This is a wonderful restaurant. From the moment you walk through the charming potted plant and umbrella-adorned patio to the front table where former Modesto mayor and owner Carmen Sabatino sits sipping wine with his guests, you will feel as though you've been transported to some little village restaurant in Italy (and this is right off busy Mchenry). The atmosphere is remarkably quiet, yet it maintains this ""open-air"" quality. And the food... I usually go there for breakfast, and the only place that is comprable to theirs that I've had was at the highly praised Awani in Yosemite. Sweet entrees, like the King George toast and, my favorite, ebelskivers (pancake-like spheres dusted with powdered sugar) are accompanied by a little cup of their homemade strawberry ""freezer jam"" which you will be tempted to buy a jar of and eat with a spoon. The bacon is think and lean, and their oj is not just fresh- it's freshly squeezed. I've only had dinner there once, and it was equally delicious though more expensive. The shrimp pasta actually had so many shrimp I had some left over (never happens anywhere else), and the minestrone soup is made DAILY (also never happens anywhere else). The service is a little on the slow side for things like getting the check and refills, but the food is always delivered fast and hot. It's not a get in/get out kind of place- it has the pace for catching up with an old friend or getting to know a new one.
Pros: Ambience, food, wine
Cons: Small and not really a place for kids (both are pros for me)
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