Business & Tech
Rocabella Bistro Lounge Opens at Former ZinsValley in Downtown Napa
Husband and wife Bledar Llapaj and Debra Buhring offer a Mediterranean-influenced dinner menu, extensive wine list, indoor bar and tented, candlelit outdoor lounge on Dwight Murray Plaza in downtown Napa. Dining daily 5-9 p.m.; beer, wine till midnight.
Downtown Napa's newest dinner restaurant quietly opened its doors Sunday evening.
Well, maybe not so quietly: Dramatic soundtrack music played from speakers both inside and outside Rocabella Bistro Lounge, befitting the Olympian efforts of Greek chef-owner Bledar "Bledi" Llapaj and his wife, co-owner Debra Buhring, to reinvent the former ZinsValley restaurant on Dwight Murray Plaza.
Llapaj, a fomer restaurateur on the Aegean island of Santorini who now lives in St. Helena, has created an extensive menu drawing chiefly from the Mediterranean cuisines of Greece, Italy and France.
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On opening night, 19 appetizers included spanakopita ($9) and other traditional Greek dishes, mushrooms "Provencale" ($10) and eggplant lasagna ($12).
The costliest appetizer was a $15 ramekin of garlicky shrimp "San Sebastian."
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The grill is the centerpiece of Llapaj's kitchen: Grilled seafood (calamari $21, salmon or octopus $23, prawns $25, whole dorade $26), grilled meats and souvlaki (chicken $17, pork $19, lamb $21) are among the main courses.
Steak-lovers can also find their meat: Llapaj grills an eight-ounce, certified Angus filet mignon ($27) and filet mignon au poivre ($29).
Carb-avoiders can enjoy the $15, bunless "Village-style" burger (apparently the village has no bakery).
Pastas range from $14-$21.
Buhring, sommelier and front of the house, has created an extensive, international by-the-bottle wine list, with about 15 wines available by the glass.
According to the wine list, each bottle purchased funds a $1 donation to a charity called Blessings in a Backpack, which aims to feed impoverished schoolchildren on weekends.
Beers are $5 and soft drinks vary.
Desserts, including Three Twins ice creams, are $8.
Coffee is $3.
Vital stats:
Rocabella Bistro Lounge
1106 First St., Napa
707-775-5927
Dinner 5 p.m.-9 p.m. daily
Seating: Indoor dining room, some outdoor tables overlooking Dwight Murray Plaza.
Lounge open until midnight
Seating: Indoor bar, outdoor tents
