On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Loading...
This place saved the day. Literally. After the longest day of unsuccessful tastings, this was exactly what we needed.
None of the restaurants in the area catered to vegetarians well, but when we saw this menu online, we made reservations asap.
They only take reservations that day, starting at 900 am. Call is as soon as you can to reserve your best spot. I recommend the outside seating if possible. They have the most amazing outside seating. Upper terraces, the courtyard, and the big outside patio area.
We were seated outside in the courtyard, around the corner from the wedding reception that was being held that night. We were hesitant about a wedding being in the restaurant, but to our luck, the couple picked the BEST wedding singer EVER. She was unbelievable, and I need to track her down for MY Napa wedding. ;)
On to the food. I have to rave about the mozzarella cheese al minuto. It's made at the moment ordered, and brought out with grilled bruschetta and paesano olive oil. OMG, it was so delicious. My friends held off on seconds because of the entrees, but I finished it off. You must get this when you eat here.
During the day, all three of us had different cravings and we all declared what it was at some point. Mine was a great steak, Kat's was a seared ahi tuna, and Leanne's was a spinach ravioli. They had all three here.
I had the amazing filet mignon, cooked rare to perfection. Simple steak with salt and pepper. Tender and rare. It came with mashed potatoes. I ate everything.
Kat had the tombe tuna, which she finished completely. It was just so simple and so delectable. No special sauces were drenched on the fish. It was well cooked, tender, and the white fish just melts in your mouth.
Leanne had the ravioli. I didn't get to taste it because she inhaled it. From what she mumbled, it was pretty darn yummy.
Dessert was a chocolate cake with vanilla bean ice cream. We ordered 3 cappuccinos to pair with the dessert, and were even more ecstatic when it came out in Illy cups. Great beans with great chocolate.
I have to take a minute to rave about the wine list. It was a 23 page book with a table of contents!!! We had been searching for Orin Swift's The Prisoner all day and to no avail. The winery did not call us back for the reservation, and we were quite down about that. They had The Prisoner here!!!! We bought a bottle for dinner, and it was absolutely the perfect choice for all 3 dishes.
Not only that, the sommalier came out and told us where to find more bottles at retail price!! [we went to St Helena Wine Center the next day and bought 3 bottles].
The bill wasn't as bad as I thought. For such a great dining experience in Napa, I had set aside $100 for the night. Let's just say I got breakfast and lunch for the next day.
People thought this was:
I know I'm a little late in going to Tra Vigne, the glory days are long gone and Michael Chiarello has left the house.
Went for lunch, and it wasn't too crowded on the weekend. I can't remember much about the food except that they were decent. BF thought that it used to be better in the old days. The service were alright, the restaurant itself is nice, so I can see why large parties and weddings are held here.
I prefer Bottega Ristorante, that's the place to be now! Don't be late!!
So while I am Yelping about Footcandy in St Helena, I can't forget to mention Tra Vigne.
Fantastico!
Their crusty bread was warm and fresh from the oven, Heaven! My husband had a beautiful Fritatta, I had a tomato salad Caprese (OMG! the balsamic on this!) and my brother in law had rigatoni Carbonara. It smelled incredible and he said it was the "best" he had eaten. I didn't dare try it, the plate was so luscious looking I was afraid I wouldn't stop if I started and the garlic was emanating!
We loved the ivy covered stucco walls and all in all the meal was made so much better with the very good wine our waitress recommended. And, the waitress was cute and fun without being too much. Just perfect!
Don't pass up a great Italian meal at Tra Vigne is you are visiting the wine country!
I was a little angry that they gave up our reservation because I was running late. We had to wait another half hour till a table was set for us. That ran us even later so we missed our reseration at a winery. The waitress was extremely slow even though we told her that we were in a hurry she was still moving at turtle speed. I ordered the rabbit it was earthy. My friend ordered the carbonara that was delish. I don't think I'll come back here next time I visit Napa.
