The travel website Only In Your State has named “the best, most lively main streets in Northern California” and two local towns made the list. Click through the above gallery to find out more.
Sometimes you know, in the seconds after a first bite, that a dish won’t be merely memorable. It’s going to be one of the best bites of the year.
A sip of oyster soup called Billi Bi at the recently opened, high-end Cyrus restaurant in Geyserville had exactly that quality.
Other tastes grow on you, becoming more magical in hindsight. A simple salad at Delicious Dish in Sonoma, made with black rice, ahi tuna and a creamy peanut sauce, is a craving that hits me at least once a week.
There’s no real science to selecting this list of the best things I’ve eaten all year. I’ve been to more than 100 restaurants in 2022, and I might sour on a dish I once loved. Maybe the kitchen staff is having a bad day. Maybe I’m not hungry for what’s on the menu. On the other hand, a mundane meal can become extraordinary with good friends at the table, laughter and sunshine.
What makes being a food writer so much fun are those rare moments when the stars align and a plate of food becomes an unforgettable sensory experience.
Many, but not all, of these dishes are from new restaurants, as revisits can be few and far between. Stay tuned in the coming weeks as I write about the biggest openings of the year and go even deeper into 2022 as one of the most exciting years in recent memory for the local restaurant scene.
Billi Bi, Cyrus (part of the $295 tasting menu): Billi Bi has been called the most luxurious dish in the world. The velvety mussel soup is one of the most delicious things on the nearly 20-course tasting menu ($295 per person) at the new Cyrus restaurant. Chef Douglas Keane’s deceptively simple Billi Bi uses the broth of steamed mussels and a heavy dose of cream, butter and white wine to create a deep, satisfying soup that’s far more than the sum of its parts. 275 Highway 128, Geyserville; 707-723-5999, cyrusrestaurant.com
Tortilla Espanola, Bravas ($9): Thin layers of potatoes, onions and Manchego cheese are delicately held together with egg. Served cold with smoky red pepper Romesco aioli (olive oil-based mayonnaise), this surprisingly light dish became a tapas favorite for the table. 420 Center St., Healdsburg; 707-576-9610, starkrestaurants.com
Almost Famous Chicken Tenders, Lo & Behold ($15): These are no children’s-menu frozen-mystery-meat sticks. Chef Sean Raymond Kelley’s Almost Famous tenders are the juiciest strips of crunchy, salty, fried chicken I’ve ever had. Dipped in homemade ranch sauce with a side of pickles, they’re worthy of a standing ovation. Pair with the World’s Best Vodka Soda ($12), made with unicorn tears and Young & Yonder vodka. 214 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg; 707-756-5021, loandbeholdca.com
Petite Escargot, Troubadour Bread and Bistro (part of the tasting menu, $125): By day, Troubadour is a sandwich shop, but by night it becomes a funky French bistro featuring a five-course tasting menu by Chef Sean McGaughey (who has worked at Single Thread and Quail & Condor). Served in a Limoges tea cup with creamy garlic velouté, the Petite Escargot is a single perfect bite. 381 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg; 707-756-3972, troubadourhbg.com
Trout Salad, Lunchette: A smoked trout salad makes my list every year because … yum. Grab-and-go salads from chef and owner Naomi Crawford’s tiny cafe are a takeout staple when I’m working in Petaluma. House-smoked trout, local lettuces, roasted beets, pickled raisins and other goodies get a nice drizzle of preserved lemon dressing for an unforgettable salad. 25 Fourth St., Petaluma; 707-241-7443, lunchettepetaluma.com
Sukiyaki, Hana Japanese ($38): Unlike its stylish cousins, ramen and shabu-shabu, sukiyaki isn’t exactly a cultural zeitgeist, but this showstopper should be. A skillet-size Japanese hot pot (donabe) comes to the table trailing fragrant steam from onions, tofu, mushrooms, green onion and thin strips of rib-eye steak swimming in a sweet, salty, umami-packed broth. Served with rice and a raw egg to dip into. 101 Golf Course Drive, Rohnert Park; 707-586-0270, hanajapanese.com
