Showley's Restaurant. In their quiet restaurant nestled into a 135-year-old building, the Showleys and their staff radiate such warmth that they give new meaning to "family-run." Generous salads, handmade fettuccine, and braised meats command a loyal following. So outstanding are the lamb shanks with garlic mashed potatoes and rosemary-Pinot Noir glaze, it would be tempting to order them every time. A waitress, Nini, invented her namesake dessert: a fila cup with pistachio ice cream and intense chocolate sauce.

You can sit in the old-fashioned rooms or on the cozy patio beneath the branches of a century-old fig tree.

Open for lunch and dinner daily except Mondays. 1327 Railroad Ave., St. Helena; 963-1200.