We started our weekend in Napa by trying out a restaurant in St. Helena, which was supposed to be a sophisticated Italian but turned out to be a bit of a zoo.
It's a large place, with a few entrances and several dining areas, inside and outside, upstairs and down. This, and it being Friday night, contrived to make it seem like we were bursting into a fight scene in an Italian opera. Alright, I doubt there are many fight scenes in opera, even Italian ones. But if there were, they'd be just like Tra Vigne on a Friday night.
The food was better than okay: the hand made Mozzarella, grilled bruschetta with olive oil was simple and good, while the Maltagliati Verde: herb infused pasta, slow cooked pozzi ranch lamb and sangiovese wine sugo was, according to Mrs P, "wonderful", while my smoked and braised beef short ribs were falling-off-the-bone goodness.
But the overall experience was less than spectacular. The service was courteous and complete, but it still felt like a glorified pizzeria.
One piece of good news was that cost-wise, it was equivalent to a glorified pizzeria, so nothing was lost.
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