Trip Planning Guide » Yountville restaurants

The best Italian restaurants in Napa and Sonoma.

Trip — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 02:00:43 +0000

Bottega Yountville

California wine country produces a lot more than just grapes. Because of the mild climate, there are excellent local fruits and vegetables all year long. The nearness of the Pacific guarantees impeccably fresh seafood. And artisanal food purveyors are producing wonderful cheeses, salumi, and condiments.

Although wine country is best known for its French restaurants, there are also some great Italian restaurants in the valleys.

Napa Valley Italian restaurants

With a more ambitious menu than most Italian restaurants, Bistro Don Giovanni is a popular spot in downtown Napa. Starters include an excellent Pumpkin Ravioli in brown butter sauce with sage, Carpaccio, a cheese plate, and a salad of beets and haricots verts. Pizzas emerge from the wood-fired oven thin and crispy. Try fig, caramelized onion, gorgonzola, arugula, and Balsamic vinegar. Paccheri with a Sonoma duck Bolognese and rabbit cacciatore are just the thing on a cool, fall evening. Or you could opt for grilled California sea bass or steak frites.

If you can, grab a table on the outdoor terrace near the fireplace. Bisto Don Giovanni’s owners run Scala Bistro in San Francisco and they change the menu with the seasons. As you’d expect, the wine list is very good. Reservations are a good idea, especially on weekends.

Uva Trattoria & Bar is usually jumping. In fact, they have jazz five nights a week. So this isn’t the place for a quiet, romantic dinner for two. But it’s a convivial place with good food and a lively bar. The little fried rice balls called arancini are an addictive starter. Weekly specials might include baked gnocchi with burrata cheese and pomodoro sauce, bucatini al’amatriciana, and pan-roasted sea bass. In addition to the specials, there are usually five or six pizzas, ten pasta dishes, and three or four entrees.

Celebrity chef/Food Network TV host Michael Chiarello opened Bottega in the old V Marketplace in Yountville a year ago. Zagat named Bottega the top newcomer of the year and Esquire included it in their list of the Top 20 new restaurants. The design is casual but modern with brick walls, stone fireplaces, and plenty of couches for lounging. Although it’s a huge space, it’s divided into more manageable areas, and the patio is very inviting. This is not the place to watch your figure. The soft boiled egg in the Pecorino cheese flan is deep fried. And green eggs and ham comes swimming in Cambazola crema. The salumi is made in house and the crudo is sensational. All the pastas are made from scratch and sauces made with duck, rabbit, and chanterelles are hearty and filling. Braised lamb shanks, short ribs, duck confit, and whole, wood-oven roasted fish are the stars of the secondi.

Green Eggs and Ham

Ten years ago, Chiarello was the partner/chef at Tra Vigne in St. Helena. One of the most romantic restaurants in the valley, it has a lovely vine-covered patio that seems like it was plucked from a Tuscan hill town. It’s magical at night when the trees are dressed with little white lights. Inside, the stylish dining room has brick walls, high ceilings, and a hand-carved bar. Papperdelle with rabbit ragu and wild mushrooms, carbonara with guanciale and organic eggs, and duck confit risotto pave the way for wood-oven roasted Dungeness crab and pan-seared Quinault River steelhead. The 200-wine list changes frequently.

Just around the corner on Main Street, Pizzeria Tra Vigne serves authentic Neapolitan pizzas in a casual setting. The garlic rolls are perfect for taking the edge off while you wait for your pizza, but they’re hard to stop eating. There are several salads, pasta dishes like spaghetti and meatballs and shrimp fettuccini, and a nice selection of oven-baked flatbread with salad on top. But it would be a shame to come here and not order pizza. Traditional pies like Margherita and Ducati with Italian sausage, mushrooms, and sun-dried tomatoes compete with unconventional pizzas like Positano with gulf shrimp and fried lemons, and Gardiniere with brocolli, cauliflower, and spicy garlic soffrito.

Sonoma Valley Italian restaurants.

Red Grape Pizzeria

Sonoma is one of the most charming towns in California Wine Country. Shops, hotels, and restaurants line its 19th-century plaza and there’s a farmer’s market on Tuesday evenings in summer.

The Della Santina family comes from Lucca, Italy, and they’ve been serving Tuscan-inspired cuisine in Sonoma since 1990. They found a beautiful old stone building to house their restaurant. You’ll find all the usual pastas and entrees — the gnocchi della nonna is especially good — but what’s really special here are the spit-roasted meats. You can choose from chicken, pork, rabbit, or duck. Or if you can’t choose, you can order skewers with three different meats. The 3-course dinner special is a good value at $30 per person. On Tuesdays, they have a prix fixe menu that features Italian wine pairings. If the weather’s nice, opt for a table out on the brick patio. There’s a nice selection of wine for less than $40 a bottle.

