Ca' Momi

We dined at Ca'Momi, located at the Oxbow Public Market in Napa for dinner. We were looking forward to some delicious Italian food, and we definitely were satisfied.

The restaurant had very few tables and was very busy for dinner.

We ordered the Garganelli alla Panna, Prosciutto e Piselli (Penne with Italian cooked ham, peas, cream and parmigano reggiano) and the Bufala pizza (made with porchetta, sauteed spinach and buffalo mozzarella). Both were delicious and light and paired lovely with Ca'Momi winery wines.

You definitely need to make reservations in advance for Ca'Momi at Oxbow Public Market, but you won't regret it.

Bounty Hunter Wine Bar & Smokin' BBQ

There's nothing more intriguing to me than a combination wine bar and barbeque joint (and no two things I like more!), so, we had to check out Bounty Hunter Wine Bar & Smokin' BBQ in downtown Napa.

The place was packed, and they don't take reservations. However, we waited around and finally got a couple of seats at the bar.

We ordered the Smokin' BBQ Platter - pulled pork, brisket, ribs, coleslaw - and big enough for two or three people to share. There wasn't a bad item on the plate. The pork and brisket were both moist and wonderful, and the ribs incredibly meaty and tender - the meat fell right off the bone.

It was also served with a variety of sauces, so you could add as much or as little as you liked. I loved the spicy, while my dining partner enjoyed the sweet.

After a day of drinking wine, Bounty Hunter was a wonderful indulgence and funky atmosphere.

Ritorno Al Passato

On our first day in Rome, we headed to the Pantheon and enjoyed lunch in the the piazza there. While we knew we would pay more because of the location of the restaurant, we decided the "You Only Live Once" philosophy was the best plan for our trip.

So, we chose Ritorno Al Passato, which had plenty of outdoor seating with great views of the piazza and the Pantheon. We were seated at a table for four, where both of us could sit facing the piazza and have views of the Pantheon.

We ordered a bowl of the tortellini soup and the prosciutto pizza. The pizza was perfect sized for one person and had just the right amount of cheese, sauce and prosciutto on it. The soup was served piping hot, perfect for a cool November day in Rome, and loaded down with delicious tortellini and a wonderful chicken broth with tomatoes.

We also enjoyed a glass of wine and enjoyed watching the hustle and bustle in the piazza.

Ciao Di Statuto Marco Sas

About 3 blocks down Borgo Pio from the walls of Vatican City is a lovely, warm restaurant that is a great option for dinner after a day of touring the Vatican. The restaurant has indoor and outdoor seating and a friendly wait staff.

We ordered the sausage with potatoes and the gnocchi with meat sauce. The sausage patties were delicious, with nice grill marks and a smokey flavor. The potatoes were soft and well seasoned, the perfect accompaniment to the sausage.

The gnocchi was light and fluffy and the sauce rich with ground beef and sprinkled with cheese.