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The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone: Traveler Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating: 5 of 5 stars
TripAdvisor Popularity Index: #3 of 28 attractions in St. Helena
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Activities: leisure education
Attraction type: Educational site, Other
Address: 2555 Main St, St. Helena, CA 94574
Tel: 800 333 9242

TripAdvisor Traveler Reviews

Reviews of The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone

( 2-6 of 7 )
“Disappointed in Napa”

The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone

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2 of 5 stars
Fresno, California
Apr 9, 2008
1/1 found this review helpful

I was hoping the CI at Greystone would be the same wonderful experience we had in New York a few years ago. Unfortunately I cannot say it was. We had added another person (number 6) to our party and waited an hour+ to be seated despite our reservation. The service was slow, slow, slow. The food was good, not great and BEWARE of the wine prices (in Wine country no less) and mediocre by the glass. Bring your own bottle (corkage $20) if you insist on going. It was enough of an experience for me as I will not return, there are too many great restaurants in the area.

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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“Excellent Food, Great Chefs. Slow to seat”

The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone

Jul 30, 2007
3/3 found this review helpful

We read the reviews of this restaurant, but the majority were not recent. We made reservations for 7:30 p.m., but were not seated until 8:05 p.m. The décor of the restaurant is beautiful with various woods, stone and unusual light fixtures. The kitchen is in the center of the restaurant and if you sit at the bar counter, you may be able to watch the cooks prepare the food. There is an extensive wine and cocktail menu. My husband ordered the Crispy Skin Will Bass ($28) with sweet corn, chanterrelles, snap peas, Serano ham and tomato foam. I ordered the Pan-Seared Day Boat Scallops ($31) with Yukon gold “risotto” with peas, rock shrimp and artichoke-mushroom relish. Both were exquisite in taste and presentation. Definitely culinary school “Top Chef” style, but with generous portions. We started with an appetizer of Phyllo-wrapped herbed goat cheese ($11) with chioga beets and a tarragin vinaigrette. My husband enjoyed it, but I am not a goat cheese fan, herbed or not. My husband rated the Wild Bass and the Goat cheese a 9 out of 10. I rated the Scallops a 9.5 out of 10. Definitely a high point of our culinary experience in California. I am sure there are probably fairly frequent changes in the menu, but if these entrees are available, highly recommend.

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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“Wonderful Experience”

The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone

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5 of 5 stars
Seattle, Washington
May 5, 2007
1/2 found this review helpful

The The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone is located in a beautiful old stone building. The restaurant is as fine as any, it has an open kitchen where the 'students' are clearly viewed from every table, If you prefer you can sit at the counter and watch close
up while you eat. The service was fabulous and the food was sublime.

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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“Nice place for a good dinner”

The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone

Oct 18, 2006
4/4 found this review helpful

We ate here on a Sunday night during a recent weekend trip to Napa. The "temptations" plate was disappointing; only the soup was good, so I'd skip it. The mushrooms on toast appetizer was great - we ordered one for the table and fought for the last bites.

Everything else was well prepared, but we were seated near the open kitchen and it was very loud. I'd recommend getting a table away from the kitchen. I thought it was good value for money, especially in Napa, and the grounds are interesting.

worth noting - even though it's the CIA, students don't cook; they're mostly pros behind the stoves.

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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“Nice Place for Cooking Demoes/Cook Shops/Collections...”

The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone

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4 of 5 stars
Fremont
Aug 2, 2005
3/3 found this review helpful

The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone is an interesting building to visit. The building is an amazing place by itself just to visit. Inside they have an interesting wine bottle opener collection and other wine items to look at. Very interesting. They have a nice little food area with bakery and food items to purchase and also an excellent store for anyone interested in food.....Nice items for both the kitchen and dining rooms; great cooking book collection to look through and purchase...(very good collection). In addition, if you sign-up in advance on their web site (or if you're lucky enough and space is still available) they give an hour or so cooking demonstration a few times during the day. This is an excellent place to attend a cooking demo and they do include generous samples of the items that they made for the day. There is also a restaurant on the premises if interested. If interested in food - this is a nice place to include on your places to visit when visiting the Napa Valley.

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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Reviews of The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone

( 2-6 of 7 )
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The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone: Management Resources

The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone Address

2555 Main St, St. Helena, CA 94574
Tel: 800 333 9242