We've been long time visitors to Tra Vigne and always had a good experience, so this time we brought visitors from out of state. We booked a 4:30 table on Sat. Nov 7th. The restaurant was fairly empty and chose(table 52) on the terrace. We were immediately greeted by a sweet blonde server who immediately brought us waters and gave us all the details of the menu offerings. I was thrilled because I knew the professionalism of this server (sadly forgot her name) would make our visit perfect. One person in our party had food allergies and our server was extremely sensitive to that and thoughtfully explained the menu in detail.
We started with a bottle of wine and white corn soup which was stellar as were the 2 fig pizzas we ordered as starters.
Unfortunately, about 25 minutes into meal, our server said her shift was over and introduced our new server "Dan C" . UGHHHHHH, that's the where our evening went straight downhill. What a drone! He was cocky and thought his lame comments were funny. Dan rarely checked or communicated with us. Dan never cleared our finished plates, purposely avoiding eye contact whenever he walked by. Then out of the blue handed over 4 dessert menus. We told him we were planning on ordering entrees. He just laughed and said, ohhhhhhhh I thought you were done. ALL HE HAD TO DO WAS ASK!!!! It's not as if the restaurant was busy at this time, yet he appeared overwhelmed and too busy to be bothered with us. I was so embarrassed since we had raved about this place to our friends. Dan then asked if we knew what we wanted..........the one in our party w/food allergies politely mentioned what she couldn't eat (which the first server had already explained to him) and Bob cocked his head back and forth then rolled his eyes, and said, "I know, I know", with an irritated tone.
I have no complaints about Tra Vigne's food - it is amazing. The whole grilled mahi, short ribs and truffle risotto were sublime. As we all know, one server alone can make or break your dining experience. Dan was harsh and unprofessional and did a great job of ruining ours.
Advice to others - in the fall/winter don't eat on the terrace in the evening, especially with the plastic windows lowered. It's almost as if you're eating in a garage. No table cloths, no atmosphere and (I think) it's where they place their weakest servers.
Our friends were too polite to say anything, but I was embarrassed and felt bad for our out of state visitors who deserved a better experience than this on their last night in Napa.
One of our favorite Italian restaurants.
Indoor and outdoor seating with outside pizzeria.
Nice wine list with good wines by the glass, especially the house wines. Corkage fee is waived for the first two bottles of wine brought in.
The fig and gorgonzola pizza was a great appetizer.
The butternut squash ravioli was excellent; but the rabbit pappardelle was succulent.
There was no pork or veal on the menu.
No house bread is brought unless requested.
The affogato and strawberry shortcake desserts were good.
This place was well worth going! I ordered the Rigatoni Alla Carbonara, and it was pretty dang tasty. There wasn't any overpowering taste with the dish so that's good. I would recommend this. I wouldn't recommend the rabbit.
I wanted to order the mozzarella since a lot of the other Yelp reviews said to, but I ended up not doing so. I wish I did though. I think this place is known for that. Don't pass it up. It's $14, but they have a cool way to prepare it so this makes it worth trying. I also wish I tried one the oven fired pizzas.
Be sure to get a seat outside when it's not too hot. The fountain in the middle of the patio area is unique and interesting to look at. Service was great, setting was great. Seems like a good place to take a date for a delicious brunch.
I'd definitely come back again!
This decoration and ambiance is really nice...nice enough to host your intimate wedding here.
But for the food...it's definitely decent. It is a little more than a 3...not quite a 4.
The wait was long for our group of 10. I called at 8:30pm to make a reservation for 9pm. When we got there, the table was not available so we waited for another 30 minutes because they didn't have two tables side by side to put us all together. We were getting really hungry and couldn't wait much longer. Well, it wasn't their total fault because the other group was hogging the table. At last, our two tables got reunited. It was nice that the manager remembered without us asking for it. Not to say that we were like the last table to leave the restaurant too. That was around 11:20pm. They didn't give us "those bastards" face.
I didn't like the dish I ordered too much. I had the sausage rice dish. The sauce was too cheesy and salty. I liked my boyfriend's dish more. It was some spinach pasta with grounded lamb meat. It was a bit too salty to my taste but the pasta was delicious. Everyone thought their dishes were fine too.
