Cheese Tea, Found
A few months back, I was on the hunt for Cheese Tea (or Chizu Tea), a popular southeast Asian trend that tastes much better than it sounds. Think boba tea with heavy whipped cream on top (which is actually a mixture of cream cheese and heavy cream). We found it here in Sonoma County at East Wind Bakery (3851 Sebastopol Road #109, Santa Rosa).
It’s always been a favorite for east-meets-west pastries like Baonuts (donuts made with bao dough and filled with exotic fruits and cream); churro croissants, cupcakes and kimchi pork but, cheese tea? It’s way better than a tired Frappuccino any day. Get the Thai Coffee cheese tea to launch you into the day, with cheesy foam and boba balls at the bottom. Don’t miss grabbing a couple of sweets while you’re there. Open 8a.m. to 4p.m. Wednesday through Friday, Sat/Sun 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed Monday and Tuesday, eastwindbakery.com.
Sweet Pea Bakery
Could we finally be getting some decent bagels in these parts? A quick stop at Sweet Pea Bakery in Sonoma turned up some ridiculously good rosemary asiago bagels that, while not exactly New York style, were chewy and crispy and surprisingly delish. We also liked the Kouign Amann, a sweet, flaky pastry with caramelized sugar and more butter than you’d like to think about. 720 W. Napa St., Sonoma, sweetpeanapa.com.
New/Old Chef at The Fountaingrove Club
Chef Patrick Tafoya, who you may remember from P/30 and several other Sonoma County restaurants has returned to Sonoma County after several years in the midwest. He’s taken on the position of executive chef at the Fountaingrove Club, a membership-only golf and country club. Welcome back, Patrick!