Bistro Don Giovanni

Bistro Don Giovanni is an Italian restaurant on Howard Lane, beside Highway 29 in Napa. Giovanni Scala owns it and has run it since the opening.

Scala founded the restaurant in March 1993 with his wife Donna, a chef who directed the kitchen in the early years. The couple took over a property on the highway that had housed Table 29, and the bistro became a fixture for the valley's winemakers and winery owners. After Donna Scala's death, Giovanni kept the place going in her spirit, down to the flowers set between the kitchen and the bar. Later chefs have included Paolo Laboa, known for handkerchief pasta with Genovese pesto, and Scott Warner, who became a partner in the business.

Much of the appeal lies outdoors. Patios wrap two sides of the building, a large fountain stands at the center, and the tables look out over vineyards and a kitchen garden. That garden, named Scott's Garden, has fruit trees, herbs and vegetable beds that feed the menu. Inside, a fireplace warms the dining room, and after dark the courtyard is lit with strings of small lights, so the restaurant works as well on a winter night as on a summer afternoon.

The menu keeps to Italian family cooking. Pizzas come from a wood-fired oven, one of them topped with figs, gorgonzola and caramelized onions, while ravioli filled with spinach and cheese sit in a lemon cream. Mamma Concetta's meatballs are served in ragù with soft polenta. Rigatoni bolognese is the pasta that reviewers point to first, the Pollo alla Diavola gets its crisp skin in the oven, and branzino is poached in a tomato broth with garlic. Desserts include a butterscotch pudding and a Bostini trifle, and wines from Italy share the list with bottles from the valley around it.