Tra Vigne in St. Helena.
Sad news for Wine Country diners: St. Helena’s Tra Vigne will be closing its doors.
This morning, Inside Scoop received a tip that earlier this week employees were notified by the restaurant that it would be ending its 28 year run as of December 20th.
We reached out to Tra Vigne partner Bill Higgins, who confirmed the news.
According to Higgins, there are essentially two things that prompted the decision to close: The building — which Chronicle restaurant critic Michael Bauer once wrote felt like the “quintessential Wine Country restaurant” — particularly the roof and flooring in the kitchen is in disrepair and needs considerable work done to fix it.
Another reason, the restaurant’s 25 year lease, which is owned by another Tra Vigne partner, Bill Harlan (Founder of Napa cult winery Harlan Estate), was up, and Harlan opted not to renew. Inside Scoop was unable to reach Harlan for comment.
Happily, there is a silver lining to this cloud.
Tra Vigne’s nearby sister restaurant Tra Vigne Pizzeria will remain open, and Higgins says that much of the Tra Vigne’s menu, along with its chef Nash Cognetti, will eventually find a home there. In addition to Cognetti, Higgins also hopes to find a home at the pizzeria for as many of Tra Vigne’s employees as possible.
Also transferring over is Tra Vigne’s cocktail program and artwork.
“It’ll be a lot more than what it is now,” says Higgins. There may even be a name change in the future teases Higgins.
As far as what will eventually takeover the Tra Vigne space, stay tuned.
Tra Vigne, 1050 Charter Oak Ave., Saint Helena. (707) 963-4444. travignerestaurant.com
Tra Vigne Pizzeria, 1016 Main St., St Helena. (707) 967-9999. travignerestaurant.com/pizzeria