Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Dinner, Lunch
- Alcohol: Full Bar
71 reviews
Napa, CA
"Before I even start my review, a big thanks to the Brix Staff for taking care of us! We went here because we had a GC for a bunch of places…" read more »
63 Reviews for Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen
Very homey atmosphere and an extremely attentive wait staff. I had the hanger steak and it was pretty good. My wife had the duck which came out pretty salty. The pistachio salad was pretty darn pricey at $13. Overall, the food was good, but the menu is pretty limited.
Ya know how sometimes you want to do an extensive, full-bore, 360-degree review of a place, and other times you just want to say "Go there and check it out"? Cindy's falls into the latter category.
Also I have been drinking sangiovese, which makes me feel like giving shorthand advice like Italians. The alcohol consumption may have more to do with my lack of depth.
The service and overall vibe at Cindy's made me feel very comfortable, as if I were at a family gathering. Was there a wait for my food? I don't know, it was as if I were at a family gathering. Please don't make me repeat myself. Jesus.
The duck burger was delicious. As an added bonus, it gave me tremendously rancid breath. Not necessarily in a bad way. It was kinda manly, like hot garbage with subtle nuances of trailer-park vagina. If it had cheese on it.
I've recommended Cindy's to a lot of tourists, but when I say the full name to them they seem to squint at me like I spoke to them in Latin, so I always just send them to Rutherford Grill and they drive away happy. As such, I think it's mostly locals that go to Cindy's.
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PUT CINDY BACK IN THE KITCHEN
Pretty room, rooms to be precise, nice bar, good service, crayons for drawing on the paper tablecover, excellent iced tea, the best sour dough bread, BUT the restaurant has slipped in the past several months. Prices seem high for salads and sandwiches. The salads are good especially the chicken. At dinner, the main courses are getting a bit tired. There has been an international meal once a week, but I haven't been a fan.
Cindy, where's the passion? PLEASE GET BACK IN THE KITCHEN.
Cindy deserves 5 stars just for the curried chicken salad. This is simply the best chicken salad I've ever had. The chicken itself isn't curried, but nicely moist. The mild curry is in the dressing, and I want it bottled and in my refrigerator tomorrow.
Also in the salad, bacon (uummm, bacon), almonds, sultanas, almonds.
I hardly ever order anything else, but have tried the rabbit tacos (good) and the fish sandwich with jicama slaw, which is an excellent fish sandwich with a really good slightly spicy breading. SO had the stuffed peppers last time, and they were excellent as well.
If you like chicken and bacon, trust me and order the salad.
Four of us stopped there yesterday for a mid-wine tasting day lunch. The location, the dining room(s), the wine list and staff were terrific. The food, however, missed the mark. We each ordered different items and were all disappointed. Everything tasted bland, under seasoned. Too bad..
We won't go back. There are just too many really good restaurants within a stones throw.
Yes I was buzzed. But I still remember the place.
Cute little place that looks like a Pottery Barn catalog pretty much. :) Service was amazing and the food was incredible. We had the Oysters Pablo (fried), a burger, and the flatbread.............yummmmy. That topped off with a few bottles of champagne and we were continuing onto a wonderful day.
They were very accommodating to our group of 10 rowdy girls, and we had an area of the upstairs area sectioned off just for us...........
Could not have asked for a better lunch spot!
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you know a restaurant is worth its salt when your waitress gets excited on your behalf about a bottle of wine you ordered that wasn't even expensive. we go thet jade mountain mourvedre (b/c mourvedre is the Best Wine Ever, fyi) to go with our avocado and papaya salad, duck burger, and cheese burger. everything was awesome, the staff was quite friendly, and as mentioned, our server loved us for ordering cheap wine, b/c she knew it was good wine, and she loved it too. so many things on the menu looked great, and we were more than pleased with everything from the dishes to the service.
