Charlie Palmer shows a new steak way …

 Charlie Palmer is cool. Any chef who has got wine fairies going up to snag a precious bottle of wine at Auerole in Vegas which I’ve experienced, has gotta be cool. Plus, his Pinot and Pig party in Healdsburg is always a blast. So when the Insider got an invite to attend the new opening Charlie Palmer Steak restaurant at the new Archer Hotel in Napa he was glad to accept.  

And it was pretty cool to be seated at the head of the two tables reserved for big groups, but then I was the only one wearing a tie, ha ha… think my last time for that sartorial touch at Napa/Sonoma events… try and fit in… ha ha  

Hats off to the Palmer group for doing a post modern steak house right. If you need the plush red booths, table side service, etc… this isn’t the steak place for you. But if you dig modern sand stone floors, chic, black leather booths and excellent service then Palmer’s new Napa steak joint might do it for you. 

And for the food? The Insider is always a sucker for a rib eye and Palmer’s The Bone in Rib Eye Cowboy cut didn’t disappoint. For people who can’t gorge on a gorgeous piece of rare meat, the Palmer Napa location has got a very aware fish/chops/poultry/pasta menu. 

As for the wine list, no surprise it is weighted to some excellent Napa/Sonoma cabs, merlots and pinots with sommelier Brian Kulich stocking the classy wine racks that dot the restaurant with an eclectic, new tasting menu if the traditional doesn’t satisfy you. 

That in essence sums up the latest addition to the Palmer clan, traditional but with a definitive nod to the future for the modern steak house.

If you can’t make Charlie Palmer Steak Napa, check out his latest cookbook Charlie Palmer’s American Fare Everyday Recipes from My Kitchens to Yours, there are recipes that even the Insider could not muck up…. ha ha ha