Located in Napa’s new Riverfront development (along with Fish Story and Morimoto), Tyler Florence’s Rotisserie & Wine restaurant is loosely based on the Southern concept of “meat and three” (a menu option consisting of one meat dish and three sides). The peripatetic Florence (who also recently launched the blockbuster Wayfare Tavern in San Francisco and hopes to soon open El Paseo in Marin) was onsite along with newly appointed business partner Jeremy Fox (formerly of the vegetarian palace Ubuntu; an interesting pairing, yes?). Note: about one month after writing this review, Florence and Fox split.

While the kitchen and dining room were afire, Florence took some time to chat with us and was quite gracious. The clubby dining room, which features dark wood and rustic-style chandeliers, is compact, and likely seems more so given the restaurant’s “hungry-man” sized portions. Much of the menu, particularly the rotisserie dishes, is served family style and is meant to be shared. Our meal got off to an auspicious start with the delectable, mouth-wateringly delicious corn sticks and honey butter. Worth every calorie and then some… Other highlights of the Southern-influenced menu included buttermilk biscuits & gravy, a Creole style squid and pork belly stew, duck confit with crackling waffles, and the collards and grits “fixins”.   Hearty but probably not heart healthy!

The wine list nicely complements the meat-centric fare, with an excellent selection (and one that features many affordable bottles) of local Cabs and Syrahs.

During the Winter months, we think the marble bar offers some of the best seats in the house, with an up-close view of the namesake rotisserie. But once the weather warms up, the prime seats will likely be on the patio, where chairs made from reclaimed oak wine barrels overlook the Napa River.