A first visit to Catelli’s

With rustic red brick walls throughout the wine bar and around the restaurant, Catelli’s seemed quiet and happy servers lined up single file as we inquired if this one of two restaurants in the quaint town of Geyserville was actually open for business. Gray tables and candles adorn the dining room with a large fireplace in a more secluded private party area. It appeared that there was a private party, yet there were no signs. It just happened to be a test dinner evening and General Manager Nicholas Catelli informed us that we were welcome to stay for their soft opening with his sister, Head Chef Domenica Catelli and the first evening of training for the employees. Of course we were thrilled with the warm welcome and threw caution to the wind.

The Wine bar wasn’t ready for service, but being it was the second weekend of Wine Road’s 32nd Annual Barrel Tasting, many of the patrons, family and friends shared their wines and everyone was spreading good cheer and best wishes for this new restaurant’s opening in a few weeks. We paired our dinner around Francis Coppola Director’s Cut Cinema 2007 (54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Zinfandel, 12% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petite Syrah) as it would be compatible with a wide variety of cuisine that had been listed on our simple one page menu.

We started with a couple of the tasty appetizers, one being an Artichoke and Pesto Dip with rustic grilled bread, appropriately green in color for the weekend of Saint Patrick’s Day. It was beautifully done with melted cheeses that melded with the crunchiness of the nutty tasting bread and caused the mouth to shout for joy at the taste of the garlic and cheeses that teased the taste buds. The fried fresh Monterey Bay Calamari with a tomato and garlic dipping sauce was ordered. As a true Calamari critic of any restaurant that offers it, Lisa loved the texture and tenderness of the seafood. Rounding off our palates was the DC’s Salad, which consisted of Romaine, Castel Franco radicchio, herbs (dill, mint, and basil), celery and pine nuts with golden balsamic vinaigrette. This salad was very refreshing, with the touch of mint added which delicately cleared our palates for more savory foods to come.

Our entrees consisted of Lamb Chops and grapes roasted in Golden Balsamic Vinaigrette over Swiss chard and Polenta with Telame cheese. The lamb was locally sourced and cooked to perfection (medium rare). The lamb melted once rested on the tongue and the combination of the grapes and polenta led our taste buds to another level, especially with the wine. Patrick, a ravioli lover ordered the Original Catelli’s Ravioli with meat filling and Richard’s meat sauce. The sauce of the old and new millennium, a bit of everything equals a lot of goodness. The Ravioli’s were almost translucent and also beautifully melted in our mouths and leaving him announcing his only minor complaint was the fact it melted so fast in his mouth.

As we had been an unexpected addition there was no dessert available, but instead Nicholas treated the two of us to a wonderful tour of the delightful building and outdoor seating for venues out in the back patio, a very beautiful setting for just about any kind of event. With a great large bar just crying for people to belly up to it, cafe seating in the first room, the family style but elegant main dining room which was designed allowing for a bit of privacy, a separate large dining area with a commanding fireplace for larger parties or groups and a large promising outside area, both of us agreed that it was a perfect place to suggest to anyone.

Special thanks to our server, Kendell and of course Nicholas Catelli for the warm hospitality. They made our experience with Catelli’s memorable and we will definitely come back.