Auro — Restaurant in Calistoga

One of the most extraordinary dining experiences of my life, and I have sought out great food all over the world. Chef Garcia assembled a creative, tasty (so much so that when the server asked if I was enjoying my meal I just stared at her bc I had no words) love letter to Mexico and the wine pairing was next level.

Beyond the food, every detail was perfection, and I don't use that word lightly. After checking in I was ushered to a greeting space and presented with a glass of sparkling wine and a delicious palate cleansing bite. Once at my table I was able to take in the thoughtfulness that has gone into every detail of this restaurant. It is beautiful and high end yet cozy, with lighting that perfectly illuminates each dish. Speaking of dishes, each one was presented in dinnerware that elevated the presentation and overall experience, and the steak knives are etched with "Auro", such a great touch. Pacing of the meal was perfect, I never felt rushed, had the right amount of time between courses to let food settle, but never waited too long for anything. I also loved the exposed kitchen. I was mesmerized by watching the well-oiled machine during my meal.

Last but definitely not least - service! The staff a chef hires is a reflection on the character of the chef. Every individual I encountered at Auro was warm, kind, knowledgeable and professional. My primary server Bri was a delight, and my primary sommelier Derek (sp?) was a joy to talk with about the wine (and I learned he came from Ever in Chicago where I dined just about a month ago!) Every diner was given a tour of the kitchen and Chef Garcia was kind enough to sign my copy of his cookbook. I should note that as a person who travels solo a fair amount, I've had experiences where I wasn't given the same level of service or made to feel like an inconvenience. My experience at Auro was the opposite of that. I felt well attended to and was not made to feel out of place at all.

Impeccable experience start to finish and I see more Michelin stars in Auro's future. Thank you...

In short, you may find yourself disappointed at this 1 Michelin star experience. If you have one night to dine only, skip Auro and go to the other restaurant there (Truss) unless Auro has a one-of-a-kind wine pairing with a local powerhouse.

The good: attentive service, beautiful dining room, amazingly disciplined kitchen — take them up on the offer to stop in! — thoughtful partnerships with local wineries to pair with the meal. When I was there, an amazing Realm wine pairing was available as a premium tasting. Oh and the presentation of the amuse bouche and post meal dessert bites was beautiful if not always executed well. No offense to the pastry chef — the main dessert was really good.

The not-so-good: Note this is a 1 Michelin starred restaurant. The critiques come with this in mind. Food service was slow for a relatively tight basic tasting of dishes. Maybe we should have had the larger tasting, but we were fatigued a bit from wine tastings in the Valley earlier in the day. Some of the dishes that leaned into the Latin American influence were nice, but the guava dessert was confusing and didn’t land well with anyone at the table. Yes, there’s Wagyu — can you have a Michelin tasting these days without one? — but it isn’t served with anything that makes it stand out. The salmon dish was quite good, and a lot of effort goes into making it I’m sure. We just a little underwhelmed by the food and convinced that the Michelin star was earned on the strength of the kitchen organization and execution and the...

We came out to Calistoga to celebrate my husbands 50th birthday. Our weekend was perfect. From the planning to the weather, vineyards, hospitality and all of the wonderful dining experiences except one. Auro. Three couples traveled from NJ, we had the tasting menu as well as the wine pairing. The service was wonderful. At the conclusion of dinner we were given a tour of the kitchen, which also was lovely. Later that evening, 4 out of 6 of us were violently ill. All symptoms from horrible stomach cramping, multiple trips to the bathroom for hours and cold sweats. From 2am (dinner concluded at 10am) until 8am and continued throughout our 5 hour flight home to NJ. This was the clearly the result of improper food handling or spoiled food. Once returning home to NJ, I contacted the restaurant kindly where they did a "report". Today they contact me with no findings. They offered nothing. A dinner bill that was paid of astronomical cost and they offered nothing but a sad. pathetic apology. I would never recommend this restaurant. Highly disappointed in the unprofessionalism of the brand. It's very sad that we had such a lovely trip with an awful ending thanks to Auro and their lack of caring of the customers but more care taken with the income. Will make it a point to tell all fellow travelers coming from the East Coast to stay away. Not that they even would care because they'll find someone else to take...