Anidel Hospitality — the company that recently acquired the Sonoma Cheese Factory and Sonoma’s Best Modern Mercantile from embattled developer Ken Mattson — has announced plans to take over a beloved piece of Cloverdale history.

Pick’s Drive-In, a nearly century-old hamburger stand, will become Pick’s Roadside later this summer, according to Amber Lanier, a Cloverdale resident working with Anidel to renovate the iconic eatery.

The restaurant has changed ownership twice in the past decade, most recently purchased by Nicole Hinchcliff in 2021. Its future seemed uncertain after it was listed for sale in August 2024.

“Pick’s has always been more than just a restaurant,” said Lanier. “It’s a gathering spot, a piece of history and a place that has shaped the memories of so many in Cloverdale.”

A fifth-generation Cloverdale resident, Lanier told The Press Democrat that her grandmother used to go to the the drive-in as a little girl in 1923, when it opened as Reed and Bell’s Root Beer Stand — an offshoot restaurant chain of the A&W Root Beer franchise founded by Lewis Reed and H.C. Bell.

The partnership with Anidel Hospitality, led by San Francisco-based software developer and venture capitalist Chris Fanini (founder of Weebly), will aim to preserve the restaurant’s vintage charm while making some much-needed modern updates.

“We’re putting a lot of love and care into the space and making sure that the heart and soul of Pick’s remains at the core of everything we do,” Lanier said.

This is a developing story.

The international culinary spotlight has once again turned to SingleThread, which has secured the No. 80 spot on the extended list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, announced today.

The three Michelin-starred Healdsburg restaurant joined San Francisco’s Atelier Creen (No. 96) on the ranking of restaurants No. 51 — 100. Consider it an amuse bouche to the much-anticipated Top 50 awards, which will be announced June 19 in Turin, Italy.

Since 2002, “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants” has served as a snapshot of some of the best destinations for unique culinary experiences while highlighting emerging gastronomic trends, according William Reed, a business-to-business media company behind the annual list. A panel of more than 1,000 international experts — including food critics, chefs, restaurateurs and seasoned gourmets — selects the restaurants for each year’s ranking.

SingleThread, which opened in 2016, first earned a spot on the extended World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2019, debuting at No. 71. It broke into the coveted top 50 twice — soaring to No. 37 in 2021 and narrowly holding on at No. 50 in 2022. After slipping to No. 68 in 2023, it rebounded to No. 46 last year. This year, the acclaimed restaurant faced stiff global competition from top establishments across 37 cities, including Copenhagen, Tokyo, Istanbul, Singapore and Guadalajara.

SingleThread chef Kyle Connaughton, who co-owns the restaurant with his wife, Katina, said they were honored to yet again be named on the World’s Best Restaurants list.

“(It) has always come as a testament to the passion and commitment of our team and the inspiration we draw daily from our farm and community,” he said. “In our small town of Healdsburg, it’s always an honor to be recognized among the great food cities of the world.”

New York’s Le Bernardin (No. 90) was the third American restaurant on the extended list.

One of my best friends, Joshua, loves a surreptitious hang at the Sonoma County Airport restaurant for a glass — or three — of overpriced mass-market wine, chicken wings and a heaping helping of local gossip. The roar of jets on the outdoor patio drowns out our cackling, and the people-watching is priceless. It’s kind of our thing.

Over the last two years, the former Tap & Pour Taproom has undergone a transformation and recently relaunched as Flying Ace Kitchen & Taproom. Located outside security, it’s open to anyone.

Feeling compelled to pass judgment on our former haunt, Joshua and I spent three hours on a warm Sunday afternoon kicking the tires of our revamped rendezvous spot. After a $68 bottle of juicy Kendall Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Rose (retail, $17), we passed our slightly tipsy judgment.

