Ubuntu’s vegetarian menu is something that I always viewed with a decent bit of skepticism. For this reason alone, I had postponed my visit, knowing that I was certainly obliged to make a visit at some point. It’s just that I’m a bit tepid on the whole vegetarian concept (and I don’t think I’m in the minority here). Ultimately, it took a visit from a friend to prompt my first reservation to this much-discussed Napa restaurant.

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Arguably, Ubuntu has the most creative food within the Napa city limits, and I have heard plenty of glowing first-hand reviews from chefs who I’ve worked with. The restaurant also has a fair amount of culinary pedigree, with executive chef Jeremy Fox at its helm. A transplant from Atlanta, Fox is a disciple of chef David Kinch, the unique talent behind the two-Michelin starred Manresa in Los Gatos, CA (a farm-to-table concept in the purest sense).

On the other hand, I’ve also heard from many different sources (many of whom are professional servers) that Ubuntu has somewhat iffy service. Although it may sound like petty nitpicking when one professional server derides the efforts of a colleague, I have found that professional servers actually tend to be very patient and sympathetic diners, keenly aware of which missteps are the kitchen’s fault, versus which ones are the server’s fault.

I discovered that my experience at Ubuntu clearly reflected my expectations: the food was good, but service was only so-so. Although this was not an isolated incident, a great example was dessert, where my friend and I ordered three items to share (I know this sounds gluttonous, but she’s a pastry chef, so this actually falls under “research”). We requested that they bring out all three desserts at the same time, but the server told us that we would receive each dessert whenever it was ready. Really odd, to say the least.

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On the positive side, those three desserts were great (even as they arrived willy-nilly from the kitchen), and they really did go a long way to salvage the meal. My friend, who had spent the past year working at The Fat Duck in the UK, felt that in some ways, the selections at Ubuntu trumped the desserts at the French Laundry (where she had staged all week). She felt that Ubuntu’s strength was in its innovation, and I must agree, the restaurant does offer some clever twists on some fun themes.

The dessert that has remained in my memory was just $6 — and a nod to cold cereal — the “bowl of frosted feuilletine.” The dish featured brûléed banana slices, vanilla ice cream, and Kafir-lime infused milk. The latter component put an interesting spin on things, but it worked. Quite frankly, it left me wanting more (I could easily eat a large bowl of this, but my affinity for cold cereal was once legendary). For me, the nostalgic element was profound.

Overall, the hallmark of Ubuntu (aside from its iffy service) is its interesting flavor combinations. Reading the menu at Ubuntu often involves imagining — and even trying to predict — what these dishes might taste like. For me, the watermelon and lemongrass soup was reminiscent of carrot-ginger soup, both in flavor and with its beautiful coral appearance. The chilled soup was pleasant, although the watermelon component was more subtle than I had hoped.

The English peas with white chocolate was a wildly creative dish that somehow worked (my friend felt that it smacked of elBulli, and suspected that Ferran Adrià did it first, although this is mere speculation). Little sprigs of chocolate-mint provided a link within the dish, riffing on the classic combination of English peas with regular mint. However, the chocolate element took the dish in a slightly different direction, one where white chocolate was the next logical step.

Rounding out my selections, the fresh corn polenta with strawberry sofrito was another typically engaging dish, and something that most people would never dream up. The sweetness of the strawberries helped to augment the sweetness of the corn (as an aside, watch for a lot of corn-themed desserts this year, I think there is a definite trend taking shape), and I enjoyed the dish, even more so as the flavor combination slowly won me over.