I was staring at a stand of cupcakes (from a wedding party) all night long and took pictures of it. I wished they offered me the red velvet cupcake...then I would give them a 4...hehehe
Our recent visit to Tra Vigne was a mixed bag. The food was great, but the service and ambiance were quite bad.
I've been to Tra Vigne 4 times in the past, and I've always enjoyed their delicious Italian food, and the atmosphere of the place. However our most recent visit to the restaurant was decidedly different. It was packed past the point of bursting. There were at least 3 LARGE private parties happening there simultaneously. There was a wedding reception happening in the basement (it was like a disco), another party happening in their courtyard, and one other 30+ person group. I felt like I was at a wedding factory rather than a napa restaurant. With group mini-busses pulling up into the parking lot, the soft thump of dance music in the background, and wedding parties marching past our table, we were pretty far from the ambiance of a quaint country dinner.
In addition, they were packing their reservations too tight. We had to wait 20 minutes past the time of our reservation for a table. The reservationist was exasperated an unapologetic. It wasn't just us either, all of the people arriving around that time had to wait. This made the place feel all the more crowded and unpleasant.
When we did get a table, the service was lacking. Although our waiter was extremely nice and doing his best, we still had to wait to get his attention, and it took a long time for our drink orders to arrive. There was also an awkwardly long wait between our courses.
The saving grace of the night was that the food didn't suffer in any way. It was the same delicious food that I've always known there.
Overall it was clear that there were simply more guests at the restaurant than the staff or facilities could handle. I won't be returning there on a weekend night during harvest season, but I wouldn't hesitate to visit again in the off-season.
Tra Vigne was recommended highly so we tried it.
I have to say: great service, food, and decor.
I had the rib eye and it was perfectly cooked. Their version of "potatoes Au gratin" were out of this world. Even the veggies were scrumptious.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone visiting Napa. But tell me why tourists wear flip flops and bad shorts to dinner?
People thought this was:
Tra Vigne surprised me for wine country. I mean, a lot of these places are heavy in tourists, so I had set an unfairly low bar for the area. We had a pretty large group as well, so again, I wasn't expecting to get really good service. I'm quite happily surprised and I think this place took a chink out of my tourist-heavy-areas-are-scary armor. Good for them!
Our meal started out with a local white wine (that wasn't from a winery we were visiting that day), and for appetizers we got the caprese and a fig pizza. Those who have dined with me long enough know I'm very hesitant to have anything with fresh tomatoes. The mozzarella was too tempting though, and I caved in. I'm glad I did, as their olive oil was still a bit green and everything was very fresh. The fig pizza wasn't too memorable for me personally, but I have a feeling if you liked figs, it would have been really awesome; or so says those I dined with. For my main meal, I went with the rigatoni alla carbonara. It was a good choice, with the noodles properly al dente, and the sauce about the right mix of salt and savory flavors. It was properly thin on the sauce, but the portions were a bit more than I was expecting. It's not that often I'd complain about portions being too large, but this size a portion would get in the way of a multi-course meal.
This place has a lot of potential. With the right food (and the right number of courses to do an Italian meal justice) I think this could be a five star place. I'm going to have to get back here some time and see if it can live up to that potential.
People thought this was:
As far as dinner goes, the wine, entree, and service were fantastic -- what'd you expect from a restaurant of the caliber and price range--but what really makes this place stand out is the mozzarella "al minuto."
O-M-G. This mouthwatering mound of cheesy goodness is served on top of grilled bruschetta seasoned to perfection and coated with the just the right amount of olive oil.
Per my mom's suggestion, we also ordered a side of heirloom tomatoes. They were SO fresh, and coated with the perfect amount of balsamic, olive oil, basil, and spices (and possibly crack...'cause Lord knows I'm addicted now). I definitely suggest ordering this a great complement to the mozzarella.
Next time I'm up in the Napa region, I am definitely coming back...this cheese is hands down the best mozzarella I've ever had...and the stuff dreams are made of.
People thought this was:
I'm in between 4 and 5 stars.
It was my girlfriend's wedding shower, and this is one of her favorite restaurants in Napa. I can clearly see why. First off, it's set on a beautiful property. We had a private party, so we were seated in the little house to the side/rear of the restaurant. This is a great location for small private parties, however for some reason with the acoustics, it was very loud (no carpet).