The vibe: The interior has been overhauled with dark wood, creating a wine cave vibe. Two 5-foot-tall plastic Kendall-Jackson wine bottles flank the doorway. Along a back wall, lighted letters spelling out “SONOMA” are embedded in faux vegetation — catnip for social media types looking to prove they’ve been to Wine Country. The once “rustic” outdoor patio has a shady pergola with two televisions, lounge seating and bar seating — a nice upgrade — with a view of the runway.

The owners: SSP America, specializing in airport-based dining, has taken the reins from longtime local ownership. The restaurant is modern and polished — aside from the 5-foot plastic wine bottles.

The food: Favorites included the spicy-sweet Korean Fried Chicken Wings ($21) with toasted peanuts; Griddled Pot Roast Sandwich ($21) with braised meat, melty Monterey Jack and caramelized onions, served with a side of jus; Cavatappi Mac & Cheese ($24) with creamy cheddar sauce and sweet sun-dried tomatoes. The giant ice cream sandwich cookie ($10) checked the dessert box.

The drinks: Wines are mainly grocery store brands from Sonoma and Napa counties, with retail prices under $20 (several under $15). They’re all fine barbecue wines, but selling an $18 bottle for $72 seems excessive even at an airport. I’d skip the specialty cocktails ($18.99) and keep it simple with a gin and tonic or vodka cranberry if you need liquid courage. There are four beers on tap, Pliny the Elder and STS Pils from Russian River, Seismic Tremor Lager and Parliament Kaleidoscope Hazy IPA.

The service: Our server, Maddee, is a holdover from the previous ownership and knows the new menu inside out. The staff is attentive, friendly and quick to fix any errors.

The ruling: Wafts of jet fuel and roaring planes with brunch mimosas and avocado toast aren’t for everyone, but we love feeling like tourists in Sonoma County. The food is well-made but unfussy, with power bowls and pancakes for breakfast, burgers and chicken strips for lunch, or steak frites for dinner. The prices are airport-level steep, but if you want a hot meal or a stiff drink before takeoff, it’s solid. Just be nice to the tourists — we can’t all live in paradise.

Flying Ace Kitchen, 2200 Aviation Blvd., Sonoma County Airport, sonomaflyingace.com. Open during regular flight hours.

Fresh pasta takes exactly two minutes to cook, according to chef Ian Marks of Sebastopol’s Acre Pasta. No more, no less for the perfect al dente consistency — firm to the bite.

“Any longer is a sin. And this is where we draw the line,” said Marks, who makes the tiny Barlow restaurant’s frilly pappardelle, lumache and tagliatelle daily.

Using only semolina flour and water for the dough, Marks has the preparation and cooking time down to a science — not only for its al dente quality but because it’s the most efficient way to make pasta in his pint-size open kitchen.

So, when customers started sending back his cacio e pepe bucatini, asking for it to be cooked longer — up to 7 minutes — he took it off the menu.

“I can’t change the culture, so we work around it,” he said.

The Acre family

Just steps from Acre Pizza at The Barlow, Acre Pasta is a sister restaurant created by restaurateur Steve DeCosse. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because DeCosse also founded Acre Coffee (now Avid Coffee), which he sold in 2021.

The small indoor-outdoor space is as close to a Roman trattoria as DeCosse and Marks could make it, with an easygoing patio perfect for people-watching and a warm indoor dining room with table service. Guests at surrounding taprooms and wine shops can also order from the Acre Pasta menu.

DeCosse’s career as a restaurateur began in 1991 with San Francisco’s Slow Club, which former San Francisco Chronicle critic Michael Bauer named one of the most important restaurants of the past 30 years in 2013. DeCosse sold the business in 1998; it permanently closed in 2015.

Acre Pasta marks his 14th restaurant venture and it stays true to his long-standing philosophy: make good food — or, in the case of Acre Coffee, good coffee — with good ingredients at a good price. Now 61, DeCosse considers Acre Pasta his swan song.

Big dreams, small kitchen

DeCosse teamed up with Marks in February to create a small, sustainable menu for the new trattoria.

“We talked about our dream pasta spots, like Delfina in San Francisco, and classic cacio e pepe in Rome,” said Marks, a consulting chef for Acre Pasta.

