Keeping up with Sonoma County’s restaurant scene is a full-time job, and this summer I’ve been racing from Healdsburg and Sebastopol to Sonoma and Santa Rosa to try to keep pace. More than a dozen new restaurants have opened in recent weeks, with more on the way. That’s a lot of new menus to work through. Here’s what’s open, what’s coming and where you might want to make your next reservation.
Now open
Dead Letter
The latest restaurant from the team behind the girl & the fig brings a dose of drama to Sonoma’s 19th-century post office, just off the plaza. A Spanish charcoal grill anchors a menu that moves from chicken karaage with hummus to butterflied trout with red curry, with plenty of dishes designed for sharing. The dim, art-filled dining room has a postal-noir sensibility, with surreal digital screens, vintage touches and even a $5 Art-o-mat vending machine. Dinner, apparently, can come with a little diversion. 101 E. Napa St., Sonoma, deadlettersonoma.com
Café Carrusel
Owner Ivy Reyes has turned childhood dreams of an Easy-Bake Oven, clouds of glitter and carousel horses into a Mexi-brunch cafe that makes Barbie’s Dreamhouse look restrained. The six-page menu mixes American and Latin flavors with carnival theatrics: consommé-soaked birria tacos hang from a clothesline; a butterfly-shaped brunch board arrives with pancakes, waffles, French toast and Nutella; and cocktails are topped with fluffy pink cotton candy. This is food designed for fun rather than fine dining, with plenty of glazes, marshmallows and chocolate. Because everyone deserves a little glitter-topped make-believe. 630 Third St., Santa Rosa, 707-655-8365, instagram.com/cafe_carrusel
Capriciano Osteria
Sonoma County has no shortage of Italian restaurants, so a new one needs to give diners a reason to add another to the list. Capriciano Osteria has found one in chef Baki Bekci, whose background includes Four Seasons kitchens and the founding of Mezzaluna. He brings a fine-dining sensibility to Italian-American staples, from warm focaccia and burrata salad to fresh pasta, chicken Parmesan and risotto. Among the standouts are lemon ravioli, grilled octopus and a seafood risotto loaded with shrimp, lobster and clams. 505 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa, 707-800-7904, capriciano.com
Dolce Rosa Cafe
I’m not here to defend $20 avocado toast. But if you’re going to spend $20 on it, Santa Rosa’s Dolce Rosa Cafe makes a persuasive case. The all-day cafe gives familiar dishes a fine-dining gloss, from housemade focaccia piled with avocado, burrata, pistachios and hot honey to tiramisu pancakes with espresso mascarpone. A pistachio latte comes rimmed with crushed nuts. Owners Josie Ortega and Martin Chaparro are still tinkering with the menu, which also includes pastas, breakfast burritos and eggs in purgatory. Dinner service may be coming later. 4910 Sonoma Highway, Suite B, Santa Rosa, 707-931-4625, instagram.com/dolcerosacafe
Spur Saloon
Batwing doors, saddle seats, cocktails and 10-gallon-hat fun: Spur Saloon is Windsor’s new country-Western bar. More details are coming next week. 9000 Windsor Road, Windsor, instagram.com/spur.saloon.windsor
Bonnie Bagels & Co.
A small Sebastopol cafe may have finally cracked the code on East Coast bagels in Sonoma County. Bonnie Bagels opened in mid-August with kettle-cooked bagels — boiled and baked, as they should be — that are crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside, and, best of all, available in salt. Owner Michael Sousa and executive chef Greg Kalergis offer the familiar lineup of bagels, schmears, and sandwiches, along with more California-leaning flavors like cheddar-jalapeño and Asiago. The shop occupies the former Hippizzazz pizza space across from HopMonk. 280 S. Main St., Sebastopol, 707-503-6520, bonniebagels.com
The Porch
Chef Lisa Boisset is obsessive about making nearly everything at her tiny Sebastopol bistro from scratch, from stocks and sauces to dressings and focaccia croutons. Even the ketchup gets a multistep treatment: tomatoes are charred, then combined with warm spices, apple cider vinegar and balsamic vinegar. The result makes the Parmesan- and parsley-topped pommes frites particularly difficult to share. Tucked beside Patisserie Angelica and behind the Rialto Cinemas, the modest brasserie serves straightforward, comforting food without much fuss. Its west county porch feels more like a roadhouse than the Parisian Left Bank. 6811 Laguna Park Way, Sebastopol, 707-393-9488, theporchkitchen.com
Wylde Provisions Co.
