the small side but good nontheless. We each managed to get a couple of bites of the soft shell crab that was dusted in cornmeal then fried and served with some micro greens and a remoulade sauce. Presentation was simple and neat.

Cypress Grove Chevre's Humboldt Fog...served with marinated olives. The olives were salty and went well with the cheese. It was not an overpowering cheese...creamy and good when eaten with the olives and the live watercress. We had to ask for more green olives as the dish came with more kalamatas than green ones. Our waiter was gracious enough to bring a small cocotte of them.

Peanut Butter Bars...rich and decadent. By this time we were all pretty full and could have done without dessert but how could we turn it away? The peanut butter was rich and a little on the heavy side for me but very fresh. I ended up asking for a doggie bag to take 1/2 of my bar home along with the extra one that we had. The peanut butter was covered in valrhona chocolate and served with candied peanuts.

Overall a little disappointed but still very good food and service. One would expect nothing less from a TK establishment. The menu was simple but the ingredients were very fresh and that made a huge difference. We had let the maitre d' know that we were celebrating 2 birthdays when we made the rezzie and they even confirmed when they called but we did not receive anything special or even a birthday wish from the server. Not a huge deal but a bit of a letdown given this was a TK place and the bar was set pretty high since our French Laundry visit. We would try this place again...hopefully with a different menu.