Every couple of months, my mother and I like to meet up somewhere for lunch and a little shopping. It's often in the Napa Valley somewhere, since it's a sort of mid-point between my home (Sacramento) and hers (Danville). One question we always have is, Where to go for lunch? This time she decided she wanted to try Rutherford Grill. Mom, always knowing best, had the brilliant idea of getting there right as they opened for lunch. It was a Saturday, and we were seated right away, but the place filled up in no time at all.

Up came the menu. We try to eat healthfully, particularly if we have a day of shopping in front of us (nothing dampens your energy like "fried anything") but when our server mentioned an appetizer of house-made Kettle-like potato chips covered with melted and crumbled bleu cheese, Mom & I looked at each other and knew we were doomed. When the plate came, we dug in. It was VERY good but very rich, and we couldn't finish it. In fact, we were both nearly full by the time our real lunches arrived.

For our main lunch, Mom got the barbecue pork ribs; she said they were very good, although the portion was so large she could barely finish half of it, so she got a doggie bag for it. (Dad would be eatin' good that night.) As an iced tea aficionado, she was mildly irritated when her glass of iced tea came so diluted that she could see right through it. I opted for the Sashimi Tuna Salad—seared ahi with veggies and mango in miso dressing and almond sauce. This is where things got interesting. While the salad was wonderful, the dressing delectable and the ahi beautifully done, nowhere on the menu does it say that one of those veggies is some sort of "hot pepper". I believe that one should know what to expect of their meal, especially when it comes to ingredients that will burn through the roof of one's mouth, and that was an unpleasant surprise. Once the server told me what to avoid, however, I pushed those pieces aside and devoured the rest of the dish. (Well, the food; the plate remained intact.)

It was a splurging sort of day, which we were reminded of when we got the bill. Bear in mind that neither of us had wine or cocktails; the meals, the iced tea and a bottle of sparkling water cost us (OK, her) a little over than $70.

All in all, though, it was a delicious experience. I'd recommend it to anybody and I'd go there again ... though maybe this time pass *urp* on the bleu cheese "nachos".—A.C.

Posted on Friday, January 18, 2008 in Permalink