My favorite types of restaurants - the ones to which I am happy to revisit over and over again - tend to actually be quite simple. They are grounded in excellent ingredients, good execution, and consistency. I love “hearth” type restaurants that are centered around a grill. Fresh, seasonal ingredients are cooked over a fire, and that’s it. No fancy “jus” or sauces, fussy plating, nor complex ingredients. Just simple ingredients cooked really, really well.
Charter Oak is just that kind of restaurant, which might explain why we went back so many times.
Ingredients are top notch.
They have their own farm, and one of the signature dishes (Garden Vegetables) is just a selection of raw vegetables from the garden, served with their (addictive) sesame dip (soooo good). Every day is different, but the vegetables are amongst the freshest, most tender, sweet, and crispy you’ll ever taste.
The freshly baked sourdough and house cultured butter is AMAZING
Totally worth the extra (reasonable) charge. I had several slices, and even took some back to the hotel room. Even eaten cold (with compromised texture), the flavor of the sourdough was still delicious the next day.
If you like beef tartare, you have to try their Steak Tartare.
The first time Bryan tried it, he immediately declared it was “the best beef tartare I’ve ever had . . .”. The beef is mixed with a nice, smoky mayo that has been “charred” in the fire. Spread it over the toasted brioche bread, and each bite is truly heavenly.
Roasted chicken from nearby town Petaluma (in Sonoma), signature Lemon Pepper Wings, a fabulous steak cooked over the huge grill prominently situated in the center of the restaurant.
Their burger is famous.
It's one of their “signatures.” The lady sitting next to us just couldn't stop talking about great the burger was. We didn’t order it during our dinner. Finally we couldn't resist so we came back for lunch the next day to try it.
Made in the classic West Coast “flat patty” style, the secret is the two-layered approach.
TONS of relish slathered in two layers between the two flat patties gives the burger a nice acidic kick to balance the beefy burger. It was very good, though we both agreed that it wasn’t the BEST burger either of us had had.
Fire grilled vegetables are also great.
The Roasted Celeriac is the vegetarian entree but also works well as a sharing side for larger parties. It is surprisingly “meaty” and substantial, to the point that some diners didn’t even believe that it was a “vegetable” when it first arrived.
Roasted vegetables, such as the Roasted Broccolini and Roasted Mushrooms, were all excellent.
"My Favorite Thing on the Menu"
Finally, the soft serve ice cream is really, really good! One server even told us it was her “favorite item on the whole menu” (!!). The pecan oil is intensely fragrant, and really makes this dessert special.
What can I say? We really love this place and have come back four times since last year. If it’s your first time and I have to pick favorites, I would say order the bread + butter, beef tartare, raw vegetables, and perhaps share a larger main (or you can get a burger and maybe the roasted broccoli?).
They have a lovely outdoor dining space that I didn’t get to enjoy because the weather was quite cold when I was in Napa. I can imagine it being really lovely in the summertime.
The Charter Oak St Helena California
1050 Charter Oak Avenue
St. Helena, CA 94574
707-302-6996
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