Food and wine define Napa like nothing else, and it is the area's restaurants, which have helped catalyze the town's near-mythical gastronomical status. Napa is unquestionably America's premiere wine capital as well as a longtime Northern California dining destination, it has in recent decades transformed into a world-class restaurant market showcasing a vast array of international flavors with fresh quality local ingredients. And though Napa is at the culinary center of wine country, a few restaurants are garnishing attention completely on their own. The evidence is everywhere, particularly in the town's center.

Situated in the historic Hatt Building and upon the Napa River, Angèle exudes a rustic elegance and the recent restoration and renovation of the late nineteenth-century building has given it a new, well-seasoned freshness. The large dining room is built comfortably near the water (it was a boathouse in an earlier manifestation) and opens to plenty of outdoor seating. Rustic wooden beams contrast with the formal table settings and servers find that rare and perfect balance of charm, knowledge and professionalism. Opened in 2002 by the locally famed Rouas family, whose patriarch Claude was the man behind Auberge du Soleil in Rutherford and Piatti in Yountville; it was his daughter Bettina - former manager of French Laundry - who brought the family's epicurean triumphs and collective business skills to Angèle.

The restaurant's ingredients for success lie ultimately with the food. Chef Aaron Meneghelli creates culinary masterpieces in which ingredients take the spotlight. Appetizers such as succulent braised pork belly with roasted grapes, caramelized endive and red cabbage; scallops that are caramelized and prepared with smoked guanciale (pork cheeks), white corn kernels, English peas, polenta, cherry tomatoes and finished with fresh-mixed micro greens impart complex flavors through refined simplicity. For a lighter start, begin with a trio-blended Beet salad (chioga, gold and red), with fava beans, pearl onions and dandelion greens lightly dressed in a Banyuls vinaigrette and finished with dolce Gorgonzola-laced toast points. Mains are equally impressive: expertly roasted snapper with artichokes, sunchokes and tomato confit with a classically seasoned daube sauce; roasted lamb loin with shelling beans, wax beans, pistou and a rosemary jus are two dishes that particularly stand out of an impressively cast menu.

The wine list, though deeply rooted in Napa, offers an astonishing depth from France; a lighter, playful Beaujolais mingles among California Pinot Noirs, while Rhône wines find room to shine alongside regional favorites on this 200-plus list of selections. There are many half bottles to choose from as well, including the perfect merger of Old and New Worlds: Opus One.

Angèle has managed to fine-tune the delicate calibration of food, ambiance and service; it will open your senses and leave them dilated. If you're in San Francisco for the weekend, Angèle is well worth the drive; if you're in Napa it's obligatory.

-- Aaron Kirby-Alford