Getting ready to celebrate its second anniversary, the popular Napa restaurant, Cuvée, is planing a special party to coincide with the summer solstice.

Slated for Friday, June 20, the White Night celebration will feature a special Latin menu from executive chef Octavio Barrera, summer rum cocktails from Bacardi and music from a 12-piece salsa/cumbia band as well as hot Latin jazz from a combo led by hotshot St. Helena trumpeter Robert Gastelum.

As the staff gears up for the anniversary party, proprietor Roger Roessler took the opportunity to set the record straight regarding rumors that Cuvée was changing hands.

Roessler admitted a Bay Area restaurant group had been looking at getting involved in the Napa restaurant scene and had been, as they say, “kicking the tires” at Cuvée.

Owner of a wine operation that focuses on single vineyard-designed wines, particularly pinot noir, from sites that stretch from Mendocino to the Santa Rita Hills (Wine Enthusiast recently awarded 96 points to the 2005 Roessler Clos Pepe Pinot Noir from the Santa Rita Hills), Roessler said he had been looking into the possibility of taking on additional investors.

Judging from the furrowed brow displayed at lunch the other day, it appears that effort not only didn’t pan out but left a bad taste in his mouth.

Roessler indicated he wanted to silence the rumor mill and let Cuvée customers know that he’s put an end to all discussions about new investors and the restaurant potentially changing hands.

Although it did result in the loss of popular general manager Aaron Rodriguez-Diaz — who left the fold to investigate other business options — the recent investment discussions have made Roessler even more determined to make Cuvée appealing to a broad spectrum of local diners.

He said the well-received “3 for 30” offering — where diners have a choice of three menu courses for $30 — will continue on Wednesday nights. And Wednesday night diners also have corkage waived for the wines they bring in for dinner.

In the works are some cosmetic changes, too, like new furniture for both outdoor patio and lounge and a new menu format slated to see light of day by late June as chef Barrera serves up new seasonal dishes.

Matthew Steinhausen has assumed front of the house duties, assisted at lunch by Roessler’s longtime friend, Steve Zook. Also a member of the management team is sommelier Dustin Moilanen, who’s teaming up with savvy master sommelier Chris Blanchard on expanding the Cuvée wine cellar. Executive chef Barrera has added general manager to his curriculum vitae.

Get ready to party

The White Party on Friday, June 20, will have a decided Latin twist. Slated for the longest day of the year (the summer solstice occurs actually at 4:59 p.m.), it will feature the salsa and cumbia rhythms of the 12-member Vacaville-based band, Sapo Guapo, performing after 9 p.m. Prior to that, trumpeter Robert Gastelum will be featured with his quartet.

A special menu will be offered in the main dining room and on the patio. The chef’s amuse bouche consists of a street-style orange and jicama salad dressed with sea salt, chiles and lime. Included in the list of appetizers ($8-$12) are chilled shrimp tostadas with mango-habanero salad, albondigas al chipotle (tiny meatballs slow cooked in a roasted tomato/chipotle salsa) and tlacoyos (fried corn masa filled with refried black beans and topped with tomatillo salsa, crema and aged cheese).

Main courses range in price from $17 for pan-roasted half chicken with grilled corn to $35 for grilled Five Dot Ranch New York steak with stacked ancho chile and cheese enchiladas. They include as well-grilled skirt steak with Moros y Christianos (black beans and rice), whole fried fish with fried plantains and mango/habanero salsa, and Yucatan-style pork shoulder, slow cooked in banana leaves with achiote rub, served with steamed rice and pickled red onions.

A special cocktail menu in the Bacardi Cocktail Lounge (opening at 8:30 p.m.) includes Brazilian daiquiri, Very Berry Bacardi Infusion and Bacardi Pomegranate Mojito. There’s a $20 cover charge for the White Party, with a 50 percent discount offered to all dinner guests.

For dinner reservations or questions about White Night or scheduling parties in the restaurant’s private dining rooms, call Matthew Steinhausen at 224-2330.