Bistro Don Giovanni

Finally got dressed up to go out on our date (albeit still on crutches, so limited in my footwear choices...) to Bistro Don Giovanni. It's situated across from a vineyard, so you drive in and are greeted by this sculpture and - I thought this would be pretty novel for those of reading from other parts of the country - a fruiting persimmon tree.

The place had been highly recommended - especially the beet and green bean salad and the fig and prosciutto pizza, as well as the duck bolognese pasta. We had to sit indoors for some reason, which was super loud and crowded, but the service was fine, fast, etc. I wasn't blown away by the warmth or anything, but it was fine. There were, somewhat disconcertingly, a lot of flies inside the restaurant - the doors were wide open, but still, it's not very appetizing.
Anyway I started off with a sparkling strawberry lemonade and the husband had a glass of local Cabernet. The salad was by far the best thing we had - little orange beets and perfectly crisp green beans, and fennel, in a delicious avocado vinaigrette that I'd like to steal the recipe for. The pizza was covered with slices green figs and very little cheese or prosciutto, which bothered my husband more than it did me. (I guess after a few bites the figs are a tad sweet and could really use the salt of either more cheese or more prosciutto to balance them out. Literally, you could not see any prosciutto on the pizza.) Glenn's pasta duck bolognese was plain but fine; I had a small bite and I would have liked to actually taste the duck in the bolognese, but alas, it just tasted like a plain bolognese.
Anyway, with the loudness and the flies, we fled after just those courses, although we did linger around the lovely courtyard. Would have been nice to stroll afterwards but alas, the fountain was only accessible through stairs and it had a gravel path (not good for crutches.)

Anyway, I can see why you'd want to send tourists here - the view and the ambiance (besides the fly problem) were lovely, and gave a great sense of the peace and beauty of Napa Valley. However, the food was only "3-stars-out-of-five" good and not especially cheap. ($57 for my drink, husband's glass of wine, the salad, the pizza and pasta dish.) So, for us, this is a good place to bring out of towners but maybe not our regular hang out. Too bad, because the grounds are beautiful: