Michael Warring

This is one of those times when a 4.5 button would be terrific! We have enjoyed the michael warring experience several times but have a few issues. Michael and Ali almost do things too well, too precisely. The food and service, i.e. the total experience, feels so fine-​tuned that Chef Michael doesn’t adapt well to changes in the routine.
Personally, I have no issue with the portion size but my partner becomes hungry after a michael warring meal. Increasing portions just slightly would probably be insignificant for their bottom line. And, they have raised prices since we began dining there.
Also, even though it’s one additional item to manage, I believe they need to serve bread with the meals. Occasionally, I find myself coveting other diners’ bread, served with the post-​meal cheese course, if/​when other patrons arrived for an earlier seating. Noticed a time or two that Chef Michael becomes slightly disjointed /​put out when someone requests bread with their main course.
As a restaurant patron and foodie, I personally don’t want to worry about the restaurant’s food cost if/​when I consider making a special request. Michael and Ali’s level of precision feels extreme and doesn’t contribute to a relaxing experience for their guests.
Given that they’ve been open a few years, their buildout could use a little tweaking, too. Unfortunately, the place still looks and feels like a former ice cream parlor. Sure, it’s nice to view the chef’s magic from the counter. Even though they’re using the space very well, a minor update /​refresh certainly couldn’t hurt.
Even though mw’s in Vallejo, the easy parking and location just off the freeway almost makes it worth the drive!
Overall review: 4.5

The experience was cold and uninviting. Super unfriendly and rude. Just because one uses liquid nitrogen on everything does not make the food amazing. I have had better. Not worth the Trek to Vallejo (ew) to dine in a weird strip mall for this. If you want to REAL dining experience worth the investment go to Coi in San Francisco!

Why would you go all the way to Vallejo if you could go to Gary Danko for the same price. We enjoyed the food, but the service ruined the experience. If you want to eat in a library in Vallejo, yes I said Vallejo, this place is the perfect spot.

