Nirvana Next Door
Try Ubuntu's transcendent food at its new offshoot
In the nearly two years since it debuted, the vegetable-centric menu at Napa's Ubuntu has garnered mountains of praise from committed vegetarians and carnivores alike.
Little wonder: The restaurant's husband-and-wife chefs, Jeremy and Deanie Fox, procure the finest ingredients from across the region and cook them with impeccable technique and breathtaking flourishes.
Now, devotees--or those who want to discover what all the fuss is about--can take home a taste of the restaurant from its brand-new next-door neighbor, Ubuntu Annex.
At the Annex, staples of the Foxes' impeccable larder line the shelves, ready to be purchased: heirloom yellow eye beans from Napa's Rancho Gordo, ridge-cut grits, Regina olive oil from Dickson Ranch, five kinds of finishing salts, and the same miniature cast-iron Staub pots and vadouvan spice mix used to make the restaurant's legendary cauliflower dish (then make it at home with this recipe).
Other iconic Ubuntu dishes--including Sardinian-style fennel crackers and sweet-salty lavender Marcona almonds--are also for sale. Plus, locavore oenophiles can taste Napa wines, like the organic Lion's Run Cabernet Sauvignon from Ubuntu owner Sandy Lawrence.
Ubuntu Annex, 1130 Main St., Napa; 707-251-5656 or ubuntunapa.com
