Former Ad Hoc Chef Scores Six-Month St. Helena Pop-Up

Dave Cruz, the former chef de cuisine of Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc and co-author of the Ad Hoc at Home cookbook, has been attempting to get his own Napa restaurant, Miles, off the ground for some time. He finally scored a space in downtown Napa a few weeks ago, but it won't be ready until next year. The chef's solution: a long-term pop-up. From July 4th through the end of the year, he'll take over the former Cindy Pawlcyn's Wood Grill space in St. Helena to offer not one, but two different restaurant concepts: Miles (named for his son), a more upscale California-Asian restaurant, and MQ (an acronym for "Miles Barbeque"), with down-home BBQ.

MQ will be the first of the pair to open, making an auspiciously all-American debut on the Fourth of July. He'll offer five meats at any given time, including brisket, short ribs, sausages, and goat, as well as a vegetable option ($14-16), accompanied by sides by the cup or pint ($4-7) that boast a subtle Asian influence—think potato salad with Korean mint or grilled corn with miso butter. Ice cream by the cup, cone, or sandwich will round out the menu; hours will be Wednesday-Sunday, 11 am-2 pm.

If MQ is Cruz's equivalent to Addendum, then Miles is more in the full-bore Ad Hoc style, featuring a variety of crudos (like kampachi or salmon belly), and hearty mains like wild salmon or rib-eye with sides like seafood tempura fried rice or smoked avocado with a poached egg. Starters are $9-15, and entrees are $24-32; housemade ice cream again makes an appearance at dessert. Hours will be Wednesday-Sunday, 5:30-9 pm; it launches Wednesday, July 16th. We'll keep you posted on the opening, as well as the plans for Cruz's brick-and-mortar in Napa.

· Dave Cruz Snags Downtown Napa Space For Miles [~ ESF ~]
· Dave Cruz Working on New Restaurant, Miles [~ ESF ~]
· Dave Cruz to Depart Ad Hoc [~ ESF ~]