Everything is perfect in this cute eatery and I wish the weather was nice enough so that we can sit in their gorgeous yard. I had one of the best ribeye steaks of my life there (and I am not even a big meat lover) - that was one of the specials of the day with the most amazing potato gratin you can ever have! The mushroom tamales were outstanding, I couldn't believe such taste could come out of a veggie dish. And of course, good wines, nice deserts, lovely service. PERFECT
Enjoyed a late lunch here between winery-hopping last weekend. Since it was a monsoon outside, we skipped the outdoor patio and were seated in the main dining room. All six of us fit comfortably in a large booth. The environment is cute and cozy, but still has that touch of that Napa sophistication. The second story also contains another dining area that seems like great place for a group dinner.
To start, we shared the asparagus and goat cheese app and the flat bread, which were tasty and very garlicky. I shared the "Brutus Caesar" (Caesar salad with red pepper flakes) then the duck burger, which was flavorful but very, very rich. The winner amongst the dishes ordered was my mom's Cuban, which had a little kick but wasn't overpowering, with pickles and Dijon mayo, on warm toasty bread.
Worth mentioning are the colorfully tinted, solid water glasses used. The server said they purchased them wholesale from a local vendor down the street, who 'imports' them from a glass-maker in Humboldt county. (My mom tried to go buy a few, but at $24 a glass she decided to head to Pier One instead.) Simple detail, but a memorable one that adds to the overall charm of the place.
I was here the summer of 2005, but will NEVER forget it! Me and my best friend had taken a trip to San Francisco and Sonoma/Napa for a week. Before we had left I looked up restaurants and saw several positive reviews for Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen, so i made sure we stopped by, and I am so glad we did! On our last day in Napa, we came into Cindy's for lunch, we had:
No-heat-o to drink
Stuffed Piquillo Peppers to start with
Pablo's Pollo Loco as an entree
The food was flawless and absolutely amazing- I to this day I think it's the best I've had anywhere!
The best part was that at the end of our meal, our waitor told us that we had to do the Napa Valley shot- which was something that him and some of his co-workers enjoyed during afterhours. But he isisted we end our meal with it.. so he made us the napa shot which was a shot of jack daniels chased by a mini root beer float. A handful of the wait staff came by our table as we took the shot to see our reaction to it, it was so precious, and definately ended our trip on a good note!
Cindy's was the first restaurant I ever went to in Napa Valley and ever since, I have had a hard time expanding my horizons because I love it SO much. The service and atmosphere are lovely and the food is wonderful. If you go during fig season, you'll get to enjoy a daily special that incorporates figs from the tree on the patio. But no matter when you go, Cindy's will not disappoint. Once in awhile, I agree to go somewhere else, when we're on an excursion to wine country - but 8 out of 10 times, I insist on Cindy's and deservingly so!
If after your meal you have any room left, you must try the Campfire Pie. Chocolate, marshmallow, Oreos...one sweet, delicious pile.
The service is welcoming and the food is just good. Don't think about whether or not you want to try it, just do it.
It's like being in your Grandmother's kitchen during the holiday season. Lots of people, sometimes cramped, but the food and comfort makes up for it.
We went here for dinner on a dark and stormy night. We were seated immediately and had quite a lively discussion / exchange with our server about the menu. The server was a bit frazzled - not with the weather or our table, but with the large group of obviously drunk party boys that had landed there after a day "in wine country". Starters included an artichoke special and a winter greens salad. Dinner was the duck sandwich and "comfort food" of meat loaf and mashed potatoes. Food was kid of heavy - that or it was really good and we ate too much. It was tasty in the moment - but it stayed with us for quite a while afterwards. The desserts got mixed results: the warm apple crisp was super yum. The chocolate, espresso tart was too chocolate rich ( if there is such a thing) . Would definitely be interested in trying Mustards to see how they compare and would go back again.
The buzz is true - Cindy's is the real deal. 5 star food.
There is also an audible buzz about Cindy's -- what IS it with all the flies here? It's like the FLYlight zone. Every time I looked over at my bff seated next to me she had a fly accessory perched atop her head. Gross. Go away flies.