All I can say is that we are amazed at what Chef Michael Warring and wife Ali are doing at their restaurant. Having been to several Michelin Starred restaurants, we have certain expectations of good food, service, and experiences at fine dining establishments. While not yet a Michelin starred place, if we had the opportunity, we would eat there as often as possible to follow Chef Michael on his way to that three starred destination.
Back to the dinner: Hubby and I ended our weekend in wine country with a Valentine’s day dinner at Michael Warring. I am so glad this was the finale to our weekend. Michael Warring is a small restaurant in a small strip mall in Hiddenbrooke. There are 7 counter seats and 4 tables (3 tables of two and 1 table that can fit up to 6). We arrived 5 minutes before our reservation and were promptly greeted by Ali. The inside isn’t fancy or anything. In fact it’s quite simple and clean. I don’t mind this at all as we were really just here for the food and experience. It is truly amazing how they manage to do everything! Chef Michael even served us some dishes and explained what they were. This was the first time we experienced anything like this. How amazing to have the chef himself serve his food to you! Ali is everywhere. She refills water, brings the next beer/​wine pairing for each table, serves dishes and helps Chef Michael in the kitchen. Truly remarkable. However, because there are just two of them, be sure you are on time for your reservation! There seems to be three seatings in groups of 6. The kitchen is very open so counter seats would be best (make sure to request this when making reservations).
Ali brought over the menu and a wine list and explained that they would also describe the dishes as they arrived. Michael Warring is a prix fixe dining experience for $ 69 (Additional $ 33 for wine pairing, $ 21 beer pairing). Quite a steal for the amazing food we were about to eat, not to mention the entertainment that comes with! Hubby opted for the beer pairing. I just wanted the food.
Our menu for Valentine’s day consisted of fuyu persimmon sorbet, fish fry, noodles, cheesesteak, cheesecart, cream puff and mignardise.
*fuyu persimmon sorbet*
granola bar, maple crème fraîche, carbonated asian pear and juniper brassicas. What a great way to start our meal. The persimmon sorbet was refreshing and light. I loved the crunch of the granola bar and the tartness of the carbonated pear! Carbonated pear?! Who thinks to do that! Amazing
*fish fry*
ale battered hiramasa, bottarga, olive oil pudding, black rice soil and swiss meringue. Wow. This was delicious. The fish was fried perfectly. The batter was light and crispy and the fish inside was so tender and juicy. The olive oil pudding was perfect for picking up the pieces of black rice soil and the swiss meringue added just the right amount of sweetness. This dish had so many wonderful layers of flavor. (I informed Ali that I was allergic to fish roe and she made sure that Chef Michael would not include the bottarga in my dish). Hubby said it was delicious!
*noodles*
soy mirin dashi broth, black truffle, foie gras snow, hens yolk. So good! Rich with so many dimensions of flavor. The foie gras snow on top was just perfect. Having had many noodle dishes in our lives (being Asian) it was a refreshing twist on a classic with the richness in flavor of the truffle and foie gras. The yolk brought it all together with a creaminess that cant be described.
*cheesesteak*
ribeye, aged cheddar jus, maiitake mushroom, nasturium. While we prefer filets normally for their tenderness, the sous vide cook on this ribeye was perfection. Chef finished it off with a butter basting that caramelized perfectly. The presentation of this dish was so simple, yet elegant.
*cheese cart*
A delicious piece of brioche toast topped with nacho cheese and served with goat and cow’s milk cheese. I love a good brioche. Chef Michael did not disappoint. The nacho cheese is simply his name for it, but it is not like a regular nacho cheese. While we have had better brioche, this one still had the makings of a solid effort.
*cream puff*
nitro anglaise, preserved meyer lemon, marshmallow fluff. Delicious. Loved the textures and temperatures of this dish. Could I have another please?
*mignardise*
A beautiful chocolate truffle to end the meal. What a perfect evening!
Notes
*Hubby really enjoyed his beer pairing. There were a lot of beers he’s never heard of before and the pours were very generous. Definitely worth the $ 21 if you are a bear lover.
*The restaurant is small. You will probably be able to hear the conversation of the other parties. Don’t go in expecting a quiet romantic meal.
Thank you Chef Michael and Ali. Next time we are in the Bay Area we will definitely be back! I can’t wait to try the ever changing menu.

Simple, personal, elegant, unique, and an intimate experience. The food are small bites artfully designed and inspiring amative feelings. Well worth the 2 hours. Reservations are a must. I found this place 10x better than Meadow Wood which had 3 Michelin stars and costs way more!

The Michael Warring experience is as good, if not better than the bulk of the fine dining establishments in the Napa Valley. Not that my opinion on fine dining means much, but i rarely take the time to write restaurant reviews. Having said that, food is a passion of mine and i have no issue spending good money on a good meal. I have eaten at most of the top restaurants in the city and Napa Valley. Michael Warring easily holds it’s own against any of them. The food and experience of Michael Warring is outstanding. The food is amongst the best i have had, and the intimate setting is unlike any of the restaurants in the area. I highly recommend Michael Warring to anyone looking for a fine dining experience. You will not be disappointed.

FINALLY got to check this place out after having it bookmarked forever and I’m actually mad that it took me so long. Food was amazing, the service was so sweet and the wine pairings they planned to go along with the courses were fantastic. Loved the music being played too Florence, Lana, Modest Mouse, and Band of Horses? *puts on old people hipster shades* I will definitely be back!

