New York Times: August 3, 2005

Not Far From Napa, and Closing In

By FRANK J. PRIAL

".The polar opposite of Cyrus and the surprise of my most recent trip to northern Sonoma was Santi, a rough-and-tumble, red-checkered-tablecloth Italian place in Geyserville, about 10 minutes north of Healdsburg. Behind the unimposing brick facade can be found some of the most heartwarming Italian food outside the North Beach section of San Francisco.

For starters, the simple platter of homemade salamis was superb, but then so were the polenta crepes with roasted corn. Florentine-style beef tripe - trippa alla fiorentina - braised with tomato, fresh basil and chili flakes and topped with Parmesan cheese was my favorite main dish, followed closely, very closely, by the homemade potato gnocchi with green olives, baby leeks and braised rabbit.

Santi is still a bit of a local gem. Wednesday is locals' night, with an old-fashioned special like sausage and peppers or that not-so-Tuscan favorite, meatloaf and mashed potatoes. The wines, like Santi itself, are more sophisticated than one might expect.

Healdsburg (all right, Geyserville, too) is where St. Helena and Yountville and Calistoga were in the 1960's and 70's. It is an old town, too, but it manages to convey an infectious sense of adventure, of experimentation that the wine towns to the south no longer have. It's worth another 30 minutes on the road, preferably on Route 128, up through the gorgeous Alexander Valley."