The BEST caprese salad of my life. Beautifully colored heirloom tomatoes, perfectly seasoned with balsamic and olive oil. The cheese...oh the cheese! Fresh, gorgeous, lovely- perfect for a summer day. I could eat this salad every day, I think.
For my main course I had the spinach ravioli, which was a bit disappointing after such a lovely, perfect salad. It was cold, didn't have any oomph, and was sitting in a bath of olive oil (too oily).
Overall, I had a lovely experience at Tra Vigne. Beautiful!
People thought this was:
I was on a 5 county crawl playing gigs in Nevada City and Lake county. Had a great time. Decided to drive down the 29 on a Monday and it was just packed for some reason. Made my way to St. Helena around lunchtime (shorts and t-shirt) and thought I'd stop for a Taylor's for a burger, but... i really had a taste for some green olive oil. I knew the place to get it was Tra Vigne. I've been to Tra Vigne several times in the past for dinner and lunch. its always good. but... there is always something that comes up short.
Lets start with the good:
- Wonderful Olive Oil and bread. The reason i went this time was for a nice olive oil.
- Mozzarella Fatta al Minuto - Amazing as always. The friend i was with said that looks incredible. I said to the waiter, we'll have that (classless i know).
- The Spaghetti and meatballs
-Pizza (didn't have it this time but they rival Delfina in SF)
-The Rabbit Ragu
- Busser: he was on the spot.
- Wine Selection. I especially love the 2005 Markham Cab and it happens to be the lowest in price on their by the glass menu ($9).
The not so great:
- Sirens. Almost non stop this time. I've heard them other times, but Tra Vinge must be right next to the station as it was Just unpleasant.
- Ragu - Beautiful flavors but we had a split and it looked like the cook/chef just poured the Ragu in my bowl as the sauce was running down from the edge to the pasta. Very un-appetizing looking. I didn't take a photo, as it's just not appropriate there, but they could have taken a napkin or rag and wiped it a little.
- The Waiter: The gal i was with was nicely dressed. I was casual in a new Adobe elements t-shirt and shorts, but clean and well kept. We don't exude money like some of the other campers. Lunch was $80 with tip, and that's all we needed (bread and oil/ mozz app/ Split a main course/ 3 glasses of wine/ tip. Somehow i felt a little attitude (he was as nice as can be but... maybe I'm wrong), but the service wasn't spot on. Wine was empty for 10 minutes... the Ragu should have never been served like that, and just brought it down from 4 to 3 stars.
All and all just what we wanted for lunch. I'll definitely be back unless they see me and tell me i'm not welcome for giving them 3 honest stars...
People thought this was:
The reason you must have lunch here is the mozzarella al minuto. Order the heirloom tomatoes on the side.
The scenery is not bad either:)
People thought this was:
I dine here frequently when up in the area. It's mostly been for lunch. The food here is quite good. I love the wood oven roasted whole fish. Last time it was trout and it was cooked perfectly, crisp skin, moist, tender, and flaky fish inside. The frito misto is also very good. Love the whole prawns served with the head.
Sometimes it's just appetizers and drinks at the bar. Their pizzas from the wood oven are delicious with the crisp crust.
I will continue to visit.
I had gone to Tra Vigne on the recommendation of a friend. Food was so so, and service was HORRIBLE.
My friend and I ordered the carbonara. It was sooo salty that it would have been nice to have bread to go along with it. The server didn't bring bread or offer it. in fact, the server never came back to the table after taking our orders. No one refilled our waters (which we were in need for because the pasta was so salty) and we didn't get water or the check until we asked another server to help us. When our server finally came to give the check, I mentioned to her that the pasta was so salty and it would have been nice to have bread and water refills. She made no apology and merely said she would mention it to the kitchen and that she didn't give bread unless it was requested. The manager returned with my receipt and i complained again to him regarding the salty pasta and lack of bread and water. He towed the same line, offering no apology. If these people are not interested in helping customers with an acceptable dining experience, why do they even bother working in the industry?? Save your money and go elsewhere.
