Martini House

CLOSED not just at 10PM… Closed forever!!!
Unfortunately Martini house got caught up in the Pat Kuletto crap and closed its doors over a year ago… Tod Humphreys recently opened Kitchen Door at Ox Bow in Napa… the mushroom soup lives on… YESSSS!!!

Closed? BRING BACK THE MARTINI HOUSE! =(
The martini house was by far one of my favorite restaurants in the napa area. It had a great atmosphere, a very warm and romantic feeling. Each time I came I was sat on a couch with a table in front, in front of the fireplace. The food was really good. I’d always have the buttnernut squash bisque, foi gras and monkfish. They had a cute bar downstairs as well. I am definitely going to miss this place.

Closed =(
I can’t believe this place is no longer up and running… By far the BEST restaurant in the Napa Valley. Their Mushroom Soup was to die for. You could sit upstairs for a formal dinner date or sit downstairs at the bar after work. The ambiance was amazing, never experienced a better restaurant with the combination of food, service, and all-​around excellence. I will say, their kobe beef burgers will be missed…

I’m mourning the closure — one of our favorite spots, especially sitting at the downstairs bar!

Closed, sadly

Bummer. Martini House recently closed. Another victim of the economy.

People, gorge yourselves now– Martini house is closing.
‘Tis a sad day for Napa Valley gastronomy. Humphrey/​Kuleto– though i doubt you would waste your precious moments reading Unilocal,perhaps someone in your entourage does. Simple request: you could force your mushroom soup onto the menu of a nearby restaurant? Can’t imagine the world without that soup. (Yes I have the actual recipe, and no it tastes nothing like it does at martini house).
RIP Martini House, you will be missed. Your replacement has BIG shoes to fill (and i heard it’s the PF Chang guy– insert skeptical face-)

Great ambiance (outdoor patio). Wonderful service. Fabulous food.
So, I have to drive two hours to get a great meal in California. This is what I love about Northern California: super fresh ingredients, amazing flavor. But, why is it so hard to find?
From the amuse bouche to the wine list to the dessert– everything was just wonderful. The mushrooms in the mushroom salad were so delightfully tangerine in color. We ohhed and ahhed over the carpaccio. They sprinkled something crunchy that made my mouth feel like it was the fourth of July in there. I ordered a classic steak frite. OMG– perfectly seasoned. I could not speak. I was too busy munching.
I could not eat another thing, but the table ordered dessert anyway. It was a mushroom Panna Cotta with bacon. It sounded bizarre, but the others fell upon it — did not even get to snap a great pic– devoured in moments.
The name is Martini House– they served a superb 007 Martini, but this is not some drinking joint. So, expect to be wowed and come with a hearty appetite.

Two words: Mushroom Soup. After hearing numerous stories about this soup, I had to try it for myself. We had lunch here one afternoon and sat outside. The garden area is beautiful. There is a coi pond as well as numerous fruit trees that surround the restaurant. We shared the spring rolls, the mushroom soup and steam clams. Everything was delicious. I have to get that mushroom soup again. It is to die for!

I only went to the basement of the Martini House, the part that houses the most important area of any restaurant: the bar.
I was immediately struck by the ambiance of the place. It felt like a dim, (albeit sexy) cave, or a pseudo-​subterranean tavern you’d find somewhere in Europe. A small, cozy, wonderful space. It was a space that gave off an air of possibility for the evening.
The evening, unfortunately, was rather staid, due mainly to a tight budget and the fact that I still had to get back to Yountville by car and had to be my own designated driver.
However, the drinks were good. They had a vast array of spirits and a lengthy list of cocktails, both traditional and innovative. They featured Aviation Gin (go Portland!) and Bulleit Bourbon, with which I had them make me a couple of old fashions. I recommend this drink if you like old fashions but typically find them to be too sweet. The Martini House uses brandied cherries (though they don’t muddle them) and no simple syrup, so you end up with a drink that won’t make you feel like your teeth are about to rot out of your skull.
I would have liked to sample a couple of other drinks on the menu, but there just wasn’t time. The service was friendly and they accommodated our rather large party. I dock a star for what I felt were pretty exorbitant prices, considering the area, though I will say it’s a good place to go if you’re looking for a classy way to cap off your evening.

Wow… just wow.
After a day of wine tasting we were absolutely famished. My friend kept talking about this place she tried and that they had a mushroom menu… yes please, I LOVE shrooms! Well, we didn’t have reservations but they were able to seat our party of 4… score! Everything looked mouth-​watering on the menu. But I ended up ordering the Crab Spring Rolls for an appetizer and the Seared Maine Sea Scallops for my entrée.
Oh my, my taste buds were in absolute heaven! The Crab Spring Rolls are fried, not rice paper. But they were very good! And the scallops… goodness, they were so damn fabulous. So soft and tasty with the side of cured tomatos and Hollandaise. I turned and looked at my husband «this totally makes up for the horrible dinner at The Door yesterday!». I was in complete utter euphoria. MMmm, I also tried my hubby’s dish of Pan Roasted Alaskan Halibut with Steamed Manila Clams… so so so very good! We both were happy campers. For dessert I had the Hazelnut Pot de Crème. Oh god, I can’t take anymore of this deliciousness… I devoured that thing. I also tried a bite of my friends Candy Cap Mushroom Panna Cotta… it had bacon on it! WHAT?! And it was freakin’ great!
I LOVED this place… service was above and beyond excellent, food was awesome, I loved the lil treats in between the meals… I can’t wait to come back!

