Ciccio

It was a sunny, warm and gorgeous Saturday yesterday--perfect for visiting Yountville. We capped the afternoon with dinner at Ciccio, located at 6770 Washington Street. It's the most authentic Italian restaurant I've found in wine country. They don't take reservations. Get there when they open at 5 pm or wait for a table.

Arancini--$3. This had a lot of flavor, a fresh tomato sauce and a nice crunchy coating.

Wood Fired Cauliflower with Pine Nuts--$8. Anything with pine nuts is delicious. This one added sweetness of raisin.

Calamari Steak with Spinach--$14. I liked the calamari. It was tender and the spinach was well cooked. My sister thought the steak had been previously frozen. She preferred the calamari at Osteria in Palo Alto. 

Pizza with Clam & Pancetta--$16. Service was great and we were having a great meal until they forgot about our pizza. Our plates were actually cleared until I reminded them we had not gotten our pizza yet.  It actually took 35 more minutes to get our pizza. When it arrived, the edges were charred. The clams were chewy and the white sauce had too much cheese for a seafood pizza. This was the only disappointment of the evening.

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