Having seen the review on Check Please! and reading the review of fellow Unilocalers, Michael Warring was on my «to go» list. I recently had the chance to dine here for a birthday dinner.
The restaurant is located in a little strip mall in north Vallejo in the HiddenBrooke community. It is a small, quaint place with a bar counter that seats 7 and four tables that seat up to 10. You get an open view of the kitchen and Chef Warring and his wife, Ali, create your food experience. With our 5:30pm seating, we were greeted by Ali and seated in a table for two. There were total of 8 patrons for the 5:30pm and 6 for the 6:30pm seating.
Our menu this evening:
Apple Pie Soup — Maple crème fraiche, lime, juniper, sorrel, granola bar. Nicely presented in a glass bowl created by the Chef’s grandmother. Apple pie soup? You would think this is a dessert, but it was nice savory soup with a granola bar that I broke into pieces that had with each spoon of the soup. Very creative soup. (
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Ocean Trout — Bottarga, pickled sea bean, blue cheese beignet, sabayon, coffee cardamom soil. Amazing delicious dish. The combination of trout, cured fish roe and fried fish skin and the beignet gave different textures and flavors with every bite. (
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Cappellini — Black truffle, foie gras, hens yolk, broccoli raab. The cappellini rests on topped of the hens yolk and topped with foie gras, crispy broccoli raab flakes and shaved truffles. A rich tasting dish that was so good. I could have eaten a full plate of this. (
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Beef Cheeks — Jellied beans, navy bean gel, black trumpet mushroom, sumac. Presented like a filet mignon. It was cooked perfectly medium rare and went nicely with the beans and bean gel. (
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Cheese Cart — A slice of toasted Brioche bread with a drizzled with a cheese sauce topping with three slices of cheeses, goats milk and Humboldt fog. A nice change to the typical cheese plate and served by Chef himself. (
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Citrus Tart — Preserved Meyer lemon and curd, mushroom fluff, shortbread, puffed black rice. The shortbread sits on top of the mushroom fluff and topped with the lemon and curd and the puffed rice. A sophisticated and delicious take on a citrus tart. (
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Mignardise — German chocolate truffles to finish your meal. (
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A very nice dining experience in all places, Vallejo. A quaint restaurant with personable service from the Chef and his wife, Ali. How many places where you have the chef serving you and describing the dish? The menu is a seven course tasting menu for $ 69 with an option for a $ 33 wine paring or a $ 21 beer pairing. Amazing price for the quality of food and dining experience. I’m glad to start my 2016 reviews with Michael Warring.

Michael Warring is one of the most extraordinary food experiences I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing (this may beat my experience with Jose Andres at Barmini in DC). The craziest thing was that I didn’t even know this place existed yet alone was less than 3 miles from my parents house if it was not for me Unilocaling where to eat for dinner while home for the Thanksgiving break. I most definitely didn’t think that such a dramatic yet intimate dinning experience could exist in Vallejo. Me and the bf lucked out when we called and to our surprise were able to be squeezed in on a Sunday night. Wow… just wow. the magic that happened in this kitchen is unlike anything you will find in Napa Valley.
Ambiance: Small, quaint, intimate, dramatic, just how this place should be. Total Score: ⁵⁄₅.
Service: How often are you able to go to a restaurant and experience it as though it was a show? How often is a Michelin trained chef not only cooking your food but also serving it to you and talking you through it? Michael and Ali are an exceptional duo who are truly masters of their craft. So hospitable and attentive and aware of every detail. Do note the meal experience takes about 2 hours to enjoy so make sure you do not go here with the intention of having a ‘quick’ dinner… this is something you want to sit and take your time with. Total Score: ⁵⁄₅.
Price: How in the world can this restaurant/​experience be so cheap? Where else could you go and get a seven course gastronomical experience for $ 69 with the option to add a wine pairing for $ 33 or beer pairing (yes beer pairing) for $ 21… No longer is posh dinning just for the posh. affordability for the masses folks! Total Score: ⁵⁄₅.
What was served on Sunday November 29^th 2015:
Apple Pie Soup (First Course): Maple crème fraîche, lime, juniper, sorrel, granola bar… Who would have thought you could make apple pie into a soup yet make it savory at the same time. The granola bar and edible flowers were simply divine. I particularly loved that Michaels grandma designed the bowls for this (yes every course here comes with a specifically designed dish for that course. details are just everything.)
Hamachi (Second Course): Bottarga, radish, sabayon, pickled pomegranate. A perfectly cut and salted cured fish roe with what you would swear was gourmet dippin dots on top… such a fun dish with many complex layers that literally melt in your mouth.
Agnolotti (Third Course): Polenta, vegetable jus, foie gras, hens yolk, black truffle. Perfectly cooked polenta pockets placed delicately on top of a golden hens yolk and shaved with truffle and foie gras… never has there been a more decadent dish.
Pastrami (Fourth Course): Short rib, black trumpet, sumac, fermented yeast jus… Grown up pastrami sandwich.wow.
Cheese Cart (Fifth Course): Brioche bread, pasteurized goats milk, humboldt fog, spicy nacho cheese paired with asian pear marmalade and blackberry honeycomb… Such a fun take on your average bread and cheese. The brioche is grilled and drizzled with a nostalgic nacho cheese sauce (don’t worry people this is not your average nacho cheese sauce) then placed next to very generous cuts of pasteurized goats milk and humboldt fog cheeses.
Brioche Doughnut (Sixths Course): Crème anglaise, coffee cardamom soil, cinnamon sugar… Light, airy, perfection against a grainy coffee/​chocolate blend. you will never want a plain old doughnut again.
Mignardise (Seventh Course): German chocolate cake truffle dusted in gold. What a treat!
Guys words cannot describe this experience … even if you are not in the Vallejo area this is worth getting on a plane for. Just exquisite. Bravo Michael Warring and Ali Gulczynski just phenomenal. We can’t wait to be back!