With only a few hours' availability to experience the "Napa Wine" thing (most wineries already closed for the day), I came here for dinner. The restaurant was very nice looking and the host/wait staff was extremely accomodating. The pasta (homemade), dessert, and wine were all amazing.
I will definitely visit this restaurant again when I am in the area.
People thought this was:
I was here before for my friend's birthday dinner (about a year ago) and it was dinner and it was in January, so the weather and the group ambiance definitely played a role.
Now this time around, I went with my family for lunch and the weather was smoldering hot, really hot! We ate outside and really, no matter what we did, we were sweating bullets!
I would probably give it 3.5 stars. A big fan of the mozzarella cheese (we ordered 3 for the whole family). I forgot what the family ordered (there's about 8 of us) but I had the sea scallop risotto and it was good. Tasty and good portion.
Service: good and considering the weather, they were really nice.
Overall, only 3.5 stars b/c it tasted like a regular Italian/pasta restaurant. Besides the cheese, nothing really stood out.
I think I'll probably be dragged here again but for the time being, I doubt I'll be dragging the boy here anytime soon!
People thought this was:
Tra Vigne is a little garden paradise, filled with beautiful scenery and amazing food. We went for lunch on a sunny day and had some of the best pasta we've ever had (the lunch portion is a good size). The only reason for not having five stars is due to the service. Despite the location and the prices (and the chef), our server was not very knowledgeable and we had to ask for the same things two or three times.
I was there for sunday brunch with 3 of my friends...and we walked away unsatisfied =(
Mini Doughnut - a dozen of heavy-ish donut holes coated with cinnamon sugar with a side of tiramisu dipping sauce: it is fresh and hot, but not worth the $9, especially with that stale-coffee-tasting dip they called tiramisu sauce
Hot Pressed Panino - freshly pressed sandwich with a side of tossed salad: the bread was nice and cripsy, but something's missing with the flavor of the cheese/pesto center!
Slow Braised Short Rib Hash - smallish serving of hash topped with egg and short rib meat: mushy texture with the "BBQ" flavor over powers everything
Wood Oven Fired Pizza - a good size thin crust pizza topped with slices of their chicken sausage, strings of onions, and an egg sunny side up: the crust was overcooked, the sausage slices were tasty but needed more of it on the pizza....we had better pizzas @ cpk
Sage Infused Pappardelle - a good portion pasta dish with mushroom, hand made pasta, and rabbit ragu: the texture of the pasta was kind of "plasticky", the shredded rabbit was tender, the ragu was so so, nothing exciting
Overall, the flavor of their dishes were not really there. We ended up asking for salt and pepper and had to season everything ourselves. For the price point of the restaurant, I wouldn't go back again.
People thought this was:
My husband and I shared a meal here with another couple, and it was absolutely amazing. We all shared the mozzarella appetizer, and my mouth is watering now just thinking about it again. It is absolutely delish! The appetizer portion sizes are huge, so don't make the same mistake we did and order too much food. Even though our server did warn us which I thought was nice, since most other restaurants wouldn't do that.
They have a good selection of entrees, and from what we saw they are very good. I had the duck risotto with apple, and it was so different, yet everything went together so well. Yum!
It has a beautiful atmosphere, absolutely divine food, and great service!
People thought this was:
The mozzarella was still warm when the server cut it up and put it on the bruschetta. We'd just finished our appointment with their events manager. She'd made lunch reservations for us. The just made mozzarella was her gift to us, compliments of the house. And, what a compliment. I'd drive 1000 miles just to eat this again. Makes me want to learn how to make it.
We split a caesar salad that was very yummy. I don't particularly like cutting up my lettuce, but I'll do it when the lettuce is fresh. And, this was that.
My pappardelle with braised and mushrooms was large and so tasty. I thought there'd be no way I could finish it all for lunch, but I did. I sampled the pizza and enjoyed that too.
Tra Vigne is a beautiful restaurant. There's no intimacy to the place. It's very American Italian in style being significantly larger than anything I saw it Tuscany. It's grand and comfortable. The service is warm and friendly.