Marks’ background as a restaurant owner, research-and-development (R&D) chef and food manufacturer helped shape the menu, cooking techniques and pricing strategy. DeCosse was adamant about offering dishes under $15 — the spaghetti with Sunday sauce, for example, is just $12.

That’s why the two-minute pasta cooking time is so important to Marks. Not only does it deliver the right consistency but also helps streamline operations in the small kitchen.

“It’s about how many times you touch the dish, and I was thinking it through for the cooks and the company,” he said. Sauces and other staples are prepared in a commissary kitchen shared with Acre Pizza in Petaluma, and some ingredients are repurposed — like leftover pizza dough turned into breadcrumbs for Caesar salad and meatballs.

Cacio e pepe, originally on the opening menu, was removed because it took too long to finish in the restaurant kitchen. In its place, Marks added spaghetti al limone, a light, summery dish with lemon, cream and Parmesan that’s quicker to execute. Other new additions include baked pasta (think lasagna), Pasta alla Norma with Italian sausage, eggplant, ricotta and mozzarella — dishes designed for easy preparation.

But efficiency doesn’t mean the food lacks a personal touch. The Sunday red sauce tastes like it came straight from nonna’s kitchen, with a slow-cooked flavor and kick of fresh tomatoes. The lumache pesto went through dozens of iterations before landing on one made with cashew cream, giving it a subtly sweet, gentle quality you don’t find in most pesto.

Cacio e pepe may be off the menu for now, but Marks hasn’t ruled out a return.

“It’s a hard little thing to do, but it might come back. I’ve always thought it should be an off-menu item on a secret menu — someday,” he said.

Best bets

Burrata toast ($12): Simple triangles of grilled bread slathered with creamy burrata and topped with sliced Roma tomatoes, balsamic glaze and torn basil.

Caesar salad ($15): The usual suspects are chicories and romaine with a shower of fresh Parmesan, breadcrumbs and anchovies. There’s garlic in the dressing, but not so much it leaves you reeking for a week.

Meatballs with Sunday red sauce ($15): The meatballs are made with beef, pork and breadcrumbs made from leftover Acre Pizza dough. The sauce steals the show.

Spaghetti and Sunday red sauce ($12): The research and development that went into this sauce may be NASA-level, but its simplicity is the real magic. Rather than relying on meat, Marks concentrates the juice from canned tomatoes with fennel seed, adding chopped tomatoes at the end. Perfection.

Spaghetti al limone ($16): It’s a grown-up version of buttered noodles. This crowd favorite relies on pasta water to thicken the creamy lemon sauce. Summery and whisper light.

Tagliatelle pesto ($17): Probably one of my very favorite dishes, with snap peas and asparagus (seasonal vegetables will change) in a cashew-based sauce. Not your usual sticky pesto.

Paparadelle al Ragu Bolognese ($22): This is the Bolognese I’ve been looking for. We can argue all day about what a “real” Bolognese recipe includes, but this slow-cooked meat sauce has the warmth of a summer day in Emilia-Romagna.

Lumache al funghi ($24): Strictly for mushroom lovers. The concentrated flavors of dried and fresh mushrooms in cream hug the curly tubes of lumache (cooked very al dente). This dish can be divisive (two of us loved it, two of us weren’t so sure), but I’m a fan.

Note: All pasta dishes can be upgraded with a dollop of burrata, pancetta, mushrooms, chicken breast or wild Gulf shrimp. Gluten-free pasta is also available, and several pasta sauces are vegetarian. The menu is also available for pickup and will soon be offered for delivery.

Prosecco, a Cappelletti Spritz (an Aperol spritz dupe), Folk Machine wine blend wine, and Reality Czeck Pilsner are available.

Overall: Affordable and accessible with plenty of heart and soul.

Acre Pasta, 6751 McKinley St. at The Barlow, Sebastopol, acrepasta.com. Open 4-8 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday; 4 to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Lunch coming soon.