I LOVED everything about this place.
Ambience (an old house from the 20s), service and food were all fabulous (only a couple dud dishes). I can see why the owner was nominated for a James Beard award for his restaurants.
I live in a touristy area, Laguna Beach, and this is the kind of place I would take a visitor. You can eat here for under $ 20 bucks, including a glass of wine or spend much more. Of course, wanting to try everything, we ordered like piglets!
We chose to eat at a table by the kitchen, and it was amazing to watch-​so quiet and hardly any talking amongst the line. The chef sent out 2 amuses-​one was a tiny mushroom mousse, shaped like a mushroom, on a puff pastry and the other a savory onion pudding. We also had the chorizo empanadas with lime crème fraiche (tasty) and the crab spring rolls (kind of greasy and one of the two «duds»). The cream of mushroom soup, which the server insisted we order, was divine.
Olive oil poached King Trumpet salad with mascarpone, artichokes and Meyer lemon was another winner, as was the Saffron Gnocchi with morel mushrooms and snow peas. I can cook Italian fairly well, but never quite get the gnocchi the way I want-​this dish was heaven.
Next, although we were full at this point, a perfectly cooked Salmon Creek Farms pork chop, with an apple coulis and a potato rosti and the only other dud, their Kobe beef burger. Burger was soggy (maybe the wine stewed onions on top). We were too full for dessert, but the chef sent out 2 «brownie bites», which was the perfect ending with coffee.
Dinner for 2 with a bottle of Mumm Brut Rose, was $ 150 w/​o tip. I can’t wait to go back!

I have eaten «upstairs» only a few times because I’m not a mushroom fan and they LOVE their mushrooms here. Each time, the meals have been very good.
My review is primarily for the «cellar bar» — while we’ve experienced inconsistent service, the food is routinely fantastic. In particular, the Kobe beef hamburger is the best I’ve ever had — the bun is just light and yummy, the «special sauce» is addictive (I usually get extra into which I dip my lightly curried onion rings or fries), and the quality and manner of preparing the patty is simply outstanding.
They have also begun to serve «family meals» on weekdays in the cellar bar — I understand these to be the meals they serve staff before service starts. Currently, on Wednesdays they serve Kalbi ribs and fried rice — Kalbi short ribs is one of my favorites to make at home (and I do a pretty darn good job) — theirs kicks mine’s ass. And, uncharacteristically, I can’t figure out how theirs are better (whether it’s less brown sugar, more sesame oil in the marinade, etc.) …
You can order the upstairs menu in the cellar bar if you want a more casual experience or if you can’t get in upstairs.

I’ve been here twice. The first time I had the chef’s tasting menu with wines and was completely blown away. Pretty sure it was the best meal of my life. However, I went there again recently and had the chef’s tasting menu again and my girlfriend had the mushroom tasting menu. Unfortunately we were both disappointed this time.
I think maybe my expectations were too high after the first time we ate there. The second time around the portions were way too large. They were like entrée size. My girlfriend literally had to go throw up after the 4^th course because she was so full. I told her to not eat it all but sometimes you feel like your insulting the chef if you don’t.
We asked for smaller portions and they still loaded our plate high. Let’s just say I guess we got our moneys worth. This time around though it wasn’t just the portions. The quality of the food was great but nothing really worked well together. The only stand out dish was the cream of mushroom soup and the bacon panna cotta dessert. The dessert only because it had bacon in it.
I decided to give Martini House a four star review. They have wonderful service and charming ambiance. The food was amazing the first time but slipped quite a bit the second time around. I definitely will come back though and see if they can impress me again. I know they can.

We arrived at about 9pm without reservations after what was mean to be a day trip. From the moment we walked in, everyone was very friendly and accommodating. We ended up ordering the four course tasting menu and everything from the amuse bouche to dessert was delicious.
I have to add that we asked to be seated outside so we could smoke and they found us a little corner spot far away from the rest of the dining area and moved a patio heater next to us. Even with our being seated so far away from the dining area, our server still managed to check on us at least once every 10 minutes or so to make sure our water/​wine glasses never emptied. 5* service.

On our final night in wine country, hubby and I had reservations for Martini House. When going on trips I am a BIG planner. I check out online menus, read reviews and make reservations ahead of time. When I was planning, I have to say that with the exception of my reservation at The French Laundry, Martini House was the menu I was most looking forward to.
We arrived early and decided to have a drink in the basement. Wow. I kinda love the whole idea of a bar in a basement. The bartender was exactly how a bartender should be: friendly, sincere, full of information about the house and area and makes a killer martini.
After our drinks we went upstairs and each ordered one of the tasting menus. Hubby did the famed mushroom menu and I did the chef’s tasting. The food was very good but only one or two of the dishes could be classified as «stand out» types of dishes. Hubby really liked his bacon dessert (yes, I said dessert) but my pudding wasn’t all that impressive and I could have passed on it. The quality of everything was very good though.
The service was okay, not great. I had to ask for another drink after the waiter took my empty glass away without saying anything. Hubby did the wine pairings and was impressed.
I read that Martini House used to have a Michelin star and I wonder what happened to make them lose it.
The restaurant’s décor is warm and interesting. The bathroom paintings (I love frogs) were fresh and whimsical. This would be a great date night restaurant. Overall, we had a good time.

