Angele is an inviting restaurant perched overlooking the Napa River at the end of Main Street. We booked a 7 pm reservation for a Wednesday night in May. The restaurant and bar were very busy when we arrived. The restaurant with a full bar is stylish and looks and feels like a place where folks … Read more
We dined at Pearl restaurant in downtown Napa a few weeks past and found it to be a refreshing change of pace from the usual wine country restaurants of the Napa Valley. Pearl is very casual and quaint. On any given night the place is packed with locals and a few smattering of wine country … Read more
A sign on the outside of Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc Restaurant in Yountville reads “for the temporary relief of hunger.” Indeed, the four-course meal is so good that no eating is required the day after dining here. Not only is the food terrific but the atmosphere and crowd are festive and lively. The place just … Read more
Pacific Blues Café is located directly across from Hurley’s and Bouchon restaurants in Yountville. Our heads were spinning as we tried to decide which of the three restaurants to choose for lunch. We decided on the Pacific Café, a more casual dining experience than either Hurley’s or Bouchon. Besides, the Pacific Café has an inviting deck … Read more
The Rutherford Grill is the place to be. This is a local’s hotspot, where wine industry people and other business folks gather for a lunch meeting or just to socialize. We visited on a Wednesday in February for lunch and the place was packed. Fortunately, it was a beautiful day we were able to do … Read more
The Calistoga Inn has been a landmark in the town of Calistoga for many a year. It still looks very much the same as it did when we first visited the town in the late 60’s. It has been about a year since we last had dinner at the Calistoga Inn. We dined at the … Read more
Go Fish is Cindy Pawlcyn’s third restaurant, with the emphasis obviously on fish. Cindy owns long-time favorite and standby, Mustard’s Grill in Yountville and Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen in St. Helena. This restaurant was formerly the Pinot Blanc restaurant and it has been completely remodeled. In contrast to Mustard’s and Cindy’s Backstreet, the décor is very … Read more
Flat Iron Grill is one of three restaurants in Calistoga owned by the same partners. They also own Brannan’s and Checkers, both on the next block down from Flat Iron on Lincoln Ave. Brannan’s is more upscale than Flat Iron and Checkers is more a beer and pizza place. We dined at Flat Iron on … Read more
So there we were on a Thursday night at Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen. Just a few moments after being seated, along comes winemaker August “Joe�? Briggs to our table. Every Thursday night at Cindy’s it is “Celebrity Bartender Night.�? A local vintner walks around to the tables and pours samples of his or her wine. Joe … Read more
One of the local favorites for breakfast and lunch in Yountville is Gordon’s Café & Wine Bar. We arrived there around 9:15 with a party of 14. Luckily for us, the restaurant was not crowded and we were all seated together. Gordon’s is a relaxed place with a country style decor. You order at the … Read more