Cocktails and Churros, Mitote Food Park: Roseland’s food truck park has upped its game by adding a mezcal-forward bar. Spend the afternoon noshing on tacos and sipping cocktails like La Coqueta (The Flirt), with tequila-hibiscus-strawberry syrup and blood orange liqueur. Don’t miss La Churroteka’s churro, a crispy cinnamon-sugar stick filled with chocolate, condensed milk or caramel. 635 Sebastopol Road, Santa Rosa; mitotefoodpark.com
Spanish Octopus a la Plancha, Oyster ($26): Tender bites of octopus are perched atop smashed fingerling potatoes. The pool of earthy black garlic aioli is the real surprise, hidden beneath the crisp spuds. Just as I thought the dish needed a little extra flavor boost, voilà, the black gold appeared. 6770 McKinley St., Suite 130, Sebastopol; oystersebastopol.com
Mushroom Pizza, Psychic Pie ($5.50): This irreverent little pizzeria has Roman pizza down. Mushroom is my favorite because the mix of earthy mushrooms and tart chevre is just so right, with bright citrus accents. Cut-to-order rectangular slices are hot-honey- and ranch-sauce-friendly. 980 Gravenstein Highway S., Sebastopol; 707-827-6032, psychicpie.com
Boquerones Toast, Animo ($14): You’re here for the turbot or aged pork, a seemingly simple appetizer that sums up chef and owner Joshua Smookler’s approach to cooking. Tiny grape tomatoes are peeled before roasting for the sweetest flavor, and the anchovies on top are creamy and light. It’s a must try. Esquire magazine recently named Animo one of the best new restaurants in America. 18976 Sonoma Highway, Sonoma; Instagram: @animo_restaurant
Banh Mi Poke Bowl Salad, Delicious Dish ($18): It’s no exaggeration to say I could eat this rainbow of black rice, pickled daikon, cucumber, watermelon radish, cilantro, mint and ruby red chunks of tuna every day. Each bite reveals something new — sweet, crunchy, sour, bitter, herby, umami — presented in a giant bowl that’s heartbreakingly beautiful. 18709 Arnold Drive, Sonoma; 707-721-4231, delicious-dish.square.site
Elote, Kivelstadt Cellars and Winegarten ($14): Chef Jennifer McMurry knows how to coax incredible flavor out of produce, and this seasonal dish is only on the summer menu. Her summery smoked corn, punctuated by tart lime vinaigrette and mildly spicy jalapeño aioli, was one of the best versions of this street food I’ve ever had. You can still get her Mushroom Cubano, a melted mess of cheese and fresh mushrooms on fresh focaccia. 22900 Broadway, Sonoma; 707-938-7001, kivelstadtcellars.com
Chicken Mole Enchiladas, Sonoma Eats ($16): Mole can be divisive, with its intense flavors — chocolate, roasted chiles, nuts and potent herbs — mixed into an almost-black sauce and sometimes coming from a can rather than slowly cooked over several days. Done right, however, there’s no denying the magic of mole’s ancient roots. Here, humble chicken or mushroom enchiladas are transformed into something outstanding. 18133 Sonoma Highway, Sonoma (at Barking Dog Roasters); 707-939-1905, sonomaeatsmex.com
Croque Monsieur, Maison Porcella ($15): Chef Marc-Henri Jean-Baptiste’s luxurious pates, sausages and Parisian-style ham are the draws of this cozy cafe and wine bar, but if you’re willing to wait a minute, you can get a piping-hot Croque Monsieur that makes all other Croques seem pitiful. This grand ham and cheese sandwich includes creamy bechamel sauce, Gruyere cheese, homemade pain de mie (a slightly sweet French bread loaf) and thin slices of Jean-Baptiste’s award-winning ham. 8499 Old Redwood Highway, Suite 114, Windsor, 707-955-5611, maisonporcella.com
Carne Asada Fries, Galvan’s Eatery ($14): Mexican-inspired food with a beer garden sensibility makes this one of the best food trucks in Sonoma County. Seasoned fries are the base for Carne Asada Fries, a mountain of crispy, gooey deliciousness. Topped with bits of marinated steak (carne asada), mozzarella cheese, crema, pico de gallo and jalapeños, one serving is enough for a crowd. Find Galvan’s Eatery on Instagram @Galvanseatery or call 707-836-5087.
Luma Bar & Eatery, a new restaurant in Petaluma from the owners of The Shuckery, is hoping to open this month in the former Dempsey’s brewpub on the Petaluma River. The plant-forward opening menu will feature Sonoma County produce in dishes such as mushroom escabeche, crudite with seaweed hummus, gnocchi with sunchokes and chanterelles, pasta with fennel and carrot ragout and protein side dishes: 4-ounce skewers of pork shank, duck confit or brisket. The restaurant will have a full bar.
