🚀 go-pugleaf

Okay, I will do my part to help keep this newsgroup (la.eats) going. 


I was recently in Napa, and while I realize it's not Los Angeles my
experiences may still be of interest to someone in the la.eats group so I
will post there, too. (I am currently a resident in the LA area.)


Our first night in Napa we had a reservation at Tra Vigne. I know someone who 
used to work there and he spoke well enough of it. In fact, he made the
reservation for me under his name and told me to ask for the hostess by
name. I did this and she did know who he was and seemed happy to have us
as guests. Even so, a table was not ready for us although we were almost
exactly on time for the reservation. We were told to sit at the bar and 
wait. I realize that sometimes tables don't turn as quickly as expected,
but we rather hoped they had been expecting us - or at least would try
harder than usual to accomodate us.


The first thing I noticed is that the restaurant was loud and the tables
were closely spaced. The decor was nice and the courtyard area outside the
restaurant especially so. It was sort of upscale casual. I almost
elected to wear a jacket and tie to dinner, but I was glad I didn't. This
wasn't that sort of place. I wouldn't have been out of place, but the
attire was typical of a bar scene at an airport. I didn't expect to see any
jeans, but I saw some. This is not necessarily a negative thing, but it 
surprised me. 


We sat at the (very crowded) bar while we waited. I asked the bartender for
a wine list to examine while we waited. It was very comprehensive,
featuring a lot of boutique California wines and fine Italian wines, but
very few French wines. I was told in advance that they were working hard to
add more French wines to the list, but that there is some amount of peer
pressure given the location to feature California wines instead. The
California wines offered were more than acceptable, although expensive. Many
of my favorites were far too pricey to consider given the atmosphere of the
restaurant and I am glad I did not order any. Instead, we opted to have
wine by the glass. The choices were far fewer, but I felt I received
far better value that way. Besides, we had been wine-tasting all day anyway
and didn't really feel like having too much wine with dinner. Anyway, I am
getting ahead of myself.


We were given paper napkins and glasses of water as we waited at the bar.
Eventually, our hostess told us our table was ready. We took our glasses
(and napkins) with us to our table. I ordered a salad (baby greens) and
my girlfriend ordered a vegetable (white bean and cabbage) soup. The salad was
entirely uninspired. It was one of the worst salads I've ever had at a
restaurant of this supposed caliber. My girlfriend agreed. This is
surprising for a restaurant that markets its dressings (Consorzio brand). 
However, the soup was terrific! It was by far the best thing we had all
night and I don't even like soup. It was extremely flavorful.


I made the mistake of attempting to use the paper napkin I had received at
the bar. It wouldn't open. Peppermint gum was stuck inside of it. I was pretty
horrified. I did tell the bartender and he apologized to me. However, it
boggles my mind how he could've given me someone else's used napkin! Yuck!


We waited an unusually long time between courses. Our waiter was extremely
affable, but almost too much so. He was almost like a Smothers brother. He
was constantly telling jokes and stories. I don't have any real complaints
about that, but neither have I ever had a server like that before. He was
almost more used car salesman than waiter, and it made me a bit
uncomfortable given the atmosphere that Tra Vigne is trying to create. He
was very knowledgeable about the food and wine, however. My girlfriend also
thought that he was a little bit "over the top" and a more relaxed attitude
would've been preferred.


Entrees were roasted rabbit (me) and prime rib (my girlfriend). The
rabbit was farm-raised locally. It was fairly dry. The risotto it was
served on was actually quite tasty and contained pieces of stewed rabbit.
I found it much more enjoyable to eat than the rabbit itself. The rib was
served on quite tasty polenta and the meat was practically falling off of the
bone, it was so tender. We agreed that it was the better entree by far.


Portions were actually rather large, which might sound like a good thing
but it really wasn't. I had to practically force myself to finish my rabbit
and the remaining rib. Needless to say, we skipped dessert. Yes, we could've
left more of the meats on the plates and had dessert, but I don't really
consider that an option unless the meal is inedible. I have too much
respect for the animals that I eat to waste food in that way. When eating
a gourmet meal I shouldn't have to *force* myself to finish my meal. I
should naturally wish to do so. 


Overall, I'd say we were both disappointed with our meals. The service was
merely adequate. The dining room was loud and the decor was nice, but
unremarkable. Prices were fair and portions were large. The pacing of the meal
could've been a lot better. Having to wait to be seated, receiving our
wine long before any food was brought out, and waiting a while between
courses made dining awkward. I often sat there at the table nursing a glass
of wine with nothing but bread (unremarkable, by the way) before me.


Tra Vigne certainly served a nice Italian meal that steered away from the
assortment of pastas commonly encountered at Italian restaurants. Other
courses included crab legs - which our waiter said we should have "if we really
want to mess up the table", striped bass, a sort of Mediterranean sea bass, 
chicken, and yes, some pastas. However, given the dining options in Napa
and the surrounding area I would dine elsewhere next time in search of a
little bit more refined experience. 


Dimitri