Napa Valley Restaurants

Napa Valley has an unusual concentration of restaurants. Where do the locals go? Here is the answer:

For Italian food, both locals and tours go to Don Giovanni, right on Route 29. You're likely to be greeted by Howard, the gravelly voiced, ageless host of the restaurant. Tomato focaccia will show up at your table shortly thereafter, but ask for the white bread instead. IT is truly delicious. Don Giovanni offers a solid list of appetizers. The Frito Misto is a refreshingly light mixture of fried rock shrimp, calamari, green beans an onions, served with a garlic and tomato spiked aioli. My favorite, though, is the inimitable haricot vert (tiny green beans), avocado, beets (oftentimes Chiogga beets) and Roquefort.

Appetizers can be followed by the many outstanding pasta dishes. The silk handkerchiefs are homemade, ever-so-delicate pasta sheets that are often draped in a perfectly prepared Pesto sauce. When the alternative is the sweet Gorgonzola, I say stay away. All the "sugo" pastas are terrific, and the sauces are cooked to a mellow perfection.

Among the main courses, my husband's favorite is the fish of the day, prepared to your liking but typically grilled, and boned at your table. It is accompanied by the disclosure that, in some cases, the waiter might not be able to remove every single bone. They do so most times, though. For me, the most exciting part of the entrée is the veggies, which feature Brussels sprouts in brown butter in the winter, and broad beans with Pancetta and tomato in the summer. The lamb is also always good.

Dessert at Don Giovanni is worth waiting for. The Tiramisu is better than most, but the chocolate, whipped cream and caramel parfait is even better. The daily Rustica (crumble Italian style) is also well made, and the whipped cream is home made.

Note than the restaurant has only two bathrooms, so don't wait too long when nature calls.

If Italian isn't your style, try Bistro Jeanty for French cuisine. You can't get more French than this, not even in Paris, which is where Jeanty came from. He stayed true to his roots without compromise, which makes his food delicious but occasionally an acquired taste. For example, the lamb tongue salad, one of our favorites, doesn't appeal to all. However, the flaky crusted tomato soup and the home made smoked trout are perennial favorites that appeal to most palates. The salads are also simple and well prepared, and the dressing does not overwhelm the vegetable taste in volume or flavor.

Coq auVin (chicken in red wine sauce) and Beouf en Daube (hearthy, high quality beef stew) are two dishes that are always on the menu and never fail. If you opt for the chicken, order the superb mashes potatoes and ignore the waiter's warning that the dish already comes with potatoes. The sauce is too good to waste even a drop.

Other main courses include an excellent steak with great French fries and an often forgettable pasta dish than changes daily. When rabbit appears on the daily special list, don't miss it. It's typically prepared in a delicious cream and morels (those gorgeous honey comb like mushrooms from Oregon) with pasta, and it is outstanding.

Desserts present a problem at the restaurant. There are too many good ones. My favorites: Crème brulee coupled with chocolate mousse, creating two perfectly aligned layers; a great rice pudding garnished with Amareni cherries; and crepe suzette, a huge but very thin crepe doused in orange butter sauce and sprinkled with powdered sugar.

There are other excellent restaurants in Napa, including Brix for Sunday brunch, the ever-popular Mustards, the best breakfast place (Gilwoods in St. Helena) and a terrific fusion restaurant that is pricy but worth it named Terra, also in St. Helena.