Prelude at the Green Music Center

The serving staff and hostess need MUCH better guidance. It is the «service industry» and they should only be there if they take pride in providing superlative service. They were ALL consistently indifferent, uninformed, and mechanical, from the hostess ‘s greeting to the delay in appearing at the table, to how the order is taken, to refilling water glasses to serving the various courses. Sure there are the requisite social «boundaries» but being engaging, gracious and hospitable goes a long way, over mechanical, indifferent, «this is something I have to do temporarily» attitude.
The chilled potato leek soup (formerly a.k.a Vichyssoise) was awesome, incredible. The Arctic char was overdone/​dead /​dry, the «risotto», of sorts, was over herbed, too strong & too many competing flavors, should have shown some restraint to better reveal the nuances of the herbs and not overwhelm the char, AND the corn in the risotto was the toughest most tasteless corn I have ever eaten, worse than frozen corn, inexcusable during peak sweet corn season in an agricultural community.
The ambience is lovely and the convenience of being able to dine so close to the performance we were attending were the redeeming factors.

The service was wonderful. The menu had many tempting choices. Our salads were excellent. My companion’s Arctic char with shrimp was very good. My pappardelle with pork had a scant bit of pork and a large amount of pasta, which I didn’t want to eat just before a concert. At the Green Music Center the food should enhance the musical experience, not interfere with it. We gave them an hour and a half to deliver our food. As it was we only got into the concert hall with a minute to spare. Unlike almost anywhere else, the kitchen at Prelude should devote its resources to getting its customers into the concert in a timely manner. The quality of the meal is wasted if the diners are frantic to finish eating in time.

Setting is beautiful and very convenient to Green Music Center. We had a price fix menu which we didn’t know about in advance. The food was ok but certainly didn’t justify the cost. The risotto was flavorless. We have a very picky 14 year old. She could find nothing on the menu she liked and the kitchen couldn’t accommodate her in any way. For such a lovely venue the food, menu and service were a disappointment.

we’ve discovered that you are now able to order a la carte from the regular menu at the bar. now we can enjoy our meals without having to throw down gargantuan portions. service at the bar is, as always, very sweet.

Have been back a dozen times since first review. For ambience, quality, and price … Prelude is an all time favorite…

Fellow audience members at the Green Music Center described this place to us as the «only game in town,» and I suppose those are the laurels on which Prelude rests. Food was mostly bland and uninteresting. Service seemed attentive on the surface, but eventually we realized that we had been at our table for two solid hours and the musical presentation at Green was about to begin one long walk away. Dessert got gobbled down in a hurry. One final note: The place was quite noisy.

Very nice setting inside and out. But the food was subpar for the price our food came out cold and very flavorless. The biggest part that upset us was the fact that the waitress did nothing about it after we complained that our food was cold. We paid the bill and left. It’s really to bad it’s such a beautiful restaurant but the food not so much …

First we heard the amazing Philippe Jaroussky and the Venice Baroque Orchestra make magical music at Weill Hall, then we had this wonderfully elegant dinner at Prelude, because I made reservations. The booking was, let me modestly say, a genius coup on my part: the 2 events completed one another and made for a perfect evening in an otherwise not so glamorous part of California. Indeed, Prelude is inside Weill Hall, which itself is on the grounds of Sonoma State University, which itself is located in — despite its name– well, Rohnert Park. Not Sonoma, pups. Rohnert Park.
2 weeks before, we attended another concert and did not make a reservation at Prelude, so we ate in one of the strip malls of Rohnert Park, because it was nearby and seemed practical. Let me tell you: this was no foodie experience, and the glamour quotient was extremely low. So we learned our lesson, and booked a table for 4 at Prelude for after our next concert– the Jaroussky concert. We were elated by Jaroussky’s sublime performance, and then we loved our meal at Prelude so much that we lingered in the restaurant till closing time. Really. No one threw us out! Lovely setting, elegant space, well spaced tables, attentive service, good menu: it was an absolute delight to have dinner with our friends that night in that spot. A night to remember.
My advice: if you buy tickets and drive to Weill Hall to attend a concert, don’t be cheap; book a table at Prelude at the same time, and… appreciate your luck.