At this Sebastopol playground cafe, parents can sit in the shade with a proper espresso — or a beer — and a chef-made tofu soba noodle bowl while their children run wild. The menu ranges from yogurt parfaits with blueberry sauce to a giant carnitas sandwich with refried lentils and tomatillo-fish-sauce vinaigrette. But bowls are the specialty, with new combinations appearing weekly. Recent options include the Tamariana Grande, with tamari-glazed turkey sausage over udon with edamame, charred zucchini, pickled ginger and cashew-tamari vinaigrette, and the Chipotle Off the Old Block, with chipotle chicken or tofu, quinoa, black beans, corn and greens in avocado-cilantro dressing. Good food, even if you’re not chasing a toddler. 500 Robinson Road, Sebastopol, instagram.com/wyldeprovisionsco
Hazel
Sometimes when one door closes, another opens — in this case, a 150-year-old yellow clapboard Victorian overlooking downtown Occidental. Less than a year after closing their original location, owners Jim and Michele Wimborough have reopened their decade-old restaurant in the former Barley & Hops space down the street. The airy dining room, with its 19th-century details and tucked-away nooks, already feels like a neighborhood gathering place. The menu remains recognizably Hazel, with wood-fired pizzas, hearty seasonal dishes and the unfussy hospitality that has made the restaurant a west county favorite. 3688 Bohemian Highway, Occidental, 707-874-6003, restauranthazel.com
Also on the radar
Three Cultures Kitchen: Open for nearly a year, this Guerneville restaurant combines Mexican, Salvadoran and American influences with elaborate plating. Crispy pork belly with yucca mash and chicken mole are among the draws. 16218 Main St., Guerneville, 707-604-7031, threecultureskitchen.net
Cloverdale Supper Club: The restaurant at the boutique Cloverdale House Inn aims for a Sinatra-era atmosphere, with steaks, seafood and classic martinis. 240 N. Cloverdale Blvd., Cloverdale, 707-669-5072, instagram.com/supperclubcloverdale
Kyoto Ramen and Hawaiian BBQ: This California-Pacific Rim chain serves 15 types of ramen, along with poke bowls, curry, rice bowls, katsu and kalua pork. 1940 Piner Road, Suite 600, Santa Rosa, 707-888-2906
Jamerikan Jerk: The longtime Jamaican food-truck operator has opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant at 2792 Fourth St. in Santa Rosa. 707-755-1289, jamerikanjerksr.com
Marela: This Italian-inspired restaurant at the rebranded Liora Estate, formerly Hotel Les Mars, replaces Arandas. 27 North St., Healdsburg, 707-473-8030, marelahealdsburg.com
Sonoma Eats: Owners Efrain Balmes and Hayley Cutri have opened a Sonoma location of their Mexican restaurant in the former La Hacienda space. The restaurant is still settling into its new direction, with more of Balmes’ Oaxacan family recipes expected soon. 561 Fifth St. W., Sonoma, 707-996-1783
Just opened
Afghan Kabob Cafe: The second location of the popular Tracy-based halal restaurant serves kabobs, biryani, bolani and more. 2478 W. Third St., Santa Rosa, 707-575-9296, instagram.com/afghankabobcafe
Aladdin Grill: Opening this week, the restaurant will serve traditional wraps, kabobs and Turkish coffee. 2101 W. College Ave., Santa Rosa, 707-500-2024
Coming soon
Olives and Agave: Now slated for mid-September, this restaurant will serve tapas and Mediterranean dishes inspired by Spain and the Middle East in Montgomery Village’s former Cascabel space. 909 Village Court, Santa Rosa, olivesandagave.com
Wild Poppy: The west county cafe known for plant-forward breakfasts and brunch is expanding to a second location at The Barlow, taking over the former Woodfour Brewing space. Plans include a tofu factory in the former brewery room. 6780 Depot St., Suite 160, Sebastopol, thewildpoppycafe.com
Hapa’s on the Mainland: From the Sweet T’s team and pitmaster George Ah Chin, this Hawaiian restaurant is planned for the rebuilt Cricklewood site, with indoor dining and expansive outdoor patios. Expect casual island fare and tiki-style cocktails. Construction is underway. 4618 Old Redwood Highway, Santa Rosa, hapasmainland.com
Mansoor: The former Gravenstein Grill space has changed hands and will become a restaurant focused on live-fire cooking. 8050 Bodega Ave., Sebastopol
