ubuntu in napa
Ubuntu is a vegetarian restaurant that I went to a little over a year ago, during the summer. I can't believe I haven't written about it yet - if you are anywhere near this place, you must go!
They have yoga classes above the restaurant, which we took. It was a nice yoga class. The restaurant is just so special, it's an event! The food is like eating art - it's such an experience.
The space is aesthetically beautiful and the art is pretty - it's got a truly upscale, sexy, sophisticated vibe. Everyone needs to go there at least once in their lifetime. Napa is known for food and Ubuntu fits nicely into the whole food experience of Napa. Just know that it is vegetarian, not vegan - but so vegan friendly. The stars on the menu indicate which items can be made vegan.
Here's everything I loved:
- A big dish of olives - I saw someone with it and it looked so good
- The cool garden green and lemongrass soup was really nice
- Assorted french beans with kadota fig (without parmesan) was incredible
- Chickpea clusters in Napa Smith Ale batter
- The carta da musica with virtually the entire summer garden (got it vegan) was amazing
- Heirloom onions in their natural roasting juices - sweet & sour and amazing!
- We also had dessert, which was really delicious, but I can't remember what we had!
Where do you go when you want a special dining experience?
23 comments
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Made a visit after reading Alicia's original post. Took my mother for Mother's Day. She is a meat eater and was not amused when she read the menu and realized she couldn't have ham for brunch. After she and I picked a few dishes to share, and started eating the food, both of us were very impressed. I love this place.
They are closed right now for a "sabbatical" but are supposed to be re-opening in Spring. In the mean time, the yoga studio is still open. I'll be checking that out next time I'm in Napa.
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Went to Ubuntu and it was fabulous. We did the chef's tasting which came with 5 courses, each paired with a different wine. It was amazing! And wine tasting in Napa is my new favorite thing!
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I had the worst experience at Ubuntu. I went with my parents during our trip to Napa because I heard it was all the rage. Overpriced and unimpressive menu items. I just couldn't believe that a plain greasy cheese pizza (just to pick a menu item at random) being well over $10. Having great local restaurants with vegan fare for under $10 will do that to you i guess. The atmosphere was nice and I bet the yoga is even better but the food, I can't say the same for.
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Your excellent at choosing gourmet plates and desserts, another beautiful. one! I saw the short video were you said "I won't eat anything that isn't delicious" . This made me so happy, with the emphasis on flavors in the chefs world today and the matching and melding of them, you know technical expertise blending with taste and craft. it was good to here the word delicious, it seemed more honest and belivable in my view , we should not forget how marketable delicious can be f.
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I love trying new restaurants that offer tasty vegan options. In Tucson, my favorite restaurant these days is Lovin' Spoonfulls- it's SO GOOD! But it's expensive to eat out, and sometimes I'm concerned an animal product may sneak its way in my food. To solve the problem, I began my own blog filled with a variety of easy to prepare, and TASTY vegan food! This week I made some really delicious Latin appetizers.
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My husband and I recently vacationed in the Napa/Sonoma region for the first time. We stayed in Sebastopol for the first part of our trip and found Peter Lowell's restaurant. It's a fabulous local vegetarian place. I still dream about their corn chowder! We both agreed that it was probably the best food we had the entire trip! It's so hard to eat healthy sometimes, when you're away from home in "unknown" territory, but we had no problem in this region of California. If only Minnesota had the growing seasons like California!
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For those trvaveling to Paris, France the Gentle Gourmet B and B is a vegan accomodation. The room comes with an outstanding vegan breakfast, the french toast is to die for, and gourmet dinners can be booked as can picnic lunches and guides to vegetarian and vegan places in Paris. The following is an excerpt from the blog of a woman who spent the weekend there with her sister.
The most excellent part of the entire weekend by far was our accommodation. Bel had found during her research a vegan B & B that also offered private dining as well. The Gentle Gourmet Paris (http://www.gentlegourmetbandb.com/ ) can be found in the 16th not far from the l'Arc de Triomphe and has been open for just over a year.
Hosts, Debra and her kids Alex and Caroline immediately welcomed us into their home, hearts and minds. These people are some of the kindest, sweetest and friendliest folk that you could hope to come across. Bel and I spent countless hours perched on the kitchen stools watching as Debra and Caroline cooked and prepared for various meals, were shown vegan hip hop songs by Alex on You Tube and just chatted openly about our plans, our lives and our hopes and dreams. I think Debra may be the sweetest person to walk this earth actually, that's a big call but I'm calling it and giving her that badge 
The woman's url address is http://ladybusinessau.wordpress.com This was the part of the August 9, 2010 blog.
Visiting Paris for vegans and vegetarians just got a little bit better.
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I live so close (maybe an hour away) to Napa! I love the recommendations. Now I just need to find a vegan (or veggie) friend to go with.... :-)
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"Ubuntu" is an African word meaning goodwill towards others - it's sort of a kindred spirit among people that binds them together and makes them stronger as a group than as individuals.
Thought you might find that interesting.
Macro in South Africa :)
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I only live about 30 minutes away from Napa. Iam going to take my sister Maria to lunch there. Thanks for the tip Alicia.
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O I thought you were talking about the Linux Operating System named Ubuntu when I first read the headline, haha.
Sounds really good tho!
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what exactly is Lemon Grass soup. I have some at home I havent tried yet because I dont know exactly what it is?
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A new favorite is Shojin in Los Angeles - Alicia you absolutely have to try it!!!!! Its a vegan/organic Japanese restaurant that even has sushi rolls! The pumpkin croquettes are amazing, as is the dynamite roll. I went there for my second bday dinner and it blew me away. Its also macrobiotic - so its extra amazing!
I also still love going to Real Food Daily for that special experience. A few of the menu items turned me off for a while. But then I went back again for my birthday and had the Fettucini Alfredo - amAZING!
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We live just south of Napa, so we'll have to try out Ubuntu! My favorite place to be is Napenthe down in Big Sur. The drive down the coast is a tonic, and then one ends up at this incredibly special, family-owned space with a breathtaking view. It's not a vegan restaurant, though they do have some vegetarian-like options on the menu. I tend to go for the view and the atmosphere rather than the food.
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You always find such wonderful places, and as far as I am concerned, they might as well be on Mars because I will never get to them... still it's fun to dream. This one is interesting because of its name, and African word for an interested community and also a popular flavor of the Linux operating system.
However, should the remote eventuality presents itself and I get to go to Mars, how about the address and telephone number of this worthy establishment? Thanks.
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My favorite place close to LA ( in Fountain Valley ) is called Au Lac.
A Raw Vegan restaurant that offers some mainstream cocked Vegan dishes to but please, please... when you go there try the Living Foods the Chef creates, its absolutely amazing.
I traveled the world and California up and down but I never ate such sensational raw vegan food.
I will off course stop at Alicia's recommended place up the coast because that one I missed LOL.
I send my love to my kind friends
ULi <3
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I went there last Saturday night for dinner - I live in San Francisco and it's been on "my restaurant list" for ages. It was amaaaazing! The flavors were out of this world, and the space? To die for! You feel like you're in this really hip space without any pretentious vibe. We sat at the central communal table without a reservation which was fantastic - it gave us a perfect view of the open kitchen.
If you're ever in Napa do yourself a favor and go!
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Yumm sound delciousand that pic does look like art work.
I've always been wanting to go to Napa but have never made it there, some day.
Thanks for the post Alicia! :P
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