This was the weekend of the NASCAR event at the Infineon Raceway. We were fortunate to find lodging for one night (a rarity in Napa) for seven couples at the Chablis Inn just off Redwood Road in Napa. The inn is nothing fancy but it is quite adequate. Room rates range from $149 to $169 for weekends. Five minutes away is the Bistro Don Giovanni, a favorite of locals and travelers to the Napa Valley. The earliest reservation time available was 8:15 and we were told we would need to sit at two tables, one for six, and one for eight.

We showed up about 45 minutes before to have a glass of bubbly at the bar. To our surprise, our table was ready, and it was one table comfortably seating all fourteen of us. They sat us in their semi-enclosed outdoor patio. This was very refreshing on this hot evening.

The entrées are moderately priced. Prices range from a pizza at around $12 to a scrumptious rib eye grilled steak for $28. Corkage fee at the Bistro is $15 and that is just about right. We think anything over $15 is price gouging. The Bistro has a corkage policy if you buy one of their wines, they waive the corkage on one bottle of wine. We wish more restaurants would have this option. Our group brought in four terrific wines: a magnum of Seltzner 1983 Cab, a Caymus 1987 Cab, a Hanna 1999 Cab, and delicious white Pinot Grigio from Chalk Hill Winery.

The restaurant was extremely accommodating and the service was excellent. The noise level is somewhat loud but not enough to be a nuisance. With appetizers, entrées, desserts, and coffee, our check came to $125 per couple. We rate the Bistro a 4.5 out of 5 on our Five-Point Rating system.

The Good: Delicious food at fair prices. The corkage fee of $15 waived when you purchase a bottle of wine, excellent service, great wine menu.
The Bad: A little noisy.