adriennek
11-19-2001, 09:48 AM
I'll try to make this brief ;)
DocKrock's bday is this Wednesday, so Grandma came over Sat night to watch the boys and Mom and DocKrock escaped-- er-- well-- we went to dinner at Napa Rose. I had heard multiple positive reviews and we were really hoping for a nice experience after some recent disappointments (you may recall that when we went to Brennan's for our anniversary, the experience was just beyond disappointing.)
Well, when we arrived, the hostess wrote a name of a server on a card that identified what table we would sit at. I saw the name and thought: "Oh, I hope he's good." OH MY GOSH. Our server was amazing. He was delightful. He was efficient. He was helpful. He was friendly. I could go ON AND ON. We asked questions about menu items, he had informative answers. We asked about wine (we were trying to choose between two lower cost cabs,) and he offered to bring us samples.
A few minutes later, the sommelier arrived to help us make our wine selection. Remeber how I said, "lower cost" cabs? Cabs on the NR list range in price from $30 to $1200. The sommelier, Michael, could not have been more helpful, or more friendly. Not a bit of snootiness about him. When I said, "We're a little cheap," He looked at me and said, "No, you appreciate a good value!" We discussed what regions my husband and I prefer and Michael instantly said, "oh, then you prefer a wine that is velvety, you're looking for a fruity wine..." and continued to describe a wine that sounded great to us! When we made our selection, Michael spoke quite favorably of it and he was right! It was a wonderful wine. Michael even suggested a few wineries we might like to visit in the future, based on our conversation during the selection process. Kevin and I are not high rollers when it comes to wine drinking, but we do like to think that we have a decent knowledge of wine and can appreciate a nice California cab. Michael made us feel very comfortable discussing wine and making a selection.
Our meal was divine. Our Saturday night ritual has become "Watch Food Network." Well, I teased Kevin that he's been watching a little too much Iron Chef ;) Kevin had a steak that was topped with foie gras and bleu cheese. He said that cutting it was like cutting butter. His soup was a portabello mushroom "Cappuchino" with foie gras foam. I was skeptical of all that liver, but I tasted it and was pleasantly surprised.
I had a butternut squash soup- yum, and Osso Bucco. I love Osso Bucco and this portion was not only tasty but the serving was very generously sized!!! Before our meal, we had a little pizza with brie,proschutto, and carmalized onions. Again- YUM.
For dessert, we had creme brulee (Tahitian Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee to be specific.) Now, this came with Mango. I asked our server and he told me the mango was on the side. Good. I don't care for Mango, but I LOVE creme brulee. Remember that amazing waiter? He insisted that I try a dessert wine with my creme brulee: a late harvest Reisling.
OK, I was in HEAVEN. The combination of the creme brulee with the wine tasted like butter. Oh, it was so smooth and divine. I could not believe what a perfect suggestion that was!!
When the bill arrived, we tucked an AP inside to get our premium AP discount. The discount only applied to food, of course, not the wine, but that was ok, every little bit helps. We left a very generous tip, based on the original price of the meal. We felt that our waiter deserved every bit of that tip! Usually I like to tip 18-20% anyway, but this entire experience was above and beyond, and I hope our tip reflected that.
The atmosphere was not "quiet." The dining room was full, but the noise level was pleasant (especially after the two boys at a nearby table decided not to wrestle in the middle of the floor anymore....... but they left pretty promptly. I would've spoken to the waiter or manager about moving our table if their behavior had continued.) I was glad to see a full dining room because I would like to see this restaurant thrive if it can consistently provide the experience we had on Saturday.
Before we left, we asked to speak to the manager. This was when we learned that Michael was not only the sommelier but the manager as well. We first thanked him for his excellent wine recommendation but then we told him that our waiter and meal were superb. So often, when a meal or experience is below expectation, people are quick to call over the manager, but on the occasions that we experience excellent service, we want the management to know: This server was GREAT.
Michael seemed very grateful that we took the time to compliment his staff. And with that, we strolled out to our car, stuffed and with big smiles on our faces.
I hope that this experience is indeed an accurate reflection of Napa Rose.
