Ca' Momi Review
644 1st St
Napa, CA 94559
Ca' Momi food
Ca' Momi is that rare Italian restaurant in Napa Valley (or anywhere really): it actually has Italians in it. The enoteca / pizzeria / pasticceria is an offshoot of the owners of the Ca' Momi Winery.
Ca' Momi's main focus are the pizzas from its wood-fired ovens although they sell some savory snacks (spuntini) like a stuffed focaccia or small sandwiches. The owners wanted local and organic, but in some cases, they're getting things like some of the cheeses or cured meats from Italy. And that does get a bit of a snicker. On the menu, it'll say that "All of our ingredients are organic, local or Italian" (as if the three are naturally linked.)
Ok, but what about the pizzas? The pizzas try to be truer to a more authentic, Italian pizza (no pineapple, bbq chicken, etc or drowning in 10 toppings) Their toppings on our 2 pizzas were pretty good. For instance, the Speck ham from Italy is definitely worth the carbon footprint. The prosciutto and mushroom toppings were tasty too. The quattro formaggi was great. The pizzas are fairly large, one pizza serves between 1-2 people (depending on how much you like pizza.)
The pizzas came out nicely wood-fired with a little bit of char on it like it should. As a whole, they're consistently fired well. But one quibble I have with Ca' Momi is that sometimes it feels like the crust is a bit too dense in a bready sort of way and lacks some flavor. I'm not sure if it's the dough recipe, relying on too fast of a rise, or just plain under-seasoned. But the end result is that the dough kind of take some flavor away from the lighter flavored-pizzas rather than enhancing them.
Oenotri has a better pie. Their pizza dough is killer, it's often perfectly cooked, toppings are usually great, etc. But they only serve 2-3 types of pizzas that change often. So, Ca' Momi does have them on variety. I think I like their pizzas a bit more than Azzurro since I like my crusts thicker than the thin gourmet style of Azzurro, but to each his own.
Ca' Momi desserts
You should definitely save some room for dessert. The pasticceria has some great Italian pastries. They are a little pricey, but they are very yummy. Our favorite are the benets, especially the milk and honey ones. Very addictive. Torte was pretty good too although again a little pricey.
Ca' Momi setting and service
Service is fine. You get a buzzer while waiting for your order; there isn't anything really in terms of table service. It's in the Oxbow Public Market so the seating can be a little limited if you want to sit right next to the restaurant. There have been 2 enotecas in that area before so hopefully the third time is the charm. If you're eating in the side tables away from the bar, you sort of have to deal with the tourists being pretty close to your table as the herd moves on by.
Price of our meal at Ca' Momi
Pizzas are $12 to $17. Tortes range from $8 for a small to $32 for a larger one. The pasticcini (mini pastries) are about $1.50 each but go down in price per benet if you start buying them in boxes of 6, 15, 20, or 35 (it's impossible to eat 2.)
Other Ca' Momi reviews and links