Diavola Pizzeria

Diavola Pizzeria Restaurant Review:

At the northernmost reaches of Sonoma wine country lies Diavola, a welcoming neighborhood place that warms hearts and souls. It’s housed in a century-old brick building with bare bulb lighting and a long bar beneath. Diavola means devilish, an homage to the crimson-hued, wood-fired oven altar in the exposed kitchen, saint statues set into its outer dome. Worship the rotating array of house-made salumi and crunchy breadsticks, a teaser of the gusto ahead. Eight-plus pizzas, charred and thin-crusted, are offered with spare and savvy seasonal toppings. The must-try is the fiery "special": the Dictator, topped with marinated rib-eye, garlic, serrano chilies and kimchi --- a provocative, hearty pie sure to thrill heat fans. Ambitious starters are worth sampling --- go for the grilled octopus with chickpeas or roasted bone marrow. House-made pastas such as potato gnocchi with seasonal vegetables and the spaghettini with pork cheek ragù are not to be missed. Wines skew Italian and Cal-Ital. Dine on the delightful, shaded patio.