Adrienne K
DocKrock's bday is this Wednesday, so Grandma came over Sat night to watch the boys and Mom and DocKrock escaped-- er-- well-- we went to dinner at Napa Rose. I had heard multiple positive reviews and we were really hoping for a nice experience after some recent disappointments (you may recall that when we went to Brennan's for our anniversary, the experience was just beyond disappointing.)
Well, when we arrived, the hostess wrote a name of a server on a card that identified what table we would sit at. I saw the name and thought: "Oh, I hope he's good." OH MY GOSH. Our server was amazing. He was delightful. He was efficient. He was helpful. He was friendly. I could go ON AND ON. We asked questions about menu items, he had informative answers. We asked about wine (we were trying to choose between two lower cost cabs,) and he offered to bring us samples.
A few minutes later, the sommelier arrived to help us make our wine selection. Remeber how I said, "lower cost" cabs? Cabs on the NR list range in price from $30 to $1200. The sommelier, Michael, could not have been more helpful, or more friendly. Not a bit of snootiness about him. When I said, "We're a little cheap," He looked at me and said, "No, you appreciate a good value!" We discussed what regions my husband and I prefer and Michael instantly said, "oh, then you prefer a wine that is velvety, you're looking for a fruity wine..." and continued to describe a wine that sounded great to us! When we made our selection, Michael spoke quite favorably of it and he was right! It was a wonderful wine. Michael even suggested a few wineries we might like to visit in the future, based on our conversation during the selection process. Kevin and I are not high rollers when it comes to wine drinking, but we do like to think that we have a decent knowledge of wine and can appreciate a nice California cab. Michael made us feel very comfortable discussing wine and making a selection.
Our meal was divine. Our Saturday night ritual has become "Watch Food Network." Well, I teased Kevin that he's been watching a little too much Iron Chef ;) Kevin had a steak that was topped with foie gras and bleu cheese. He said that cutting it was like cutting butter. His soup was a portabello mushroom "Cappuchino" with foie gras foam. I was skeptical of all that liver, but I tasted it and was pleasantly surprised.
I had a butternut squash soup- yum, and Osso Bucco. I love Osso Bucco and this portion was not only tasty but the serving was very generously sized!!! Before our meal, we had a little pizza with brie,proschutto, and carmalized onions. Again- YUM.
For dessert, we had creme brulee (Tahitian Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee to be specific.) Now, this came with Mango. I asked our server and he told me the mango was on the side. Good. I don't care for Mango, but I LOVE creme brulee. Remember that amazing waiter? He insisted that I try a dessert wine with my creme brulee: a late harvest Reisling.
OK, I was in HEAVEN. The combination of the creme brulee with the wine tasted like butter. Oh, it was so smooth and divine. I could not believe what a perfect suggestion that was!!
When the bill arrived, we tucked an AP inside to get our premium AP discount. The discount only applied to food, of course, not the wine, but that was ok, every little bit helps. We left a very generous tip, based on the original price of the meal. We felt that our waiter deserved every bit of that tip! Usually I like to tip 18-20% anyway, but this entire experience was above and beyond, and I hope our tip reflected that.
The atmosphere was not "quiet." The dining room was full, but the noise level was pleasant (especially after the two boys at a nearby table decided not to wrestle in the middle of the floor anymore....... but they left pretty promptly. I would've spoken to the waiter or manager about moving our table if their behavior had continued.) I was glad to see a full dining room because I would like to see this restaurant thrive if it can consistently provide the experience we had on Saturday.
Before we left, we asked to speak to the manager. This was when we learned that Michael was not only the sommelier but the manager as well. We first thanked him for his excellent wine recommendation but then we told him that our waiter and meal were superb. So often, when a meal or experience is below expectation, people are quick to call over the manager, but on the occasions that we experience excellent service, we want the management to know: This server was GREAT.
Michael seemed very grateful that we took the time to compliment his staff. And with that, we strolled out to our car, stuffed and with big smiles on our faces.
I hope that this experience is indeed an accurate reflection of Napa Rose.
Adrienne K