From pig’s feet and escargot to jellied bone marrow, the French have an uncanny ability to drown pretty much anything in béchamel or brown butter and make it exceptional. But what keeps eaters beating a path to Chef Philippe Jeanty’s Yountville restaurant is his elevation of rustic cuts and home-style French cooking from merely palatable to universally comforting.

A perennial vote-getter on the Chronicle’s Top 100 Bistro Jeanty is oft-lauded as Wine Country’s most authentic French country bistro. A native of Champagne and the opening chef of Domaine Chandon, Jeanty’s menu features simple dishes like rabbit terrine, Coq Au Vin, cassoulet, Sole Meuniere, steak frites, foie gras pate, fried smelt and roasted bone marrow–classics informed by a mother’s kitchen and hometown bistros. Classics that, to the consternation of some and comfort of others, remains constant. (Beef stew and cassoulet in summer? Really?)

In warm weather, the small patio is a favorite spot for sipping espresso and lingering over crepes Suzette. Inside, the restaurant is intimate and cozy, painted in a soothing tone of buttercup and plastered with vintage French adverts and Marcel Pagnol posters. Lace curtains adorn the windows and a country bicyclette sits parked outside with flowers in its basket. Calculated charmant, bien sur. Mais charmant.

Best bets on the lunch/dinner menu include the pork belly and lentils ($14), fried smelt, and Entrecote frites (a grilled rib eye steak with fries and Bearnaise sauce, $28), tomato soup in puff pastry ($8.75), and Coq au Vin ($16.50).

Daily specials supplement the menu–like a recent Sunday’s addition of bone marrow. Not the easiest dish to approach, it’s elegantly crude. High level stuff even for experienced gourmands, it amounts to gently scooping out the inside of a roasted cow femurm spreading the gelatinous goo on a crouton and moaning ecstatically. And while a silver spoon, civilized drip of Bordelaise and swig of Cotes du Rhone helps the process feel less flagrantly carnivorous, one can’t help listening cautiously for the disapproving clucks of angry vegans.

With the opening of Jeanty at Jack in SF and PJ Steak (which has since closed) fans howled (as fans often do) that consistency had begun to suffer. Along those lines, the Sole Meuniere ($18.50) was the meal’s only casualty. And while it was perfectly okay, the flavors were a bit muddy and tired. The brown butter seemed oilier and less nutty than expected. The citrus tang that I so love in this dish was only in the small bits of cut lemon I had to squeeze myself. And the capers were merely window dressing. Perhaps I should have followed the old adage about fish on Sunday and stuck with the steak.

Desserts keep the French accent with a focus on rich crème brule and delicate crepes Suzette with orange butter. For a change of pace, skip the sweet stuff and tuck into a nice slice of Epoisse (served a bit chilly for my taste, but nonetheless stinkily delightful) with candied walnuts and poached pear as you ponder post-modern existentialism and the brilliant humor of Jerry Lewis.

Bistro Jeanty, 6510 Washington Street, Yountville, 707.944.0103

Despite the construction dust, cardboard-covered floors and heady smell of fresh paint, things are cooking at the forthcoming Peter Lowell’s Café in Sebastopol. Not so much the hearth-baked pizzas or braised rapini planned for their late-September opening; not the minestrone or fresh bagels listed on the first menu; not even a hint of dandelion greens. Instead, it’s the sizzle and pop of a big idea about to be served.

Co-owned by former Seattle Chef Steven Peyer and Sebastopol native Lowell Sheldon, the back-story goes like this: Two young guys working in a Pacific Northwest restaurant start daydreaming about their own place–a place where they can express their mad passion for “produce-based” (read vegetarian with some local seafood thrown in for flexitarians) with an Italian flair.

Fast-forward three years and the two are putting the finishing touches on their 100 percent organic and sustainable café/pizzeria serving casual breakfast, lunch and dinner fare. Mission accomplished.

Tucked into a green-building community of live/work lofts still under construction (but scheduled for completion in the fall), the restaurant has a built-in audience of folks who get the whole green vibe. Which is exactly the idea. Peyer and Sheldon envision the café as something of a community kitchen where folks can stop by for coffee (Ecco, of course) and a bagel, a pizza or salad for lunch and fresh made risotto for dinner, along with a glass of biodynamic wine. (Sheldon’s father happens to be the architect of the community.)

Sound familiar? After the launch of West County Grill, Rosso and Ubuntu in fairly short order (all of which owe much to Alice Waters’ decades-old philosophies on food), the idea of gourmet pizzas, designer greens and personal relationships with producers does have that déjà vu all-over-again feel.

But Lowell and Peyer hope to differentiate themselves by, well, just being themselves–falling somewhere between earthy-crunchy and high-concept and focusing heavily on solid flavors. “Our slightly off-kilter attitude towards business -one where people, animals and the environment come before profits, where organic is a way of life and where the highest quality cuisine is a top priority–is in keeping with our community’s standards,” says their menu.

