Napa Valley Fire Destroys Legendary Restaurant, Severely Burns Storied Ranch Resort

My heart sank when I saw the news on the Robb Report that the highly acclaimed Restaurant at Meadowood had burned to the ground, engulfed in flames from the Glass Fire that’s scorching through California’s Napa Valley. Then, news that the dreamy Calistoga Ranch has suffered major damage sent my luxury-resort-loving soul into a tailspin.

National news reports, while delving into the general destruction of the deadly fires, have failed to deliver on more specific losses that would further tear at the hearts of wine aficionados and five-star travel mavens. However, through Instagram and Twitter, as well as San Francisco media, I’ve kept an eye on the devastation in greater detail.

Thus, the discovery of the loss of one of the country’s greatest restaurants.

“We are all torn apart. A Eulogy is deserved, and will be given in due time,” Meadowood chef Christopher Kostow wrote on Instagram. “For now, I want to thank all of the TRAMily [The Restaurant at Meadowood family] that have ever graced this magical space — and all of the guests over the years who have enjoyed the efforts of these multitudes. What an honor it has been.”

Two years after Kostow’s arrival at Meadowood in 2008, the restaurant earned its third Michelin Star. At the time, Kostow was only the second American-born chef to receive three stars.

On a personal note, my husband’s daughter was married at Meadowood, which meant a long weekend of wining, dining, partying, golfing, and dancing after the ceremony on the Meadowood grounds. So, it holds a special place in our hearts.

Likewise, we spent a glorious week at Calistoga Ranch, in our lavishly rustic cabin tucked into a hillside forest. My husband’s daughter and her husband joined us for part of the visit. Since then, it has been on our must-return list.

I exchanged text messages today with my husband’s daughter — who lives in Larkspur, California, just north of San Francisco — and she, too, is heartbroken. She says that many believe that insurance companies will be pulling out after this fourth consecutive year of fires.

“Not sure who will be able to live in the wine country moving forward,” she said.

According to CalFire’s incident report at 9 a.m. Tuesday the fire extending across the Napa-Sonoma County border, which ignited just a few days ago, has grown to 42,560 acres, and as of Tuesday morning, it was completely uncontained. The report said that 113 structures have been destroyed, including 14 restaurants, resorts, and wineries.