There were 4 of us...and the food was ALL very good. Roasted artichokes and mushroom fllatbread starters. Steak Frites, Mushroom Tamale (it is only one, not multiples as the menu suggests...but it was filling, delicious, beautifully plated and the perfect amount for me), Curried chicken salad and the 4th item escapes me at the moment.
The desserts -- a rice pudding and a chocolate cake -- neither of which are on the current online menu, were both good, but not great.
Service was good and certainly friendly...but not quite top notch.
For St. Helena "comfort food" its more consistently good than Market. I just wish they could figure out how to get rid of the flies. Buzz. Buzz.
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Hands down, this is my kind of restaurant. Granted, the service was a bit slow, but we had a huge party. Cindy manages to take the humble, lowly, and typical American ingredients and allow the positive attributes of each ingredient shine. Example: the first course was a chicken and cabbage soup. Chicken and cabbage--like I haven't had that stuff before. But by the time I finished slurping up my puddle of soup, I had an insane urge storm into the kitchen and ladle out more. It blew my mind that something as simple as cabbage soup could tantalize my tastebuds.
I enjoyed the cozy ambiance. It felt like I was home, eating lunch at a friend's place back home. There were walls covered with portraits and shelves with books, but in between these random books and paintings were tongue-and-cheek mementos. As I walked to the upstairs seating, I noticed a figurine of a cartoon banana, legs sprawled out and suggestively sexual. Some framed artwork were posters of a single panel comic featuring a man who was waiting in the car while his wife shopped. It's these little treasures that remind the high rolling, wine drinking customers that all seriousness should be left out the door.
I found my new regular spot.
Great food, great atmosphere.
Service was a little slow, but nothing to not come back for.
Great No-Heat-O (alcohol free Mojito) drink. Highly recommend.
I declare this place... a high quality restaurant in a sea of high quality restaurants (but they do not serve brunch).
Food: Very good
Atmosphere: Nicely decorated, open, light and clean
Service: Excellent
Of course, it's a gorgeous restaurant in a gorgeous high-falutin' town, so expectations are high, and they were, for the most part, met.
Somewhere we heard they served brunch. They do not.
That's okay-- there's plenty of stuff to choose from on the menu, and some of it is even vegetarian. I had the Incredible Mushroom Tamales, and they were just shy of being truly "incredible," but they were still delicious.
My wife and I split a spinach salad, which was interesting in that most of the leaf material was not that of spinach, but of lettuce... romaine I think, but the King could be wrong.
Over all-- quite a nice experience. This would be a 5 star restaurant in any other area of the country, perhaps, but it does have a lot of competition!
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Absolutely...
ADORDABLE!
Went here with some friends after wine tasting over @ Mondavi and totally thought it was the cutest little place.
Food:
Complementary Bread - Nice and warm, crusty bread, but DUARTE'S STILL wins for best 'effin brrreeead eeeevvvaarrr! :D
Steak Frites - Grilled to perfection, the hangar steak was a huge portion, and the fries were thick, crispy, and not too oily. The accompanying greens were not tasty, and was actually bitter, BUT, I'll let that go!
Meatloaf - Yummy! Kinda reminded me of sweet and sour meatloaf, LOL, but it was surprisingly tasty with some fresh spring beans and mashed 'taters..... delectable
Ahi Tuna Salad - I really liked the ahi tuna, seared perfectly with large slices of tuna on a bed of nicely tossed greens.
The food and location/decor seriously deserved four stars, but the service, maybe 3. Our waiter was a nice man, but honestly, didn't do a very good job. His presentation of the food, as well as intro to the daily specials were choppy and just sounded like he wasn't too sure of what he was talking about. Also, my friend's salad came out WAY WAY later than it should have. We were finished with the food before hers even came out! That, and they didn't comp it?
The service was def NOT up to par, but because the food was yummy and decor cute, I still give it four stars, but that docked star is for SERVICE.