“Luma Bar & Eatery is committed to prioritizing sustainability through our food and beverage program, which is thoughtfully designed to combat the climate crisis one conscious meal at a time,” according to the restaurant’s website. 50 E. Washington St., Petaluma, 707-772-5037, lumaeatery.com
View this post on Instagram
Tiki-style experience: The much-anticipated Kapu, a tiki-style bar and restaurant, should be open before the new year, according to general manager and beverage director Michael Richardson. If you’ve been following their Instagram (@kapu.bar), you’ve seen that Richardson has been hard at work painting and decorating every surface. “No white walls” is his motto. Chef Mike Lutz, the former executive chef of Sonoma State’s Prelude restaurant at the Green Music Center, will head the kitchen. 132 Keller St., Petaluma.
Food truck pop-up series: The SOMO Village in Rohnert Park has launched a food truck pop-up series from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday. The changing lineup of food sellers recently included Lila’s Streetside Eats and Jam’s Joy Bangalow. Find the food park on the west sidewalk near the “Upside-Down Man” statue and SOMO Cowork. Details on Instagram at @somovillage.
Restaurant reservation service OpenTable has announced its annual list of “Top 100 Most Beloved Restaurants in America,” featuring 47 cities across 21 states. No Sonoma County restaurants made the cut this year, but two of the 100 are in Napa Valley.
French restaurant Bistro Jeanty in Yountville and Italian Bistro Don Giovanni in Napa are among the top picks of OpenTable diners. Three San Francisco restaurants also made the list: House of Prime Rib, Greek restaurant Kokkari Estiatorio and Peruvian seafood eatery La Mar Cebicheria Peruana.
To generate the list, OpenTable analyzed 13 million reviews on its site between Oct. 1, 2021, and Sept. 30, 2022. (The reviews can only be submitted by diners who have made a reservation via OpenTable.) A restaurant’s overall score was determined based on “unique data points,” including “diner rating, user klout, total number of reviews, and regional overall rating,” according to a press release from OpenTable, Inc.
California dominated this year’s list with 21 restaurants, followed by Illinois, which had 17 restaurants on the list, all of them in Chicago. Florida and Nevada tied at 10 restaurants each.
Bistro Jeanty, an institution for French cuisine in Napa Valley, has served classic dishes like onion soup, escargots and cassoulet for more than 20 years. The restaurant is owned by Chef Philippe Jeanty, from the Champagne region in France, who came to Yountville in 1977 to open the Chandon Restaurant.
“Consistently wonderful. Some of the best food in Napa Valley. Wonderful French atmosphere. Great service,” wrote OpenTable reviewer Donna about Bistro Jeanty.
Bistro Don Giovanni, another longtime Napa favorite, is owned by Giovanni Scala, whose mamma inspired the Neapolitan menu at his restaurant. Chef and business partner Scott Warner prepares dishes like carpaccio, gnocchetti with lamb ragu and pecorino toscano and veal parmigiana.
Click through the above gallery for a peek at the Napa Valley restaurants. See the full list here.
Sonoma County is busy getting ready for the holidays. Trees are being trimmed, garland is being hung, and thousands of twinkling lights are brightening the December nights. If you need a little nudge to get your festive juices flowing, hotels throughout Wine Country are decking their halls with sparkling décor. Click through the gallery above for a look at some of our favorite hotels to visit during the holiday season.
Did we miss one of your must-see properties? Let us know in the comments below.
Sonoma County’s Bib Gourmands have been announced for 2022. While there aren’t any newcomers, it’s a high honor given to eight of the county’s restaurants considered by the California Michelin Guide to be restaurants with “good food at a moderate price.”
While most people are familiar with the Michelin stars, the Bib Gourmand award is lesser known. The Michelin guide, launched by French tire company Michelin in 1900, began awarding stars to fine dining establishments in 1926. In 1955, it introduced a second designation for restaurants deemed a good value by Michelin inspectors. It became known as Bib Gourmand in 1997 and was indicated in the guidebook with an image of the tire company’s mascot “Bibendum,” also known as the Michelin Man.
Today, the Michelin Guide comprises a series of guidebooks and announces awards annually across countries, regions and cities — there’s a Michelin Guide for France, but also one for Paris; in the United States, awards are announced in cities like New York or Washington, D.C. and statewide, in the case of California. Restaurants now need to serve two courses, a glass of wine or dessert for around $40 or less to be considered for the Bib Gourmand category.
While the stars remain the restaurant world’s most coveted awards, being selected a Bib Gourmand by Michelin inspectors is also an honor and can put a restaurant on the map of foodie destinations. This year, the California Michelin Guide lists 141 Bib Gourmand restaurants in the state. A great meal under $40 isn’t easily found in California — click through the above gallery for some excellent deals courtesy of Michelin.
