26961 Sat Dec 13 19:07:51 -0800 2003 8 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 110375 Anyone been to Tra Vigne lately? It was one of my favorite places on the planet for a three hour lunch, but last time we were there (September) the quality seemed to have slipped a notch or two. We loved eating there for the wonderful combination of the casual but attractive ambiance and the scrupulous devotion to top quality seasonal ingredients prepared and served to their best advantage. Not to mention the excellent selection of local wines and the extremely knowledgable staff... Have things settled down? Are they back on course? Or should I be looking elsewhere in the valley? Sat Dec 13 19:07:51 -0800 2003 0 Foodlum 1 110381 Last time we were there the food was fine, but the service was really, really lacking. I was very disappointed to be shunned to the point of not being offered desert or coffee and having the bill dropped at our table by a busboy. Once our entree course order was taken I don't beleive our waiter spoke to us again. He was still running around in the restraunt so I'm not sure what the problem was, but the table next to us was served by the same waiter and was upset as well. I wrote them an eMail because that's what the sales slip asked us to do and never got a response. Sat Dec 13 20:24:31 -0800 2003 110375 0 Mike Duigou 2 110387 I too used to love it and went not long ago hoping for a bit of nostalgia. Ate at the bar because of no reservation - which was fine. The bartender was charming and the food was darn good. But - my favorite dish in the whole world has for yeas been their polenta with wild mushroom sauce. Gone!!!! Now who in their right mind would take something like that off the menu?? I know I am not the only one who thought that appetizer was among the top ten world wide!! Other than that it was a pleasant meal but not memorable. Sat Dec 13 21:10:17 -0800 2003 110381 0 Mad 3 110413 Was it soft polenta or toasted squares? Sun Dec 14 12:19:16 -0800 2003 110387 0 Sharuf 1 110383 I had many fine meals at Tra Vigne over the years and it is indeed a great atmosphere for a 3 hour lunch. But I haven't been in there in years because everyone I know who has been in the past couple of years, including the locals, have told me both the food and service have gone downhill considerably. If true, that's a shame. Maybe Michael Chiarello needs to take the reins back and get them back on track. If you're in the valley, try Bouchon in Yountville for a casual lunch, per my earlier post. Sat Dec 13 20:26:18 -0800 2003 110375 0 JimA 1 110521 Tra Vigne was good at the beginning but it didn't last that long. We stopped going years ago after 3 out of 4 entrees were just plain bad. We were embarassed that we had even suggested the place when our previous experience was not very good. It's such a great room it was hard to give up. But when it comes to restaurants, life is too short to give third chances. Mon Dec 15 19:04:21 -0800 2003 110375 0 Curmudgeon 1 110636 I had one of the worst meals of my life at Tra Vigne. I had read many wonderful reviews of this restaurant and when I had a visitor from New Orleans...we went wine tasting then to Tra Vigne for dinner. We had a party of 5 and every single person did not finish their dinner. The service was ok. The room was beautiful...but who cares when the food is tasteless and poor quality. I will never go there again and I would advise others to save their money. Sat Dec 20 19:04:13 -0800 2003 110375 0 HappillyMarried 1 5008282 Wow...I am surprised to hear such bad reviews on this place! I went last spring and was very impressed...the food was excellent and the server was EXTREMELY knowledgable about wines and the food making processes.... Sat Sep 05 19:36:30 -0700 2009 110375 1107156 indicagoddess 2 5008456 The reviews you are reacting to are nearly 6 years old, so that might explain the difference. I ate here in 2007 and had a similarly rotten experience with the service and I thought the food was okay but not amazing. I wouldn't go back to spend that kind of money when there are so many other places to eat around there. But if it's improved I'd love to hear details of what you had that was good. Sat Sep 05 21:18:20 -0700 2009 5008282 130031 Shane Greenwood