Iconic Wine Country Italian Eatery ‘Cafe Citti’ Relocates, Goes 100% To-Go

Cafe Citti Moves to Santa Rosa
In our ongoing Slow Food Fast Series, we feature Italian Trattoria and wine country favorite, Cafe Citti

Cafe Citti has been a fixture in Sonoma Valley’s town of Kenwood for more than 30-years. Both locals and visitors to wine country have flocked to the restaurant for its casual roadside setting and excellent Italian food served up by owners Luca and Linda Citti. It was also the perfect pit-stop to nosh when traveling between the Napa Valley and Sonoma County wine regions.

For dessert lovers: Cafe Citti’s house-made cannoli is perfectly not too sweet

Their homemade pasta, rotisserie chicken, and salads have always been great grab-n-go dishes to bring home to a hungry family. That said, a side of Cafe Citti’s deep-fried polenta sticks dipped in their superb marinara and pesto sauces are what feed uncontrollable, visceral human cravings. And then there are the rustic pizzas that give Italian pies their good name.

Here is the announcement from the owners of Cafe Citti:

“It is with a heavy heart that after 30 years of business in Kenwood, we announce that Cafe Citti will be relocating. Our landlords have made the decision to address the stability of the building and will be making renovations that will take several months. Due to the new restrictions placed upon us during this time of Covid, the annual PSPS shut-offs, and most recently the Glass fire, we will be leaving the dining portion of our business behind and we will concentrate our focus on continuing with our take-out business at a new location in Santa Rosa….”

Due to reopen this spring at its new location in Santa Rosa, next door to Hank’s Creekside (excellent breakfast!), Cafe Citti is sure to become an even bigger hit with hungry locals looking for Slow Food Fast! We recommend pairing our Clarksburg Chardonnay with the deep-fried polenta sticks and rotisserie chicken or teaming up our Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon with a hand-tossed pizza of your choice. Note: never forget to order extra marinara and pesto sauce, or…

We felt compelled to call out Cafe Citti’s extensive offering of mouth-watering sauces!


Cafe Citti | 2792 4th St, Santa Rosa, CA 95405 | (707) 523-2690

Full Menu

If the World is Your Oyster, Prescription Chardonnay Can Help Wash it Down!

Bodega Bay Oyster Company Grilling Oysters
Bodega Bay Oyster Company Grilling Day-Fresh Oysters Roadside! Photo credit: Bodega Bay Oyster Company

The North Coast of the Bay Area is Oyster Country, with Many Roadside Stops to Pick Up Some ‘Slow Food Fast’

The oyster is a roadside delicacy in Northern California’s Marin and Sonoma Counties. Take a drive along the Pt. Reyes National Seashore and Tomales Bay, and the selection of bivalve pit stops are many. Sure, you can use your navigation to find your way, or go old school and look for the long grills sending up smoke signals over picnic benches dotting the shoreline.

We chose oysters as our next feature for our ‘Slow Food Fast’ series because many don’t know that it takes two to three years to grow oysters for market. Along with the task of raising and breeding multiples varieties of oysters, these oyster farmers, and chefs, have a passion for making their secret house cocktail and barbecue sauces and mignonettes.

Locally, we can take a leisurely Sunday drive out to the Bodega Bay Oyster Company, grab a quick dozen or bag of 50 for a party, and ready to go sauces, and be back home for a late afternoon shuckin’. We make it a ritual, as we wash the oysters down with a glass of Prescription Chardonnay, to raise a toast to the aquaculturists who brave the cold waters and windswept coast.

If you’re from a clan of landlocked human beings, many of these oyster companies direct ship. Check out Hog Island Oyster Company or Tamales Bay Oyster Company to start planning your ‘The World is Your Oyster’ celebration. Here’s a link to jump over to our store to stock up on wine!


