Ad Hoc Nourishes a Hungry Soul

Seeking a reprieve from the cool climes of “foggy bottoms” in San Francisco’s Richmond District we decided to venture up to Napa Valley on the 4^th of July weekend.  After slipping into Indian Springs for a 25 minute “laying on of hands”. We swam in the mineral pool for a few hours under the 90° azure skies of Calistoga. We were sun drenched and massaged into limp noodles. By 7PM our bellies were begging for sustenance.  We didn’t want this dreamy foray into the warm Napa Valley to end. We decided we wanted to have dinner on a terrace under the stars while imbibing a chilled white.  We had heard the raves about Ad Hoc, one of the jewels in Thomas Keller’s crown.  We didn’t know that Ad Hoc had a terrace, but I knew they had recently opened a new take out shack called Addendum.  We headed down the 29 with our windows wide open and the fertile smells of the valley wafting through the Prius.

We pulled onto Washington Street and noticed Ad Hoc.  We poked around a bit and noticed a little shack behind Ad Hoc that seemed pretty quiet.  So we peeked into Ad Hoc and inquired about Addendum.  Apparently, Addendum is only open between 11AM and 2PM Thursday - Saturday with a limited number of “lunch boxes” for $16.50 each with highlights like Keller’s Famous Fried Chicken or Ad Hoc Barbecue (wagyu beef, brisket and andouille sausage) with two sides and a dessert.  We didn’t have a reservation and did notice a charming terrace off in the corner of the building on our way in.  We inquired if they had room for two, and we were really fortunate to garner a table for two on the terrace next to a Madrone tree decked with oil lamps.

For those of you who haven’t yet heard about Ad Hoc’s story, here is a glimpse of the model. One menu per day, four to five exquisite courses served family style with an optional wine pairing.  You can sign up to have the daily Ad Hoc menu emailed to you at the website.

Our menu included the following:

·      Garden Lettuces adorned with house made salumi, cornichon and pepperoncini with a light vinaigrette.

·      Shrimp Brochette with Anson Mills Grits

·      A Deconstructed Jambalaya with Fulton Valley Farm Chicken Breast (brined for 10 hours and then roasted to perfection) and Andouille Sausage over perfectly seasoned rice. Brentwood Corn sliced off the cob studded into the sweetest dry farmed stewed tomatoes from Santa Rosa.

·      Bad Axe Sheep’s Milk Cheese from Vermont served with Fleur de Sel Crusted Puff Pastry and an Apricot Compote

·      Hot Cinnamon Sugar Beignets accompanied by three delectable sauces (Coconut Anglaise, Fresh Strawberry Sauce and Dark Chocolate Coulis)

Service was the most congenial, gracious and knowledgeable I’ve seen in a long time.  It was a pleasure to learn about the Keller family. These people are so excited to share the Ad Hoc story; the simplicity of the absolutely best locally sourced ingredients, simply paired to highlight the best of the season.

I cannot recommend this treasure enough.

ad hoc

for temporary relief from hunger

6476 Washington Street 
Yountville, CA 94599 



t : 707.944.2487 
f : 707.944.2275

dinner is served five nights a week

5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. 
(closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays) and Sunday brunch 
10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.