One word – spaghetti. Hands down, best spaghetti I have EVER had. And yes folks, this beats out Delfina which I've been raving about for more than a couple years now. Lucky for us, we ran into my gym friend that morning who was just in Dry Creek/Geyserville the weekend before. She mentioned this fabulous Italian restaurant that her Sonoma friends had taken her to and we got the details and made a reservation for that night. We had already planned to go wine tasting but were flexible on the area. Dry Creek turned out to be the perfect destination. After sipping on loads of delish wine at Ferrari-Carano and then heading to Locals for some smaller wine production flights, we found our way onto the very small strip of downtown Geyserville, encompassing a whole 2 blocks. Taverna Santi is on this block and is one of two restaurants that will probably be recommended if you're in the area. For little options, Santi does a fantastic job of offering local fare, fresh food, and excellent service.
Ok, so back to this amazing spaghetti which on the menu they list as spaghettini al sugo calabrese which is a braised beef and pork rib sugo with tomatoes, herbs, pecorino romano ($19). When the heaping bowl of spaghetti arrived, I knew it was sure to be a winner as the sauce was glued to every strand of pasta. With one bite, I knew I was in heaven. This sauce must have taken hours to make. The meat flavor, consistency, and seasonings all done to perfection. I couldn't stop raving about the spaghetti to the waitress, Dee. She probably thought I'd never eaten pasta before. We still had a grilled hangar steak on its way but as long as there was pasta in the bowl, I kept twirling my fork. I was so full after the pasta, I considered just canceling the steak but we got it anyways. I only had 2 bites of it and it was really good but all I kept thinking about was this spaghetti… The steak was perfectly prepared with diagonal sections laid over roasted asparagus, Yukon gold potatoes, pickled wild ramps and drizzled with salsa verde ($29.75)
I suppose I should at least talk about some of the other items on the menu (even though the spaghetti is worth the 2 hour drive from SF!). We also had the Pancetta Arrosto con Farro, slow roasted Berkshire pork belly with farro, radishes, and watercress ($11.75). I also heard the grilled young fava beans ($10.75) and sausage are one of the best. They also offer a house-made tagliolini with pork ragu ($19) and Santi's braised beef tripe ($12/$16). How often do you see tripe on a menu? For mains, Rocky Jr chicken ($25.75) and Steelhead salmon ($27.95) were prepared.
By the time we left Santi, our bellies were full and we had smiles on our faces. Despite the long drive home, it was all well worth visiting this hidden gem in Geyserville. Rumor has it they are locating to Santa Rosa where they will hopefully get more traffic. My hope is that Santi will remain authentic Italian fare where food, wine and service are top notch. Go to Santi, if only for the spaghetti. And don't forget to bring me back some! I can't wait for another excuse to return to Santi and know the spaghetti will forever be in my dreams…
21047 Geyserville Avenue
Geyserville, California 95441
(707) 857-1790
www.tavernasanti.com
