The Restaurant — Restaurant in St. Helena

If I could give zero stars, that would be my rating for one of the worst experiences I've had at Auberge. This was my second time dining here, and it will surely be my last as I refuse to spend money at an establishment where I felt my husband and I were treated differently because of our race.

My husband and I were in Napa Valley for the 4th of July weekend and had lunch reservations at Auberge on the 5th. We headed over to the hostess stand, where a couple in front of us was being checked in. The hostess was making friendly conversation with them and asked if they had any food allergies. However, when it was our turn, the hostess didn't even make eye contact and just asked for our name before telling us to step aside. My husband and I exchanged puzzled looks. Why did her tone change so suddenly when we walked up? While waiting to be seated, we noticed the same hostess greet the party after us warmly again and inquire about their allergies or food restrictions. This was such a weird and awkward interaction that made us feel excluded and unwelcome right from the start.

During our lunch, everyone was seated inside due to the heat. We saw several people walk out to the balcony to take pictures of the beautiful view. After our meal, we decided to do the same. As my husband was opening the door to the balcony, a different staff member blocked us and said they weren't allowing people onto the balcony, directing us to go downstairs for pictures. Confused, I asked why, since there were several other people still on the balcony. She just directed us outside again. We walked away, disbelieving what was happening. The same woman came over again and insisted we go downstairs. By this point, I was frustrated and deeply hurt as it felt like we were the only ones being denied access to the balcony. I asked why we couldn't go there when others were allowed and she had no answer and just stared at us blankly. I then asked if she would tell the other guests to leave the balcony or if the rules only applied to us. She finally agreed and said we could go out on the balcony if we wanted a picture.

At this point we went outside to the balcony out of principle, but I was already upset as it seemed we were being discriminated against. Moments after we walked outside, the hostess who had greeted us rudely in the beginning brought another guest outside and encouraged him to take as many pictures as he liked. The only difference between us and the other patrons who were greeted nicely and allowed on the balcony was the color of our skin. This ruined what should have been a pleasant dining experience. With the number of amazing restaurants in Napa that are welcoming and have great food, there is no need to go somewhere you are not welcomed.

After we left, I spoke to the manager on the phone. He assured me he would follow up via email or phone, but he never did. This lack of accountability and follow-through is unacceptable, especially at this level of establishment.

I hope that by sharing my experience, Auberge will take serious steps to train their staff on diversity and inclusion to ensure that no one else has to endure...

My one lonely star goes to Franco, our waiter, who was nothing less than superb and unbelievably attentive and caring and sympathetic to our anguish and frustration. Also, it is a kudos for the nice table location outside and the amazing view. However, the culinary experience missed the mark for the remaining stars when it came to the food. This is the 3rd disappointing Michelin starred restaurant I have been to in the past couple of months and confirms my belief Michelin stars belong on tires and not on restaurant labels! So here goes: the calamari was a bit wilted and the smell of frying oil coming off of it was quite pungent; the pizza was blah, cheeseless and tasteless (but the dough was ok); the french fries were overfried and tasted like McDonalds after it was refried and had been sitting around for while untouched; the rigatoni was a disaster of disasters, just pasta swimming around in a sea of lemony water with flavorless corn bits and zuchini pieces (the waiter was kind enough to take it off the bill). The dessert, strawberry millefeuille was ok, but I have come to hate chefs who think culinary genius and creativity comes from serving a traditional dish or dessert in a deconstructed way that ends up being a nightmare for whoever is eating to reconstruct it to derive the expected taste experience from it - Borrriiing! During the course of the meal, I asked why the menu was so poor and unimpressive, and I was told that mondays and tuesdays is just casual food and that the fine dining is only from wednesday to saturday (or sunday). Now, I had booked tuesday night because it was our 25th wedding anniversary and was super disappointed to learn that I was duped by the hotel's restaurant booking system into believing that I was booking the fine dining experience instead of tasteless bar food. You see, their website states that dining is wednesday to saturday but when you go in to book, you are directed to Open Table which shows monday and tuesday dining booking options but does not alert you that you are booking a tasteless bar food experience instead of the fine dining one (not sure it would be fine dining given the poor performance with the bar/casual food). After I complained to the hostess, she could only apologize and agree that it was an error in their system to which I replied that such an error is deceptive behavior towards customers. She had nothing else to say to that except "yeah". Anyway, even if we ended up being duped into casual bar food, this is a Michelin star restaurant, and one would expect nothing less than impeccable food quality, even if it is just a plate of bread with butter or olive oil. But I guess Michelin keeps disappointing and has become nothing more than a bunch of clueless umbrella carrying twits hoping for a free meal in return for dishing out their useless Michelin stars. I've had better food in corner side restaurants all over Italy than many of the Michelin starred restaurants I have...

Disappointing Anniversary Experience at a Michelin-Rated Restaurant:

I recently stayed at this hotel to celebrate my 6-year anniversary and had high expectations for an unforgettable evening at their Michelin-rated restaurant. Unfortunately, the experience fell short in a way that genuinely surprised me given the standard of service elsewhere in Napa.

When we arrived, the host greeted us and acknowledged our anniversary, so they were clearly aware of the occasion. However, despite this — and despite my travel agent and the hotel’s head of guest relations specifically requesting a table with an unobstructed view, plus my personal visit that morning to confirm — no table had been reserved for us. Instead, we were seated in the far back corner with no view at all. For paying guests of the hotel, this feels surprisingly lackadaisical and dismissive. There was no extra effort from management to make the evening feel special, which was disheartening for such a milestone celebration.

I want to be clear: Michael and Erin were wonderful and went above and beyond to try to salvage the evening. Their warmth and professionalism were appreciated. However, the two managers on duty that night appeared condescendingly aloof and in desperate need of training and possible reconsideration of their role at this restaurant altogether. They showed no discretion regarding the situation, even though I made a point to discuss it quietly, out of consideration for other guests enjoying their evening. When I went to the front desk to address it, the manager had the audacity to say, “We can’t just ask a guest to get up so you can have a table,” which wasn’t even a request—it was simply a matter of having a table properly reserved in advance.... Every other staff member I encountered at the hotel, including those who served me breakfast each morning or pool service, provided exceptional service — the stark contrast was noticeable.

I truly wish I could be leaving a 5-star review, but the lack of care in honoring a special occasion at the hotel’s own signature restaurant leaves me no choice but to give 2 stars. When you’re paying to stay at a property of this caliber, you expect the in-house restaurant to set the standard for service — sadly, that was not the case here. I acknowledge that they tried to make it right by comping the dinner, which I understand is a nice gesture. But it felt like that was only because they recognized how poorly they had handled the situation altogether and realized their mistake. I was simply looking for a remarkable evening to celebrate—which is why I booked it—not the disappointing experience I ended up having. I hope they learn from this so other guests celebrating a special evening don't have to...