It’s never been easier to travel along the Mendocino coast with your dog. Dreamy waterfront hotels and beautiful botanical gardens welcome pups and you can bring your four-legged friend to wineries and restaurants, on rail bike rides — even when kayaking. With so many options, it’s ruff to choose, but here are some favorite dog-friendly destinations on the Mendocino coast. Click through the above gallery for details.
There’s no question who is in charge at Saucy Mama’s Jook Joint in Guerneville.
Inside the bustling barbecue spot, owner Yvette Bidegain flits from table to table, with a giant smile and infectious giggle. Here everyone is “honey,” as Bidegan fusses over customers, smooths over minor service wrinkles and leaves a broad wake of hospitality.
Even on a sober Sunday, the joint has the Saturday-night feel of a lively rural roadhouse, with waitstaff bringing out plate after plate of ribs, cornbread waffles and the evening’s special Shrimp & Grits as fast as the kitchen can keep up.
Saucy Mama’s puts the soul in soul food by fusing the deeply Southern flavors of Bidegain’s family’s Louisiana heritage with her own California culinary twists.
A Sonoma County native and the seventh of nine children, Bidegain inherited the barbecue legacy of her father, Leroy Richardson of Richardson’s Ribs. Raised in Mississippi, not far from New Orleans, Richardson arrived in Northern California in the early 1950s, hoping for a new life and armed with an arsenal of family recipes.
In the late 1970s, Richardson launched his barbecue business at the Sonoma County Fair, pressing his children into service at an early age, Bidegain said. The business evolved into a roving barbecue food truck and three restaurant locations in Santa Rosa and Sebastopol.
“There were nine of us, and my parents had us all in the kitchen,” Bidegain said. “We worked our buns off. The (restaurant business) is either something in you, or it’s not.”
The last Richardson’s Ribs restaurant closed in 1995, just a year before her father’s death.
But his recipes live on in Bidegain’s fledgling kitchen. Pictures of the family, menus and other homages are enshrined on Saucy Mama’s walls.
Like Richardson’s Ribs, Bidegain’s restaurant is a family business. Her husband, Tim Kobus, helps run the place, and her daughter and granddaughter work as servers.
Kobus, like Bidegain, wears several hats. On a recent day, he was stirring a giant pot of grits while directing kitchen staff. He also helped with the lengthy and often painful build-out process of the space that had stood empty for three years and was heavily damaged by flooding in 2019.
The restaurant business, however, is a second act for Bidegain. The 62-year-old spent most of her adult life working for Caltrans; she recently retired after 36 years. With her four children grown, she needed a new project.
“After the kids grew up, I had a void in my life,” she said. “I had all this extra time when I retired. I said, there has to be something out there that no one else is doing.”
Soul food was her answer.
Equipped with tried-and-true recipes, she launched a catering business just before the pandemic started. But with few events to buoy the enterprise, Bidegain turned her sights to the idea of a pop-up food business at Guerneville’s Stumptown Brewery.
With little local competition for her unparalleled fried catfish (honestly, the best I’ve ever had); smoked beef ribs; chicken skin cracklings; and best-in-class sides like three-cheese macaroni, collard greens and black-eyed peas, she found a ravenous audience.
Bidegain isn’t just the boss — her keen palate is behind all the dishes. Her first-time special of shrimp and grits, which she insists we try, is a jumble of poached shrimp, onions and garlic atop a bed of creamy, golden cornmeal that’s cheesier than a prom photo. Cornmeal waffles fan out on top with “crack” butter that lives up to its name.
There are generations of heart and soul in every bite.
Saucy Mama’s menu isn’t overly long, so there’s room for additional specials, including an occasional crawfish boil, jambalaya and smothered pork chops. Saucy Mama’s doesn’t have a website or social media, so plan for food exploration rather than expectation.
And leave the high-profile barbecue joints to amateurs, because they’ll never have the authenticity and passion Saucy Mama’s brings to Guerneville.
Crispy Fried Catfish Entree, $20: The seasoned cornmeal crust has a flavorful, crunchy texture, unlike greasy, bready batters. Inside, fresh catfish is moist, succulent and not fishy (like most frozen, imported catfish we’ve tried).
Shrimp Po Boy, $18: A small French loaf is cut into a boat (rather than sliced through), holding onto a delicious, saucy mess of fried shrimp, lettuce, tomatoes and remoulade sauce. Unlike a mayonnaise-heavy aioli, the remoulade has a tart vinegar punch with mustard and capers. The hidden fried pickle is a sweet-sour surprise.