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3.5 stars
Came for dinner after a performance. Ordered oyster pablo, stuffed piquillo peppers, rabbit toastada, house salad and a pineapple upside down cake.
The oyster pablo is topped with a fluffy egg like custard with garlic and spinach. The egg with oyster combination is like stir-fried oyster omelet I used to eat as a kid. However, at $3 per oyster, much more expensive. Good, but did not wow me enough.
The stuffed piquillo peppers are stuffed with group beef. The meat and the sauce are lightly seasoned with southwest spices and has a hint of smokiness which brings out the sweetness of the peppers nicely. However, having been to B44 and tasted it's crab stuffed piquillo pepper, this dish pales in comparison.
The rabbit tostada is topped with cabbage, bitter greens, nicely dressed over a bed of braised rabbit meat over tortilla and black beans. The meat is tender, but not over soft and the southwest spices plays surprisingly well with the dressed bitter greens and cabbage. A more sophisticated southwestern dish which works.
The house salad with pear and spiced pecans is comparatively simple. Mixed bitter greens are tossed lightly with oil and vinegar with a salty/sweet pecans and 4 slices of pears. I would prefer a little more pear to sweeten the dish a little more. The pecans are great and I would love to munch on them all night.
The pineapple upside down cake is soaked in caramel. Here, the dish is not as sweet as most dessert, but still a touch too sweet for me. The vanilla ice cream was comparatively bland and acts as a good palate cleanser. The pineapple brings a different texture and flavor to the dish, which makes it interesting.
Overall food is quite good, but not great. Atmosphere is warm and prices are reasonable for the Napa area. I would come here for non-special occasion dinners.
Can Cindy Pawlcyn do no wrong?
I've eaten at Mustard's for over twenty years, but this was our first visit to Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen. It will not be our last.
We started with appetizers of roasted artichokes (cooked to perfection) and Spanish peppers stuffed with cumin-infused beef. OMG! Delicious!
Lynn had roasted quail for lunch, while I opted for the wood oven-roasted duck. Both were exquisite -- succulent, tasty and perfectly cooked.
The staff was excellent, attentive, warm, and friendly without being underfoot, overly sweet, or obsequious.
Looking around the room, the other dishes looked fantastic, and we can't wait to go back . . . .
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I recently dined at Cindy's with a dear friend from India who works at a fine dining restaurant in Houston. We had an absolutely delightful time and the food was absolutely superb. We shared our dinner, having eaten a late lunch but we did have a full bottle of Merryvale Reserve Merlot from the extensive wine list.
We started out with the Backstreet Fry - crispy calamari, okra, sweet onion & sweet peppers with basil aioli - yummy. Our next dish was a grilled rare ahi tuna with peppery greens, Spanish peanuts & wasabi-tamari vinaigrette. Next, we opted for a Chinatown duck burger with housemade shiitake mushroom ketchup. All the dishes were wonderful. Dessert was a wonderful pineapple upside down cake!
I can't wait to go back again to try some of the other menu items. It took us forever to make the choices we did that night!
In my humble opinion, the best gourmet/comfort food place I have ever been to. Bright and open, we were there on a busy Sunday for lunch. We all had salads, and we had spent the weekend in Healdsburg, shopping and eating, and needed lighter faire. We all had awesome salads esp. the Heirloom Tomatoes, and finished with the Upside Down Cake, WOW! The wait staff was just perfect, there when you needed them. My new fav in St. Helena!
My mom, boyfriend and I went there last year around this time and it was an amazing time!! The food was so great, they turn simple dishes into wonderful, high quality dishes. We started off with the fried calamari, which was really great, not greasy or too much breading it was perfect! My boyfriend got one of their lovely fish sandwiches, the fish was very fresh, moist and flavorful. My mom had the tamales, which were like nothing we've ever had (and my mom is Mexican, the tamales were vegetarian but she didn't miss the meat. I had a gourmet hamburger, it was perfectly cooked and my salad was delicious. We are going back there for my boyfriend's birthday this month and can't wait.