The outside patio is lovely. I'm looking forward to coming back here on a warm Spring or Summer day. I imagine this would be a wonderful place to go with friends. Just beautiful. There's something about being up in the Napa Valley that promotes relaxation. I never feel in a hurry to get home. Just feel at peace. Maybe that's wine country in general, whether it be Santa Barbara, Sonoma, or Napa. It's all peaceful.
People thought this was:
How have I not reviewed Tra Vigne? It's a great place for a long and leisurely lunch on the very fabulous porch. The pastas come in half portions so that you can either (a) moderate your intake or (b) maximize what you taste. What do you think we did? Yup. Two halves. We also had a fig pizza (which we saved entirely for dinner) and a salad, and a delicious bottle of champagne, and I tell you: it's really reasonably priced given the quality and the ambiance. It's one of the best lunches anywhere, that's what I say.
People thought this was:
Me and my husband had a romantic meal here the other night. The restaurant is beautiful inside and out - lovely entrance with outdoor seating and Mediterranean style, the inside is modern and clean - the high ceilings makes the restaurant feel very spacious - we were really impressed.
I'm only giving this restaurant 4 stars instead of 5 because there were a few things about our meal that could of been a wee bit better.
Mozzarella - this is to large of a serving for 2 people - good to split between 4 to 6 people. Would of been nice if they served it with some basil and tomato -- we thought the garlic bruschetta was a bit salty and oily.
Salmon pasta - this was de-licious! Home made pasta with raw and cooked salmon - really good combination of flavors.
Short ribs w/ creamy Polenta - this was also yummy but a little bit dry. I couldn't eat it all so took it home. It was even more yummy as left overs.
Although our dinner was really good, we thought they could use a little less salt on their food. This won't hold us back from coming here again.
Good service, affordable prices, and delicious food.
I used to come here all the time when I was little- apparently theirs was the only pizza I would eat. Now they have grown and have the pizzeria separate from the restaurant.
Love the pizzeria, restaurant, not so sure... not a lot of non-meat options on the menu, and the waitress was extremely impatient with us. Fantastic appetizers, however. Highly recommend the warm mozzerella with a ceasar along with some woodfired fava beans.
Beautiful restaurant, lovely ambiance. I recommend lunch at Travigne as a delicious and romantic meal- it has a beautiful outdoor patio annexed to the main restaurant.
If you want a great wood fired pizza- go to their pizzeria next door.
Wow.
I'm not much of a wine drinker. I also don't eat cheese. Or meat. So I had low expectations for my recent weekend in Napa. You know -- "Eh, sure; I'll try that, I guess." And "No, thanks; can't eat that."
But my expectations were exceeded on every front. I drank a lot of good wine (okay, MAYBE I got a little tipsy; I haven't mastered the "tasting" thing yet...) and I ate at Tra Vigne.
WHICH WAS F'ING AMAZING!!!
I didn't even have to special order, either, so KUDOS TO YOU, TRA VIGNE. I'm sure you get a lot of rave reviews, but in case you didn't know, the Lisa W. "No Special Ordering Required" badge is one you should wear proudly.
And my rice was unbelievable. Black rice, with cranberries in it, and some kind of citrus vinaigrette, and a cucumber salad... I wiped the plate so clean, I handed it back to the busser and he looked confused. I told him, "Here; I washed it for you."
Hope he didn't take me seriously...
Also, I was able to eat my entire meal in jeans with a giant skull and crossbones on my t-shirt while some mobster and his trophy wife (who pulled in in a Ferrari) sat behind me.
Classy shit! Classy shit!
People thought this was:
Great outdoor patio, great service and excellent food.
The ravioli was terrific, though I'm not sure I'd order the roasted fava bean appetizer again.
Whimsical fountain in the courtyard.
"Cozy" would be a good way to describe this place. It was pouring rain; like cats, dogs, and farm animals pouring rain - so just getting indoors was a badly needed respite. The place wasn't busy, likely due to Poseidon's wrath outside.
The staff was super-friendly and didn't even appear to mind that we were taking almost 3 hours to finish our meal. They shouldn't mind but it blows me away when they do. Anyways, they were accommodating here.
