ZinsValley Review

ZinsValley sample menu

ZinsValley website
Directions to ZinsValley

Hours:
Lunch: Monday - Friday, 11:30 - 2:30
Dinner: Monday - Saturday, opens 5:00p.m.

ZinsValley food

ZinsValley's name comes from the extensive Zinfandel list that they have. I think there are something like 25-30 on the wine list. Their food is similar to their taste in wine. It's on the stronger, bolder side like a good Zin. If you're in the mood for a delicate little meal, ZinsValley probably isn't the place for you unless you are a salad lover (bah).

Appetizers

Well, we've had their fried calamari with their little sriracha dipping sauce which was ok. The sauce is interesting because it was a combination of sriracha, fennel, beans, and onion, but the calamari itself was just ok. The dish happens to be the size of a small mountain if you need to feed a number of people at once. We liked the sweet onion rings with blue cheese sauce better. Some humongous onion rings with a thick and flaky (panko?) crust on it. Goes very well with the blue cheese.

Soup of the day is always a good pick on a cold Napa night when the big fireplace is lit up. Their cream mushroom soup hit the spot altho ah burnt mah tohng a bith.

Entrees

Overall, we like ZinsValley's flavoring quite a bit. Strong and zesty. I've had the Grilled Kobe Bavette with Yukon Gold Potato Mashers, Salsa Verde. Wonderful meat. Not very much of it which is always the case with Kobe. :( The Garlicky Shrimp with Angel Hair Pasta, Tomatoes and Feta Cheese was good. The Hoisin Grilled Pork Chop with Wasabi Mashed Potatoes, Sweet & Sour Red Cabbage and House Made Mustard Crème Fraiche was also very tasty although I didn't pick up the wasabi too much in the potatoes. I thought the Coconut Yellow Curry with Baby Bok Choy, Yams, Shitake Mushrooms, Snow Peas & Jasmine Rice was a bit on the bland side given the ingredient list. It sounded better than it tasted.

Below is the achiote-rubbed flank steak with a poblano chile relish and mashed potatoes. I thought the flank steak was a little under-seasoned, but the poblano chile relish with the mashed potatoes was delicious. Mildly spicy and added a little hot and sour kick to the dish.

Here's a duck confit pizza that we ordered with caramelized onions, cherry tomatoes, and pesto. Overall, we really liked the dish except it was surprisingly undersalted. The dough, the toppings, etc. Once we put a little salt on it, the flavors really started to come out better and we actually ended up enjoying it.

As you can tell by the menu item names, ZinsValley does have its share of Asian influences in their Californian cooking. Purists might balk and admittedly sometimes things taste a little on the forced side in terms of putting these ingredients together. Sometimes I wonder if the dishes would work better if they didn't have this much of an Asian angle. But like I said, we do like the overall taste of the food here. It's definitely a certain point of view.

One thing we'll always remember about ZinsValley is that they introduced to us to one of our favorite Zinfandels, the Monster Zinfandel from Norman Vineyards in Paso Robles, which is a really great Zin if you just want an over-the-top Zin. That one is a guilty pleasure.

Desserts

Desserts at ZinsValley are ok. They aren't great, but they aren't bad either if you're craving something sweet. We've had a few, but here's the cheesecake with Guiness sauce and pistachio crust

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ZinsValley setting and service

ZinsValley moved from its old location on Browns Valley Road into a much larger area in downtown Napa that hasn't had much luck in keeping tenants around (Bombay Bistro and NV). ZinsValley seems to have better business than those two, but it's a big space to pay for. I hope they got a good deal from the landlord who hopefully has lowered the rent enough to help keep his tenants around.

ZinsValley mostly retains the more cosmo feel of NV which is a little bit of a shame because I liked the earthy, wood feel of the older location more. But you work with what you have, and it's better for them to just take what comes with the location instead of sinking a lot of money into enhancements.

Price for our meal

Appetizer, 2 glasses of wine, entree, dessert, tax + tip = $95

Zinsvalley's food can sometimes be a little uneven, but we still think it's flavors are some of the more underrated in the city of Napa, particularly when they were hidden in Browns Valley Road. The prices are fairly reasonable for the food.

Other ZinsValley reviews

• Napa Valley Marketplace review