The food is wonderful, but the service is what really put it over the top. Our server was polite, knowledgeable and most of all, not pushy. The restaurant is beautiful, go upstairs and take a look at all the cool art work.
Overall, a great restaurant!!
I do not give too many 5 stars - perhaps it was a magical moment - but this place is just plain FUN. They make it fun the decor is fun, the people are fun, the menu and the food is fun and you will be fun too, just like I was - and I had the flippin Lemonade. Hey FUN it si that black and white - you will see what I mean by that.
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This local's favorite rarely disappoints. It's not the chic-est restaurant around, nor the most jaw-droppingly amazing cuisine, nor do the wait staff speak to you in hushed tones about some obscure cabernet that you've never heard of and never will, yet you attempt to make some careful remark to satisfy your waiter that you aren't just another dumb scrub winding your way through the valley in a rented convertible.
This is honest-to-goodness restaurant for people who like to eat great food, feel relaxed, not worry about the status-quo, AND not get ripped off in the process. Believe me, it's rare in this area. Cindy's is one of the few places where you can just decide on a whim that you don't feel like cooking dinner, drop in and have a fantastic meal.
Don't feel intimidated by the great reviews. You don't HAVE to spend a ton of money to have a great meal and you don't HAVE to buy a way overpriced bottle of wine absolutely everywhere you go.
Almost everything is equally good here, and although I preferred Cindy's first attempt in this location, called Miramonte, this is one of my favorite restaurants. It's getting 4 stars from me only because I can't give it 4.5 and I'm doing my best to reserve that coveted 5th star for the cream of the cream.
I've been here 2 times now. Both times have been good.
First time we had the burger and the special of the day - pulled pork quesadilla. We loved both of them. The bread that they serve at every table, it's really good. It's delivered from a place called Panarama in San Francisco. But Panarama doesn't have a storefront but you can find their bread at the Alemany Farmer's Market Sat. and Sun.
2nd time I went today. We had the open faced salmon sandwich that came w/some salad. Everything was very fresh and seasoned well. We also had the warm spinach and winter green salad with poached egg and bacon. Also very tasty. A very yummy non alcoholic drink is the fresh fruit spritzer. Today's fresh fruit was orange, pineapple, passion fruit spritzer. YUMMY!!!!
We had a very enjoyable meal here tonight with the following:
1. Rabbit Tostada: very flavorful. Rabbit meat was tender. Good texture with black beans and cabbage
2. Avocado and Papaya Salad: very light dressing with ripe avocado and papaya
3. Fish of the day - sockeye salmon: nice juicy salmon with capers atop vegetables
4. Campfire pie: a very delish and inventive dessert with marshmellow, chocolate, oreo cookie crust, and walnuts
Overall, a very enjoyable meal and an excellent wait staff in a spacious dining area. Reasonably priced for the area and the quality of food.
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I had pretty high expectations for this place since it's received many good reviews on yelp and high ratings on zagat as well. We walked in for a slightly late lunch, but it was still pretty crowded. The decor is very casual and homey.
Typically I would order an appetizer, salad, dessert, just to get the full experience, but we weren't that hungry so we just ordered main course instead.
The chipotle rubbed quail is fantastic. The legs in particular are so juicy and tasty. No wonder this is listed as Cindy's favorite. The watermelon salad seemed a little mismatch - but maybe that's because I don't like watermelon all that much. The crispy rock cod sandwich was good but nothing to rave about.
So why the 3 stars? The service was bad... in fact almost non-existent. Our server came by once to tell us about the menu and then disappeared for quite some time before he came back. We waited unnecessarily long just to order our food. The food came pretty quickly, but then after that it took forever to get our check. I noticed another table was not having a great experience with the same server and they barely even finished their food before they paid the bill and walked out. I purposely chose to sit indoors because I can't stand bugs flying around, but there were quite a few flies in the restaurant. The staff seemed very cold and unfriendly.