We got the Dungeness Crab and the Short Ribs and they were both amazing. We learned that if you bring a bottle from Merryvale next door, they don't charge a corkage fee. I'm a bit on the "frugal" side so this made me smile.
Very good food. Very good people. Very neat atmosphere.
Auf.
People thought this was:
We visited this restaurant based on a recommendation of a friend and it didn't disappoint.
This restaurant was moderately priced for the quality of food it served. The homemade mozzarella is a must eat on any occasion. The dungeness crab was also delicious too. I had a glass of the Frank Family Chardonnay, which was also tasty.
It was a great way to cap off a wonderful travel experience in Napa Valley for a girls weekend.
After a hard mornings wine tasting, we needed something substantial to soak up the Opus One and Silver Oak.
We found this place nestled next to our next stop, the Merryvale Winery, so we decided to check it out.
I ordered a pizza-steak-salad (?) and JZ opted for spicy lasagna. Even though we waited some time for our food, when it came out, we were not disappointed.
Thankfully, they had the good foresight to provide me with eating instructions for my pizza-steak-salad sandwich thingy...
http://static.px.yelp....
The sandwich was super tasty. The arugula was fresh, the steak wasn't overcooked and the pizza dough was soft & lush.
JZ's spicy lasagna was made the old fashioned way with straight sheet pasta and fresh ingredients - none of that rippled crapola pasta.
Overall, cheap, wholesome food with friendly young servers. Good job guys.
People thought this was:
Rating: 3.5
Mozzarella and garlic crostini appetizer is a winner. Awesome pasta. Desserts just so-so. If you're looking for a great Italian meal at a reasonable price you can count on Tra Vigne!
I love this place. They have FANTASTIC food - especially of the dairy variety. The fresh mozzarella in olive oil is out of this world! I don't think I've had any better even in Italy. The pizzetta with the spreadable roasted garlic is delish as well. Although your breath smells terrible afterwards (it's also served with this brie/blue(?) cheese) but that's a small price to pay.
Tra Vigne is absolutely our favorite restaurant. My DH and I began celebrating our anniversary here after our lodging recommended it on our first anniversary. We haven't regretted it - and now bring family and friends with us just as long as we make it once a year (minimum!!). From the moment we were seated until the end of the meal, we have always had our every need anticipated and not only met but exceeded. Each dish has been thoroghly enjoyed my myself, my husband and the folks we have brought on various occassions. A sample of the fare we have indulged on includes the braised short ribs, the rabbit ragu, the fresh mozzerella/heirloom tomato/basil "salad (deelish!), a delightful dessert with fresh raspberries and a creme anglais surrounding a lovely shortbread. There have been so many over the years I just can't remember them all by name, but I DO know they were all delicious enough to repeat if found on the menu again.
The wine selection has been perfect and the staff has been able to suggest complimentary wines for each meal. Everyone here seems to enjoy their job and it shows in the way they treat their customers. There are times when they seem to materialize from thin air just when your glass needs to be refilled - but they are never intrusive - never in your way. You are always greeted with a genuine smile.
I cannot imagine a more pleasant evening than the ones we have spent at Tra Vigne. It is still tops for us on every level.
The food is consistently good, the staff are both friendly and knowledgable when it comes to good recomendations of wine and food. I have been here a dozen times and I'm never disappointed with the consistency of quality food and service.
People thought this was:
I took my Mother and 8 year old daughter to Brunch last Sunday. I must say that it was the best experience I have had at any restaurant in recent memory. We did not have reservations and were dressed like tourists (Well.. we are from Windsor so maybe we were tourists). Anyway, we were given a wonderful table right on a shaded patio. The service was, prompt, professional and above all, friendly!!! The food was excellent. We ordered from the brunch menu and it was actually very reasonbably priced. Anyhow, please keep up the good work!
Great way to end a long day of wine tasting. Entry and ambiance is very dramatic, but the main dining room is a bit noisy to be romantic. Perhaps the patio on summer evening is ideal.