Cracklin Chicken, $8: Deep-fried chicken skin with hot sauce. You love it or you hate it.
Extras (sides), $5/small or $10/large: Sides are everything at a barbecue spot, because no matter how good your ’cue is, if you can’t make a decent slaw, you’re sunk. Macaroni and cheese is made with four types of cheese and cream. Okra is deep-fried and tossed with onions and bacon. Collards are OK but lack the vinegar bite we like.
BBQ Pork Ribs Entree, $23.50: Fall-off-the-bone ribs slathered with sweet sauce are on point. Fried chicken, hot links and barbecue chicken are available as entrees or a la carte. Comes with the famous cornbread waffles. Pick two extras.
Save room for Banana Pudding ($6), Pecan Pie ($7), Peach Cobbler ($6.50) or the rarely found Sweet Potato Pie ($6).
Saucy Mama’s Jook Joint is at 16632 Highway 116, Guerneville, 707-604-7184. Open from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. saucymamasjookjoint.com
USA Today has announced its annual 10Best Readers’ Choice travel awards, highlighting “the best of the best” in the U.S. in categories such as food and drink, hotels and things to do. This year, 10 Sonoma County businesses were among the winners, which were chosen by a panel of experts and then voted on by USA Today readers. Click through the above gallery to see the winners. See the winners in all USA Today 10Best categories here.
Sarah Doyle, Sofia Englund, Julia Green and Linda Murphy contributed to this article.
I’m suddenly feeling nostalgic. A little more than halfway through 2022, many of us have probably forgotten the fledgling restaurants that impressed us when they opened just months ago. Here’s a reminder of some of the best openings of the year so far. Click through the above gallery for details. And stay tuned for more restaurant openings.
With more than 425 wineries, an epic food scene, a striking coastline and towering redwoods, it’s easy to understand why Sonoma County is a honeymoon hotspot. There are plenty of picture perfect local hotels to check into after saying “I do,” from expansive luxury resorts to intimate, family-owned inns. Click through the above gallery for seven favorites.
If you’re not a commuter to Santa Rosa, Petaluma or one of the other towns along the SMART train route, you might not have had a chance to ride the North Bay’s passenger rail line. But with a dozen stops from the Sonoma County Airport to Larkspur and a handful more planned, there is more to do along the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit line than go to the office.
Here are eight stops, from north to south, that offer things to see and do within a short walk from each station. You can take the kids or your out-of-town visitors to the Charles M. Schulz Museum or shop for antiques in Santa Rosa or even pick up fresh produce in the farmers market at a historic Frank Lloyd Wright building. Plus, you’ll save gas and parking-meter money.
USA Today has announced its annual 10Best Readers’ Choice travel awards, highlighting “the best of the best” in categories such as food and drink, hotels and things to do. Among the winners this year are two Sonoma County wineries.
Windsor’s Bricoleur Vineyards and Healdsburg’s Orsi Family Vineyards were named among the 10 Best New Wineries of 2022 — Orsi came in on No. 8 and Bricoleur on No. 9. Nominees within this category, like other 10Best categories, were chosen by a panel of USA Today experts. Readers were then allowed to vote once per category, per day, for four weeks before the contest closed and the winners were announced.
“After opening the doors of our first dedicated tasting room and winery in Healdsburg only one year ago, we couldn’t be prouder of this accolade,” said Bernie Orsi, owner of Orsi Family Vineyards.
Orsi, whose roots trace to Italy’s Lucca region, began his winemaking career by planting Sangiovese and Montepulciano grapes 25 years ago. His winery and tasting room, located in the former Geyser Peak Winery just west of downtown Healdsburg, serves 11 estate-grown, limited production Italian wines, including rare varietals such as Biancolella, Schioppettino and Negroamaro. (The winery’s 2018 Schioppettino was awarded Double Gold and Best of Class in The Press Democrat’s 2022 North Coast Wine Challenge.)
Mark and Elizabeth Wall Hanson and daughter Sarah Hanson Citron opened their Bricoleur visitor center in 2020, just before COVID-19 ground tastings and group gatherings to a halt. They had transformed a horse ranch with vineyards into an outdoor haven for visitors, with a lake, culinary garden, rose garden and a shaded pavilion.
