Fleetwood for Wood-Fired Pizza & a Fun Vibe in Calistoga • Tour Travel Hotels
We were lucky enough to be able to rate a fairly new restaurant in Calistoga dedicated to wood-fired pizza and a bit more. Fleetwood anchors at the end of Napa Valley Silverado Trail just on the outskirts of town, a 3-5 minute drive to the main drag. Offering indoor and outdoor dining options, you can see vineyards, farms, hot springs and ranches in the distance. Inspired by Californian vineyards, the place exudes a modern Italian and Mediterranean vibe.
The chef and manager are all about the food and….wine. Chef Drew Glassell emphasizes seasonality and locally inspired pizzas and fine foods cooked over a wood-fired oven. They love to celebrate artists, producers, winemakers and farmers. Yes they also have live music sometimes, although as we were there midweek we did not experience it during our visit.
Fleetwood wood-fired oven
If you read us often, you know that we are great wine lovers here and almost always opt for wine when reviewing a restaurant. There were fun cocktails on the menu – all fresh – so Anthony had to try one, encouraged by the manager of course. He opted for Mertillo, which is a combination of gin, lingonberry, honey, lime and tonic. Fancy something a little more exotic? Then go for their Pesca Perfecto, which combines rum, peach, lemon, ginger beer with a dark rum float.
Discover their delicious wood-fired pizzas.
If champagne or sparkling wine is more your thing, they also have what you need. They offer a beautiful “raw rose” from Schramsberg from Napa. Or, you can get a blanc de blanc from Frank Family in Carneros. As for me, I opted for the 2018 Chardonnay from Clif Family, which I understand has a wife vintner.
Outside, you can sit at regular tables or around a fire pit – fun lights fill the air above and enter the trees to create a relaxing and romantic ambiance.
Aperitifs and cocktails at Fleetwood
Starters include a marinated combo (yum), roasted peppers in olive oil (below), as well as a chilled grilled shrimp cocktail, an oak-grilled romaine heart with anchovies and capers, a chopped seasonal salad, meatballs roasted in a wood oven and a burrata with grilled peaches, watercress, pickled onions and toast.
Below, their delicious wood-oven roasted meatballs, half pork and half beef with pork rinds to bind them together.
Meatballs in Fleetwood
Take a look at their Burrata below.
As for dishes, opt for one of their pizzas if you are a pizza lover thanks to their wood-fired ovens. Speck Ham, Buffalo Mozzarella, and Pladini are among the options. Their speck pizza is served with truffle truffles, caramelized onions and oak-grilled broccoli-rabe.
We tend to go for fewer starch and carb options as often as possible, so we went for their oak grilled salmon (below) which they serve with artichokes, arugula and tomatoes. cherries and their Rocky Chicken Breast, which comes with farro, glazed cippolini and green beans in a herbed chicken sauce.
Grilled salmon with oak
Above & Below: Rocky Chicken Breast from Fleetwood with Farro
They also have a burger if you have kids and a strip loin with gnocchi, roasted garlic, royal trumpets, baby peppers, and truffle balsamic.
As for desserts, they offer a Polenta Cake with roasted strawberries, sabayon and amaretti crumbs and a Cannoli with mascarpone with orange blossom, amarena cherries and pistachios.
Above, the polenta cake at Fleetwood.
Above and below their ever so delicious Cannoli with powdered sugar, a great way to end a meal.
Well done, it was a divine experience, one we would definitely recommend. Also be sure to see our Luxury Foodies post on Fleetwood on Instagram.
Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to review other restaurants during this stay, but be sure to read our 2018 food guide for some fun options.
DETAILS:
Fleetwood
1880 Lincoln Avenue
Calistoga CA 94515
707.709.4410
https://www.fleetwoodcalistoga.com/
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Note: we were hosted by the restaurant but all opinions expressed are entirely ours.