Report: Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen, St. Helena
We flew into Sacramento to start our vacation and lingered in the capitol city just long enough to pick up our rental car and realize why Shaq referred to it as a "Cow Town." Forty-five minutes on I-80, then 15 more on the Carneros Highway and 29 through Napa, and just like that we were rolling into St. Helena and hungry for burgers and beer. Here we had a can't-go-wrong choice -- Taylor's Automatic Refresher or Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen. Longing for inside seating and table service, we went to Cindy's, located on one of the back streets of downtown St. Helena. Go figure.
Cindy's is the second restaurant of Cindy Pawlcyn, chef of the famous Mustards Napa Valley Grill. (She has a third that just opened in St. Helena, a seafood joint called Go Fish.) We have eaten at Mustards twice and it has a special place in our culinary memory. On our first trip to the wine country, it was the site of our "last supper." We had the Mongolian pork chop and the lemon-lime meringue pie. On our last trip to the wine country, it was the under card for our dinner at The French Laundry. We had the Mongolian pork chop and the lemon-lime meringue pie. Needless to say, we were eager to check out Chef Pawlcyn in her new spot. And check her out I did. Really. No sooner had we sat down than she strolled through the dining room in her crisp blue chef's jacket. "I loved you on Top Chef!" I yelled as she walked swiftly back into kitchen. Figuring she didn't hear me, I followed up with "Oh my God we're back again! Backstreet's back alright!" That got her attention, and she re-emerged from the kitchen brandishing a menacing copper skillet that reflected her lovely silver hair. We decided to order.
Burgers we wanted and burgers we got. But not before splitting their delicious twist on a Nicoise salad -- mixed greens in a mustard vinaigrette, jumbo asparagus, oily tuna, Piquillo peppers, new potatoes, boiled eggs, and a few other items. Then the Trauma Whisperer had the Backstreet Burger - 1/2 pound Niman Ranch beef, homemade pickles, and fries. I had the forget it Jake, it's Chinatown Duck Burger with marinated shiitake mushrooms, homemade Chinese mustard, and fries. Both burgers were exceptional. We washed them down with North Coast Scrimshaw Pilsner from the tap. Aiming to pace ourselves, we skipped dessert.
LPM
Apr 26, 2007 06:47PM
Hello LPM and fellow Chow's,
My wife and I too, wanted burgers for lunch about a month ago, and wandered into Cindy's. The food and service were fantastic, so much so, we made dinner reservations for that night on the spot. The dinner menu was a real mixture of California cuisine and other exotic fares. Again, we were not disappointed.
bbqman
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Cindy's Backstreet rarely disappoints. I agree re: the duck burger. The rabbit tostada is terrific as are the stuffed piquillos. On the lighter side even the papaya salad. Clearly not a burger joint but you should give Go Fish a try next time (her newest place). I've limited myself there though, and only go for the sushi. But, I have tried their version of Fish N Chips with fried smelts, which I've enjoyed.
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Cindy's is not my favorite. Service has ALWAYS been mediocure at best. Food is good, but not GREAT. I do love the duck burger and the tostada. I once ordered a lobster macaroni and they forgot the lobster at 19.00 a plate, come on. SO many better places to go in St. Helena, trust me, I live here.
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Since my wife and I will be visiting the Napa Valley area (staying in Napa) in July, how about sharing your suggestions Valleygirl? Would love to know where to go to get a great burger, casual dinners, and great breakfasts throughout the area.
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If you spend any time in/near the town of Sonoma, one of my favorite lunch places is Olive & Vine, a catering company with a storefront cafe in Glen Ellen which is a few miles north of Sonoma. Also in Glen Ellen is one of the best breakfast places around, Garden Court Cafe & Bakery. Their biscuits and “Granny’s sausage and gravy” should not be missed and can be easily (and wisely) shared. On the square in downtown Sonoma is Sunflower Caffe, a very good deli-type lunch place with a great patio in the back.
Olive & Vine
14301 Arnold Drive
Glen Ellen
707-996-9150
Wed-Sun 11-5
Garden Court Cafe & Bakery
Glen Ellen
707-935-1565
7:30-2:00 Closed Tuesday
http://gardencourtcafe.com
Sunflower Caffe
421 West First St. (next to the hotel)
Sonoma
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I had pretty much the same experience as you. People seem to love her restaurants but they seem pretty average to me. Mustards and Fog City Diner were new and exciting in the 1980s but I'm looking for a different kind of experience now.
I haven't been to Go Fish but I will say that it is one UGLY building from the outside.
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My husband and I just got back from Napa and were also quite disappointed in Cindy's. The food we felt was very over seasoned. The rabbit tostada was overpowered by the black beans, the "famous" oysters were really nothing special (IMHO), the quail was overpowered by the seasoning/pepper (I could not get the pepper after taste out of my mouth for about 20 mins) and the duck was over powered by the citrus glaze. Service was also quite mediocre.The pot de creme dessert was quite lovely though. I would recommend spending those dollares elsewhere. Redd & Ad Hoc were both much preferred over Cindys.
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Me too!! I just went this weekend.. My husband and I are going in October.. We will go to Martini Ranch.. Had a drink there .. and ok.. it looks wonderful! I believe the food I have heard is good too..but we need one other. so.. valley girlll..what say you??????
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Another valleygirl here...I'd also recommend Martini House. A must-taste for me would be Terra, in St. Helena like Martini House. I'm IN LOVE with Ubuntu, in downtown Napa.
I've liked Redd, but don't care for the restaurant itself. I love the burgers and short-ribs at Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen -- they are really wonderful. I can't recommend Cindy's other restos, though -- Mustards (just about the worst resto meal in 10 years a month ago) or Go Fish. I like bar dining at Boonfly quite a bit. Love the steaks, Kobe burger and sides at Press. Bistro Don Giovanni is always consistent and very good, esp. the apps. Do a search on each of these restos for more info. Lots of stuff here.
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I just got back from a day trip to St. Helena, and a friend recommended Cindy's. My boyfriend and I got dinner there last night, and we really enjoyed ourselves.
I got the 'Incredible Tamales,' made with grits instead of masa, filled with mushrooms, and wrapped in a leaf of chard. The Yucatecan salsa that surrounded them was fresh, and had a little bit of heat from the whole habañero pepper that the waiter told us is cooked with the sauce. There were also almonds and golden raisins in the tamales, which added some crunch and a nice sweetness. One complaint was that the chard stems got a little tough and stringy, and had to be sawed through with a knife. Overall, though, really excellent.
My boyfriend got the Laura Chenel goat cheese ravioli appetizer as an entree sized portion. This dish was definitely not as good as mine and was a bit lacking in texture. The sauce, made from Gaeta olives, was good, but not especially exciting. The ravioli tasted nice, but I tried them and preferred my dish.
The papaya--avocado salad we started with was also excellent. I usually don't like papaya, but these were perfect and really complemented by the spicy baby greens, smooth avocado, and buttery macadamia nuts. The papaya seed dressing was zesty and fruity.
Desserts were awesome. I got a fromage blanc cheesecake with amaretto crust and hucklberry sauce, and my boyfriend got the pineapple upside down cake. I was too full to finish mine, but the pineapple cake was completely devoured.
We're both vegetarians, and on a meat-heavy menu the veggie dishes are often boring. However, we had an excellent meal, and would return again.
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The tamales sound interesting. Were they on the moist or dry side? Nice report. Thanks for the update.
1327 Railroad Ave St Helena CA
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Not dry at all. They grits were really creamy so nothing was dry or crumbly in the least.
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