Date: October 16, 2005
Location: 1142 Main Street, Napa
Corkage: haven't taken a bottle in here yet
Cost: $180(including tax & tip) for party of three
Phone: 707.224.8319

Fill in your blank, I am always wary about any restaurant advertised as contemporary (Asian) cuisine. I very rarely ever walk into one of these restaurants, as for the most part, it's Americanized and at a higher price tag.
Surprisingly, I've now been to Annalien three times, or maybe four in the last month, which is fairly new opened in July.

If you are looking for authentic Vietnamese Pho, you are not going to find it here. If you are looking to get away with $10 or less as with most hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese restaurants, don't look here either.

What you will find however is a nice Asian restaurant located in Downtown Napa, a nice change of pace from everything else in the Valley. While not 100% authentic, decidedly so based on the type of clientele the restaurant is setup to attract, all the dishes on the menu retains it's original root with a touch of American to please all the palate that would walk in their door.

Not exactly small plates, but more on the petite side, all dishes are wonderful. The three times I've visited, we probably went through 15 different items, with the help of ttepper and/or DJ Hombre.

A nice restaurant with a very relaxed atmosphere, definitely worth a visit if you find yourself in Napa for a few days and would like a change of pace from the norm. Be sure to stop by and say hello to Anna (owner) and May (manager).