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PrintWine and dine country at Calistoga Bar and Grill
The newest eatery at the Jenks RiverWalk features a warm, inviting atmosphere fitting of its California-inspired cuisine.
It was cold and icy the night we popped in to Calistoga Bar & Grill at the breezy Jenks RiverWalk, but upon entering, we instantly felt the warmth of California’s wine country.
The recently remodeled space overlooking the Arkansas River, formerly occupied by both JooJooBee’s and The Ale Haus, now features warm olive-toned walls and wood tables aglow with candlelight.
The owners, James Andrews and Kathleen Kennedy, are already fluent in Italian dining, for they own the popular Brookside restaurant Ciao!.
They were interested in opening another Italian eatery on the RiverWalk, but Gina and Giuseppe’s already fit the bill. Rethinking their idea completely, the pair transformed the space into a warm and intimate dining area, serving delicious California “fusion” cuisine.
We sat down, planning to enjoy a light dinner, but we were stumped when the menu arrived.
Everything sounded so delicious — what to order? The menu is divided into four categories: soup and salad, small plates, house-grilled pizzas and sandwiches, and entrées.
We ultimately decided to start with a few small plates. The spinach, roasted red pepper and artichoke dip ($7) was rich and creamy, served with wedges of just-toasted pita bread. The wild mushroom bruchetta ($8), sautéed mushrooms on crisp baguette slices topped with melted Brie and Parmesan cheese, was the perfect “meaty” starter on such a cold evening.
It was our favorite until we started in on the fried chorizo-stuffed olives ($5) — green olives stuffed with zesty ground chorizo and deep fried, served in a paper cone with both a lemony aioli and tomato relish for dipping.
You can definitely make a meal of a few small plates. Other offerings include lamb and beef meatballs ($7), fried risotto and mozzarella balls ($7) and hand-cut russet and sweet potato fries with blue cheese dressing ($4).
Lemony Caesar salad served as a nice refresher between our starters and main dishes. The house-made dressing was tart and creamy but not overly cloying. A blue cheese wedge, cherry-spinach salad and house field greens (all $5, half/$9, whole) balance out the salad offerings. Soups include creamy butternut squash, minestrone and chicken tortilla, as well as a daily special ($3.75, cup/$6, bowl).
Four house-grilled flatbread pizzas and just under a dozen sandwiches are available all day. I’m definitely going back to try the Grilled Cheese Goodness ($7) — your choice of cheese with tomato, red onion, lettuce, mayo and Dijon — and the grilled rib eye sandwich ($12), topped with caramelized onions, blue cheese, sautéed mushrooms and roasted garlic mayo.
I finally settled on the Calistoga herbed rotisserie chicken ($16, half/$27, whole) for my entrée. Luckily I only got a half-portion. The hearty serving of tender, roasted chicken is served over creamy mashed potatoes, braised red cabbage and sautéed spinach. 
The grilled salmon ($17) was delicious and perfectly cooked — served over sautéed spinach and sherried lentils. Finally, we enjoyed the grilled bone-in pork chop ($19), topped with apple chutney and nestled over braised red cabbage and mashed potatoes. Other entrées include pan-seared sea bass ($25) and roasted green chili and beef enchiladas ($9).
Desserts include bread pudding with bourbon sauce, apple and pear crisp with vanilla ice cream and lemon and black walnut pound cake.
As you would expect of a restaurant focused on wine-country dining, the wine list reflects great selections from California as well as the rest of the world.
Andrews, also a certified sommelier, is offering an ongoing series of wine classes on the first Wednesday of each month. Lessons focus on the history, culture and geography of wine, as well as techniques for evaluating and tasting wines.
Each class includes a tasting of six featured wines, accompanied by food selections to complement as well as contrast the tasting. Register early, for the class size will be limited to 40 students. For more information, visit www.calistogagrill.com.
Also, private dining is available in two rooms — the River Room seats 40 and features a fireplace, while the Club Room holds up to 20.
Calistoga Bar & Grill
500 RiverWalk Terrace, Jenks; 995-2555
Cuisine — California “fusion”
Setting — RiverWalk shopping district
Owners — James Andrews and Kathleen Kennedy
Prices — Dinner: small plates, $5-$12; soups and salads, $3.75-$9; entrées, $7-$30
Credit cards — All major accepted
Hours — 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Tuesday-Thursday, Sunday (Sunday brunch served from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.);
11 a.m.-11 p.m., Friday-Saturday
Dress — Casual
Noise level — Moderate
Handicapped access — Yes
Smoking — No
Parking — Shopping center lot