It’s hard to visit wine country without enjoying all the world-class restaurants. But sometimes, you just want a pizza and a cold draught beer. If you’re in Sonoma, Red Grape Pizzeria is a great spot. They have dozens of wines by the glass and many bottles for around $30. You can start with an antipasto, one of the tasty flatbreads, or a salad. If you don’t want pizza, there’s a nice selection of wraps and Panini — who doesn’t want pork and brie with caramelized onions and sliced green apple. The imaginative pizza list include clams casino with apple wood-smoked bacon, roasted duck and gorgonzola with a Cabernet reduction, and shrimp scampi.

1) Bistro Don Giovanni
2) Uva Trattoria
3) Bottega
4) Tra Vigne
5) Pizzeria Tra Vigne
6) Della Santina’s
7) Red Grape Pizzeria

View Italian Restaurants in Napa and Sonoma in a larger map

See our list of the best Italian restaurants in San Francisco here.

Yountville hotels, restaurants and wineries.

Trip — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 21:48:06 +0000

Bouchon in Yountville California

One of the most charming towns in the Napa Valley, Yountville is named for George Calvert Yount who was the first to plant grapes in the valley. There’s just one main street, and it’s only about six blocks long. But there are several wonderful Yountville hotels. And some of the finest restaurants in America are located here. In fact, there are four Michelin-starred restaurants in this town of 3,000 people.

Uber-chef Thomas Keller’s flagship, The French Laundry, is here. As are his Bouchon and Ad Hoc. You’ll need to reserve months in advance to eat at the former, but depending on when you visit, you may be able to nab a table without a reservation and Bouchon or Ad Hoc. If you’re in town on Monday, don’t miss the fried chicken at Ad Hoc.

Keller’s not the only celebrity chef in town. Michael Chiarello of Napa Style fame opened Bottega last year. It features dishes from all over Italy. Bistro Jeanty and Redd are also great choices.

Learn more about Yountville restaurants here.

The best Yountville wineries.

Located right off the St. Helena Highway, Domaine Chandon was the first joint venture between a French and California winery. If you’ve never seen how sparkling wine is made, it’s worth taking the tour. The grounds here are lovely, so be sure to leave time for a stroll through the gardens. And there are beautiful views from the restaurant and patio.

Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars gained notoriety in 1976 when their wine bested the French in the 1976 blind taste test reenacted in the movie Bottle Shock. Some of the tastiest Chardonnays in California come from Stag’s Leap.

The best hotels in Yountville.

Vintage Inn Yountville

Opened in 2009, Bardessono is the newest Yountville hotel — and the greenest. If you’re looking for a romantic, cozy spot with chintz and antiques, this isn’t the place. The minimalist, modern aesthetic isn‘t for everyone. But state-of-the-art amenities like 40” LCD TVs, media hubs, and free high-speed Internet keep travelers cool and connected. In-room spa services are a real plus. And Bardessono’s environmental commitment is impressive. Rooms and water are heated and cooled with an underground, geothermal system. Solar panels supply much of the hotel’s energy needs. And the woodwork in the rooms and common areas was milled from salvaged trees. Bardessono has received several awards including Environmental Design’s Platinum Certification.

Right on Washington Street, the Vintage Inn is a great choice for a romantic weekend in the Napa Valley. It‘s one of the most refined hotels in Yountville and it’s mere steps from the best restaurants in town. The two-story buildings are thoughtfully arranged on two acres of beautiful gardens and plantings. Some of the rooms have balconies overlooking the vineyards. Others have small, private patios. Bathrooms are big and luxurious, and each room has a fireplace. The pool is one of the most attractive in Yountville. And there’s a full-service spa. A bottle of local wine and a breakfast buffet are included.

Villagio Inn and Spa is a sister property to the Vintage Inn. Both are AAA Four-Diamond award winners. The 112 rooms are also in two-story buildings spread out on nicely landscaped grounds. Rooms have patios or balconies, fireplaces, and flat-screen TVs. The big draw here is the 13,000-square-foot luxury spa that opened in 2008. Surrounded by fountains and reflecting pools, the spa has 16 treatment rooms and 5 spa suites with soaking tubs, fireplaces, day beds, and private terraces. Also on the property is V Marketplace where there are shops, including Napa Style, and restaurants.

Maison Fleurie Yountville

A charming little bed and breakfast, Maison Fleurie offers delightful accommodations and great value for money in Yountville. A member of the Four Sisters lodging group, Maison Fleurie has 13 rooms decorated in the French country style. Rooms in the Bakery Building have fireplaces and a deck. Rooms in the Carriage House have similar amenities, but are slightly less expensive. Rooms in the main house are more modest, but very reasonably priced. There’s a nice pool and sun deck to enjoy when the weather’s fine. And the location is a five-minute stroll from any of Yountville’s fabulous restaurants. The included gourmet breakfast, afternoon wine and cheese, and after-dinner sherry really stretch your travel dollars.

Read our comprehensive itinerary for the Napa and Sonoma Valleys. Or read our recommended Calistoga hotels.