The Flannery ribeye at Charlie Palmer Steak in downtown Napa.

Celebrated Chef Charlie Palmer operates a variety of restaurants from coast to coast. But he has only three Charlie Palmer Steak restaurants across the country: New York, Reno, and downtown Napa.

Recently, I had a chance to check out the Napa restaurant inside the Archer Hotel, when I was invited in as a guest of both establishments.

The swank boutique hotel that opened in 2018 on First Street is a perfect place to stay when you want to be in the thick of things, as it’s as easy walk to a variety of tasting rooms, retail stores, restaurants, the wonderful Moulin bakery, the lively Saturday farmers market, the CIA at Copia and Oxbow Public Market.

The soaring hotel lobby includes a showcase of Steph Curry paraphernalia touting the Gentleman’s Cut Bourbon Whiskey curated by the Warriors point guard that’s a featured spirit at the bar.

With an expansive relief map of the Napa Valley gracing one wall, the lounge is outfitted with plenty of comfy couches and upholstered chairs, making it the perfect spot to kick back, especially when live music is performed.

Charlie Palmer Steak can be found on the main floor. Just look for the dramatic circular bar with the luminous donut-shaped ceiling and you can’t miss it.

Executive Chef Phillip Moratin came on board four months ago, having held that same position at the Charter Oak in St. Helena, Far Niente Winery in Napa, and Angele restaurant in Napa. He is also a former executive sous chef with the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group.

A Hawaii native, he plans on adding some ono touches to the menu in the weeks to come, including Spam musubi.

Meantime, his menu leans toward classic steakhouse fare with California’s primo produce playing a major role.

Definitely start with the “CP House-Made Rolls” ($5) with whipped butter. They arrive warm, snuggled in a towel. Flecked wtih garlic and onion, they’re fluffy and thoroughly irresistible.

Yellowfin tuna tartare ($24) is dressed with soy and lime, and comes with crisp cucumber pickle slices, and airy and crispy sea salt crackers for scooping up everything.

The Caesar ($15) gets embellished with buttery brioche croutons and crisped up shards of prosciutto.

The “Spring Harvest Crudite” platter ($25) is beautiful to behold with a bounty of raw asparagus, radishes, turnips, carrots, and romaine leaves. In the center is a creamy, herby Goddess dip. It’s a sizeable starter, enough for two to share, and to nibble throughout the main courses, too.

My husband was not disappointed in the least with the prime ribeye ($95), sourced and dry-aged from the Bay Area’s renowned Flannery Beef known for its robust flavor. From the variety of sauces that come with the steaks, he chose the chimichurri with its herby and acidic taste that balanced the richness of the 14-ounce steak.

My “Catch of the Week” ($36) was a generous-sized Mt. Lassen trout fillet seared so that its skin was wonderfully crispy. It was finished with brown butter and a profusion of toasted hazelnuts.

Cremini mushrooms ($13) proved a satisfying accompaniment when sauteed in garlic, shallots, thyme, and a splash of wine.

For dessert, we couldn’t pass up the seasonal cherry clafoutis ($13) served with a puddle of cherry sauce and a scoop of bourbon vanilla ice cream. The custardy cake was nicely buttery tasting but would have been that much better had it been served warm.

Guest rooms in the Archer span three floors, each with a different series of paintings gracing the hallways. We lucked out with our stay on the fifth floor, which I think had the most memorable art (and yes, we did check out what the other floors had.)

The paintings on the fifth floor were all done by Marvin Humphrey, who has the distinction of being St. Helena’s most famous former postman. How fun is that? His paintings can’t help but make you smile with their cheery subjects, all built around puns and pure whimsy.

The king room sported a nice seating area with wine books, a desk that held welcoming treats of sparkling wine and candies, and the cutest hotel slippers.

The next day, we took the elevator up to roof, where there’s a glam water deck in lieu of a pool for guests. At only 6 inches deep, you can relax on lounge chairs in the water and dip your toes in at the same time. Partitioned cabanas with fireplaces and ceiling fans are also available for a little more privacy, if you like.

On the opposite side is Napa Valley’s only rooftop restaurant, Sky & Vine. Look straight down and the view is that of only building rooftops. But look out on the horizon and you’ll scan downtown and mountain ranges.

The restaurant is open-air but has a roof complete with ceiling fans and heaters, so it’s comfortable in most weather. It’s definitely a popular spot for lunch as we saw it fill up steadily with diners on a Friday afternoon.

From the all-day menu, we enjoyed the lobster rolls ($32), which comprise three mini ones, making it convenient for sharing. The toasted, buttered rolls held a plentiful amount of lobster, lightly dressed in mayo and strewn with fresh lemon zest. It comes with regular fries, though, you can upgrade to truffle ones for an additional $5.

The seared yellowfin tuna Nicoise ($21) was composed of slices of tuna cooked just on the exterior strewn across a bed of Little Gem leaves, cherry tomatoes, Yukon Gold potatoes, green beans, pickled red onions, and hard-boiled eggs.

Hearty and satisfying, it’s perfect for ladies who lunch or those of us just lucky enough to be in Wine Country on a sunny afternoon.