Sonoma CA 95476
(707) 935-0576
Parking: street parking
Hours: 11:30am-3pm, 5pm -9:30pm
http://www.dellasantinas.com/
Last Visited: January 16, 2010
Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $$$
Located in Sonoma's Plaza, Della Santina's sign says it's a trattoria, rotisseria, and pasticceria. It's been on the square since the 1990s just a couple doors down from where it sits now. The menu displayed outside invites patrons to Tuscan fare and dishes like gnocchi, minestrone, and duck, for which it is well known. Enter the restaurant and you'll feel the quaintness of the table setting and small town feel that is Sonoma.
Upon our arrival for dinner without reservations this evening, we found the restaurant already bustling with about half of the tables full. However, despite standing in the doorway for several minutes, none of the waitstaff acknowledged us which seemed disappointing. When Robert, the owner's son arrived, he was very warm and made us feel like we were going to be well taken care of for the night as he ushered us to an available table.
Water and warm bread arrived at the table as we perused the menus. It seemed that we waited more than 15 minutes for someone to come and take our order even though the restaurant wasn't completely full.
- Tortellini in Brodo - Tortellini in a light chicken broth. I really liked the flavorful broth. The tortellini wrapper seemed a little too thick, but for that same reason, that seemed to indicate it was homemade. I would love to have the soup alone, but it wasn't melt in your mouth pasta. $5.95
- Spinaci con Radicchio - Spinach radicchio salad with garlic vinagrette. The salad was very fresh and the baby spinach was tender. The vinagrette was refreshing and paired well with the radicchio and spinach combination such that the veggies held up to the dressing. The garlic was not overwhelming. They also added fresh parmesan at the table. A four star salad. $5.50
- Parpadelle alla Arrosto - Parpadelle with a duck ragu. Della Santina is known for duck, so I had to try this special of the day. The parpadelle was homemade and the noodles were tender. The duck meat was minced and mixed with a lot of garlic, but the garlic was sauteed well so it didn't have too much bite. Very delicious. I wish the portion would have been a little larger though. I appreciated all of the fresh parmesan cheese (you can see the generous amount in the photo). Four stars. $15.95- Spiedini Misti - Combination plate of three roasted meats - duck, rabbit, pork loin. You can select the meats from those available on the menu which also include chicken and turkey. Again, duck was a must try according to other folks whom have been to Della Santina before. The duck and rabbit are both spit-roasted with fresh herbs. The was okay, but since we've had duck other ways, we found this one to be a bit lacking in flavor, but still tender and moist. The rabbit was okay also and the pork loin, served with natural juices, was a bit dry. It's nice that they offer this dish to allow you to sample more than one of its roasted meats, but I would have liked more sauce with each one. A side of broccoli and roasted baby red potatoes are also served with the dish. Okay. $16.95
After dinner was served, it took a while for the staff to come back to get our plates and although they gave us a dessert menu, the portions were filling and we didn't have room for dessert although some of the offerings like tiramisu looked appetizing.
Service gets a two to three star rating only because when they're actually with you, the staff does a great job, hence the three stars. However, it felt like we were constantly in waiting mode - waiting to order, waiting for food, and waiting for the check. Overall, I found the prices to be typical of Sonoma restaurants located in the square and the food was good quality.
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