Review written Summer 2009
Colourful Californian cuisine

LAST JULY, GORDON MINNIS OPENED CALISTOGA CENTRAL FOLLOWING FOUR YEARS OF SUCCESS WITH HIS FIRST RESTAURANT, CALISTOGA SOUTHSIDE. BOTH ARE HANDY FOR FESTIVAL VENUES, THE FORMER FOR THE ASSEMBLY ROOMS AND THE BOOK FESTIVAL AND THE LATTER FOR THE PLEASANCE AND THE QUEEN'S HALL. IN ADDITION, THE FIXED PRICE MENUS MAKE THE RESTAURANTS A POPULAR PIT-STOP FOR FESTIVAL GOERS WANTING TO RE-FUEL.

I visited in July to try the 'retro-70s' menu, which was running for the month. I started with smoked fish frittata with lemon-dressed radish tumbleweed (£6). The two giant fingers of frittata which I was presented with would put most fishcakes in Edinburgh restaurants to shame. There was no potato padding here, just large and plentiful chunks of haddock, mackerel and salmon with zingy, decorative radish. My partner fared equally well with hot and crunchy smoked Mull brie with cranberry jello (£5.50). It exploded from its crispy casing into a runny cheese puddle and was scraped up with the delicately balanced and flavoured jello. Both starters were large, colourful, tasty and delicious.

For main course, I had garlic and basil butter-stuffed crunchy chicken with red cabbage slaw and charred baby potatoes (£14). The chicken was incredibly moist, the slaw creamy and the potatoes very moreish. My friend had lemon-peppered tuna with dauphinoise potatoes and dill chervil sauce (£14½ ). I have to reluctantly report that the tuna was over-cooked and thus a little dry but the dish was still good overall. We were more than happy with a bottle of Smoking Loon Viognier, (£14½) which had lovely fresh, topical and honeyed flavours. It is worth noting that Calistoga only adds a £5 mark up on all their bottles of wine which means you can get a really good quality bottle for a very reasonable price.

Continuing with the retro theme, we ordered the hedgehog of artisan cheeses with quince and gooseberries £6. Another fun and colourful dish, a half apple was studded with cocktail sticks of cheese, quince and gooseberry. The cheeses were a Maisie Kebboch, a Lanark White and a Dunsyre Blue, all direct from the famous cheese-maker extraordinaire, Humphrey Errington.

Calistoga serves extremely tasty, imaginative and colourful food. The three-course dinner menu is only £22 and there are great festival and lunch time offers. Both restaurants are favourites with Bite and well worth seeking out. As the restaurant by-line shouts "You'll Be Back!"