Looks like since I was last there, they’ve lost their Michelin star and unfortunately I ate at the «cellar» when they still had it. I’ll still return however as the nice people at Chase Cellars highly recommended it and even with the Cellar menu I can see that there is some great dining to be had.
If not given explicit directions we would have totally driven by this place. Hell we WERE looking for this place and drove by it, then caught it last minute. Being a sunny Sat afternoon, not quite dinner time, but needing to absorb some of the many glasses the Chase folks gave us, we made our way in. The cellar is essentially their alternative bar area and it’s neat that you can look up into the dining room above. Being a diverse group of eaters, we ended up with a variety of things as follows:
–Chicken Liver Mousse /​Port Geleé /​Toasted
Croutons
–Mini New England Lobster Slider /​Tarragon
–Snake River Farms Kobe Beef Burger Slider
–Cream of Mushroom Soup
–Country Style Duck Terrine /​Celery Root Salad
–Roasted Liberty Farms Duck Breast
Everything was solid. In looking at the prix fixe and tasting menus, they’re quite reasonable at 35&40 dollars respectively, and not much more with wine pairings. Our server was awesome, so light hearted, even though we kept going on about «death cap» mushrooms, as their was a mycology theme in the food at the time. Some of our group made a Bouchon run after we ordered and when the food came out and they weren’t back, our server put on those traditional silver lids over their dishes to keep them warm. Nice touch. A return trip to the dining room is definitely warranted based on a very enjoyable mid afternoon snack. 4.25 stars.

Perfection. Can’t believe it took us about 10 years to dine at this incredible restaurant, even though my sister hostessed here, and for a time we lived about 15 minutes away (ugh!).
We came to celebrate our wedding anniversary, after being married in St. Helena two years prior. What a celebration it was! We were seated on the patio, just as the sun was about to set. The tantalizing Spring breeze set the perfect tone to our culinary adventure.
We started with the «Boletus Rex Veris» starter — roasted spring king porcini, violet artichokes, saffron gnocchi and a persillade mushroom glaze. The mushrooms were of perfect texture. We then followed with the Pan Roasted Alaskan Halibut with king trumpets, violet artichokes, sweet peas and nantes carrots, and the Sautéed Maine Sea Scallops, with fava beans, asparagus, marble potatoes and beurre rouge (see pics). Heaven!
Our service through the evening was outstanding. Our server was patient, jovial, helpful and fastidious. We had mentioned it was our anniversary, so they sweetly decorated our yummy «Lactarius Rubidus» dessert (candy cap bread pudding with currants, golden raisins and a maple sugar anglaise) accordingly.
It was a fantastic evening. We will definitely be back for anniversary no. 3.

At the recommendation of fellow Unilocaler, Alison B., we had dinner downstairs in the cellar. We sat at the bar, ordered our drinks and pondered the menu. After a full day of wine tastings, I wanted some solid comfort food and ordered the Kobe beef burger. Wow, this burger was amazing. It was served with California swiss and wine stewed onions on a light, fluffy homemade bun. Absolutely, wonderful! The side was onion rings and they were excellent as well. Not too much batter, flavorful onions and served crisp.
We enjoyed good conversation at the bar with locals who stopped in for a burger before they went on with their Saturday night activities. A true testament to this establishment.
When back in the Napa area, I will definitely be visiting the Martini House again.

Ah, this place is so cute and cozy! Perfect for dates and weekend getaways. The décor is kind of funky and quirky (water faucets sticking out of the ceiling beams, a long tree suspended from the ceiling carrying a raft of candles) but I like it. Service is very friendly, and the food is yummy. Only beef: it’s pretty pricey for entrees and the size isn’t going to overwhelm you but perhaps that’s better anyway for all us gluttons eating away in Napa :)
I LOVED my cream of mushroom soup. Such intense mushroom flavor and I was in need of something to warm me up! My tenderloin was pretty good, but I have to admit I’ve had better. What was interesting though were the accompaniments: roast fiddleheads (it’s a kind of fern, it looked like a curled up pig tail or a snail shell spiral — it was unique, a bit springy to eat, but I liked it) and pearl onions and a realy strong cabernet glaze w/​bacon lardons (great touch). The bf ordered a coconut curry pan roasted halibut — tasty, but I didn’t love the almonds on top.
Dessert: panna cotta w/​rhubarb gelato and strawberry gelee. The panna cotta was sooo smooth and creamy. Yum. Bf ordered the hazelnut financier which I did not try — I did eat the bittersweet chocolate gelato on the side though (tres bien).
Anyway, good marks all around.