Watch for details on their opening. Meanwhile, you can peruse their website at www.peterlowells.com

This isn’t a story about Ubuntu. But it starts there, on a very hot, very sticky Napa afternoon not so long ago–in fact last Friday. The story opens with BiteClub standing a the dark, all but empty restaurant wondering…um…exactly what happened to the breakfast and lunch service scheduled to start last week.

No dice. Maybe in a few weeks, they said. Maybe not. And so go restaurant openings.

Which wouldn’t be a total tragedy but for the mouthwatering tales of fig pizza and Epoisse lavished on me by a girlfriend who’d eaten there just last night. Fig pizza. Epoisse. Say no more. “But I just kept thinking,” she lamented, “that fig pizza would have been so much better with a little prosciutto on it.”

Because, really, what isn’t? But BiteClub regrets to inform readers that–at least on the opening menu at Ubuntu–“vegetable-inspired meals-to be enjoyed by both omnivores and herbivores” translate as vegetarian/vegan. No ham. No bacon. No prosciuitto. And on that hot afternoon, no lunch.

Cursing this second strike-out at the Napa newcomer, I called in my late-afternoon safety–the one valley spot that would definitely be open, definitely be packed and almost certainly have pizza (fig or not) to console my bruised karma: Bistro Don Giovanni.

Double-parked limos and cell-phone-yacking wine barons (this is crush after all) along the sidewalk belie the fact that Don Giovanni is, in fact, a pretty casual spot. It’s Napa’s hang-out–where everyone from the mommy-tracked to the fast-tracked rub elbows and chow on house-made focaccia, strawberry lemonade, bistro burgers and rustic pastas.

Around since 1993, the restaurant (owned by Donna and Giovanni Scala) has always fallen a bit below the radar of tourists despite having amazing patios, an impressive wine list and consistently impressive Cal-Ital (heavy on the Ital) dishes like carpaccio, lamb meatballs, lemon-cream ravioli and roasted chicken. Call it a blessing, though you’ll often have to wade through locals crammed like sardines around the bar to get to your table. You’ll live.

And alas, there on the menu was my edible Holy Grail (at least for today): A wood-fired fig pizza with gorgonzola, caramelized onions and, you guessed it, prosciutto. Ciao bella. Crispy, thin, smoky and savory with fresh slices of sweet fig. All the better with a crisp glass of rose and worth every bit of $14, mi amore.

Who needs karma? Just add prosciutto.

Bistro Don Giovanni, 4110 Howard Lane, Napa, 707.224.1090.

Fire it up
Toques off to the fall crew of the Santa Rosa Junior College Culinary Café, which re-opened on Wednesday. With their every move on display in the open teaching kitchen and fishbowl bakery, the heat is on these eager chefs-to-be from day one. The debut menu includes a variety of seasonal dishes–from spiced carrot and potato soup with tomato chutney to heirloom tomatoes, veggies from their own organic farm and fresh peach pie. With the focus on hands-on experience, you may get the culinary equivalent of a fuzzy beauty school perm from time to time (please, no cantaloupe on my Pavlova). But at rock-bottom prices ($3.50 for salads and desserts, around $8.50 for entrees) it’s worth the risk to fully explore the a la carte menu. Best of all, tips help keep these young chefs in their whites. The bakery is open weekdays for coffee and fresh-made pastries. Check out front-of-the-house fixture Betsy Fischer and SRJC culinary guru Michael Salinger’s food and wine pairing experiences on selected Fridays through October--two hour sessions featuring fresh, local ingredients and three Sonoma County wines. SRJC Culinary Arts Cetner, 458 B Street, Santa Rosa. Reservations recommended (but not always necessary): 707.576.0279.

Help launch Santi’s new restaurant
Chef Dino Bugica and owner Doug Swett of Santi recently purchased the defunct Smokehouse just a few steps away from their Geyserville restaurant. With plans to open an “old World pizzeria” to accompany Santi, the crew are seeking investment from the community. If you’ve got deep pockets and a hankering for all the salumi you can eat, give them a buzz. Santi Restaurant, 707.857.1790

New Chinese
A second Jennie Low’s has opened in Theater Square serving up regional Chinese dishes from the recipe box of long-time cooking teacher, Jennie Low. The Novato outpost, opened in 1992, remains open. C St. and 2nd, Petaluma, 707.762.6888.

Ready to eat the worm?
P-town is also about to get a new tequila bar and restaurant come mid-to-late September. Tres Hombres, which has a rockin’ outpost in Chico, will feature 60 kinds of tequila along with Cal-Mex inspired food. Ole! Check out the menu.

Chinese food needs a good agent these days.

