Since the early '90s, Foothill Cafe has been providing quality comfort food to hungry Napans and wine country visitors savvy enough to search out the cozy eatery in a neighborhood shopping center.

Founder/chef Jerry Shaffer -- a former sous chef at San Francisco's vaunted Masa's -- launched the low profile restaurant in the J&P Shopping Center in order to provide locals with first-class homestyle cooking at reasonable prices. Foothill Cafe earned a first-rate reputation for items cooked in the eatery's oak-fired ovens.

Last June, Shaffer decided to hang up his apron. He sold the popular dinner house to another hard-working chef, Mari Jennings, best known for her breakfast and lunch treats at Gordon's Cafe in Yountville where she served as executive chef for eight years. Prior to that, she was a member of the culinary team at Bistro Don Giovanni.

Jenning's kept the menu simple -- retaining Shaffer's "famous" slow-roasted baby back ribs and oak-roasted prime rib ($28, weekends only), adding her own touches -- with up to 10 main course choices each evening.

The decor is as homespun as it was. Simple but colorful paintings and ceramics dress up the oddly shaped dining room. A single candle and petite glass vase of posies dress the butcher paper-covered tables, illuminated by hanging lamps with rust-colored shades. Planter boxes line the windows that overlook the parking lot of the neighborhood shopping center along Old Sonoma Road.

Choices for the first course include a trio of salads ($7-$8) that all receive high marks from regulars -- the crunchy Romaine and roasted garlic croutons of the Caesar, the chopped salad of spinach, cabbage, bacon, grilled red onions and feta, as well as mixed baby greens and butter lettuce house salad with tangy sherry/shallot vinaigrette.

Regulars also crave the crunchy fried calamari and rock shrimp with crispy serrano chiles and lemon basil aioli ($8.50). The bruschetta ($7) on a recent visit was less than memorable -- several slices of waaaay-too-toasted bread topped with juicy halved cherry tomatoes, limp slivers of prosciutto and Asiago cheese. Tricky to eat were flavorful smoked duck tostaditos ($8), topped with piquant salsa verde and chunks of creamy avocado.

The evening's soup -- a creamy tomato and fennel puree ($6) -- boasted sweet roasted tomatoes, but the only fennel I tasted came from the frond garnish.

While Jennings and sous chef Namon File -- an import from a small village on Bavaria's Chiemsee -- do offer other tasty options, diners should drop in at Foothill Cafe for the heavenly ribs, the succulent prime rib or a meat-eater's treat, grilled cumin and lime-marinated skirt steak ($16.50), served with a rustic white corn and black bean salad that's downright delicious. A side (all $5) of perfectly roasted Yukon gold potatoes and caramelized onions added yet another dimension to the plate, prompting me to save a little of my entree to take home for the next day's lunch.

The ultimate comfort plate features some of the best ribs ($18) you'll ever gnaw on and -- polite company be damned -- gnaw on 'em you should. The meaty pork ribs are marinated with a dry rub for two days, then smoked and slow roasted in the kitchen's ovens, basted with Jenning's own blend of molasses, brown sugar and ginger. The ribs are nestled up against a pile of some of the best mashed potatoes you'll ever put in your mouth, creamy yet still containing tiny chunks of potato and roasted garlic.

The eye-catching fish special the other evening was pan-roasted salmon fillet ($23) with zucchini ribbons and corn, drizzled with lemon thyme butter. Other seafood options appearing on the specials board often include grilled tuna and halibut.

A juicy half chicken ($16) has been oven roasted and comes with roasted Yukon golds and preserved lemon slices. As we progress into cooler weather, diners will see the culinary team make additional use of the kitchen's smoker, as leg of lamb and heartier meat dishes are added to the blackboard specials.

Jennings offers a burger with caramelized onions and Jarlsberg cheese ($12), while pasta options include linguine with bay scallops and manila steamer clams in a tomato/fennel broth ($15.50) and penne pasta with smoked chicken, grilled asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes and basil cream ($14).

There are small plates for kids -- ranging from mac and cheese ($5) to grilled chicken breast with roasted potatoes ($8).

Desserts ($7-$7.50) are a must at Foothill Cafe, so save room. The "perfect" lemon tart with berries is, well, perfect, and the caramel pecan shortbread is a wonderful accompaniment to the silky vanilla bean crme brle. My dinner companion was tempted to ask for a second cookie after I wolfed half of it down. In addition to the popular Valhrona chocolate ginger cake, there's usually a seasonal offering, like a blackberry and apple crisp topped with a scoop of vanilla gelato.

If you'd prefer to end the meal in a European vein, try a plate of local and imported artisan cheese served with balsamic figs ($9).

Two dozen wines from Napa and Sonoma counties -- with several vinted from Carneros fruit -- make up the wine list. Nearly half are offered by the glass. Prices are fair, with options running from Pine Ridge viognier ($28) to Stags Leap Wine Cellars sauvignon blanc ($30), from a Franus Mount Veeder zinfandel ($26) to Flora Springs merlot ($34). If you chose to bring you own bottle of wine, good news -- there's no corkage fee.

Service at Jennings' Foothill Cafe is friendly and efficient. The staff knows the menu and confidently responds to guests' queries about dishes and ingredients. A waiter on duty the other evening, James Cart, was more than willing to explain cooking preparations, as well as share personal observations without the diner fearing he'd become a member of the family.

There's a fine line between being helpful and overfamiliarization. He walks it well.

Dinner is served at Foothill Cafe from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights and from 4 to 8 p.m. Sundays. The restaurant is at 2766 Old Sonoma Road. For reservations or inquiries about catering and takeout, call 252-6178.