On our last trip to Napa, we stopped in for a late dinner at TraVigne. It had been a long day of travel, tastings, and negotiations. Italian sounded like a good food choice…some comfort food and good glass a wine that you can actually enjoy instead of spitting out. The surroundings are gorgeous and while the entrees didn’t quite live up to my expectation of Italian comfort food, the desserts definitely helped all of us unwind from our work-mode funk.

TraVigne has the most amazing outdoor space, but it was a bit chilly the evening we were there, so we opted for indoor seating. The stone patio softly glows with the warm round hanging bulbs. Mixed with all the green from trees, shrubs, and plants, TraVigne looks like something straight out of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. If you have the opportunity to dine here, take advantage of this picturesque Tuscan courtyard seating.

Our seats were in a round platformed booth on the far side of the bar. It was cozy and we got bird’s eye view of everything going on. Our waiter was puzzling and odd at first, but in the context of our surroundings, he fit in well as Shakespeare’s Nick Bottom. This gentleman was incredibly confident and advised us of what he thought were the best choices for the night. He was a bit scattered in his execution and would often disappear for long periods of time and have to be reminded of what we asked for. It wasn’t anything that would ruin the meal or the experience, but it was noticeable.

We were advised that the mozzarella cheese “Al Minuto” was something we shouldn’t miss. A hand made mozzarella cheese heated and drizzled with Napa Valley olive oil and served with grilled bruschetta. Our server clumsily sliced and served a portion to each of us on our bread. It was mild and very delicately textured. The five people at our table were able to get decent bite from it as well. It wasn’t anything earth shattering, but it was a straightforward appetizer to go with any wine you could order.

For entrees, we sampled through the seafood and beef dishes. I ordered the wood oven roasted whole fish of the day with blistered tomato acqua pazza, grilled radicchio, and mache salad. The fish was simple and well done, but the garnishes were scant and tasteless. Once again, it was simple and rather ho-hum for the area. For as beautiful as the building and courtyard are, I was expecting something just as gorgeous on the plate. I think I should have ordered one of the pasta dishes and stayed true to the old world Italian style.

The smoked and braised beef short ribs with three cheese polenta, natural jus, and horseradish gemolata was more intricate and generously portioned, but once again, nothing so fabulous that we would be running back here on our next trip. The color of the short ribs was dark and rich. The meat was as expected with tender shreddable nature and slightly fatty throughout. The polenta had an excellent texture and good flavor, which is sometimes difficult to pull off.

Brandt Family Grilled Bavette Steak with duck fat potatoes, crispy bacon, asparagus, arugula, and green peppercorn sauce was probably the star of the table, with the potatoes being passed around for each of us to try. The steak was cooked as ordered, but still seemed to lack any kind of wow factor for us.

Pan Roasted Pacific King Salmon with spring pea salad, garlic whipped potatoes, and hen of the woods mushroom sauce. I didn’t taste this dish, but it was once again simply done with nothing unpleasing, but yet nothing spectacular either.

We all decided to order dessert, which was a good indicator that everything we just ate didn’t quite fit the bill for the day. There was something lacking…and what better way to fill it up than with some sweets?

Here is where TraVigne gets everything right:

Santa Maria Strawberry Shortcake:  buttermilk biscuit, vanilla bean gelato, crème Chantilly- Piled high with thick strawberries, an airy biscuit that wasn’t dried out in the least, a rich, flavorful gelato, and topped with some of the best Chantilly crème I’ve tasted.

House Made Gelato:  The flavors change often, and you can order the trio sampler. We are huge gelato fans, and while this wasn’t quite Italy quality, each was extremely good and bursting with flavor.

Café Corretto “The Chef’s Dessert”:  espresso with choice of Fernet Branca or Grappa di Moscato add vanilla gelato for “affogato corretto”- Mike ordered the Affogato Corretto and it’s the perfect way to get your coffee, after dinner liquor, and sweet all in one dish. Once again, the gelato shines and makes a wonderful creamy accompaniment to the espresso.

Cannoli Alla Calabrese:  sweet ricotta cheese, toasted pistachios, chocolate chunks- I’ve been eating Cannoli since I was a pre-teen and this was really very good. The ricotta has to be blended and sweetened to perfection, and TraVigne did a great job. The shell was fresh and cracked impeccably with each bite.

