Napa's Opera House Will Transform Into Jazz-Themed Supper Club

Napa’s Napa Valley Opera House is having a bit of a hard time getting its stuff together. For the last two years, City Winery, a New York City-based restaurant and venue, has operated the restaurant in that space, but owner Michael Dorf said it “failed to live up to … financial expectations.” Dorf asked to be released from a ten-year contract after a year and a half of “losses that were too great to absorb,” as it was difficult to fill the 350 seats upstairs for nightly shows.

Now, in an effort to revitalize the space, the Opera House is bringing in yet another NYC-based company to run operations. This time it’s Blue Note, a jazz club and restaurant that will transplant its concept into the ground floor of the Opera House. A ten-year lease has been signed and remodeling permits have been approved.

The remodel of the downstairs bar and restaurant, scheduled to begin mid-April and allegedly wrap up mid-summer, will fit 150 people with nightly performances. The company is currently interviewing local chefs to run the evening supper club, as well as Sunday brunch. Blue Note currently has locations in New York City, Tokyo, Honolulu and has plans to open three more locations in Beijing this year.