Villa Christina

Villa Christina Restaurant Review:

Villa Christina provides an upscale dining experience where guests may enjoy original art and beautiful landscaped grounds. The restaurant now serves a Hyatt hotel, and although it has lost some of its fine appointments, the environment is still warm and romantic. Italian-influenced dishes constitute the majority of the menu. Start with the calamari, which come with peppers, lemons and fresh basil. Pastas are house-made and may be ordered in half portions as an appetizer, but they are so generous there’s enough for two people to share as a first course. We like the sacchetti, or "little sacks," a sort of beggar's purse filled with black truffles and cheese and plated in a pesto cream sauce. Free-range chicken breast with mushroom ragù and polenta will leave you with some to take home. Grass-fed veal, lamb and a number of fish options all get the Italian treatment. For dessert, try the crêpes with pear cream and sautéed ginger pear. When making reservations advise the staff if children are in the party; they're especially well cared for, making this a good restaurant to introduce the young set to dining etiquette. The wine list offers scant and mostly ordinary Italian selections and loads of familiar labels otherwise.