Wine pairing was way too bold, even for the braised short ribs. Those ribs were like my Aunt's Sunday roast. Difficult to fork 'cause it's just so tender and falling apart when you touch it. Covered in a very nice, but extremely rich red reduction and atop creamy potatoes. They usually are served with polenta, but corn allergy makes this difficult.
The living butter lettuce salad was a surprise of delightful pear, gorgonzola and candied walnuts. Very light and easy; nice choice after a long day of wine tasting and breadsticks.
Not so much on the Minstrone soup, added today to the menu. Reminds me of how I wish chefs would not use traditional menu item names to describe something which is barely like the name connotes. Piles of grape leaves, lentils and dots of mini sausage "meatballs" were little better than minced Spam.
Would have liked a tasting menu, especially after such a full day. Oh well, guess I'll be having those leftover short ribs as soon as I finish this!
Was spending a couple of days in Napa and I'd heard good things about this place. Was cautious about price so decided to pop in and have a look at their menu. First off you are greeted by a gorgeous courtyard with some good old fashioned al fresco dining. We made our way in to the bar, I asked if I was dressed ok (was wearing a short sleeved shirt, jeans and trainers) and was reassured that I was perfectly ok.
We sat up at the bar and ordered a couple of drinks, think I had a nice cold draft Italian beer which hit the spot after a long day in the heat. We had a look at the menu and I was pleasantly surprised by the prices. I asked the friendly Barman what he recommended and he said he loved the Mozzarella. Our intention was to get a couple of antipasti here and move on to cook for some more antipasti.
We ordered the hand made Mozzarella 'Al Minuto' and the Forni Brown Lettuces. They arrived promptly (they had kindly split the salad in two at no extra cost for us). OMG the Mozzarella was gorgeous (and big!), had a touch of garlic and salt on top and was out of this world. Best I've ever had! The salad was pretty bloody good too. I've been to Forni Brown and seen how much these guys care about their plants. The little lettuces tasted soo fresh, and combined with the strawberries, hazelnuts and goats cheese were so yummy.
After finishing off our two Antipasti our tummies were feeling very satisfied. We decided not to venture to cook but instead order a couple of deserts. We had a gorgeous chocolate cake and a kinda cool gelato with coffee and grappa poured over it (what a kick!). Finished off with a nice glass of Dow's Port.
I loved my experience here. It wasn't very busy as it was mid-week and felt pretty tourist free. I'll definitely be back for a full on Dinner soon!
People thought this was:
Ate here last night. I enjoyed the food, and the service was pretty good. Our waiter was very attentive and funny. He definitely had a sense of humor.
We got the butternut squash soup to go around lunchtime. It was very good. Think and creamy, and they give you a loaf of bread to go with it.
Dinner time I shared the sage infused pappardelle with rabbit ragu. It was very tasty. The pasta was soft and chewy. I also had the white truffle dish served with tagliatelle. Butter is melted on a hot plate and truffle shavings placed on top. On top of that the tagliatelle in a butter & cream sauce is put on the dish. Then it's all toppped with white truffle shavings.The dish was good, but didn't compare to the same truffle dish at French Laundry. Obviously. FL's is twice the price! My dad got the beef short ribs. Those were really good. The meat was soft and tender. Yummy! Dessert I got creme fraiche gelato and mixed berry sorbet. The gelato was really interesting. Very creamy, delicous. Pretty good bang for the buck all in all!
People thought this was:
My wife and I had our 10th anniversary dinner here and it was truly memorable. Food was fabulous, service attentive and atmosphere just right. Go here for any occasion and you won't be disappointed.
Saint Helena, CA
Category: American (New)
Saint Helena, CA
Category: Beer, Wine & Spirits
St. Helena, CA
Category: Pizza
Saint Helena, CA
Category: American (New)
St Helena, CA
Category: American (New)
Some of these places are fancier, and others more…
This will forever be a work in progress as I…
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
Taking a weekend trip to the Napa Valley? You'll…
I thought I'd hate it, but shit -- I guess I DON'T…
Say what you will, but Napa produces some great…
I've been making visits to St. Helena my whole…
After mourning the loss of so very many of our…
