Picobar, Solage Resort’s new poolside cafe, is open to the public.
Mexican food with Napa Valley flair Gustavo Rios’s menu shines at Solage Resort’s new Picobar
M
TIM CARL
onths before the pandemic hit, Calistoga’s Solage Resort had begun a major overhaul of its property that included extensive pool renovations and the construction of new rooms and a new restaurant. Now open, the new eatery — Picobar — provides guests with a casual alternative to their more formal flagship restaurant, Solbar. Tapping Executive Chef Gustavo Rios’ artistic-culinary creativity and Latinx heritage, the poolside cafe is now serving up exceptional examples of what can happen when you blend Mexican street fare with equal parts European culinary technique and Napa Valley flair. “We started thinking about this before the pandemic hit, and it’s sure nice to have it completed,” Rios said. “We’ve been able to get the entire team involved — 98% of Tim Carl LLC whom are originally from various parts of Executive Chef Gustavo Rios with a sample Mexico — and so the range and depth of of the dishes he and the Picobar team have created for Picobar. options is pretty unique.” 34 | DISTINCTIVE PROPERTIES
CHEF GUSTAVO RIOS In 2018 the owners of Solage (Flynn Holdings) and the managers of the resort (the Auberge Resorts Collection) sought reinvigoration. After opening with a big splash in 2007 the resort and restaurant had seemed to stall after the departure of Chef Brandon Sharp in 2015. Many of the chefs and cooks from Sharp’s team had also departed, including Rios. Wisely, the resort rehired many of that former kitchen team. Growing up in Ensenada, Baja California, Rios had learned to love the vibrant flavors, textures and colors of fresh seafood. When he turned 12, his family immigrated to the United States so that his father could complete his Ph.D. at the College of William and Mary. Without speaking much English and in a community that had little experience with foreigners, Rios found that food and cooking created a place of common ground. Like many of today’s top chefs, Rios December 2021
