rutherford grill

this place seems like an overpriced burger joint. the service was impersonal. the restaurant was over air conditioned . i'm sure that there are other restaurants in thenapaarea that are more charming. the service wasn't personal, felt like they were trying to turn over the table to the next customer. there is no outdoor seating.

i heard the name before, but never visited it, so it was very exciting to try one of thenapavalley well-known restaurants. to give you a quick summary, the food, service and atmosphere were all great – you should definitely put it on your destinations list if you will be in the area. here are few of the food pictures.

mothra says.....lunch, drinks, and sunshine. on a recent beautiful 82fnapavalley afternoon, the four of us dropped into the rutherford grill for a lunch al fresco. edgar greeted us warmly and handed out menus; iced teas for r and m, and waters for k and i to start.

the rutherford grill is a classicnapavalley restaurant and although extremely difficult to get a table (no reservations under a party of eight), the menu is every changing and the cuisine just down right good. no, not cheap. in fact many times, lunch for two with wine could run you $80.00. but on this day, i asked edgar for two orders of focaccia and olive plates, and a few minutes later, after learning the specials off of the menu, the four of us made our entrée orders. k and i chose a glass of white wine; a luli chard from coastal california. it was crisp and slightly citrusy somewhat like a sav blanc, a bit of tartness at the backend. not bad, but i am really choosey about my chards.... creamy and buttery is my choice. shortly thereafter, the olive plates arrived and the homemade focaccia, olive oil with creamy butter. this was really tasty and went nicely with the wine.

after some nice conversation, all of our entrees arrived: k’s gulf coast fish sandwich, hot and flakey halibut fish sandwich arrived on an egg bread hamburger bun, with lettuce, crescent city slaw and pickles, red onion. instead of fries, k chose the slaw. my grilled chicken salad was generous: julienned jicama, tortilla chips, 3 types of greens, corn, diced onions, cilantro, matchstick carrots, grilled chicken with honey lime vinaigrette and smooth peanut sauce. this was one really tasty salad and i had to have k taste it. although not her favorite sauce (not a big fan of the peanut sauce), she did like the salad. i tried her hot and flakey fish sandwich and that was one good halibut sandwich. this menu has been sized down since the last time i visited. but the food is just as good and the service was great. i am looking forward to our next visit to the rutherford grill. mothra says....3.85 of 5.0

rutherford grill wine list review

given that spring has arrived more people are heading to thenapavalley for a weekend getaway. therefore, we thought it was time to release our wine list review of the rutherford grill. the hillstone group owns the rutherford grill and the los altos grill. barry cothran oversees the wine programs at hillstone's restaurants and he does a fantastic job. pricing is only $5 to $25 over retail. if you are looking for a restaurant with a casual atmosphere, good food and a stellar wine list that won't break the bank, then check out the rutherford grill.

the list at the rutherford grill frequently changes, but as of the release date of this review, it had the 2008 larkmead,napavalley, cabernet sauvignon on the list for $72. fellow wine drinkers, it is nearly impossible to find wines from larkmead at retailers or in restaurants because they sell-out all of their wines through their allocation list. if you have not visited larkmead, then make it a point to do so the next time you are in thenapavalley. this represents one of the top restaurant wine values on any list in the san francisco bay area.

the list is comprised of 174 selections (sparkling 6, white 64 and red 104), and given the favorable pricing we are only going to recommend 35 to 40 wines.

start your evening with the 2010 round pond, rutherford, sauvignon blanc for $36 or the 2009 dumol, lia, russian river, viognier for $44, and follow it up with the 2007 brewer clifton, santa rita hills, pinot noir for $56 or the 2008 larkmead,napavalley, cabernet sauvignon for $72.

as with all vinoservant reviews, you will see the price at the restaurant followed by the mark-up over retail (2007 schramsberg, brut rose, north coast | $48 | 1.4x | this translates into a retail price of $33).

vinoservant's top wine values at rutherford grill

sparkling wines

6 selections that range in price from $42 to $68

2007 schramsberg, brut rose, north coast | $48 | 1.4x
billecart salmon, brut reserve, non-vintage | $58 | 1.3x


white wines

64 selections that range in price from $32 to $66

2009 pride mountain vineyards, sonoma, viognier | $42 | below retail
2009 dumol, lia, russian river, viognier | $44 | below retail

2009 grieve family,napavalley, sauvignon blanc | $32 | below retail
2010 round pond,napavalley, sauvignon blanc | $36 | 1.6x
2009 rudd, crossroads, sauvignon blanc | $38 | 1.6x
2010 duckhorn,napavalley, sauvignon blanc | $46 | 1.7x
2010 spottswoode,napavalley, sauvignon blanc | $52 | 1.5x

2010 monticello, estate, chardonnay | $30 | 1.1x
2009 beau vigne, russian river, chardonnay | $32 | 1.1x
2010 rombauer, carneros, chardonnay | $54 | 1.8x
2009 darioush,napavalley, chardonnay | $56 | 1.4x
2009 shafer, red shoulder ranch, carneros, chardonnay | $58 | 1.3x
2009 brewer clifton, santa rita hills, chardonnay | $58 | 1.6x
2009 kistler, les noisetiers, sonoma coast, chardonnay | $58 | 1.0x
2008 dumol, russian river valley, chardonnay | $66 | 1.1x


red wines

104 selections that range in price from $32 to $98

2007 brewer clifton, santa rita hills, pinot noir | $56 | 1.2x
2007 olivia brion, wild horse valley, pinot noir | $58 | 1.3x
2009 belle glos, las alturas, santa lucia highlands, pinot noir | $58 | 1.4x
2008 boheme, taylor ridge, sonoma coast, pinot noir | 464 | 1.2x
2009 sea smoke, southing, santa rita hills, pinot noir | $90 | 1.5x

2008 davis family, russian river, zinfandel | $42 | 1.4x
2007 nickel & nickel, ponzo vineyard, russian river, zinfandel | $56 | 1.3x

2007 ilaria,napavalley, syrah | $42 | 1.4x
2008 shafer, relentless,napavalley, syrah | $78 | 1.4x

2006 altamura,napavalley, sangiovese | $62 | 1.2x
2000 marchesi di gresy, gaiun, barbaresco | $70 | 1.4x

2008 regusci, stag's leap district, merlot | $48 | 1.4x
2007 paradigmnapavalley merlot | $58 | 1.3x
2007 paloma, spring mountain, merlot | $70 | 1.4x

2008 fisticuffs,napavalley, cabernet sauvignon | $38 | 1.5x
2009 vineyard 29, cru, cabernet sauvignon | $56 | 1.2x
2007 montagna, tre vigneti, cabernet sauvignon | $62 | 1.2x
2008 chappellet, signature, cabernet sauvignon | $68 | 1.4x
2007 leviathan, cabernet franc | $68 | 1.4x
2008 larkmead,napavalley, cabernet sauvignon | $72 | 1.0x
2009 caymus,napavalley, cabernet sauvignon | $78 | 1.3x

classic simplicity. tonight's dinner was at the rutherford grill in rutherford in thenapavalley. the appetizer we had hoped for chips with the bleu cheese dip was not on the menu so we had the chips with the jalepeno dip and a roasted artichoke. i had the bangers and mash entree and my friends had chicken with red pepper butter, and a flank steak. we finsihed by sharing a key lime pie. it was all excellent and not too pricey for napa. the rutherford grill is highly recommended.