Rustic at Francis Ford Coppola

Sonoma Bento: We headed to Geyserville to try out Francis Ford Coppola's Rustic, which is located in the Francis Ford Coppola Sonoma County winery. Our waiters were very attentive and explained any things we were curious about on the menu. We had two complimentary appetizers. One was called Aunt Christine's Pettole (Zeppole) which was a knot of fried bread. It arrived in a white paper bag, and was nice and warm. I like the presentation, but the bread was not spectacular. You can buy more of the bread for $3, but it is not worth buying more of them. The second appetizer (more of an amuse bouche) was a small crostini with a white bean puree on top, drizzled with olive oil and aged balsami vinegar. It also had a few scattered herbs. It was fun to eat, and nice to have little bites to try before our meal came.

Coco Carina: The aesthetics of FFC are very appealing. As you walk in, you find yourself immersed in the director's movie memoribilia. Inside the restaurant is a pizza oven which was cool to see the chefs prepare hot pieces of pie. It felt cozy even though the room has really high ceilings. I agree with Sonoma Bento that the bread was good, but not something I would order more of, though it was a nice treat to have the two mini appetizers delivered. It was a very welcoming touch.

Sonoma Bento: We really scored on the wine! The wine list contained more than just the wines from Francis Ford Coppola Winery. I got a glass of Sophia blanc de blancs sparkling wine for 5 dollars (it was kind of minerally, and I was not really thrilled with it-I've had it in the past and enjoyed it more), and then we decided to have the Francis Coppola "Rosso" wine to share. A bottle was just 12 dollars! It was a good value for the price. You can pay 12 bucks for a GLASS of wine at some places.

Coco Carina: I've had FFC Rosso wine before and thought it was good. It's not the best wine out there, but for the price, it definitely gets the job done. It paired decently with the meal, though I prefer more fruit-forward, less tannic wines.

Sonoma Bento: CocoCarina really wanted to try the Chicken Mattone, which is chicken under a brick. The cooking method makes the skin really crispy and doesn't dry out the chicken. We shared this entree so that we could try more things on the menu, like the Pizza Sophia - a pizza with arugula, prosciutto, and shaved parmigiano cheese. The pizza was $16 and the chicken was $22, so it wasn't bad when we split the bill.

Coco Carina: I've heard many good things about the Chicken Mattone, and I thought it was very good. But I must say, I've had better chicken under a brick. The ambiance is so cool, and the food is good, but the main thing you take away is the experience of being at this really cool winery. The service was great, the food was good, the atmosphere was very welcoming. I will definitely be going back again.

Sonoma Bento: Dessert was a cup of chocolate mousse al 'Francis Francis' in a coffee cup. Again, really nice presentation, and the dessert itself was really rich. It was more than enough to share.

Coco Carina: I did find the dessert to be quite delectable. I will probably be ordering this again on my next visit.

Sonoma Bento: While you are there, make sure to take some time to peruse the awesome film memorabilia at Francis Ford Coppola Winery. The Godfather desk is there, the Tucker Car, a boat from Marie Antoinette, Apocolypse Now items, and these creepy yet cool costumes from Dracula.

I would definitely go back for dinner at Rustic. Our service was wonderful, prices were reasonable, the food was good, and the wine was very reasonable. On Tuesdays they have a special dinner/theater kind of event which I would love to try out.

Coco Carina: Ditto to what Sonoma Bento said! Not to mention, there is a full bar right outside of the Rustic restaurant, so if wine and beer is not your thing, you can get something delicious from the bar.

Rustic at Francis Ford Coppola Winery

300 Via Archimedes
Geyserville, CA 95441
(707) 857-1485