Giusti's

Funky joint! A DDD find, we had to stop by on our way home. Everything about it is old. The recipes, the building, even the patrons. The road is narrow and parking is tight. "Where's the front door? That's not it. Maybe it's this one...yea, found it." A little odd, I must say.

Cash only, but there's an ATM-ish setup. The little machine across from the bar spits out a receipt that the bartender redeems for cash. It almost seems like no one wants to drive out to refill a cash machine. Not ordinary.

Now to borrow a note about food. "The meals are served family style, right in line with the atmosphere. The minestrone soup is hearty and obviously made from scratch.  The salad (so good) is fresh and crisp, served up with seasoned lentils & salami." I was going to word that myself, but Mrs. N. did such a wonderful job! I will simply says it's old-world cuisine. See for yourself.

The service was really quite good. This place is dark and funky. It's loved by locals and embraces families. If you want something out of the norm, consider trying Giusti's.

After a long drive from the bay area to meet my parents for dinner for my Mom's birthday, we decided on Giusti's.  

I drove there since *someone* may have had a bit too much wine at the SF Giants game earlier.  I must note it is in the middle of nowhere.  It's not the safest drive, either.

The building itself reminds me of that place in "The Goonies" where the Fratellis are hiding Sloth and those dead bodies.  The inside is interesting--a buncha baseball caps adorn the ceiling.  Otherwise, it's pretty sh*tkicker, decor-wise:  a bunch of over-sized fish, deer antlers, etc.  

When we arrived we didn't have a reservation.  Not too smart when you have a 3-year old with you.  The bartender/host told us it would be a 60 minute wait.  I never believe someone when they give me a time quote like that.  Surely you jest--60 minutes?  I always think they are just giving me that kind of time quote so that when they seat me in 30 minutes, I will be pleased that it wasn't 60.  Wrong!  It was a full-blown 60 minutes.  Man, that's painful.  And I didn't want to have any drinks while I waited because I knew I'd be driving out of there and back to the bay that same evening.  Definitely designate a driver and do some drinking if you have to wait that long.  

The menu here is small--there's about 6-7 regular menu items and about 5 specials.  They have prime rib, rib-eye, filet mignon, etc. (vegetarians do not go nuts for this place).  All of these dishes are served with a baked potato (sour cream & butter).  Salad and soup are included.  The price of each entree is roughly $20-$30.  

I wasn't too hungry by the time we arrived.  I ordered the salmon special, but I wasn't that excited about it--I don't know why but I didn't find the menu too appealing.  The minestrone soup course came out first.  I didn't have any, but my sister's daughter loved it.  The salad came out next, and it was delicious, but dressed too heavily.  I liked the garbanzo/kidney bean mix and the side of salami.  

I only ate a little bit of my salmon, but it was good.  It wasn't too exciting.  

Kids Menu: Fried Chicken or Spaghetti (I think).  My niece had the spaghetti.  It looked good.  They have high chairs.  

One big problem I had was with the water.  They put a carafe of tap water at our table and it was awful!  It tasted like sulphur!  Wow, I would not be serving that water if I were them.  If I lived in that area, I'd be really worried about that water quality.  I wanted to go Erin Brockovich on them after one sip.  

Anyway, other than the water (go for bottled), the place isn't too bad.  Come with a big, carniverous appetite.  And bring cash--no credit cards (although they have an ATM on the premises).  Cowboy up.

Very small and quaint local place in Walnut Grove. When you drive up to the restaurant you get the idea that strong wind might push this place into the river but once you step inside and have a couple drinks all your fears go away.

Great place to take clients, friends and family. Be prepared to park on the side of the road or down the hill from the restaurant and make a small hike. The only downside for this place is its proximity to the city.