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CHEF MICHAEL CHIARELLO RETURNS TO THE KITCHEN AT NEW RESTAURANT BOTTEGA, OPENING DECEMBER 5 IN YOUNTVILLE

Bottega Offers Farm-to-Table Dining Celebrating the Bounty of the Region in a Rustic-yet-Refined Wine Country Setting

Yountville, CA (November 28, 2008) - On December 5th, chef Michael Chiarello, Emmy-winning host of Food Network's Easy Entertaining, tastemaker behind NapaStyle and proprietor of Chiarello Family Vineyards, will step back into the kitchen to open Bottega, a new restaurant in Yountville, CA. Bottega means "an artist's workshop or studio" in Italian, and the restaurant celebrates Chiarello's return to his own "craftsman's workshop" in the Bottega kitchen. The restaurant's interior, designed by architect Michael Guthrie and graphic designer Michael Mabry, takes inspiration from Chiarello's food, balancing the rustic and the refined with a variety of warm textures and finishes surrounding the 140 year old brick and timber beams of the historic building.

With the opening of Bottega, Chiarello is coming full circle to his roots of creating fresh, seasonally based, flavorful cuisine that celebrates the Napa Valley, for which he became known at the iconic Tra Vigne restaurant. "The menu I've created for Bottega really reflects who I am now as a chef," says Chiarello. "The food still showcases the big, bold Italian flavors I love, but in a more refined style that I've developed over the last ten years. And I'm thrilled to occupy and recreate what was once a gathering spot for local vintners to relax, the Chutney Kitchen."

Bottega serves rustic farm-to-table cuisine reflecting the bounty of fresh produce in Napa Valley and the flavors of Italian cuisine, notably recognized as Chiarello's signature style. For years Chiarello has been one of the most vocal and passionate advocates of the organic, sustainable movement and his menu echoes this vision of using locally produced food combined with making responsible choices whenever possible. Chiarello's culinary team is lead by Chef de Cuisine Nick Ritchie, a talented chef who has worked with Chiarello for over 15 years.

Some of Chiarello's signature dishes for Bottega include Warm Pecorino Pudding with Wood-Oven Roasted Spicy Rapini and Grilled Bread; Angry Hopper Shrimp & Toscanello White Bean Passatina with Crispy Basil and Orange; and Seared Foie Gras & Harvest Foccacia Panino with Zinfandel Grape Mosto. House made pastas include Veal Tortellini in Brodo di Carne with Browned Butter, Butternut Squash and Sage; Pumpkin Fontina val d'Aosta Risotto with Game Bird Ragu; and Zinfandel Spaghettini. Entrees feature Seared Day-Boat Scallops with Pink Chickpea Passatina & Cauliflower Agrodolce; Arrosto of Duroc Pork with Honey-Sage Roasted Apples and Mosto Cotto; Grilled Swordfish alla Barcaiola with Ancient Grain Polenta and Celery Herb Insalata. Evolving what he started as a young chef, Chiarello makes gray salt-cured Berkshire pork prosciutto, and offers a variety of cured meats from his Salumeria.

More than half of Bottega's wine list features local, small-production vintages from California complemented with a solid collection of Italian wines. Chiarello's wine list is reasonably priced encouraging patrons to explore the many bounties of the region, with offerings by the quartino (8 oz.) as well as sparkling Prosecco by the glass.

Originally one of the oldest wineries in Napa Valley, Bottega is located in one of Napa's most historic buildings. In designing the restaurant, Chiarello and his wife, Eileen Gordon enlisted local Architect Michael Guthrie to restore the integrity of the space by uncovering beautiful hard wood floors and timber beams, exposing old brick walls and large arched brick doorways and windows dating back to the 1800's. Local stonework used to construct the restaurant's two fireplaces helps emphasize the timeless feel.

Taking inspiration from Bottega's menu and the textures of Old World Europe they collaborated to create an earth-toned interior that combines the rustic and the refined, and is at once comfortable and sophisticated. Fabrics in olive greens, chocolate browns and deep reds establish a warm palette. Rich textiles such as distressed leathers in butter, ginger and mushroom gray hues are accented by cool Venetian plaster walls using an ancient craft of layering marble dust to create an old-world patina. Weathered brick walls are washed with Gesso, softening the hues. Imported Murano glass chandeliers and Donghia fabric reinforce the restaurant's sophisticated Italian roots. The restaurant's five communal tables, perfect for larger groups or livelier dining by small groups, are done in various materials as such as forty-year-old barn timber, Calcutta D'Oro marble and recycled concrete. An assortment of local artistic specialists made the space come to life with the walls, metalwork, floors, and custom furnishings.

General Manager Joel Hoachuck oversees Bottega's dining rooms, which are comprised of three intimate seating areas with one of the only open kitchens in the Valley, and an exposed wood-burning oven, a classic copper bar and an outdoor lounge. The two indoor dining rooms seat 118 collectively, including a private dining/wine room and bar, and the outside covered Terrazzo with two wood-burning fireplaces seats 66 with both lounge and table seating. The lounge and full bar create comfortable gathering places for a glass of wine and paninoteca fare, allowing diners a spacious option for pre- and post-meal enjoyment.

Bottega is located in the Vintage Estate's property, 6525 Washington Street, Yountville, CA. Serving dinner seven days a week, Bottega is open from 5:30 pm until 9:30 pm Sunday through Thursday, and from 5:30 pm until 10 pm Fridays and Saturdays. Outdoor lounge service is available later in the evening, weather permitting. Lunch service begins December 12. For reservations call 707.945.1050 For more information, please visit www.botteganapavalley.com.

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Michael on KPIX