For the past four years, Dino Bugica has been running his little amazing Italian restaurant, Diavola Pizzeria & Salumeria, in the quiet town of Geyserville. When it first opened, few thought that this tiny town could support more than one upscale restaurant. The established and highly-regarded Santé restaurant was a few doors down, and Dino had been the head chef there. In just a short time, Diavola has become a very popular spot among the locals, as well as the workers and visitors to the nearby wineries of the Alexander Valley and the Dry Creek regions. We have been raving about this spot since it opened. Last week we organized a dinner at Diavola for our 8th annual WCG Bocce Tournament. Sixteen of us wined and dined to our delight, devouring a variety of delicious foods prepared by Dino and his crew.
We began our dinner with three orders of salami and cheese. The salami and sausages are house cured and wonderful. Then came the salad that was so amazingly good: The asparagus and egg salad has a lightly fried farm fresh egg, crispy pork belly, truffled pecorino and lemon vinaigrette. Oh, my!
Dino working the pizza oven. Is Brian Wilson a fan?
For the entrée, we had a mix of tasty pizzas and creative pasta dishes. The pasta with the slowly braised pork, beef, basil, and pecorino cheese was without a doubt the crowd’s favorite. In our dinner party of 16 we had one person with dietary restrictions, and for her, Dino whipped up a farm fresh arugula salad and the most awesome pizza a vegan has probably ever seen or tasted, for that matter.
Here are a few testimonials from our party
Ray says: I thought the food was authentic artisanal Italian with fresh ingredients. The restaurant itself had the feel of a bistro while the service was excellent and well paced.
Mike says: Given the size of our group (number not weight) I thought the price was more than reasonable. They were very poised in their service and plates came at a good pace. I was most impressed by the individual style of each dish and how clear the flavors were displayed without any one flavor being dominant. Close your eyes and you could be in a country inn in Italy, the only thing missing was hearing Italian spoken. Comparing Diavola with other wine country restaurants, this is a clear winner. I highly recommend Diavola.
Janelle says: The food is delicious and innovative, the place feels friendly, and the prices and service were good.
Vegan Pizza
Tita says: Daviola was delightful. The chef was able to accommodate my vegan
needs with a beautiful fresh asparagus and tomato pizza without any
oil, dairy, meats. The salad was freshly prepared with artisan greens
and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Delicious. Special thanks to the
Chef.
The latest accolade for Diavola’s was the inclusion of this restaurant in the recent issue of the Wine Spectator magazine featuring the Sonoma County wine country. I’m not sure which will bring more business to the restaurant, this blog article or the full-page photo of a Diavola pizza in the Wine Spectator.
Menu and other information can be found on the Diavola Website. If you want to visit wineries in the Geyserville area, we have a terrific wine trail to follow. Bring back a bottle of your favorite Geyserville wine to Diavola and enjoy a fabulous Italian feast.