Ninebark Opens in Napa

New Napa restaurant, Ninebark, has opened. Check out the menu from its 2-star Michelin chef

Ninebark Restaurant has opened in Napa. Photo: Ninebark
Ninebark Restaurant has opened in Napa. Photo: Ninebark

By biteclub

Ninebark opens in Napa, as of Oct. 13, 2015

NYC’s Matthew Lightner has taken over the former Fagiani’s Cocktail Lounge and The Thomas with Ninebark (813 Main St., Napa). There’s a lot of interest in seeing what the 2-Michelin-starred chef will do with the bounty of Wine Country. The “California-inspired, market-driven restaurant” will have an emphasis on “smoking, perfuming, and grilling with unique ingredients and processes,” said reps.

Opening menu items include:

  • Grilled Avocado, kohlrabi, heirloom citrus dressing, crispy allium sprouts, and whole wheat crisp

  • Horiatiki Salad with buddha’s hand, persimmons, peppers, seasonal selections of fresh fruit and produce, local feta cheese, citrus, and olive oil.

  • Rock Cod Poke with slow-cooked kombu, brown butter dashi, onion marinade, house fish sauce, seaweeds, sea lettuces, and sesame seeds

  • Dumplings of Chicken, Shrimp and Ricotta Cheese with gravy of roasted chicken and prawns, smoked bread, and parmesan

  • Skewers of Trout from Mt. Lassen (California) lightly perfumed over cedar branch with eggplant, oyster mushroom, pine oils, and mushroom stock

  • House Blackened Sturgeon Collar, slow smoked over hardwood, porridge of heirloom rice, salt baked daikon and sourdough, fish sauce, and lemon.

  •  Charcoal Roasted Duck with Valencia orange, garden sorrel, and tarragon sauce

  • Poached and Grilled Halibut with escabeche, ragout of radishes, fresh and dried nasturtium, and broth of stewed vegetables

  • Aged Ribeye with cornbread pudding, young onions and leeks in a roasted grain jus.

  • Japanese-style cheesecake with persimmon, parmesan, and cream cheese ice cream

  • Thousand Layers of Chocolate S’mores with vanilla marshmallows, smoked chocolate mousse, and burnt sugar


  • Cocktails vary by location within the restaurant. First floor cocktails are twists on classics including: Pina Colada with smoked pineapple, white rum, and coconut; a Side Car with cognac, lemon, triple sec, and fig; and a Tennessee Cola with whiskey, house-made cola, and toasted grain.  Third floor cocktails are unique creations from the bar’s cocktail magnate, Andrew Salazar, including the Old Ball Game which combines popcorn and peanut-infused rye whiskey, demerara, and leather bitters; the Panache Indochine mixing up IPA, gin, whole pressed lemon, ginger, and kaffir lime; and the Route 15 combining Mosto Verde Italia Pisco with lemon, cream, egg white, orange blossom, and honeycomb

NINEBARK is open for dinner Tuesday – Sunday, 6:00pm-10:00pm.  The bar will be open Sunday, Tuesday-Thursday 5:30pm-12:00am; Friday-Saturday 5:30pm-1:00am. Reservations are accepted either through OpenTable by calling 707-226-7821, or by contacting the restaurant directly at info@ninebark-napa.com. In the coming weeks, NINEBARK will open for both brunch and lunch.