Was here 4 nights ago for a birthday dinner. The location is somewhat unorthodox for a restaurant of this type. It is truly a hidden gem.
Chef Warring and his wife were charming and were a great team. He created great, artistically arranged plates while she handled the wine and beer pairings. We opted for the beer pairing, so glad we did, I learned of a few new beer that I will definitely enjoy looking for now. I’m sure the wine pairings were good too.
The Warring’s were very engaging and answered all of the questions we had, as well as remaining very humble as the complements poured from the patrons dining that evening. Thanks for the great experience, we will definitely return!

I wanted to hate this place.
Sorry Chef Adria, I am not a fan of modernist cuisine. I could care less about spherical olive oil and vacuum sealers or compressed watermelons. And I strongly believe that if I were served spit «foam» here, this lil’ diddy could have been a different tune.
ROASTED PINK LADIES, SORREL, SABAYON NITRO GRANITA, GRANOLA BAR | This granola bar. The granola bar of my dreams. It’s like the co-​op seven grain bread your hippie mother made you eat when you were a kid, but in a deliciously crunchy handheld bar form. This dish reminded me that while food can be something comforting (I’ve been comfort eating way too hard since my nana passed in May), food can make you think! My brain was a’flutter. As soon as I thought I made up my mind that I didn’t like the sour peppery bitterness of the sorrel, it was calmed by the cold sabayon granita and the warm apples. Eyebrows up, eyebrows down.
CHEESE CART | Super cute little metro shelf with wheels being pushed by Michael to bring you brioche with charred edges, the most upscale «nacho cheese» you’ll ever eat, and local blackberry honeycomb. These little wedges of cheese go a long way. One was so funky that it should have been renamed Sly and the Family Stone. On its own it was way too pungent, but eaten with the brioche and honey… wrangled.
PICKLED POMEGRANATE, VANILLA ICE CREAM, TORCHED BLACK WALNUT MARSHMALLOW FLUFF, COFFEE CARDAMOM SOIL | The smell of roasted marshmallows fills the entire room and you’re ready for this dessert long before it hits your personal space. The pickled pomegranate kind of missed the mark for me and reminded me of cherry cough drops. But, that coffee cardamom soil? An idea to be stolen for sure. Oh, and Michael impressed with the single-​handed quenelle.
All the courses were perfectly timed, Michael and Ali comfortably choreographing their own steps without missing a beat. The one thing missing in most of the dishes, as I usually find, is a lack of texture. The dishes are just this pile of soft. Maybe I’m the only person that thinks texture is as important as taste.
In the end, I walked away liking/​loving this place. Liking the food, but loving the dream. Just Michael and Ali creating and living their dream in a little nook of a restaurant in a little nook near Vallejo. No chasing anyone down because the purveyor was rushing your apprentice and now the damn shellfish tag is misplaced. No trying to figure out who the hell put a sheet tray of pies at the bottom of the speed rack under uncooked meat. No compromises. And only $ 69 for six courses.
We walked out into the frigid night half expecting to see a wild cat lurk through the fog. Most chefs wish they could do what Michael and Ali are doing. A place that sits 20 people at a time, three seatings a day, and these two are home by 10:30PM. That’s how you do it. It’s endearing and it’s inspiring. It’s fucking genius.