This was the worst dining experience I have ever had:
1– We arrived almost 2 hours before the SR Symphony performance and barely got out of the restaurant in time.
2– No one even acknowledged our presence (besides seating us) for over 30 minutes. 3– We were not informed about the specials and never asked if we wanted coffee or dessert (thank God!).
4– The worst was the fact that once I asked about the specials, I was told by the Manager that one of the specials was «lobster ravioli», which I then ordered. When it came, there seemed to be no lobster at all, so I asked the chef, who was walking the dining room and he said there was no lobster ravioli on the menu and no lobster in the kitchen at all!!!
Obviously, we (although we are season subscribers to the Symphony) will never come here again.

I love classical music, and I’m a huge fan of the Sonoma County Wine Country experience. Having the Green Music Center open and close by for concerts is sure to be a fun thing that will only make the quality of life in this area even better. We are so blessed! Living the good life here, just got a little bit nicer. :)

The restaurant’s first virtue is that it is convenient for concert attendance. For this reason alone, we will continue to patronize Prelude. Second, the ambience is elegant and serene in appearance befitting the concert experience, although the actual noise level is quite high. The service and food are good but not outstanding. I get the distinct feeling, the food is prepared on an assembly line and the salads show this the most. While i want anchovies in my caesar salad, I don’t want the dressing to taste of anchovies. My filet mignon was tasty, but I suspect it was not a true cut from the small end of the tenderloin.

We dined here on a Sunday evening after an afternoon concert. The food was very good and the service was attentive. As others have noted, the servers are students, but they are quite professional and knowledgeable.
The ambiance is really nice; modern but warm. Even though some of the tables are quite close together, the sound level is quiet. The bar area is very elegant.
There is an outdoor area with fire pits that is inviting.
The prices are a bit steep, but not out of line for a restaurant of this caliber. I’d definitely recommend this place for a special occasion.

I dined at Prelude before a show recently and had a wonderful experience. Food was great but the menu was a bit limited. I was able to fine something I really enjoyed. The ambience is spectacular and Sonoma State University is truly lucky to have something like this on their campus. Servers were students and were great but when I entered there was a male host at the entrance was very snarky and on the phone, ignoring us as if we weren’t there to be a PAYING CUSTOMER. He totally brushed us off and he took away from the warm presence of the restaurant. I hope they fix this, it because it was a very discouraging entry. Otherwise, bravo Prelude!

I am sure that Prelude just has growing pains, but the staff needs better training and some busser help to clear tables, serve water and bread. Right now the servers are doing that in addition to trying to serve. We were there for the Symphony. Our wait was loooooong for food. Corkage is $ 15.00, but although it was a Sauvignon Blanc, the bottle was put unceremoniously on the table without being poured and without an ice bucket. Customers at the table next to us, after waiting 25 minutes, went to the bar to get their own wine. No one came near their table for the first 15 minutes while they sat and sat.
This is a lovely restaurant that needs better management. I’m sure it will all work out in the end.

My daughter and I dined here for a sumptuous brunch buffet on the day she graduated from Sonoma State University. The approach to the building is wonderfully warm (as we love Wine Country & Italian styling with a modern twist). The serving personnel were wonderful and friendly. The staff was very eager to please. The dining area is comfortable and even though expansive, we still felt an intimacy in our location. Sitting near the fireplace is an extra plus. The patio area is wonderful. Easy parking and a beautiful location in Sonoma County is a huge plus. We’re planning on returning for dinner for a special occasion soon.

I was at Prelude on Saturday for a wedding– it’s a fabulous new facility for events and weddings in Sonoma County. Very different than anything else around, it has a very modern (yet comfortable) feel.
The indoor space includes a built in bar– due to uncertain weather, dancing was held in the bar area (it was originally planned for outside on the patio). The bar area, as well as the adjacent dining area, feature really nice hard wood floors, and clean modern lines. It is also well lit, with lots of glass doors out to the patio, and high windows allowing natural light in.
The patio had some nice patio furniture (which created lounge areas), a fountain and a couple of built in fire pits (as well as heaters, for cool evenings). For warm summer evenings, I’m sure this would be an awesome location for dance parties.
The ceremony was held on the event lawn– as far as lawns go, this one was pretty awesome! A lush square of greenery, surrounded by landscaping and a decorative wall, this is another really nice event space.
Overall, this venue is well laid out, and flexible. Kelley, the Hospitality Manager, was very helpful and easy to work with. The food was superb– both in taste and in presentation.
For someone who is looking for a more modern feel, this is a great wedding option, particularly the inside space. The outside spaces have a little more classic Wine Country feel to them– together, a nice combination.