Review by Elizabeth Warnimont
Special to The Herald

There are plenty of things that make Benicia a great place to live. What has stood out for me most over the decades is the community of people here, but it’s even more than that: We have a special and fascinating history; a beautiful and unique setting where it seems like half our homes have a view of the strait; excellent schools. If live here, you know the list goes on and on.

One of those countless benefits is the straight shot from here to the beautiful Napa Valley. How convenient to be able to get away for a romantic weekend, or to take out-of-town friends for a full day of touring, tasting, walking and shopping.

One special way to “do Napa” is aboard the historic Wine Train.

If you want to include fine dining in your excursion to the wine country, the Wine Train should be near the top of your list. It’s a stress-free way to take in some of the best food and wine the area has to offer.

In January, one option is the Domaine Chandon winery tour. The tour includes gourmet lunch and dessert on the train, beginning at the station in downtown Napa. The train reaches the end of the line in St. Helena, then returns as far as Yountville, where passengers disembark and catch a bus up the hill to the Domaine Chandon visitors center. On the trip, Wine Train hosts offer interesting background on the historic sites the train passes along the way, including the vast, 125-year-old Veterans Home complex and the hilltop Robert Mondavi estate.

So what’s on the menu? I spoke to enough people to establish that just about every entrée was excellent. Tables are set for four, so chances are good that each diner will see a variety of dishes; entrées are changed seasonally.

At our table, two of us had the soup and two had salad. The baby lettuce salad is perfectly fresh, served with a little shredded carrot, some mild smoked goat cheese, gently sweetened walnut halves and a delicate, clear dressing. The soup du jour last Friday was pumpkin, garnished with cheddar cheese — delicious. The cheese complemented the flavor nicely, but there was so much that it altered the creamy consistency into something more gooey in the center, almost like pizza, stretching in long strands as it’s spooned out of the bowl.

The roast beef tenderloin entrée is also fresh and flavorful, cooked to order. It arrives in neat slices, accompanied by sautéed potatoes and a charming and tasty little artichoke heart cup stuffed with mozzarella cheese, garnished with a ribbon of pesto. The coriander breast of chicken also is sliced on the plate, its natural shape yielding nice little tenderloin bites, topped with a slightly smoky, salty peppercorn cognac demi sauce.

The chicken is accompanied by grilled yam slices, wedges of roasted beet and a bed of baby arugula. All of the vegetables are freshly prepared to a perfect, soft al dente. The arugula does become partially cooked sitting underneath the warm chicken, so it takes on a kind of interesting texture, softened but not tender.

Other entrées include salmon hash brown, a tender, perfectly cooked salmon filet under a toasty potato crust. It is topped with “local caviar,” tiny, bright orange bubbles of flavor, and comes with sautéed baby carrots and kale in a grilled orange beurre blanc sauce. The chef’s vegetarian trio is also lovely, tasty and satisfying. Long, broad slices of grilled zucchini are served beside a bed of sweet pea ravioli in a creamy tomato sauce and a pair of yam-stuffed gypsy peppers — probably the most intricately prepared dish of all. The only entrée I didn’t hear anything about was the achiote pork tenderloin, offered with garlic mashed potatoes, honey-thyme baby carrots and sun-dried tomato apricot jam.

For dessert, diners may choose between a crème brulée or a milk chocolate-drenched dome of tiramisu. The crème brulée is exquisitely prepared — how often have you tasted a vanilla crème brulée flavored with freshly pulverized vanilla bean? The requisite caramelized sugar crust is crisp and flavorful, and the Wine Train chefs top it all off with a spoonful of fresh blueberries. At a neighboring table, a guest found the tiramisu very good but rather miniscule, dwarfed as it was by its thick, milk-chocolate shell.

Once the train arrives back in Yountville, the Domaine Chandon group is met by a winery host who takes guests on an exclusive, one-hour tasting tour. The grounds are pristine, complete with ponds, bridges and old trees. The structures are designed to blend with the natural surroundings, so the area has a soothing garden feel. The on-site restaurant is named “Etoile” after one of the winery’s most popular pink bubblies, an elegant, not-too-sweet rosé.

Back at the station house in Napa, riders can pick up a copy of the photo taken as they boarded the train, browse a pair of souvenir shops, and taste or purchase any of their featured wines.

Wine Train tours provide a comfortable and luxurious way to visit a winery at a leisurely pace, while enjoying fine dining in refurbished antique train cars. The list of tour options is long and varied but includes moonlight rides in the elevated Vista Dome Car (the next one will be Saturday, the “Wolf Full Moon”) and the Murder Mystery Dinner. Check out all of the options at the Wine Train website.

If You Go
Domaine Chandon Wine Train lunch tours currently run Friday, Saturday and Sunday only. The cost is $154 per person. For information and reservations, call 253-2111 or visit www.winetrain.com.

Elizabeth Warnimont holds a BA in Germanic language and literature from the University of California-Santa Barbara. She is currently a substitute teacher for the Benicia Unified School District.