As far as distinct Napa scenery, it doesn’t get any better than Press. The long line of open windows on the back wall let in the most amazing breeze and really give an outdoor feel to the plush inside setting. I really got the feeling of being on “vacation” while sitting at my table. We have been fans of Brian Flannery for some time now. Press just happens to feature Flannery Beef in their menu. Everyone likes their meat cooked a different way, but Flannery Beef is melt-in-your-mouth worthy at any temp.

As you may have read in previous postings, we have staple dishes that we enjoy at steakhouses. The chopped salad definitely made our order. A generous, but not overwhelming chopped salad made with little gem lettuce, roasted tomato croutons, and parmesan.  A little salt and pepper on a salad goes a long way, and this salad was tangy and crisp with good flavor. We were very lucky on our visit, the evening’s special was a meat platter for two that included Prime New York Strip, Wagyu New York Strip, and Berkshire Pork. Press uses a cherry and almond wood-fired grill, which adds yet another layer of flavor to Flannery’s already jam-packed Prime beef. Others in our dinner party ordered the Prime Chopped Steak with Nueske bacon and sunny side up farm egg. It looked incredible when it came out. When there is an opportunity to consume creamy yellow yolk on a piece of beef, I will now take it! The cook on our meat was perfect. They do go heavy on the pepper on all their dishes though. I’m a fan of seasoning everything, but for whatever reason everyone at our table had a substantial amount of pepper on each dish. It was so pronounced that it interfered with not only the flavor of the actual beef, but at our age group, our heartburn. The pork had good flavor, but the Prime beef was my favorite on our dish. In fact, I probably ate more of Mike’s portion and he ate more of my Wagyu. Once again, everyone has their own preference when it comes to beef.

For side dishes, our table shared the the Truffle Mac & Cheese, sautéed creamed spinach, and the loaded mini baked potatoes. All were delicious, the creamed spinach especially for me, which can be hit or miss when it comes to blandness. This was savory and rich. The table decided to share a dessert and we chose the Chocolate Soufflé with cream fraiche. I could have easily just had the cream fraiche all to myself. The soufflé was textbook and pleased all of us.

Anthony Bourdain calls it, “The best restaurant in the world, period.” But this is the man that also despises Alinea. This is also a man that can get into the place with just his name. Others, however, may have a more difficult time. We were planning a trip to Napa in May. We started calling in February. Of course, we couldn’t get it in. Thankfully, the week before our trip, a friend of a very good friend was able to get us in. It was the first time for our entire group of five and enthusiastic wouldn’t even begin to describe us. We were telling everyone we knew that we were finally going to experience the elusive and notorious French Laundry!

The 1900 historic building is completely unassuming, but we still took twenty pictures in front of the sign on the covered stone entrance. We were warmly greeted and taken upstairs to our table in the back. Simple white tablecloths, grey carpet, grey upholstered chairs with a deep wood base, some greenery and a few white sconces. The décor is simple, the clientele was a little stuffy. No matter! We were there to have a fun and enjoy this coveted culinary hot spot!

This is supposedly THE PLACE every self-declared foodie wants to be. It’s ironic though, because while the food is good, it isn’t anything so extraordinary that you can’t find it anywhere else. I also read that I would never experience the level of service that French Laundry offers. I guess I’m fortunate to live in a part of the United States that offers a few restaurants with absolutely top notch service. I grew up in a restaurant. Service is second nature to me. It wasn’t astonishing to me that my water glass was filled when it got empty, especially when the staff outnumbers the customers.  It wasn’t amazing that the sommelier picked out some really great wines for us. I can get that in my own home town. Maybe all the reading up and hype that I had placed in my mind about this place ruined the actual real life experience. The French Laundry is the foodie mecca much like the green jacket is a golfer’s grandest prize. A green sports jacket doesn’t go with anything. It’s actually kind of ugly when it comes to fashion. But the history and tradition behind it is what drives its worth. The French Laundry might not be the best anymore with such incredibly talented and dedicated chefs now working hard to fight for their place. But it has history of being remarkable. It earned a cult following a long time ago and it will not let go of it anytime soon.

If you’ll allow me to channel a bit of Simon Cowell on this one, some of the dishes were just plain forgettable. I won’t think of them the next day, nor have I thought of them since. That’s not what I expected from The French Laundry. This is not to say that they didn’t taste good. Of course they tasted good, but nothing really wowed the pants off of me like I expected it to. The reviews suggested that I would be in a food coma by the end of the night. I guess I sweated through all my calories (and my dress) in that sultry back table because I left there wanting more. More of anything in particular? No, just more of anything that would make me feel like I had the experience everyone said I would.

