They unashamedly proclaim that “Everything is delicious.” Once a truck stop, this place gained popularity since Bobby Fray proclaimed it a good eat.
After 40 years of feeding Napa Valley and its visitors, Mustards Grill is still the hub of the food and wine community where winemakers lunch with truckers and chefs come to dine on their night off. Owenr/Chef Cindy Pawlcyn has pioneered fresh, local, seasonal, sustainable wine-country cuisine since opening Napa Valley’s legendary Mustards Grill in 1983.
It should come as no surprise that there’s usually a wait for a table here. It’s a convivial spot where regulars and newbies are greeted warmly. But use the time to take a stroll on the lush grounds for a preview of what the kitchen has in store.
At this iconic roadhouse, it’s a joy to eat your greens—imagine freshly plucked lettuces from the bountiful garden boxes. In fact, Chef Pawlcyn is a wine country pioneer for incorporating on-site gardens that produce ingredients routinely seen on this seasonal menu.
Alternately known as the fancy rib joint with way too many wines, Mustards is still the place to go for a heaping plate of honest American fare with worldly sophistication, washed down with a glass of the valley’s finest.
Flight of Fancy, Pinot Noir – Huber-Verdereau, Patz & Hall, ZD
This being wine country, the wine list is amusingly entitled “Way Too Many Wines.” This local dive features a nice selection of reasonably priced wine. Even better, they offer these samplers with three half glasses of Pinot noir (or sparking wine or Bordeaux or American whisky) were you can kickstart the wine tasting weekend.
Crazy Good Chicken Wings, blue cheese & BBQ dipping sauces
Portions are substantial here. An appetiser portion of crazy good chicken wings (yes, crazy good is part of the name of the dish) looked more like a full main course portion of fried chicken. And just like its name, the fried chicken was good on its own, or with the two dips that came with it. Darling and I prefer the BBQ dip, as the blue cheese dip was rather bland.
Ahi Tuna Crackers, wasabi cream, san bai su
An appetiser of ahi tuna came as three slices of sesame-seed crusted fish seared on the outside, then arranged atop thin, delicate sesame-flecked triangle crackers and finished with wasabi cream, sanbaizu (三杯酢, which is a popular vinegar-based seasoning made with vinegar, soy sauce, and mirin), and stalks of spring onions.
I was never a fan of ahi tuna, but this appetiser has turned me over with its ceviche like sauce and great combination of eastern and western influences.
Maryland Blue Crab Cakes, Espelette aioli, garden greens, sherry vinaigrette
Darling decided on a second starter instead of a main, and chose the Maryland blue crab cakes smothered with esplelette aioli (which is a traditional mayonnaise speckled with chillies from the French town of Espelette located in the southwest of France) and a side of arugula lettuce dressed with sherry vinaigrette. I had a small bite, and it was really good.
Grilled Herb Marinated Rabbit, spring vegetables, crispy Pancetta, lemon aioli
I ordered their seasonal grilled rabbit marinated with herbs from the garden, on a nice bed of crispy Pancetta, sautéed leeks, fennels and fingerling potatoes with a lemon aioli sauce. I love game meat, and this is one of the largest serving of rabbit that I have had. The rabbit was perfectly cooked, not overly done but still smokey from the cast iron grill in what I would described as wokhei.
Citrus Black Beans, avocado, chilies, cotija cheese, scallions, grilled corn tortilla.
Darling order some black bean stew with avocado to go with her crab cakes. This was a Mexican style black bean stew which I did not even attempt to try.
Eat Your Vegetables
I ordered a side of vegetables, fearing that we did not have enough food. We were proven wrong, and this salad made from beets, spinach and grilled peaches with a sprinkle of shaved parmesan was quite good.
Pineapple Upside Down Cake, vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, toasted pecans
Save room as this is not the place to skip dessert; and the pineapple upside down cake drowning in caramel sauce, topped with a generous scope of supermarket grade vanilla ice cream, and served on a bed of toasted pecans didn’t disappoint.
New restaurants come and go in the Napa Valley. Mustards is thankfully one constant that can be counted on. Now there’s one in San Francisco airport at the international terminal after security for you to have one more memorable meal before heading home.
Mustards Grill Napa
7399 St. Helena Hwy., Napa, 94558, USA
Tel : +1 (707) 944 2424 (Reservations)
Michelin California Guide Selects 2024
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