An affordable, masterful, tasting menu and culinary experience in Vallejo? Really?!
The answer is Yes.
Michael and Ali make you feel at home, taking you into their very own kitchen, for a masterful and warm dining experience.
The wine pairings for each of the courses was more than enough for a couple to share; deftly paired wines from regions all over.
Highlights of our meal? Hard to choose. Was it the micro-​green salad with pollen and freshly made granola? Or was it the delicious bavette, prepared to a near perfect medium rare temperature. The capellini, with the frozen foie gras that melted in our mouths like a savory, creamy, silky better-​than-​butter flavor? The amazing cheese cart with toasted brioche? A delicious, sashimi seafood course?
Every aspect of the meal: the food, atmosphere, hospitality, and pacing, was an amazing experience. My wife and I were grateful to celebrate our anniversary there, and look forward to celebrating many more.
For an exquisitely prepared meal on the more affordable end of tasting menus, you can’t find a better place.

I had a wonderful evening here with good friends to celebrate my birthday.
Who knew Vallejo had a restaurant like Michael Warring?
There is a set menu with absolutely no substitutions. I thoroughly enjoyed every course from the peaches n cream, bavette (my fav), fois gras snow pasta. It ended with a chocolate that was a perfect way to end a meal. I even tried their cheese plate, which I usually would skip.
I especially enjoyed watching the chef prepare each course as every seat had a view of the open kitchen. Super clean and organized!
Can’t wait to come back again!

The food at Michael Warring was artful, and more of an experience in appreciating the expression first, taste second, and portion size never. The atmosphere was bland and simple. Light purple walls, concrete counter tops, exposed kitchen and a handful of tables. I counted and it seats 17 people between the bar and tables, so pretty intimate it is.
I would recommend the Michael Warring restaurant to everyone, but emphasize approaching it from an experience perspective, especially to anyone without a refined palette or with a bias for large portions and leftovers.
If you consider the meal an experience, entertainment for 2 hours with fancy refreshments, $ 69 is a very reasonable price. Throw in wine — five semi-​full glasses — for $ 33, or beer for $ 21, and it ends up being a reasonable high-​end night out including snacks, alcohol and a show. I am being facetious.
The wine pairing was generous. I didn’t think all of the wines went great with the dishes; however, I don’t frequently observe wine pairings, and think it’s a subjective element anyway.
We did ask for bread to sop up the residual delicious truffle, egg sauce from a pasta dish and heard a prompt, «no» from chef, followed by a more reasonable explanation from the server. I understand everything is mise en place and «lean» to an extreme, but c’mon you gotta have some extra bread for sopping this delicious mess! This «no» has turned into a bit of a joke.
And we weren’t the only table wondering this.
The service here was on point, machine-​like almost. Chef was robotically executing multiple rounds of courses. The server was quickly pacing to each table, to back of house, into the hallway, through the kitchen. THIS energy is the reality of a professional kitchen and in an exposed kitchen, in a restaurant with TWO staff, one sees it. I didn’t enjoy the «rush to execute» vibe, but let me be clear: I, as a guest, did NOT feel rushed, but I certainly picked up on this energy from the staff. I would have liked to see more buffer room for the staff to spend chit-​chatting with the guests to counteract the ultra-​quick pace.
Would I come back again if in the area? Yes!
Worth mentioning this restaurant is tucked in a small shopping center within Hiddenbrooke, a residential golf community. There are no grand signs for the restaurant. It is directly on the right when turning into the plaza. Only sign is the lettering on the window. Bathrooms are clean. They begin accepting reservations up to a month in advance.

Who knew Vallejo had fine dining? Since 2012?!? In a secluded gated community called Hiddenbrooke? I sure didn’t.
Service is genuine, casual and warm. Definitely come as you are, it’s laidback with Elie Goulding playing softly in the background.
If you de