Press - SAINT HELENA

By far, one of the most amazing culinary experiences I have had with my wife and in my life, PRESS is this incredible restaurant that has a Michelin star; per my knowledge, the first time I have gone to a restaurant that has earned one. This is one of the only restaurants that we have dined whose menu is completely gluten-free, which my wife loved. Additionally, they have an amazing wine list, which we selected and enjoyed this incredible bottle of wine, whose name leaves me, but it was magical. Given that we were celebrating our Irish Wedding Anniversary and our respective birthdays, the staff gave us this really sweet greeting card that was signed by all of them. Very cool. Each of the staff with whom we interacted was kind and warm and made us feel at home. We had come from touring wineries in nearby Calistoga and had coordinated dining at PRESS before we returned to our hotel for the day. The décor comprised high ceilings, industrial-styled windows that ran all around the bar and dining areas, and booth long-booth table seating and cushy yet fashionable gray-colored chairs at other tables. The courses we were served were synergy at synchronicity. Between the cuisine, the cocktails, the service, and the company, of course, with my darling wife, this experience was magical on a unicorn/Pegasus level. The Ricotta gnudi; very magical that was a flavor explosion with an incredibly artistic display. In fact, all of the dishes they served us were beautifully crafted and tasted otherworldly. The truffle glazed chicken with summer truffle, garden beets, smoked bacon, and sauce vin jaune was so savory and delicious. The 35-day New York strip had such a wonderful character that complimented well with the morel Mushrooms. For our after-dinner experience, we feasted on Jivaro chocolate crème, which was served with orange cocoa crumble, olive oil sorbet, chocolate sponge, and Custelmagro custard. Both those dishes were incredible, and the espresso martini we enjoyed concluded a culinary synergy we enjoyed throughout our experience at PRESS. It was a wonderful way to bring in another year as husband and wife.

Perfect Anniversary Dinner. My husband and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary here. It's truly a unique dining experience- we arrived at 5:00 and left around 8:00 pm- happy and satisfied. We are glad we came in early since there are many meals on the menu and it still gave us plenty of time to do something after. We had the spring tasting menu. The plates came out perfectly timed, each with its own unique artistic flare and wonderful flavor. It's truly a feast for the senses! The beautiful prepared dishes were carefully crafted and looked like pieces of art, the freshly cooked smells were fantastic- especially the pretzel. Our server had great recommendations and was always ready to make sure we enjoyed our dishes. The atmosphere was pleasant and truly relaxing. The restaurant is expansive with tall wall to wall windows, bright clean colors, and comfortable seating. We noticed that the same people were there almost the entire time we were there as well. We wish more dining experiences were like this- small plates with flavorful food, not rushed and always attended to. Our plates were always cleared promptly, my glass was always full. Reservations were easy to make online. We will definitely be back on another trip.

If I could leave 0 stars, I would. Fine dining? I think not. More like overpriced food served on large dishes with terrible, lackluster service and bland food. Should have listened to the people who said that it has gone down hill, but I don 't like listening to others. I love giving everything a fair chance. Let this be your warning. Our first course was the most bland asparagus, we shared that is tasted it odd with our waiter. His response. That 's how it 's suppose to be . I 've eaten white asparagus in Europe and multiple other Michelin restaurants, and it 's never tasted that way. And if I 've ever shared that response, I would 've received a better response. The wine pairing? Absolutely despicable. The smallest pours I have ever seen. Again, I 've been to over 13 Michelin star restaurants in both Europe and America and have never seen a pour this small. Lastly, again the service. We asked to sit outside and were told there was no room. Then saw someone who was inside after us be moved ....after us. Quite interesting. Left a bad taste in my mouth. Food was mediocre at best. If they maintain their star I 'd be surprised. Makes sense why they have so many last minute reservations on a Sunday. Would prefer French Laundry.

The hype around this dining experience fell short for our group. The reason for even the 2 stars is first and foremost due to the venue itself, very beautifully designed and secondly, the saving grace were the canapés at the start of dinner being the only bites worth having. Being a pescatarian myself, the coursed menu was slightly altered but executed poorly. The supplemental 75$ truffle corn raviolo fell short considering the price tag and the halibut we all were served was borderline a joke. The fish was so chewy and hard, flavorless and in some sort of soup. Almost every dish was swimming in something. The flavors of these dishes fell flat and it took 20+ minutes for the next dish to come out and by the tail end we all just wanted to leave and grab a slice of pizza to ease the sadness.

Wow, I'm already so impressed with this beautiful 2 Michelin star restaurant!! The service is impeccable and everyone is so good looking! We are having the spring 5 course meal with wine, of course!! They are substituting gluten free items for me. Our waiter Nick is very accommodating!! The sommelier is so interesting! First course Hamachi shaved radish salsa macha avocado kosho Second course White asparagus green strawberry, forest herbs and sesame consommé Third course Black cod cordyceps mushrooms sprouting cauliflower, abalone consommé Fourth course Truffle glazed chicken smoked maitakes creamed nettles, sauce vin jaune Dessert is crazy caloric and I'm already so full!!