Violetto

"NOTE: I'm not an influencer- I took time on this review because I was so impressed! My recent solo dining experience at Violetto was enlivening; the menu, a harbinger of spring. As I settled into a table with much gusto, the restaurant manager engaged me in warm conversation, as if we were part of a big Italian family. The dining room- set inside a preserved historic estate- that locals have dubbed "the jewel-box,” is intimate, pastel-toned, and California-cool. Violetto’s hidden gem status became clear the moment the amuse bouche arrived: house-made vermouth infused with kitchen garden botanicals, a goat cheese tartlet, and a brioche cracker with truffles. A lovely white Burgundy followed from Maison Verget, poured by the exceptionally well-versed sommelier. The four-course tasting menu with wine pairing was Michelin-level, and I say this rooted in extensive fine dining experience- including a two-star meal in San Francisco earlier this same trip. Violetto lives up to these standards. I loved the spring risotto brightened by a vivid green salmoriglio sauce and garlanded with the tiniest vegetables. The Dungeness crab scarpinocc was exactly al dente, luxuriously draped in a fermented corno di pepper sauce. The Liberty Farms duck was equally extraordinary: dry-aged, cooked with utmost precision, and accompanied by a decadent pear mostarda, fermented and roasted red kuri squash nappé with a sauce robert. Executive Chef Mark Shoemaker visited the table, speaking with verve and unrehearsed thoughtfulness about his upcoming spring menu, local partnered farms, and dining recommendations- a truly generous and impressive introduction. He served the final dessert course: a refreshing farewell to winter and citrus season, offering a textural play of citrus, panna cotta, and white chocolate–coated candies that burst into a zingy cara cara gel with a fizzy mouthfeel. I will return to dine in every season- and to take inspiration from their work in the kitchen garden."