Napa Noodles CA Mon 9/5/22 Labor Day Heat Dome over SF Bay 111-116F
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Listen, I give everyone what they need. I just love people.
First things first. Phenomenal crew here. Ali. Ari. This place stands on your shoulders. Appreciate your camaraderie always. And you made the spirit of Labor Day shine, so that's awesome. The owner gotta give you the praise for saving the day, that's fantastic and cool my friends. Now to the details.
For bartenders & servers, this is a workday. On Labor Day. In 111 heat. The heat dome is sitting over the West. And over California. That's the premise.
Unprecedented heat! NorCal under the Heat Dome got us all in a lockdown scorcher! Temps got to 111F in the San Francisco Bay, 116F up North, 118F Sacramento valley! That day, Monday, 'only' 97 in LA the LaLa land! Baking! Hope power stays On!
Drove over the Golden Gate Bridge to escape the Silicon Valley heat & ironically got into a hotter territory. Corte Madera, Petaluma, Sonoma, all towns looked deserted, and I ended up in Napa, at Napa Noodles downtown spot.
Walked in & was promptly welcomed & offered any available seat. Chosen the bar.
Sparkly for the holiday! Brut Prestige is Mumm Napa's signature sparkling wine. Elegant & relaxed wine that earns sparkling accolades. A complex assemblage of primarily Pinot Noir & Chardonnay. Excellent food wine. Refreshing acidity. Medium-bodied. It opens with layered white blossom aromas, followed by creamy vanilla, citrus, stone fruit and melon. Rich elegant mousse finish. Crisp!
Twice the retail nowadays is fair. Side note, some places triple the retail price and it goes against my grain. So I'm Okay with a $36 bottle of Napa champagne that's $18 at the grocery store.. you get served, right?
Ramens, soups, noodles, rice plates with proteins, and more, a little bit of everything is on the menu. Chatted with Ali to find out what's spicy, of course. Korean Kimchi Jjigae Soup hit the spot.
And that's where we also hit an hour and a half hiccup. First half hour, maybe 40 mins, run up pretty fast, with a glass of bubbly after the glass. Hanging out with Ali and Ari was fun, too!
And then I realized, hungry as hell, no food is coming, not even a cucumber salad, while everyone else who's orders were keyed in 40 mins past mine, are eating.. and eating.. and settling their checks.. singular patrons at the bar, as well as tables with larger sized parties.
Asked Ali to check with the kitchen & it did seem as though my order was pushed out somehow, or forgotten all together. It took another half hour, at least.. my photo had a time stamp on it :-)
I just can't give less than 5-star reviews. Not in my nature (unless a major screw up occurred). This was a toss up between 1 & 5 stars LOL. In the end, I just couldn't blackball Napa Noodles. The food was good!
I get it, the daytime heat & emptiness of the place was quickly overtaken by people coming in to eat, after the sun has set. And I have to give bartender staff credit for vigorously defending the kitchen. No ill intent! Of course not! Just that my food wasn't here & I had a long drive home to take. Kitchen just wouldn't do anything to make the wrong right!
Well, Ali did - she apologized profusely and took off $12 from my Mumm. That's nice! Ali saved the day. And I can't say that pleasant evening hasn't been had. In fact, it was comfortable and relaxing to spend the night at Napa Noodles. When the food came out, it was hot & delicious.
So, all in all, kindness & humanity won and we parted happily, at the closing time, with a free nightcap! Who would say no to that?
Praises for friendliness, Ali (Alissa) and Ari, you rock! Gotta come back and hangout again!
Cheers!
*The slightest move, the smallest touch
We've built such an incredible distance
You'd find me there by that yellow street sign
Life can change in an instant
*Don't take your thoughts so seriously
Sometimes weird shit gets up inside your head
You probably thought I wasn't listening
But I clung to every word you said
[ Review #723 posted with 6 pics on Sep 20, 2022 ]
Mumm Napa, excellent food wine, crisp & elegant! 36 @Napa Noodles CA Mon 9/5/22 Labor Day Heatwave
Sunomono Salad~Sliced English Cucumber~Rainbow Kelp~Lemon rice wine vinaigrette 9.95 @Napa Noodles CA Mon 9/5/22 Labor Day Heatwave
Kimchi Jjigae Soup (Korea)~Spicy Chicken Broth~Pork Belly~Kimchi~Korean Rice Cake 19.95 @Napa Noodles CA Mon 9/5/22 Labor Day Heatwave
Red orchid by the bar! @Napa Noodles CA Mon 9/5/22 Labor Day Heatwave
The nightcap! Thanks to Ali! @Napa Noodles CA Mon 9/5/22 Labor Day Heatwave
Ali pouring refreshing & fruity Mumm Napa! 36 @Napa Noodles CA Mon 9/5/22 Labor Day Heatwave
Emergency Alert
*CalOES, Conserve energy now to protect public health and safety. Extreme heat is straining the state energy grid. Power interruptions may occur unless you take action. Turn off or reduce nonessential power if health allows. read more