Foothill Grille Review
The original owners return to Foothill in the newly re-opened Foothill Grille. The friendly mom-and-pop feel to it is refreshing, but it feels like the original owners are still trying to find their culinary rhythm.
2766 Old Sonoma Rd
Napa, CA 94581
There and back again. The original owners of the Foothill Grille sold the restaurant (then known as Foothill Cafe) to a new chef who I think came from Bistro Don Giovanni. Supposedly, things didn't go accordingly to the plan, and the new chef apparently got stuck in some financial distress. So, the original owners ended up buying it back. Which version of the Foothill Grille was better is debatable. The new / original owners have reverted to a far simpler menu, and the prices are lower than your typical Napa Valley restaurant fare. However, it feels like the original owners need some time to get back in the swing of things. Many locals here swear that the first version was the superior one. However, right now, I'm leaning towards thinking that the 2nd owner's food was better than the current version; we're willing to give them some time to sharpen up.
Foothill Grille food
We ate at the Foothill Grille a few times during the 2nd owner's tenure and usually had a pretty solid, if somewhat pricey, meal. But with the original (now new) owners, the food is still a bit wobbly. I think they recognize this to some extent as they've really simplified the menu. Everything easily fits on one page with perhaps 5-6 entrees to choose from, many of them sharing the same sides of vegetables, mashed potatoes, etc.
What people usually go to the Foothill Grille for are the ribs. They were there in the first version of the restaurant, they made it into the second version under the new owner, and they're still here in the third version. I'm not sure what to think about the ribs as they exist today. When we came here under the 2nd owner, they were what you expect of tasty ribs. Sweet, tangy, meat falls off the bone, hot, etc. However, we went there after the original owners had just re-opened, and our food must've come out in like 10 minutes (being generous here) and were dry and kind of lukewarm. Ie, it sort of felt like they just re-heated something not long enough or it was just sitting around. We went there another time, and the calamari was a bit on the greasy and poorly battered side. My fish tacos were supposed to have ahi tuna and rock shrimp, and although the flavor was fine, the amount of tuna in there was pretty lame and minced up no less. My wife's bow-tie pasta with sun-dried tomatoes, chicken, in a light cream sauce was nice, however.
We'll continue to go back every now and then to check on things, but we're a little disappointed with what we see now.
Foothill Grille setting and service
The Foothill Grille probably has one of the odder locations for this type of restaurant. It's stuck at the end of this old strip mall, and most of the strip mall inhabitants are places like a Mexican bakery, laundry place, Mexican supermarket, etc. that sits in the middle of a residential area. It's a fairly blue collar mall with this little higher-end restaurant at the end. This weird juxtaposition made the Foothill Grille one of those hidden locals restaurants because the tourists would never be out there. The local following used to be quite strong, particularly to the first incarnation of the Foothill Grille. However, during the 2nd owner, it also used to be fairly full when we went (apparently not enough to justify her costs). The last time we went, it was pretty empty which is a little surprising given the loyalty to the original owner. I wonder if people see the same drop off that we do? The restaurant itself is fairly small. Maybe seats 30-40 people.
The service is friendly albeit a bit scattered. It's like a mom and pop restaurant. There's a definite lack of polish, but they seem to mean well enough. In some ways, the interaction is more friendly and genuine because these people are more tied to the restaurant (likely family members, sometimes the owners) than the cute Twenty/ThirtySomethings waiters that dominate the space. It's definitely a more informal vibe than your typical higher-end Napa Valley restaurant.
Price of our meal
One good thing about the Foothill is its price. 2 entrees, 1 appetizer, 2 glasses of wine, 1 dessert, tax & tip = $75 which is fairly good. The 2nd owner's prices would usually run us about $85-$110 depending on what we ordered. So, the original owners have simplified things quite a bit and dropped the price accordingly.
Other Foothill Grille reviews and links
- Napa Valley Register article discussing the re-opening under the original owner.
