I made reservations at Napa Valley Grille several weeks prior to our vacation in Napa. According to the hostess, the only reservation that was available was an early dinner 6:00-6:15. My wife and I are used to having dinner later but we wanted to give this place a try, so we took it.

While we were sitting at our small 2 person table by the door, we couldn't help but notice the amount of empty tables. I'm sure they could have accomodating us on a later reservation.

Both my wife and I servered tables for 6+ years in high school and college, so I am both critical and sympathetic. But I have to say the service was terrible!!! Our server had 2 maybe 3 other tables in her section but she rarely came back to check on us. My water glass sat empty on the corner of the table for the entire meal. The hostess or one of the other servers brought our food out; probably because it was sitting under the heat lamp for too long. Which explains why the pasta was so dry. The server never came out to offer me parmesan cheese or another beverage.

Finally when our server came to our table to check on us, i sent my cold, dry, untouched entree back and ordered something else. Needless to say, my wife was done with her entree and we sat there waiting for mine to come back. I should have just asked them to take my order off the bill and went somewhere else.

While on vacation we also went to Mustards, Rutherford Grille, Bistro Jeanty, Brix, and Martini House...... ALL WERE BETTER.

this was one of the best places we ate while in napa. Went for lunch and the staff was very freindly and attentive. the food was also very good and not to over the top expensive. I would return if ever in Napa again.

We went to the Napa Valley Grille yesterday and we all agreed that the Mother’s Day brunch was just about as close to perfect as you could get. There is a certain charm about this restaurant, which is elegant and inviting, both inside and out. It is just what you would expect while visiting the wine country in the beautiful town of Yountville. On this particular day the atmosphere was lively and festive, not stuffy at all. It was packed when we arrived, but having made reservations we were seated promptly with a view of the mountains in front of us. Our daughter especially enjoyed making the complimentary bouquets that were include with our brunch for both her mom and grandmother- a little extra touch really added to the whole experience. Out waiter was knowledgeable, funny and courteous. As for the food, it was absolutely wonderful! There was a prefixed menu with quite an assortment to choose from. The Sonoma Duck starter on the sticky bun was out of this world! Sounds like an unlikely combination, but it was fantastic! Everything, and I mean everything from the assortment of breads to the chocolate lava cake we ordered at the end was outstanding. The dishes we enjoyed: New York Steak and Eggs (meat cooked to perfection), Crab Relano (no skimping on crab or flavor here), and Eggs Mornay with two types of salmon. A few small complaints: there was not much to choose from on the children’s menu. Unfortunately not all children like peanut butter and jelly. Some, like my nephew, are extremely allergic to peanuts. Also, when things slowed down and the chef came out of the kitchen, he lingered near the workers rather than visiting the tables- another extra touch that would have been appreciated and good for business too. Lastly, it sure would be nice if they could put on some classy instrumental music rather than the eighties stuff they had both this time and the last time that we visited. It really takes away from the ambiance. Overall, it was a delightful experience. Hope Chef Lyman does it just the same next year. We will definitely be back!

We sat outside on a perfect October day and enjoyed the Harvest Platter that consisted of coldcuts, cheeses, olives, etc, as well as a fish dish. Both were very tasty, as was the Lake Sonoma Zinfandel. The service was friendly and prompt.