Ubuntu is not what I expect of a vegan/vegetarian restaurant. Not only is it a restaurant but also a yoga studio… that’s not the surprising part. Given that information, I pictured a very different atmosphere. You know- bamboo mats, incense, swaths of fabric hung about as decoration, new agey music playing, yogis with their mats casually cluttered about restored furniture. I was so very wrong. This isn’t some half assed hippie operation, nope, this is conscious eating habits going mainstream. In a lot of ways restaurants like this make eating vegan/vegetarian more acceptable- even elitist. It lures in folks that have preconceived notions of what vegetarianism looks like by defying those stereotypes and instead presenting an atmosphere that is more generally appealing. If you want to make money- you’ve got to appeal to those who have it. Those who have it like restaurants with high ceilings and interesting glassware, dark woods, long wine lists, pretentious waiters, menus that are hard to decipher, small portions arranged on arty plates and at least three different options for basic table water  complete with source and history. Now, don’t get me wrong…I’m happy to see folks eating vegetarian/vegan- whatever it takes. Its nice to witness people open to a cuisine that for the most part is still largely ignored. Cheers to Ubuntu and if it takes bells and whistles to get more exposure- okay. I was just a bit astonished based on my own expectations and experiences. Ive been to a large range of veg restaurants…everything from punk collectives, diners, new age, upscale, ethnic…but never have I bore witness to anything quite like Ubuntu.

The restaurant is the main part of the space with a yoga studio sitting towards the rear and up above loft style. From your dinner table you can look up and see the silhouettes of people in practice through delicately curtained glass. All that is visible are shadows so it almost seems as though you are witnessing an art installation instead of an actual class in procession. Its very nicely done. The restaurant is everything I described- dark woods, high ceilings, elegant fixtures. There’s a couple art pieces that really flatter the space. The first is a stone figure sculpture of 4 people standing shoulder to shoulder except for one whom is switched and is standing upside down. It stands at almost human scale between the bar area and the community table acting as art and room partition. The other is a giant (brass?copper?) bell that sits at the door as almost a pseudo host station. Before I go on let me first say that Ubuntu has been getting more than its fair share of press. Chef, Jeremy Fox, was voted one of Americas Best New Chefs of 2008 by Food & Wine magazine and both the chefs and restaurant have been written up in many publications including The New York Times & Bon Appetit. I had no idea previous to dining there that Ubuntu was held in such high regard.

On to the food. Of course being in Napa we had to get a bottle of wine- we chose a local 2006 Reinking Wine Company Sangiovese. Rich, smooth and only $40…trust me that the majority of the wines were well above that price range. Appetisers- chickpea fries with herbs & romesco dipping sauce and an order of colorful fried baby peppers. For dinner- mushroom pizza with vegan cheese (I’m usually not into vegan cheese but this was good..creamy delicious) and a farro dish (most all of the vegetables included in this dish and many others are grown in Ubuntus very own garden) that incorporated a pea puree, fresh squash, cherry tomatoes with a dollop of what can best be described as an eggplant jam. I liked the romesco dipping sauce quite a bit and ended up dipping the fried peppers in it…the chickpea fries didn’t do much for me since I think fries are boring. The pizza was very good- the crust perfect, the cheese and the savory flavor of the mushrooms tasty. The farro dish was the best of the two. With almost a risotto consistency to it, the additions of the fresh squash pieces and eggplant worked well and the tender cherry tomatoes lent a nice pop. I don’t forget dessert. We shared a raspberry sorbet tapioca float and three miniature carrot cupcakes topped with soy cream cheese frosting and tiny candied carrots. The float was refreshing, subtly tart but the cupcakes- fucking incredible. It might have been the most perfect carrot cake Ive ever had- moist, spicy, sweet and the frosting? Hell, I don’t usually even like frosting that much- Ive always been more about the cake but the cream cheese glory that they achieved here was unbelievable. I can for the first time in my life state that the cake needed the frosting as much as the frosting needed the cake.

No complaints on this meal. I tasted things I had never tried before and put away some ideas for my own cooking. The prices were certainly not low or especially accessible…we ended up spending about a hundred bucks- thats not too bad considering we had a bottle of wine and two of each appetiser, entree and dessert. Not something to do often but as an occasion, its interesting to see what these award winning chefs are cooking up. Ubuntu caters nicely to the folks of Napa as well as the tourists that flood through here seeking an escape to wine country. Walking back to the bed & breakfast in the warm night air with plenty of wine in me, I was feeling pretty satisfied. Ubuntu was a tour into an alternate arena of food- a different vision in veg fare. Im not into high end eating, rather I’m drawn to rough cozy spaces with eclectically diverse crowds but going the fancy route isn’t so bad once in awhile.