For decades, Guerneville was a sleepy hideaway best known for its Russian River resorts and gay-friendly community. Flash forward to today, and the proudly self-proclaimed “gayberhood” is now a fashionable dining destination and a burgeoning resort retreat for straight folks, too.
Guerneville has retained its laidback charm, so don’t expect fancy. But the eclectic riverfront town is worth the drive for farm-to-table meals and sips and snacks at bars, and for admiring gorgeous drag queens strutting down the sidewalks.
A bit of trivia: The former logging town was once nicknamed “Big Bottom” for the alluvial flood plain that Guerneville sits upon. The town’s modern general store, Big Bottom Market, has kept the name.
Chef-restaurateur-entrepreneur Crista Luedtke is the unofficial mayor of Guerneville. She owns and operates Boon restaurant, Brot modern German restaurant (closed for winter) and Boon Hotel + Spa. Boon (named for her late, beloved rescue dog) is a hip bistro brimming with all kinds of goodness in the form of organic, seasonal Californian cuisine, plus local microbrews and wines.
Explore mouthwatering plates like housemade burrata with currant glaze, toasted pine nuts, mushroom duxelles and grilled hearth bread; gently spiced chile braised pork shoulder atop creamy polenta and wilted greens with a dollop of homemade ricotta salata; and a vegan bowl that’s rich with sautéed greens, creamy beans, crisp seasonal veggies, and a spicy herbed broth.
16248 Main St., Guerneville, 707-869-0780, eatatboon.com.
It’s easy to overlook this small, nondescript, green-painted restaurant that looks like a cheerful shack on the side of the road. But the dinner and brunch menus tempt with tasty surprises, and it’s lovely to dine outside on the peaceful garden decks beneath the redwoods.
Mosey in for belly fillers such as a chile relleno fancied up with mushrooms, corn and squash; tender barbecue ribs partnered with spicy curdito, potato salad and beans or fries; big burgers of all kinds; and a terrific tri-tip cheesesteak topped with caramelized onions, beer cheese, peppers and aioli on a toasted soft roll. Lots of gluten free and vegan options, too.
17132 Highway 116, Guerneville, 707-869-3922, theoxbowrestaurant.com.
After a three-year hiatus, the historic Russian River resort Dawn Ranch has reopened its luxe, cedar-topped cabins, along with its Cal-fresh restaurant, Agriculture Public House. Take in views of the towering redwoods (borrow some of the resort’s Swarovski Optics binoculars for bird watching, if you like), then dig into seasonal dishes and classic cocktails.
A few standout bites include mushroom enchiladas with braised cabbage and ancho chile sauce; grilled Mary’s organic chicken with yam medallions; cider roasted Brussels sprouts with pepita seeds; or a weekend-brunch-staple Monte Cristo with ham, turkey and Swiss cheese tucked in egg-dipped french toast and served with waffle fries.
16467 Hwy. 116, Guerneville, 707-869-0656, dawnranch.com
This longtime jewel embraces Guerneville’s quirky vibe and fun, friendly community as a combined cocktail lounge, Italian restaurant, pizzeria and nightclub with a cabaret stage and piano bar. Live acoustic jazz, blues, folk and indie music is presented almost every night, too.
Start the party with oysters Rockefeller baked hot with spinach, garlic butter and Parmigiana, then move on to a smoked applewood wedge salad showered in blue cheese crumbles, slivered toasted almonds, sweet red onion and blue cheese dressing. Entrees are comfort food heaven; go for panko chicken parmesan over polenta; weekend special herb-crusted prime rib; a mountain of sausage-beef lasagna bubbling with cheese; or glorious spaghetti and meatballs crowned in Italian meat sauce.
16280 Main St., Guerneville, 707-869-0501, mainststation.com.
A truck makes our “best” list. Really. It’s one that sends out such tasty food that you’ll wish you lived near its parking spot on downtown’s Main Street just above Johnson’s Beach.
This mobile kitchen has been a community favorite for three decades, and the Vazquez brothers continue to keep everyone well-fed with basic but well-crafted staples like carne asada tacos, lengua burritos gussied up with French fries, overstuffed quesadillas, and tortas plump with spiced, slow simmered chicken.
Challenge yourself: Do you want a large (regular and already hefty) burrito, or can you tackle the extra-large (gargantuan) burrito? Do note: prices on the website are not current and the truck is cash only.
16632 Main St., Guerneville, guernevilletacotruck.com.
UPDATE: TCP was not recognized by the 2022 California Michelin guide, but we look forward to next year!
