melkor

If you haven't yet purchased the atlas machine, take a look at the belpasta trattorina. I replaced my atlas with one about a year and a half ago. I think I paid about $90 for mine. Having the pasta flow from the front to the back of the machine makes it much easier to produce long sheets of pasta. I've also been using the machine to make eggroll wrappers and crackers and whatever else I don't feel like rolling out by hand. I think my next pasta related purchase is going to be the meat grinder/pasta extruder for the kitchen aid, it'd be nice to be able to make tubes. As far as pasta recipes go, I'm all for using semolina, sometimes mixed with AP, the pasta comes out more substantial that way. Every time I make pasta with all AP it comes out as paste

I almost always use fresh pasta when making lasagna, I also don't pre-boil the noodles. For the noodles I usualy use 1/2 head of spinach chopped in the food processor, a couple of cups of semolina, an egg or two, a bit of salt, and a little olive oil. If it's not coming together just add another egg, or some water. Let the dough rest for a bit then kneed it and roll it out with a rolling pin, if the dough is too wet just work some more semolina into it as you kneed/roll. The key to not having the bottom noodle come out like cardboard is putting enough sauce in the bottom of the pan before layering the rest of the ingredients in. I think it's also important to not let the pasta dry out before using it.

Tra Vigne is good, but the menu is fairly static; their braised short ribs with polenta is worth the drive this time of year, but the place is almost entirely filled with tourists. If you want something off the beaten path, Cafe Lucy on clay st in downtown napa has one of the most reasonably priced wine lists in the valley, no tourists and the food is really good. I'd agree with klingers comments on the dry creek kitchen, if you're up in healdsburg it's worth stopping by, but I wouldn't make a special trip out there for it. ... -Dave I suppose this means I'm not lurking anymore.