Boasting the sexiest bar in wine country, Bayleaf Restaurant is turning heads and tempting palates as a most welcome addition to Napa's growing restaurant scene.

Located in a rustic country farmhouse setting at the corner of Vichy Avenue and Monticello Road that's housed several popular eateries in the past decade, Bayleaf is the brainchild of Egypt-born Mounir Fahmy, chef by trade, genial host and waitservice captain by choice.

The cozy brick structure, divided into several dining rooms and nooks,is owned by Fahmy and his wife, Elexis, and partners Bob and Jane Kahn. The partnership has spent considerable time and money remodeling and upgrading the property, ensuring it will accommodate not only the nightly dinner crowd but also be able to play host to large groups celebrating everything from nuptials to business successes.

Named to recognize the survival of a transplanted tree, Bayleaf is quite an attractive venue indeed. The diner arrives to find spiffy valets eager to park the car. A short walk throught a beautiful garden puts the guest in a foyer, which leads directly into a gorgeous bar. Honduran mahogany is inset with backlit Egyptian alabaster, the back bar framed with honeycolored onyx, also backlit -- producing a warm, radiant glow that befits both room and patrons.

Unique bar stools are sculpted to accommodate all shapes and sizes, providing expected comfort. Off to one side of this space are a pair of dining tables, ideal for the handholding couple or even solo diner. Bayleaf has five dining areas -- French, Italian and American rooms -- with both Trellis and Patio available for seating in good weather months.

The menu at Bayleaf focuses on regional American comfort food, with nods to a few 20th century classics as well as classics from both French and Italian kitchens.

Dixie gets its due with the kitchen's awesome oak-roasted, melt-in-your-mouth babyback ribs, paired with a generous hunk of cornbread and helping of baked edzuki beans, simmered in the same sweet, slightly picante watermelon barbecue sauce that's also slathered over the red serrano chile braised ribs. Priced at $17.50 for half a rack, this is plenty for fans of this dee-lightful southern-style cookery. Those with Bunyanesque appetites can tuck into a full slab for $29.50.

Executive chef David B. Cramer and sous chef Scott Cohen have a weakness for regional southern cuisine -- evidenced in the housed-cured pork chop served with apple-cranberry chutney, whipped sweet potatoes and crunchy rainbow chard.

A dinner special on a recent evening might be described as "southern Japanese" -- seared ahi served atop yummy sweet potato "polenta," accented with toasted pine nuts.

Bayleaf entrees range in price from $15.50 for sauteed calf's liver with caramelized onions -- a real find on a restaurant menu these days -- to $32.50 for a never-goes-out-of-style beef Wellington.

Another reinvented classic is the chef's chenin blanc -- braised coq au vin ($17), served with a side of herbed pappardelle. The moist chicken has been braised with fingerling potatoes, onions, mushrooms and carrot chunks, and the braising liquid reduced then pooled under the fork-tender chicken. A blend of contrasting tastes and textures, the garlic and herb-crusted rack of Colorado lamb ($28.50) is drizzled with a syrupy rosemary Port reduction, accompanied by grilled polenta.

Another classic from yesteryear is Bayleaf's grilled salmon Veronique ($18.50), accented with appropriate Champagne grapes. France gets the nod as well with the kitchen's pot-au-feu ($16.50), braised brisket and short ribs given a modern-day twist with a generous serving of shoestring potatoes.

Pasta lovers can take heart in knowing there is always a trio on the menu. Today, the choices include duck confit lasagne ($14.75), pappardelle tossed with braised oxtail ragout ($13.75), and cappellini pescatore ($23.50), angel hair pasta swimming with mussels, prawns and scallops.

Appetizers range in price from $7 for baked ziti with English peas to $13.50 for an updated version of oysters Rockefeller. A plate of house-smoked salmon is garnished with spicy pickled onions, caperberries and three different American caviars. Browned butter basted quail and butter poached lobster ravioli are additional options. The meal kicks off with what the French call "amuse bouche," bite-sized treats that on a recent visit included a cranberry-topped foie gras torchon and a baked oyster with tender diced potatoes.

"Here's where we start humming," a smiling dinner companion beamed as the bivalve slithered into his gullet.

Cramer and Cohen are not newcomers to the kitchen. Claiming he was raised on chiles and grappa in Manhattan, Cramer's manned the stoves at several Real Restaurants and Kimpton Group eateries, including Fog City Diner and Corona Bar & Grill. He helped open the popular San Francisco tapas joint, Pintxos, and was a member of the celebrated culinary team at Nora's in Washington, D.C. He and Cohen worked together previously with wine country caterer Elaine Bell, and Cohen was part of the culinary staff at St. Helena's Pinot Blanc.

Bayleaf's pastry chef is Amy Fisher, who moved to the Golden State six years ago to earn a spot in the restaurant trade. She's helped develop menus at Terra, Bistro Don Giovanni, Auberge du Soleil and Martini House. Here, her sinfully delicious pecan and pumpkin seed tart topped with pumpkin ice cream is well worth the visit alone. Also enjoyable are the bayleaf-infused creme brulee and the sweet fried arancini (rice balls). The less said about the warm chocolate crepe the better. A lot of thought has gone into Bayleaf's wine list and wine-by-the-glass programs. For example, the pinot noirs include a representative taste of Carneros -- Acacia, Artesa, Bouchaine, Buena Vista, Domaine Carneros, MacRostie, Patz and Hall, Saintsbury and ZD. Merlots include Ceja, Jessup, Shafer, Strata and Turnbull, while the syrahs offer, among others, Jade Mountain and Neyers. The inky, juicy Elyse petite sirah is the ideal accompaniment to the succulent ribs and baked beans.

Serving dinner nightly from 5 to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Monday, Fahmy and an agreeable, efficient, knowledgeable dining room staff add luster to the overall pleasant dining experience. Reservations are advised at 257-9720. But go a little early, allowing sufficient time to enjoy a pre-dinner drink and bask in the glow of the loveliest bar in town. Romantics among us have been put on notice.