Perhaps the ultimate in Slow Food Fast – Smoked Barbecue

Prescription Cabernet Sauvignon with BBQ
Lombardi’s Deli & Gourmet BBQ in Petaluma, California is a local wine country favorite

Pairing Our Alexander Valley Cabernet with Smoked Barbecue Makes for Boldilicious Memories

If you’re into smoked barbecue as a personal journey, you understand the time and commitment it takes to not only prepare a single meal it’s the learning of the craft itself. Luckily, there are those so committed to the art they take the seemingly crazy jump and open BBQ joints to share their passion with others. This is when smoked barbecue becomes the ultimate slow food fast!

Prescription Vineyards Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from a hillside vineyard from 1,700 feet above the valley floor of the Mayacamas Mountain Range
Our Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from a hillside vineyard 1,700 feet above the valley floor in the Mayacamas Mountain Range – $30 retail.

Before we go any further, let’s raise a glass of Prescription Vineyards to all the dedicated Pit Masters across this great country. These dedicated people are up before dawn prepping fish, poultry, and meats to serve to the disciples of the tender and smokey. Think about all the hours creating marinades, rubs, and sauces, and reducing hardwoods to embers so that they have the pit at the perfect temperature, even heat and smoke.

And then there is us, those who pull into the parking lot of the BBQ joint to pick up our order of smoked salmon or chicken or brisket – or all of the above for the family. Within minutes we’re feasting on a meal that has been in the works for days. Again, a toast to all the Pit Masters and their pit crews for taking on all the heat and smoke for our pleasure. Thank you!

For our ongoing Slow Food Fast Series, we’re singling out Lombardi’s Deli & Gourmet BBQ in Petaluma, California because it’s a local favorite for those on the go. Just an hour north of San Francisco, Petaluma is set in Sonoma County and is famous for its agriculture, including wine, dairy, eggs, meats, and poultry. Of course, it’s also famous as a set for Hollywood, noted for films such as American Graffiti, Basic Instinct, Cujo, and Peggy Sue Got Married.

On a recent Sunday drive back from the breathtaking Sonoma Coast, we picked up a full-rack of baby back ribs, Lombardi’s Small-Batch Hickory BBQ Sauce, and classic barbecue sides for dinner. The ribs were tender, with a perfect ‘slight tug’ off the bone. We paired our Prescription Vineyards 2018 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, which layered in a dark berry component to the excellent sauce while cleansing the palate between mouthwatering bites of rib. Napkins, please!

When you’re thinking about a meal days after the experience, you feel pretty good about your money being well-spent. Barbecue isn’t cheap and rightfully so. Considering we have fans all over the United States, and the myriad of regional barbecue-styles below is a link to some of America’s greatest joints to indulge in as suggested by Thrillist!

Amy’s Drive Thru is the Prescription for Making Movie Night Simple & Vegetarian Tasty!

Amy's Drive Thru Sustainable & Organic

Amy’s Drive Thru started in Sonoma County, California, several years back, and now have locations in Corte Madera and the San Francisco International Airport. They are sustainably focused and offer veggie, vegan and gluten-free burgers, burritos and pizza. Its buildings have reclaimed elements, rainwater collectors, and sod roofs layered with grasses and succulent plants. And, yes, they have indoor seating along with its drive-through window.

Amy's Drive Thru Sustainable & Organic

For those not from Northern California, you may be familiar with Amy’s organic products from grocery store shelves and in freezers. We’d equate the quality level of its drive-through food to In-N-Out Burger and Chik-fil-A (apologies to our vegan and vegetarian friends for the meat analogy).

In our house, for Friday movie night, we love the Amy Burger – a double veggie patty, double cheese, lettuce, tomato, (sans onion), pickle, with Fred Sr.’s secret sauce. When you avoid the onion, the beauty of this burger is that it pairs beautifully with both Presciption Vineyards Clarksburg Chardonnay and our Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

Note, Amy’s fries are excellent, yet aren’t the best for pairing with wine. Our recommendation is to take another bite of burger after you eat a fry before taking a sip of wine—simple solution. And if you’re glutton free, get your veggie-on-veggie with Amy’s lettuce wrap option!

Now, how about a list of food-themed shows offered up by IMDb: Food & Restaurant Movies & TV Series to whet your appetite!

Photo credits: Amy’s Drive Thru