Ciccio Reopens in Napa Valley Under Meadowood Chef

Charter Oak restaurateur Christopher Kostow and his team oversee a local winemaker-owned restaurant in Yountville. The restaurant also Red Rock Casino adds a new restaurant, as well. Tao Group and Groot Hospitality join forces for the Miami project.

Amid a property owned by the Altamura family of wineries, Ciccio is getting a new direction under the supervision of one of Napa Valley’s most well-known chefs.

After opening doors in Yountville in 2012, Ciccio was a hit with Napa Valley locals and visitors for its friendly gathering spot for cozy Italian food and delicious Negronis. However, as with many other establishments, this one suffered from the COVID-19 epidemic and was shut down in 2022. It was unoccupied for more than 18 months until the chef Christopher Kostow and his wife, Martina, approached Ciccio’s owners, Frank and Karen Altamura (owners of the Altamura winery), to take over the restaurant.

“As a resident of the valley, Ciccio was a place we always brought people,” Kostow said. Who became famous as the head chef of the restaurant at Meadowood, was awarded an award from the Wine Spectator Grand Award before tragically erupting in the wildfires which destroyed Northern California in 2020. Although the reconstruction of Meadowood has taken longer than planned, there’s an option to open again with Kostow as the chef. While he was there, reviving Ciccio was crucial for him.

“We didn’t want to see the loss of something we thought had real value in the valley,” the chef declared. We’re not vintners. Therefore, our potential to make a difference in the valley lies in restaurants, and we must ensure that Ciccio does not disappear.”

The Kostows are also the couple that runs Charter Oak, a casual restaurant in St. Helena that holds the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence since 2022.

Ciccio’s owners remain with the Altamuras, but they’ve handed over the business the company to Kostow and his staff, who, upon receiving keys in April, made a few minor adjustments before the restaurant reopened in May. “We approached it, always, with an eye not to shock people,” Kostow said, noting that they made slight adjustments to create a more exciting, deliberate “sexy” feel, such as providing the walls with an earthy hue of yellow paint, and adding movie posters from the 1970s to the décor.

Although many aspects of Ciccio are the same as in the past, Christopher Kostow’s team has overhauled the décor and menu.

In the same way, the menu layout is similar, including salads, starters, pizzas, pasta, pizzas, and other dishes. However, there’s been a revamp by Kostow and director of culinary John Tyler Franson, and chef Juan Carlos Atonal. “We don’t want people to come in and try the same dish they had five years ago,” Kostow explained, pointing out the new dishes such as the Pork Milanese and cacio e Pepe. “I believe the pork was flavored with lemon and capers; now we’re putting in chicories and anchovy. The cacio e pepe includes burnt peppercorn as well as Pennyroyal Cheese.” Pizza has also been upgraded Kostow uses his 30-year-old starter for the dough.

Las Vegas Red Rock Resort Opens a Parisian-Style Restaurant and Lounge

Another newcomer has popped up in the dining scene in the Las Vegas area: Rouge Room is a French-inspired restaurant and lounge in Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa in Summerlin, Nev. Open from May, the most recent initiative by the Wish You Were Here Group is part of Red Rock’s Best Of Award of Excellence-winning steakhouse T-Bones Chophouse & Lounge.

The steak is also featured on the menu at Rouge Room (an Australian Wagyu filet “au poivre,” shavings of truffles of black truffle are also available). The restaurant offers an array of different ingredients and tastes that are influenced by French cuisine. There are seafood platters, croque madame with tuna tartare, and moules frites. They also offer caviar options (one paired with Louis XIII Cognac). A separate menu is available for diners dining in the pool area and in the eight cabanas.

Wish You Were Here Group Corporate drink director Julien Calella oversees a list of 150 bottles of wine from a collection that includes around 800 bottles. “The wine program was created with everyone in mind, but it leans into the classic French style to fit the venue’s theme,” Calella explained to Wine Spectator via email. Burgundy and Bordeaux are prominently featured, as well as well-known brands like Bouchard Pere & Fils and Chateau Beauregard. Champagne and the Rhone Valley, The Loire Valley, and other French regions are also highlighted. They are famous wines: Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, Barolo, and Rioja.

The Rouge Room’s interior is full of 1920s Paris fashion. True to the restaurant’s name, it has red accents everywhere, including velvet chairs, floral lighting fixtures, and drapes hanging over the ceiling. The restaurant is energetic and stands out from the white-accented outdoor pool area. Rouge Room hosts live entertainment and private parties, including musical performances and DJ set-ups. “[The] unique ambiance, sophisticated atmosphere and live music excite me the most,” Calella stated. “We are excited to bring a new option for going out at night that strays away from the predictable … Rouge Room is bringing a remarkably different experience to Summerlin that brings the luxury from the Strip.”

Tao Group and Groot Hospitality to Open Casadonna in Miami

The Miami dining scene is getting more and more! In the summer of 2019, Magic City residents anticipate a new restaurant owned by the New York-based Tao Group Hospitality and Florida-based hotelier and nightlife expert David Grutman’s Groot Hospitality. Casadonna, an Italian-style restaurant on Biscayne Bay, will mark the first joint venture of both companies.

Casadonna will join Tao’s expanding portfolio, which includes over 70 hotels, including Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence winner Cathedrale in The Moxy East Village in New York. Groot Hospitality’s Gekko, Komodo Miami, Papi Steak, and Swan all won An Award of Excellence this year.

Casadonna will accommodate nearly 400 guests across 22,000 square feet of space in the historic Miami Women’s Club building. (The Restaurant’s title, “house of women,” honors this historical landmark.) Designer Ken Fulk has conceived of an interior adorned with traditional Miami colors (bright pinks and dark greens), chandeliers, and mid-century contemporary furniture that is carried over to the expansive, water-facing patio and bar.

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