Yummy, yummy. My husband and I had dinner here when we were house/apartment hunting. The food was delicious and comforting - we both had great salads, and I was crazy over the wood oven duck with citrus sauce. Mmmmm. We sat outside under the amazing ancient fig tree - I love eating out of doors!
Minus one star because they were out of their signature dessert, campfire pie. :( Well - it's an excuse to go back, I suppose!
(ps, on a 2nd visit, have to say the service is inconsistent - maybe 3 stars, but I'll hold out hope)
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I've been going to Cindy Pawlcyn's other restaurant, Mustard's Grill, for a long time. I've always been impressed with how Mustard's was able to make typical casual fare like hanger steak and brick chicken into extraordinary dishes. Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen is of a similar style but more casual.
I had their Backstreet Fry (calamari & vegetables) and the Mushroom Tamale. I know it sounds pretty basic. But, the thing with Cindy's restaurants is that she and her staff always seem to be able to make a simple dish into something really special. My wife had the curried chicken salad and the Chinatown duck burger and had equivalent high praise. I guess my wife orders things that sound more adventurous.
We also felt very comfortable having our two young children with us. I sampled my daughter's mac & cheese and it was perhaps the best mac & cheese I've ever had.
I don't see how any of those chain restaurants stay open when there are such an excellent selection of restaurants in the Napa Valley. And, even among those excellent restaurants, Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen shines.
Orginally posted 12.06.06 on winodepot.com
Back to Cindy's again last night, likely the worst meal I've had at the place since they opened. Good service but very disappointing food.
Had the Back Street Fry to start, the typical fried calamari with a few other things thrown in. The single most overdone appetizer dish in restaurants, although some may argue that title currently belongs to Tuna Tartare. This dish wasn't very exciting and definite short on calamari.
Next up, we shared an entree special as the second course, Crab Risotto. A nice dish of properly prepared ingredients, but just another flat lined effort that didn't bring anything interesting to the plate.
For entree, I ordered the Mighty Meatloaf just about everyone raved about in the past, uhhh, are you kidding me? I make meatloaf about once every two years and it's much better than this piece of ugly brown brick that's sitting on my plate.
The other entree we had wasn't any better either, Smoked 21-day Dried Aged Ribeye done in the wood burning oven. Good seasoning but over cooked, tough and lots of waste, not a very good piece of meat to begin with.
This meal is the prime example of why I don't recommend Cindy's and much prefer Mustard's.
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I had lunch here on a recent Napa excursion and it was AWESOME! I had the Chinatown Duckburger with housemade shiitake mushroom ketchup. It was the best $12 burger I ever had..I highly recommend it! Decor was very modest - quaint country farmhouse and they have a full bar where you can eat as well a nice outdoor seating area.
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Service:
Alright. It was lack of "direction" when I was being seated. No menu, no place setting, no water, no greeting at the bar when I sat down. I had to "ask" for it.
Food:
Good! I had the Rock Cod Sandwich with jicama and red peppers. I could of do away with the fries.
Drink:
Good. Limeade - Very easy to make on my own!
Price:
Reasonable. $10 something for a sandwich.
Stuffed peppers and a rabbit tostada to start. Wash it down with a glass of champagne.
Best burgers in town, hooves down. Cattle from India line up here to re-incarnate.
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Great place! I've been 3 times and have never been disappointed.
I always start out at the very well stocked bar for an appertif. Depending on the time of year, it could be a Hangar One Mandarin with soda and a float of Campari, a Makers Manhattan up, or a beer...I leave the wine for the meal.
I think I like the atmosphere of this place the most--not glossy or hip, it actually exudes pre-yuppie, wine country comfort without trying to be faux-Tuscan or anything like that...a time when the Valley was more Ag and less theme-park.
The food is always good and there is a wood burning oven--not for pizza--but for the daily "oven special". My most memorable meal was a wood fired flat-iron steak and frites. The wood smoke clinging to wonderful little chard bits made it unique. Also the house-made garlic aioli that accompanied the fries was amazing.