Dishes that were incredible: Oysters and Pearls. Between two of us, that is what we remember from the French Laundry. The cream was rich and absolutely energized with the salt of the caviar. Charcoal Grilled Alaskan King Crab Leg was just a tiny “knuckle” of crab leg with black sesame puree and rhubarb. The Liberty Farm Pekin Duck was a bite sized portion served with port wine shallot jus, onions and spinach. That wasn’t really anything surprising or different. I think that was the main problem. Nothing was stunning or astounding. Nothing to make me really feel like I was sitting in the heart of the foodie world. When I look back at the pictures from my meal, I don’t get the warm and fuzzy feeling of a mind-blowing culinary experience. I did however, make a shadow box of my menu and hang it on my dining room wall. I do still stop and say, “I went there!” when The French Laundry is featured on Food Network. It’s about the notoriety, pomp and circumstance, and unfortunately not really about the food anymore.

Our menu:

Oysters and Pearls- “sabayon” of peal tapioca with Island Creek oysters and white sturgeon Caviar

Chilled Belgian Endive Soup-Medjool Date Bavarois Marcona Almonds, nasturtiums, and black winter Truffles

Gulf Coast Red Snapper-spilt English peas, pickled ramps and sweet carrot emulsion

Porridge of Carolina Shad Roe-applewood smoked bacon custard, garden turnips, compress green apples, and Sausalito watercress

Charcoal Grilled Alaskan King Crab Leg-flowering cucumber, poached field rhubarb and black sesame puree

Liberty Farm Pekin Duck-petite spring onions, red tipped spinach and port wine shallot jus

Ris de Veau A La Grenobloise-cauliflower, preserved Meyer lemon, parsley shoots, Spanish capers and “beurre nosiette”

Herb Roasted Elysian Fields Farm Lamb Saddle-cracked bulgar wheat, green asparagus, confit eggplant, and garden mint

Cave Aged Comte-pickled green strawberries, heirloom red beets and Dijon mustard

Verjus Blanc-demi sec grapes, jasmine tea ice cream and caramel crisp

Princess Cake-animal farm buttermilk, Navel orange marmalade, toasted marzipan and Cara Cara orange sorbet

-Sylvia Hurst

Napa was the most surprising of all wine trips. We are so accustomed to being enveloped in warm hospitality when visiting other countries that the coolness of Napa was a bit off-putting at first. Everyone here is the in wine business. Everyone here makes wine. And everyone wants you to pay big time for that wine…even when it isn’t very good.

The food is no different. However, just as there are exceptional people with outstanding product that Timeless Wines proudly features in their portfolio, there are restaurants that rise above the dim in the Napa Valley. Mustard’s represents everything that Napa should be: fresh product, quality production, layers of flavors, and all wrapped up in a comfortable, down-to-earth vibe.

Our waitress was born and raised in the Napa Valley. She mentioned that she always thought she was poor until she found out later in life that going to the same school as the Mondavi’s was a big deal to the rest of America. She was one of those girls that was easy to like with her warm and quirky smile and her complete honesty when it came to food or wine. Nothing at all like what you would think Napa would breed. Nothing pretentious or assuming, and absolutely zero entitlement issues. Other restaurants in the area should probably look into cloning her to better their own establishments.

In this new era of molecular gastronomy, duck could possibly be made into a foam or even liquefied and reshaped to look like a rubber duck. It is quite refreshing to order Local Smoked Sonoma Duck and have an actual leg and breast arrive to the table with an incredible crispy skin and moist melt-in-your-mouth meat. Mustard’s Grill claims to serve honest American fare with worldly sophistication. The duck could not have been a more perfect representation of this.

The menu is simple. I don’t have to list out double digit courses for you here. They let their organic garden guide their seasonal fare. There are a few staples like their “Famous Mongolian Pork Chops” and the “Ever Popular Seafood Tostada” that changes with whatever the fresh fish is that day. That was my choice on our trip there and a thick cut swordfish was laid on a bed of corn tortilla with black beans, red cabbage and watercress slaw and other greens. Everything on the plate was fresh. The mixture of greens and cabbage with the swordfish made for a completely fulfilling meal. The portions are hearty in every course. The height that their dessert pies (lemon lime!) are particularly amazing. It tasted just as awesome.

A friend of ours in the restaurant business was planning a trip to Napa. Mustard’s was the first place we told her that she should book a reservation. It’s also where we know we will return to on our next trip.