On May 28th, we decided to pay a visit to Napa. With our son, it was not convenient to do wine tasting, but we still had a good time touring downtown Napa. After that, we had to try Bistro Don Giovanni that received rave reviews, especially from San Francisco Chronicle.
The restaurant was right off highway 29, on Howard Lane. It was a small exit with no traffic lights, but you wouldn't miss the handsome sign clearly visible from highway.
Surrounded by vineyards, Bistro Don Giovanni had a beautiful garden itself. You could enjoy the green garden with outdoor patio seating, but since it was still cloudy and cool, we went straight inside the dining room. The deco and space layout was friendly. It wasn't fancy, but the atmosphere was easy and relaxing.
The menu was simple yet powerful, screaming Italian everywhere. Wine list, on the other hand, was much more comprehensive and formal.
We had grilled asparagus, carpaccio as starter, penne bolognese and spaghetti with clams and mussels as main dishes. Our son had pizza per Bambini. It was a veggie pizza, but one thing was right for him - "Tomato, Mozzarella, Fries, no Green Stuff ".
The food was very good. Bolognese had the unusual duck ragu, it was a bit salty, but nicely done. carpaccio was thinly sliced and beautifully plated. Traditional Italian wood oven pizza was thin, crispy, mozzarella was to die for.
We came in at the late lunch hour, so had witnessed other tables enjoy their desserts while we ate our main course. They looked so good, so we decided we had to have some. Even though we were pretty full, we managed to have a Tiramisu and a "Bostini" Trifle. Bostini Trifle is layers of chocolate, caramel, roasted almonds, and cream in a tall, slender glass. It was playful, and sometimes embarrassing to struggle to scoop out the bottom layer of nuts using the long spoon. But it was fun.
Service was average. Nothing outstanding, but we were comfortable.
Overall, Bistro Don Giovanni was very good. We particularly liked the easy atmosphere. It was a great family stopover in the heart of Napa Valley.
No comments:
Post a Comment