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Valentine's day 2007 lunch. Bambie & I had dinner the night before at Bouchon in Yountville. I enjoyed the lunch at Cindy's more. Cindy has a nicer, more relaxed & spacious dining areas. Seats have more room between them. The rooms are whimsical, the decor is light & airy. The wine picture scrap book is fun to browse.
We ordered non-alcoholic mojitos (I had to go on duty at the hospital after lunch) . They were yummy. Cauliflower soup had good flavor without cream, but the texture was a little watery. Bambie's beet & arugula salad was very tasty. The beets had a smoky rich flavor & texture. They probably roasted them after parboiling.
Bambie had lobster macaroni & cheese. Nothing like Kraft foods. More like a zesty fresh tomato reduction coating on ziti noodles with melted carambola and Parmesan cheeses. Generous amount of minced Lobster through the dish. Large amount, at least 15 ounces of food in that dish.
I had sea bass stuffed with shredded dungeness crab. Seated on a bed of fresh peas seasoned with leeks, pancetta ham, some Lima beans. That was seriously good!
The black bottom creme brulle was divine. The chocolate was a rich pudding flavor with the consistency of heavy fudge. The creme brulle was a well made real vanilla bean custard. Glassy sugar shell on top was just the right thickness and hardness.
Our bill came to $113. Don't gasp, as two adults can eat here for $35 if alcohol & side dishes are avoided. The breast of chicken sandwich with sides costs $13, and it's more food than a normal adult can finish in one sitting. If you're on a budget, order that.
Full bar. Great food. Knowledgeable servers. Highly recommended restaurant!
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Had high expectations going there since we had a great experience at Mustards, and there's alot of great press for Cindy's.
We sat outside on the patio, which would have been very nice, except they should really address the fly problem. It really does hamper the experience when you're constantly shooing them away from yourself and the food.
The service was spotty , and this seemed to be a problem across the board. When waiting for our table, I overheard another server apologizing for forgetting someones Pinot when they were already paying the bill. Two girls at the next table were grumbling to themselves at how horrible their server had been. We ended up having this same server, and while she wasn't horrible for us, she was definately slow.
To top it all off, the food was pretty good but unremarkable. Unremarkable stands out when there are so many phenomenal dining experiences in the napa region.
I don't know about you all, but when I go to the Napa Valley, a place to eat that's tryin to be too citified comes off beverly hillbilly. I wanna get to the heart of the vines, a place that fits the landscape and the people who live here and not spend my rent money since I don't think they let you pitch a tent in the French Laundry garden or sleep in your car amongst the vines at Auberge du Soleil.
I had a Napa Valley soul food experience at Cindy's. That's the highest honor I can give a place. It fills a need in your soul that you didn't even know you had and gives you a true taste of a place, culture and time. The comfortable ambiance and unpretentious service with perfect timing was just right. Relatively small menu expertly done. Please get the black-bottomed creme brulee. Motherfuck a diet.
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I loved this place... very down to earth, normal sized portions and everything was fresh and tasty. I had the fish special of the day.. grilled halibut with dill yogurt sauce, roasted golden beets and braised cabbage. Totally delicious. Fun wine book with labels... full bar... friendly staff... can't go wrong. A little gem.
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Showed up late, ate dinner outside. Environment was awesome except for the gay dude who kept glancing over. Rabbit Tostada and the papaya salad were very good, the drink menu was awesome--as were the drinks themselves (thai-gin-tini w/cayenne was great). The Rabbit Tostada, though, had some bones in it...small ones that you would NOT want to swallow.
The Duck was incredible--the mushroom tamales were ok. Would have been better if there was polenta or corn in it instead of grits.
Service was great, prices were reasonable--overall Cindy's offers everything the overpriced restaurants do in wine country except the ridiculous prices and pretention.
Just do yourself a favor and drive the speed limit around here--Police were everywhere.