Michelin ratings for California restaurants will be revealed Monday, Dec. 5, and my money is on newcomer Table Culture Provisions in Petaluma to win its first star.
Chefs and owners Stéphane Saint Louis and Steven Vargas have created a destination restaurant that recently attracted the attention of the San Francisco Chronicle, landing them on the coveted Top 25 Restaurants for Fall list. A recent visit and exploration of their 10-course tasting menu was even more impressive than my first visit in January.
Inside their minimalist 10-table restaurant, Saint Louis and Vargas have mastered the menu with familiar favorites like their fried Delicata Squash Rings with Truffle Caviar Dip; Mushroom Rilette Tartelette with Sunchoke Chips; and Scallop with Romanesco Cauliflower, Black Masa Crisp and Smoked Trout Roe. New-to-me dishes included a Bucatini with Nduja, Olive, Pepperonata and Macha Oil. Fluffy Parker House Rolls with Beef Bone Marrow Butter are another throwback dish, an amuse-bouche worth saving to sop up Bearnaise sauce spooned over grilled bok choy.
One of the best dishes of the menu is simply named Harvest; it’s a petite casserole with butternut squash, Crecenza Espuma cheese and tatsoi. Much of the produce comes from their garden at Asambrosa, a 63-acre farm and estate in Petaluma.
Saint Louis and Vargas gained notice after they invested their pandemic stimulus checks in Tesla and turned the investment into a $17,000 windfall that helped them launch their restaurant. During the pandemic, they operated out of a borrowed space in Petaluma, selling pantry items and serving fried chicken and waffle-style potato chips (called gaufrette if you’re fancy) with onion dip.
The $135 full tasting menu, launched about a month ago, includes an $85 wine pairing from Sommelier Roberto Espinoza with wines from lesser-known producers in Sicily and Alsace. Espinoza is an alumni of San Francisco’s pricey, upscale Benu and Quince restaurants.
We also discovered former Hana Japanese sake sommelier Danny Pitassy working at Table Culture Provisions, who dreamed up a sake-oyster shooter with quail egg and Sriracha that starts the night right.
Early seatings are quiet and relaxed if you’re willing to eat at 5:30 p.m. But evening tables with the warm glow of candles are also delightful. Grab a reservation soon, because we’re sure Table Culture Provisions is headed for its close-up. 312 Petaluma Blvd S., Petaluma, 707-559-5739; go to tcprovision.com for menu and reservations.
Dreaming of a relaxing winter getaway? Mydatingadviser.com, a web site that, as the name suggests, offers dating tips, just named a Napa Valley town among the “170 coziest small towns in America.” Two North Coast towns, a couple of hours drive from Sonoma County, also made the list.
“Drink hot chocolate, sit by a fireplace, read a book, enjoy warm meals, and curl up with someone special under a warm blanket,” in towns like Stockholm, Wisconsin (No. 1 on the list), Stowe, Vermont (No. 2), and Stanley, Idaho (No. 3), suggested mydatingadviser.com. (In order to determine the coziest small towns in the nation, the web site compared well-known U.S. small towns across three “key dimensions:” weather, food and activities.)
While snow-covered East Coast towns ranked the highest, 12 California towns made the list, with Carmel-by-the-Sea leading the Golden State pack. Click through the above gallery to see which nearby towns are among the coziest in America, with a few suggestions on things to do (courtesy of Sonoma Magazine staff). Find more serene winter escapes here: sonomamag.com/10-serene-winter-escapes-in-sonoma. Karen Misuraca and Dana Rebmann contributed to this article.
Restaurants are a reflection of the community. Part gathering spots, part arbiters of local tastes and part entertainment venues, they say a lot about who we are. With changing tastes and changing times, restaurants come and go, leaving behind memories for all who visited. In Sonoma County, some have sadly been lost to wildfires and, more recently, the pandemic.
Downtown Santa Rosa has been especially hard hit in the last few years amid parking problems, homelessness and the lack of downtown workers to support the businesses, among other issues. Between 2020 and 2022, closures included Bollywood, Mercato, Gerard’s Paella, Acre Coffee, Stout Brothers, Tex Wasabi’s and Bistro 29. (Warike Restobar, Kancha SR and L’Oro Di Napoli have opened recently in downtown Santa Rosa.)
Many restaurants that struggled through wildfires and the pandemic found that their troubles weren’t over in 2022. Difficulties with finding staff and exponentially rising food costs left some of our favorite restaurants throughout the county out of time and out of resources.
Click through the gallery above for a few of the restaurants we lost in 2022 and many others that we still remember fondly from years before. Did we miss one of your favorites? Share your memories in the comments.
