Cole's Chop House — Restaurant in Napa

The Goddess and I first stopped here for dinner seven years ago while returning from a trip to Petaluma. She called a client of her’s who is a dining aficionado for a dining recommendation. With no reservation, the Goddess worked her magic and got us seats at the bar. We had a delicious steak dinner with the works. Kept talking about returning, but never got around to it.

So seven years passes by and the Goddess and I have literally just started to dine out again when we realize we need to reconnect with my brother from another mother who just retired, so back to Cole’s we went.

From our greeting by the very nice, well dressed gentleman at the front (rear door) to the hostesses, to our delightful and friendly waiter who was from Jerusalem, and the young lady who assisted him, we had a delightful dining experience!

My Brother and the Goddess selected a bottle of Orin Swift Abstract to start the evening and they enjoyed it immensely. The Goddess was a big fan of the Prisoner when it first came out. Come to find out, the winemaker at Orin Swift produced the Prisoner’s first wine.

Not a wine drinker, I chose a Napa Smith Pilsner which was served cold and crisp in a beautiful, tall beer glass. It would be so nice if they could have at least one or two beers on tap, instead of just bottles. I would suggest they have a Pilsner or Kolsch, along with a pale ale and perhaps a Hefeweizen during the spring/summer months.

We started the experience with an artisanal cheese plate selected by the Goddess which was a tasty accompaniment to the wine and beer. The fresh baked rolls and fresh butter were delicious as well. This was followed by salads. My Brother and the Goddess had the Caesar salads while I went with the classic wedge salad.

For the main course, it was unanimous - Coles Famous 21-Day Aged New York Steak! The New York did not disappoint! We chose a baked potato with butter, sour cream and chives as well as fresh grilled asparagus to accompany the steaks. The surprise of the evening was a recommendation by my Brother that we have the Chop House Hash Browns which were incredible! This may very well might replace the classic baked potato for me!

When it was time for desert, the Goddess had already selected Bananas Foster for my Brother and the Fudge Brownie with Ice Cream for her and I. The Bananas Foster arrived at the table on fire. Once it the fire was extinguished, it was devoured with gusto!

We wrapped up the evening with coffee. I don’t drink coffee regularly anymore, so when I do, I like it to be special. I would like to ask that they consider offering an option of a French Roast served in a French press table side. I would gladly pay extra for a delicious, high quality coffee served with fresh cream and stevia natural sweetener.

We started at 4 PM and did not depart until about 7:30 PM. It was a true dining experience enjoyed on the beautiful patio surrounded by oh so warm heaters! Our awesome waiter told us that they are replacing the sand floor with cement and constructing a large tent to provide cover from inclement weather with winter coming. This should make for a very cozy winter...

This was our third visit to Cole's Chop House and as they say, "third time is the charm". It is a Friday night in Napa and the place is hopping. We are guests of our good friends who frequent Cole's weekly, their wine is on the menu and we were treated as if we were dinning at the French Laundry. Food, service, wine and ambiance all qualify for 5 stars. The table started with the grilled mexican white shrimp cocktail and the wild mushroom crostini. Both dishes were outstanding and not a drop of food was left on the plate. For my dinner, I order the Coles Chophouse Caesar and the 14oz Black Angus Rib Eye Steak. The table orders Shoestring Onion Rings and Chop House Hash Browns with the works. My Caesar Salad was outstanding and came with white anchovies which I love. My steak was plenty big, great char, outstanding flavor and cooked perfect. The sides were addictive and the Hash Browns (shredded hashbrowns, cheese and bacon) were so damn good I could have ordered that and been happy for the night. My wife ordered the petite filet mignon and it was more than she could finish. Dessert was a sampling of everything they had. Our friends are loved here and the manager sent out like 7 desserts for us to sample. All were outstanding and more than our party could finish although we tried. Our night at Cole's Chop House was very special. As guests of our friends we had a special table next to the window, special parking at the back of the restaurant and an army of staff that took care of our every need. To say we were treated as VIP's is an understatement. We were treated as if we were royalty. Thank you Cole's for a great experience and yes, it is good to have friends that have earned such high...

we visited mid-august. i loved the chop house. it wasn't my first option initially because i thought it might have been a mediocre take on meats with a so-so atmosphere and service. despite it's more casual air about it, the dining was definitely fine dining with mind-blowing food (seasonal menu was great!), spectacular service that has most definitely surpassed most fine dining establishments for being perfect but not overly pretentious. the atmosphere was comfortable and casual yet mature. it wasn't too noisy and the seating was well spaced. our server was amazing. i have to admit, i have been witness to some really poor service without the server even knowing that they were really "sucking". this guy was awesome. he knew everything inside out and the bus boy that was working with him was super attentive to our table (among others). i had the veal rib eye with yukon mashed potatoes and chanterelle mushrooms in morel cream sauce. my companion had the 28 day aged rib eye. we saw their baked potato at the table beside us and it was HUGE!. their portions are very fair and the taste/quality most definitely surpassed almost anything thing i expected from a "chop house". the dessert we had was a cantaloupe sorbet with sugar cookies that was refreshing and nice. not too sweet with the perfect pairing with the heavier meal. i can't even remember the wine we had but it was also scrumptious. the only thing i would say didn't impress me was parts of their wine list.. which well exceeded the price that (i think) most patrons would be willing to pay. but then what do i know? i don't usually drink wine.

overall, a must if you're in...