Bistro Don Giovanni - Italian, Napa

4110 Howard Lane, Napa CA 94558
(707) 224-3300
Parking: in restaurant parking lot
Hours: Sun-Thurs 11:30am to 10pm, Fri-Sat 11:30am to 11pm
http://www.bistrodongiovanni.com/

Last Visited: January 16, 2005

Food: 4 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Price: $$$ to $$$$

Bistro Don Giovanni is located in Napa just off the St. Helena Highway. The red earth tones of the building nestled amongst a lush green garden might cause you to miss it if you aren’t paying attention. Once in the parking lot, you’ll find there is a lot of greenery in the garden, from potted plants and tall trees to fruit trees. As you walk up the steps of the restaurant which are lined alongside with topiaries, flowers, and other plants, you’ll find just past the terrace is a beautiful scene with a fountain in the center, serene and beautiful on a sunny day.

Once inside, you’ll see the beautiful fresh flowers in tall vases just past the hostess’ podium. On your left is a full bar with bottles of wine on the racks behind the bar, along with the usual bottles in front of the back mirror. Lamps hang from the ceiling above the bar. The restaurant colors seem to be an earthy red, yellow, and green.

On this second visit, we were seated in the side room. To get there, we were led past the bar into a doorway, then past the waiter’s station, and to the dining area. It sounds as unusual as described. I thought we were headed for a closet. It’s an inconvenient nook to go through, particularly when waiters are at the station itself. Along one wall of the room are large window panes that brought in a lot of natural light. There was a fireplace keeping the room warm and giving it a cozy feel, along with ceiling heaters to keep patrons warm. Large topiaries decorated the room along. Large artwork depicting people in multiple colors and a good sized rectangular mirror hung from the wall. The large tiles on the floor were an earthy brown. From the ceiling hung large stringed lights in soft yellow tones. The tables were covered with white tablecloths topped with white paper. In general, the tables were large and spacious. A table for four could easily seat six with lots of space between tables. The chairs were wicker colored in burgundy, yellow, and green.

The waitstaff is in professional uniforms consisting of white and black. Only the hostess seems to wear color.

The prices on the menu posted on the website have changed since they were posted, probably due to the new year. In general, the portions are okay, but seem to be on the small side for the price.

Upon our arrival, we were asked if we desired ice water or sparkling water. After ordering, we were promptly given focaccia bread, but we had to ask for olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The olive focaccia bread was soft on the inside, and crisp on the outside. Great focaccia bread.

- Fritto Misto – Calamari rings, rock shrimp, green beans, fennel slices, and onion slices are lightly battered and deep fried. The combination of seafood and vegetables are then placed on a square glass dish and served with spicy aioli. The aioli is served in a blue glass bowl, so the contrast of the red/orange cream color is great with the bowl. The batter is seasoned and complements the seafood and vegetables nicely. The addition of green beans and fennel seem to be inspired by Japanese tempura since Italian fritto misto doesn’t usually have these vegetables in them. Good. $10

- Bistro Back Door Salad – Harvest greens are paired with slices of Granny Smith apples, small chunks of blue cheese, and candied walnuts in a persimmon vinaigrette. The persimmon in the vinaigrette is very light, but there is a hint of its presence. It goes nicely with the greens, but I would prefer the persimmon flavor to be stronger. The menu mentions the presence of pears, but I didn’t seem to find any in my salad. The apples give the salad a refreshing crunch. Good. $8.75

- Pizza House Smoked Salmon – The pizza is topped with smoked salmon pieces, meyer lemon mascarpone, capers, small diced shallots, and crème fraiche. The pizza is then topped with arugula and shaved parmesan. The pizza crust was thin, light, and crispy. The flavors of the capers, shallots, and crème fraiche nicely accompany the smoked salmon. The creaminess of the mascarpone was noticeable, but the meyer lemon portion of it was lost on me. Overall, it tasted great on the first slice, but seemed to get saltier with more slices. Good at first, then average as the meal continued. $13

- Coniglio al’Latte – Milk braised rabbit. Rabbit is braised and served over soft polenta and broth. The quantity of rabbit seemed a bit on the small side, however, it was very tender and soft, falling off the bone. A chiffonade of lemon rind and onions are used in the braising process to counterbalance the gaminess of the rabbit. The flavor was light and lovely. The polenta was custard-like in texture, soaking up the broth so that it became lightly salted. Very good. $20

As for the service, I noticed that tables that came after us received their focaccia bread with olive oil already, and there was no need to ask for it. I’m not sure why that inconsistency occurred. The waiter for our table seemed to come back too frequently. I almost felt pestered. However, he was quick to pick up on our empty bread plate, and he was very polite, but just a bit too frequent in coming to our table. Service is proportional to price for me. If the price of the food is higher, I expect the service to be better. Two of my tablemates had requested water without ice, and were given a carafe to refill their waters. However, my water was ice water, and at the end of the meal, nobody came by to refill it. That was disappointing too. However, all of these things I could easily let go. The largest faux pas came from the staff member who boxed up our leftovers. He only asked if we wanted two of the three items, completely disregarding my remaining fritto misto. It would have been better for him to ask if I wanted everything boxed up rather than two of the three items. He was ready to throw one dish away for me. That downgraded their three star service rating to what it is now. This was just inappropriate. There was plenty of fritto misto left, and to disregard it just wasn’t right.

The atmosphere of Bistro Don Giovanni is trendy. It’s a happening place. The food is good, but the service leaves something to be desired. When waiting for the restroom, I observed some of the staff’s lack of professionalism (though minor in the grand scheme), but it’s important that people know that when they’re at work, they’re being watched whether they know it or not. Overall, it experience was fine, and the food presented in a nice fashion. Try it out for yourself, but be wary of the service. If you want a leisurely lunch, it might be best to tell the staff at the beginning of the meal to make sure that they are aware of your desires.