After years as the reigning exotic starlet of the American palate, she’s really let herself go–appearing regularly in freezer sections and mall fast food courts. She’s licensed her name to abominations like orange chicken (which tastes like neither) and spongey egg rolls and tasteless fried rice studded with frozen peas and carrots. Poor dear.

When a complex, centuries-old national cuisine is reduced to a line of microwaveable dinners, there’s cause for concern.

Unlike Thai and Vietnamese, more recent culinary newcomers which have survived the ocean-crossing fairly intact, Chinese rolled into our consciousness at a time when Velveeta was considered a modern marvel. To appeal to wary American palates in inventions like chow mein, General Tso chicken, mayonnaise-sauced walnut prawns, ketchupy sweet and sour pork and fortune cookies mixed familiar tastes with the illusion of something more exotic. Sorry if I burst any bubbles there.

With such a massive Chinese population here in the Bay Area, there’s no reason we can’t do better than Panda Express and the all-you can eat buffet at Fu Zhou (and trust me, I’ve done some serious eating at both).
What are you favorite authentic Chinese spots? We’re not talking buffets here (I’ve already done that). I want to know who has the best dumplings, dim sum (is there even any in the North Bay?), soup, moo shu and Peking duck? What are you secret guilty pleasures? Who’s got the most exotic cuisine? Who deserves a shout-out and who’s totally over-rated?

Tell me.

After a rather horrifying incident with yak butter tea a few years ago, I pretty much swore off any further experiences with Tibetan food. Yak can do that to a person.

A recent shout-out by a BiteClubber over my noticeable lack of Indian coverage, however, prompted me to take another look at Shangri-La, a Himalayan spot I’d actually been a little nervous about trying since it’s opening a couple years ago. Remember the yak tea?

Now, depending on who you ask, foods of the Himalayas are either closely related to Indian cuisine or, well, not related at all. It’s a matter of perspective and location, really. Things like momo-a Himalayan specialty made from minced meat or vegetables wrapped in dough (think Chinese dumplings) seem to have little to do with the creamy curries, raitas and paneer more familiar further south. Nepali staples like a hearty daal (lentil soup), however, feel right at home with their Indian brethren.

Regardless, at this busy Rohnert Park favorite, the cuisines pal around quite nicely. The menu includes house-made Nepali meat and vegetable momo, vegetarian lentil soups as well as sizzling Tandoori, samosa, curry, steaming naan (made fresh after you order, and some of the best I’ve had) and yes, even the Anglo-corrupted Tikka Masala.*

Carnivore or vegetarian, the mash-up of owner Meenakshi Sharma’s homeland foods and familiar Indian favorites makes for some pretty diverse eating. Many of the curries, samosa, momo and paneer are available without meat and baked salmon tandoori is a house specialty for fish-itarians. And, nearly everything is made fresh daily, so you won’t be getting yesterday’s leftover tandoori.

Forget about going carb-free, here. The pillowy-hot naan and flowery jasmine rice (they infuse the rice with a special blend of herbs) are absolute can’t-miss-sides. A point of pride at the restaurant is to keep the heat down (though you can request anything from mild to wild) so the subtle spices and unique flavors shine through.

Lunch specials are offered Monday through Friday from 11:30 to 3pm for $7.99, a nice value as prices for entrees and curries can get steep ($8.99 and up for curry, $13.99 and up for tandoori platters).

And thankfully, no yak butter tea.

Shangri-La Food From the Himalayas, 1706 East Cotati Ave. at Wolf Den Plaza, Rohnert Park, 707.793.0300. Closed Sunday.

* Yep, Tikka Masala is the chow mein of chicken of Indian food. Though its origins are sketchy, most agree that the creamy tomato curry didn’t originate in India, but rather somewhere in the UK. Sorry to burst your bubble. I actually love the stuff, too.
Read the wiki.

Napa’s long-awaited new restaurant and yoga studio, Ubuntu, officially opened last Thursday. Curious crowds packed into the restored 19th century building to get a glimpse, quickly overwhelming the kitchen. In fact, BiteClub couldn’t find a single morsel to be nibble on, leaving the opening party hungry and well-jostled.

The menu will lean heavily on the restaurant’s own biodynamic gardens, featuring lots of fruits and veggies. Flexitarians and carnivores take note, however: Ubuntu is hardly a wheat-grass shack and will offer up meat and dairy.

The vibe is redeco-yoga-chi–exposed bricks and beams commingle with Asian artifacts, sleek booths and ultra modern lighting. C’est so Napa.

The upstairs yoga studio overlooks the restaurant, but word is that the spot has been specially insulated so that cooking smells and restaurant noise won’t distract om-chanters above. Still, does anyone else find it strange to be doing yoga in a restaurant?

Ubuntu is open for dinner this week, and will serve breakfast and lunch starting Aug. 27. Stay tuned.

Ubuntu, 1140 Main St., Napa, 707.251.5656