Petit Soleil — Restaurant in Napa

We were in town for a wedding this past weekend. We woke early on Saturday morning and ask the hotel (River Terrace Inn, also in Napa and also great) desk to direct us to a good place for breakfast. She sent us to Petite Soleil which is right in the town, and has and will be one of our favorite spots when we're in Napa.

Atmosphere - Quaint converted house with indoor/outdoor seating. We were the first customers on a chilly morning so we sat inside, though there were warmers outside. When I mentioned there was a draft, the staff quickly turned up the heat to perfect.

The staff - lots of them and they were very attentive, helpful, and great.

The food - My wife got 2 pancakes with apple compote. The pancakes were huge and fluffy. The compote was chunky, perfectly spiced, and a great complement on a cold morning. It had a great fall taste. She also got a side of very fluffy scrambled eggs. I got the chicken and waffles. It was on the advise of the waiter who said it's a favorite of many returning customers - and he/they are right. The Waffle was large and perfect, dripping with melted butter and a bit of syrup, with a small bowl of syrup on the side. Atop the waffle was a perfectly fried chicken breast. Crispy and well seasoned, and perfectly moist.

We also split a side of apple/chicken sausage (clearly locally made and very yummy, with actual pieces of apple). And we also split a cherry/orange scone. They make their own backed goods and I had particular praise for the scone as I make them all the time. It had the feel that it was made just for us.

My warning is, come hungry. Their portions are generous and we definitely over-ordered. the scone ended up being a mid-morning snack, and though I ate most of my wife's leftover pancake, those last few bites (of the cake, not the delicious compote) were left on the plate.

I believe the total for the meal was about $62, though, as noted, we tried to eat through a good deal of the menu.

What a great diamond in a beautiful area of...

Went to a Sunday Brunch here as I had read and heard a lot of great things about the place from friends, locals, and reading other online reviews. Really was looking forward to a GREAT experience. Sadly myself and my dinning companion were disappointed. We had a service dog with us and noticed other dogs also on the outside patio. It was a warm June day and no water bowl was made available or offered to us for our puppy.

We had about a 25 Minute wait and they did offer some complimentary coffee so that was nice while waiting. I ordered the Eggs Benedict Italian style with ham and my companion the Chicken and Waffles. We also ordered a side of their biscuits . The biscuits came with butter and what was supposed to be I assume a Strawberry Jam or preserve but it was so watery in consistency that is was more like a syrup than a jam/preserve. The biscuits was just OK and not as buttery (flavorful) as I like them and have had them elsewhere.

Both our brunch dishes were tepid in temperature. The Waffles were not the rich buttermilk type that play well off the chicken. The chicken was a THICK white meat chicken breast and its batter seemed to have too much savory (thyme or other spice) seasonings which just did not mesh well with the sweetness of the syrup and these waffles which were soggy and simply not rich tasting. My Eggs Benedict - again along the generous amount of Hollandaise sauce was tepid when it arrived table side in temperature. I tend to prefer Hollandaise with a bit more zing or zip (lemon) in it and this was lacking in that area and just OK. The side of potatoes also arrived tepid and were mushy (not crunchy) breakfast potatoes.

The restaurant is essentially in downtown Napa, its quaint, its has a nice partially covered front patio and the setting and ambiance is neat. However at these prices (which were not inexpensive ) I would expect a more consistent knock your socks off product. Hope they get a few of these issues addressed as we'd like to give them...

If love is in the details, you can see it when you have a look around the restaurant, Petit Soleil Cafe on Clay. From the little vases of fresh flowers on each table, the sunshine hanging on the fence, and the coffee cups and glasses expressing rays of happy thoughts, you instantly feel welcomed. We are locals and have been here several times. Everything on the menu has been tasty. Biscuits are delicious! Eggs benedict are a classically good choice. Homemade toast and mimosas are a nice touch too! The outside patio is more tranquil than indoor seating (music could be less intrusive though).

They say it is the people that make a place and causes its customers to return again and again. In this case, it is the owner’s concept and good food that has us return, but not its staff. They can work on improving their hospitable nature.

Today, we were greeted by a woman who was noncommuicative, and disengaged. After taking our order, we saw her heading to the parking garage, never to return to us. Food came to the table shortly after she had left. The food runner was the friendliest of the bunch and said he would return with the other items and then did so. Food was hot this time. Someone else came after we were halfway finished with our meal to do a quality check back. No one ever cleared the dishes. When the check was presented, the 18% tip had been selected and incorporated into the total of the bill.

We will return because it is the best tasting brunch in town but we may not come as often because we can have an equally great meal at home and with more...