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Bistro Jeanty, Yountville, California

Bistro Jeanty

Bistro Jeanty is a French bistro, located on the main street in Yountville, that captures a little piece of the French countryside. The restaurant opened in 1998, after chef Phillipe Jeanty – who had spent several years working in fine dining in the Napa valley – decided he wanted a restaurant that would serve some of the same dishes that he enjoyed growing up in the Champagne region of France. The bistro is decked out with all kinds of classic French signs and authentic bistro furniture (yes, even the chairs are imported from France!).

I found that this restaurant is a big favorite with the locals. There is no shortage of good restaurants in Napa or in Yountville, of course, but Bistro Jeanty is one that gets recommended again and again for good, French comfort food. It’s not too expensive and has a nice, casual atmosphere to it. The number one recommendation I’ve received is for the tomato soup and, if you are a tomato soup fan, I have to say that you can’t go wrong by ordering that when you visit.

Bistro Jeanty

On this particular trip, which was part of my #weekwithILX road trip, I visited Bistro Jeanty for lunch. Their enclosed heated patio was a wonderful place to sit on a rainy day, but I have to admit that the green screens around the patio made me feel a little like I was on a French movie set! Service here is excellent, no matter what you order, and that is always a plus at a restaurant.

Bread Basket at Bistro Jeanty

The tomato soup is large enough to be a full meal – or split between two people if you only want an appetizer-sized portion of it (and it is still big!). It comes out of the kitchen topped with a huge dome of buttery puff pastry. To eat it, you simply crack open the pastry to get to the creamy, rich soup within. It has a wonderful flavor of fresh tomatoes and butter, with a smoothness from the cream. It is definitely a hearty soup (and a bit indulgent), perfect for a cool day. I liked breaking up the pastry as I ate, dipping little pieces into the soup.

Bistro Jeanty Soup
Bistro Jeanty Soup

In addition to the soup, we rounded out lunch with some Duck Liver Mousse served with Brioche, which seemed like a nice French accent to the meal and went well with the soup and a little dab of the spicy French mustard set on the table. The mousse is probably not for everyone (it probably depends a bit on how much you like liver) – but the brioche certainly is, because it is delicious. We also paired this with a side of their fries which were excellent.

Liver Mousse at Bistro Jeanty

Fries at Bistro Jeanty

Bistro Jeanty
6510 Washington Street
Yountville, CA 94599

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2 Comments
  • Nadia
    December 6, 2012

    I’m enjoying your restaurant and food reviews in between your recipes but this post made me wonder what your stance on ethical eating is. I don’t mean to pry or to break some foodie taboo, just wondering 🙂

  • Nicole
    December 6, 2012

    Nadia – I have to say that I think all of the restaurants in Napa highly value using locally produced, locally sourced products – both meat and vegetable – to a very high degree. There are co-op gardens just for chefs, and quite a few restaurants that have gardens out behind them. They take great care and pride in getting locally, ethically sourced ingredients – and I am more than happy to support them and that philosophy with repeat visits every time that I can.

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