Farm freshness at All Seasons

<p>Eight brothers and sisters in the Dierkhising clan, and they all either work or have worked in the restaurant business.</p><p>Many readers may know Mark, who owns the Parkside Café, a breakfast and lunch spot in Santa Rosa. And many may know Alex, who, with his wife, Gayle, runs the All Seasons Bistro in Calistoga as well as the Hydro Bar &amp; Grill across Lincoln Avenue. Just a few doors east of the Hydro is Café Sarafornia, owned by Drake. Roger has worked in San Francisco restaurants for years and comes up to lend a hand as needed at the various Dierkhising venues. The late Eric Dierkhising had a restaurant in Colorado, and sisters Hope, Holly, and Julie were or are involved in restaurants.</p><p>So, is their food any good?</p><p>If Alex's All Seasons Bistro is any indication -- and it is -- then the rule of thumb should be: If there's a Dierkhising involved, the food will be very good indeed.</p><p>The All Seasons is a quintessential European-style bistro. The windows have venetian blinds. The tables are covered with white tablecloths and they in turn are covered with white paper. Bouquets of Shasta daisies grace the tables. The wall behind the service bar is decorated with Napa Valley Wine Auction paddles. The floor is made of black, green and white tiles.</p><p>But the major decorative devices in the bistro are the six ceiling fans. Each hangs from a shallow painted wooden-frame box fixed to the Chinese red ceiling. The boxes are fitted with stained glass through which the fans emerge, and the stained glass is illuminated by lights within the boxes. Isinglass pyramids dangle from the bottom of the fans.</p><p>Besides being a restaurant, the bistro contains a wine shop in a back room, with a large table that can be reserved for event dining. The wine list speaks of a longtime knowledge of imported wines and association with local wineries. Not many wine lists will carry Dehlinger Zinfandel -- Tom Dehlinger hasn't made a zin for decades -- but this one does -- a 1978 for $120. A magnum of 1974 Sterling Cabernet Sauvignon costs $300. A magnum of 1978 Diamond Creek "Red Rock Terrace" Cab goes for $400. But don't fret -- there's a lot more on the wine list than museum pieces. For example, a 2001 Chateau L'Hermitage Rhone Blend is $35, and a 2003 San Giorgio Lapi Chianti is $35, so there's plenty to choose from.</p><p>The Dierkhisings call their food "California/Mediterranean Bistro Cuisine," but most Mediterranean-style chefs could only wish they had the Forni-Brown gardens right down the street. This organic truck farm produces the fine vegetables that have helped make the Wine Country famous for its California cuisine and quality restaurants, and Chef Erik Ostman can literally walk down to the farm to pick up produce.</p><p>Ostman is leaving for new ventures, however, and is being replaced by Daniel Holt, who was chef at Napa's secluded Bayleaf Restaurant. Holt will introduce a more casual, comfort-food style to the menu in the coming months, but many of today's dishes will remain. While the menu changes seasonally, a few items change weekly as ingredients go in and out of season.</p><p>On a recent hot evening, a cold Ambrosia Melon Soup ($7, ** ½) was lightly sweet and refreshing. It contained three melon balls to add a little interest to the homogenous soup. This was followed by a signature dish at All Seasons, an Ahi Tuna Tartare ($12, ***). This cylinder of diced raw tuna, diced crunchy radishes and jicama, soft and unctuous avocado and diced yellow wax beans, was held together by a sesame-soy aioli and sprinkled over with black sesame seeds.</p><p>Agnolotti ($9,**) -- Italian for priests' caps -- are house-made, crescent-shaped ravioli filled with red sweet corn relish and served in a shiitake mushroom broth. The look and aroma of the dish suggest that a savory flavor will be inside, so the sweet filling is a little disconcerting. The flavor of these agnolotti is bland and could have used some spiciness.</p><p>A lamb chop sounds more like an entrée than an appetizer, but the Bistro's Spice-Rubbed Petite Lamb Chop ($9,**½) is just a one-bite morsel of a rib chop and, unlike the bland agnolotti, full of flavor from its seasonings. It's also very salty and quickly grilled so that even though it's thin, it is medium rare. For $3 more you can get a second chop. It's served with Gascon fries, which are not fries but French fingerlings sliced in half and roasted with onions and mushrooms in duck fat.</p><p>Salads are first rate at All Seasons, as you'd expect given the proximity of the best truck patch around. The Warm Spinach Salad ($9,***) featured a large mound of baby spinach leaves, savory additions like smoked chicken, bacon bits and feta cheese, and a whole-grain mustard vinaigrette. An accompanying hard-boiled egg was properly cooked so the white was tender and the yellow velvety and luscious. Most hard-boiled eggs are overcooked, with rubbery whites and chalky, green-tinged yolks. The chef knows the secret: put the egg in a saucepan with enough cold water to cover the egg, turn the heat to high, and as soon as the water boils, remove the pan from the heat, cover it, and wait 12 minutes, then cool the egg under running cold water. You'll have perfect hard-boiled eggs every time.</p><p>Among entrees, the Peking Duck "Duo" ($24,***) stood out. The plate held seared breast slices plus a leg and thigh confit -- slow cooked in duck fat -- as well as bready thyme gnocchi, patty pan squash and mushrooms in a reduction of pan juices.</p><p>The kitchen seared three big deep sea Diver Scallops ($28,***) until just done, then set them on a bed of yellow curry and cauliflower puree (a fine and tasty idea), added fava beans and stems of broccolini and flavored it all with a lemon beurre blanc. The result was the perfect partner for a glass of Roussanne.</p><p>Finally to the Grilled Filet of Beef ($26,**½), a goodly, 10-ounce and 1¼-inch thick filet mignon delivered medium to the table (though ordered medium rare). A medley of cooked shell beans, caramelized onions, halved fingerling potatoes and a red wine glaze completed the plate. Good food, although not very exciting.</p><p>Summer Sebastiani-Fernandez, the pastry chef, put together a dessert she calls Peaches and Cream ($8,***½), a disc of vanilla shortbread topped with a creme fraiche meringue and fresh peaches, topped with a tip of a basil shoot. Yummy.</p><p>To sum up: Although All Seasons Bistro is in transition, I'm betting that the quality will remain high. It will be fun to see what a new chef brings to the table.</p><p>Jeff Cox writes a weekly restaurant review column for A&amp;E. You can reach him at jeffcox@sonic.net.</p>