As it turned out, Bricoleur’s outdoor setting was ideal for pandemic-times tastings and the winery soon earned recognition for its food and wine pairings. The new Rooted tasting experience pairs small-plate courses with estate-grown wines from the Russian River Valley vineyard and the Hanson-owned Kick Ranch in the Fountaingrove AVA. The current menu includes Kick Ranch Sauvignon Blanc with Organic Fennel Nage with Mussels and Clams; and Estate Pinot Noir with Anson Mills Organic Spelt Risotto, local mushrooms and smoked bacon lardon.
“I’m so proud of our team,” said Mark Hanson about the USA Today 10Best award. “Our chefs are so creative and, working in sync with our farmer, they’ve crafted innovative estate-to-plate dishes that complement our wines … and our hospitality team welcomes every guest like family.”
Stone Ashe Vineyards in Hendersonville, North Carolina, took the No. 1 spot on USA Today’s 10 Best New Wineries list. See the full list here.
Sofia Englund and Linda Murphy contributed to this article.
Bricoleur Vineyards is open 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Thursday – Monday by appointment only; reservations can be made by visiting bricoleurvineyards.com or by calling 707-857-5700. 7394 Starr Road in Windsor, bricoleurvineyards.com
The Orsi Family Vineyards tasting room is open 10:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Thursday – Monday. Reservations and walk-ins are welcome. 2306 Magnolia Drive, Healdsburg, 707-732-4660, orsifamilyvineyards.com
The upscale Layla restaurant at MacArthur Place in Sonoma is temporarily closed.
Brunch, lunch and dinner service are on hold, although guests of the hotel can have breakfast at the restaurant. Layla is slated to reopen “before Labor Day weekend” according to publicists, with a new menu from Executive Chef Jordan Hoffman. The Bar at MacArthur also is closed to outside visitors but remains open for guests.
The renovated hotel and spa have been through a tough few years, after the parent company, IMH Financial Group, entered into bankruptcy protection in 2020 and COVID-19 temporarily closed the restaurant.
In 2021, the restructured property reopened with significant changes to the Layla menu and a covered outdoor dining space.
29 E. MacArthur St., Sonoma, 707-938-2929, macarthurplace.com
Camouflaged in fake grass and artificial flowers, Art Ibleto’s famous Spaghetti Palace at the Sonoma County Fair sits idle this summer, without marinara-doused polenta or its king.
Once the highlight of the county fair and the foundation of “The Pasta King” Ibleto’s food empire, the age-worn booth festooned with a red, white and green Italian motif was an annual destination for generations of fairgoers. Located near the Hall of Flowers, it was also the summer kingdom of the Italian-born cook, who held court in an air-conditioned backroom for more than 45 years with fellow royalty including philanthropist Henry Trione, Clover-Stornetta founder Gene Benedetti and winery owner Saralee Kunde.
But after the death of the 94-year-old patriarch in 2020, and his wife and helpmate Victoria in 2019, the Palace’s future is uncertain.
“Mom and dad are gone. This year, it would have been just me and my brother,” said Annette Ibleto-Spohr, who has taken over much of her father’s business — catering, partial ownership of a Rohnert Park restaurant and retail sales of pasta and sauce in the years since Ibelto’s death. Mark Ibleto, her brother, runs a private cut-and-wrap butcher shop for the fair’s market animals.
“This was always a family thing, and we all had our parts,” said Ibleto-Sphor, who had spent summers at the Palace since she was a child. She worked with high school friends at the booth, then hired her children’s high school friends, often giving them their first job.
“Some of the people had been there forever, but something just had to give. It was a hard call (not to open), and I didn’t make it easily. I just couldn’t take it on this year,” she said.
In the past, a collection of family friends and relatives from as far as Italy came to pitch in.
The Spaghetti Palace was one of a handful of local restaurants that serve food at the fair each year. Longtime fair destinations like Old Mexico and Willie Bird Turkey are no longer part of the lineup, nor is Guy Fieri’s pizza and garlic fry truck. National concession companies now crowd the field with artery-clogging wonders like fried Twinkies, lobster french fries and funnel cakes. Flashing 20-foot signs atop state-of-the-art mobile kitchens make the rustic Spaghetti Palace look like an artifact.
Ibleto-Spohr hopes to reopen the Spaghetti Palace next year, but without her father at the helm and in the face of ongoing difficulties in the food business, she’s taking it one day at a time.
“He was the face and the boss,” Ibleto-Sphor said of her dad.
Even in tourist destinations like Sonoma Wine Country, there are plenty of off-the-map eateries where locals congregate. Chances are you won’t hear about them in the guidebooks, but locals know where to find the tasty stuff. Click through the above gallery for some of our favorites.
