A rundown home in Sonoma’s Agua Caliente neighborhood with tons of potential — and caution tape around it — has been transformed into a cute and stylish cottage by local realtor Regina Clyde and designer Mickey Greer of Greer and Associates.
The three-bedroom, three-bathroom, 1700-square-foot home sits at the end of a quiet street on Keaton Avenue. It is currently listed for $1,100,000.
It was the home’s beautiful views that inspired Clyde to renovate the property. Built in 1981, it gained new siding, expanded decks and cable railings, and each room has been thoroughly renovated. The home’s design, featuring split levels, makes good use of the space. The windows let in the surrounding landscape and plenty of light, which creates a feeling of spaciousness.
Updated finishes have invigorated the 41-year-old home. Engineered white oak floors provide a clean and airy base. Textured tiles add interest in the bathroom and give life to the subtle colors. Boldly contrasting colors, like slate gray tiles in an otherwise white bathroom, make bold design statements. In the kitchen, Italian-designed Bertazzoni appliances — a hood and an oven — are accented with a quartz countertop and circle-tile backsplash.
It’s the details that really make this property sing: Angular-shaped bronze fixtures, paneled interior doors and inspired lighting choices — from wicker and shell shades to scoop lights.
In a departure from the white farmhouse-style home, the exterior of this remodel has been painted a handsome dark gray. Inside, only a subtle color palette is needed for this home to radiate style. Exciting staging details by Panache by Pezzolo Designs add strong but subtle graphic detail through pillows, prints and plants.
This home is listed with Regina Clyde, Sotheby’s International Realty, 793 Broadway Sonoma, 707-529-8504, ginaclyde.com
After Penelope Barnes lost her custom-built home to the 2017 Tubbs fire, she approached the rebuild with the aim of modernizing her property.
For Barnes, modernizing meant a more open floor plan, a covered patio, solar power and seamless indoor/outdoor living areas — design elements featured on many homebuyers’ wishlists these days. While these elements are indeed contemporary, the style of this new build is unapologetically traditional.
“I didn’t want anything that would become faddish,” says Barnes.
The 4000-square-foot home — designed to Barnes’ tastes by Farrell Faber and Associates architectural firm in Santa Rosa — sits high on a hill in the Skyfarm area of Santa Rosa’s Fountaingrove neighborhood. It is currently listed for $3,200,000.
A hand-stamped concrete driveway leads to a courtyard-like entrance that frames a single arched wooden front door. Select areas of stone siding add more storybook-like charm to the exterior of the home.
Inside, there’s plenty of open space. The kitchen connects to the dining area and the living room. Barnes, whose former home had separate kitchen, dining and living areas, prefers the spaciousness of this layout. She believes the home has retained its elegance but with a more relaxed atmosphere. “I call it a comfortable elegance,” she says.
A pair of quartz-topped kitchen islands are attractive spots for food preparation on one side, and staging and dining on the other. Floor-to-ceiling windows that pocket into the walls capitalize on the views of this top-of-the-hill lot. Barnes credits architect Farrell Faber for positioning the home so skillfully that views are accessible from every room.
Recessed ceilings add architectural interest, and details like chandeliers cap off the look in every room. Even the main bathroom’s bathtub has an overhead chandelier — a witty choice in brass with a modern drum mesh shade surrounding the ornate fixture. The traditional design has just enough contemporary elements, such as clean-lined trims and select modern furniture pieces, to keep it fresh
The palate is tranquil but not in the ubiquitous white-on-white way. Beiges and taupes add sure but subtle warmth — a request from Barnes translated skillfully by Marin interior designer Kimberly Oxford. “If I want to add color I could just add pillows,” says Barnes.
The landscape is water-wise and fire-wise with “islands” of vegetation — a layout designed to give breaks in ignition materials. Plants include lavender, salvia and Mexican sage, as well as lush magnolia and olive trees that dot the yard.
This home at 3938 Saint Andrews Drive is listed with Dena Clover-Vargas of Keller Williams Realty. For more information, call 707-495-7113. findahomesonomacounty.com
Chef Douglas Keane of Cyrus. The Michelin-starred restaurant reopened in Healdsburg September 9, 2022 after being closed for about a decade. (John Burgess / The Press Democrat)
It’s been a decade since Chef Douglas Keane shuttered Cyrus, his Michelin-starred Healdsburg restaurant, after a dispute with the restaurant’s landlord.
In the ensuing years, the winner on TV show “Top Chef Masters” opened two restaurants in Napa (both since closed), founded a dog rescue organization, started an autobiography and appeared at celebrity chef events worldwide.
His steadfast focus, however, has been on opening a new Cyrus, even as false starts in 2014, 2017 and 2020 (a result of the pandemic) curbed the project’s momentum.
On Sept. 9, Cyrus again will come to life, welcoming its first 12 guests, all with reservations, bottles of Champagne, a 20-course dinner and a liquid chocolate art installation 10 years in the making.
“It’s all a journey,” said Keane as he walked through the yet-unfinished restaurant in late August.
Chef Douglas Keane of Cyrus. The Michelin-starred restaurant reopens in Healdsburg September 9, 2022 after being closed for about a decade. (John Burgess / The Press Democrat, 2022)
Keane’s reincarnated Cyrus, housed in an 8,000-square-foot concrete and glass complex, sits above more than an acre of Geyserville vineyards. The immersive experience of dining here includes a Champagne “Bubble Lounge” reception, interactive chef’s table and multicourse dinner with panoramic views of Alexander Valley.
The carefully curated evening ends with a Willy Wonka-esque trip to the Chocolate Room that features a pool of liquid chocolate and levitating bonbons. The price of admission is $295 per person (a wine pairing is an additional $250). Tickets are only sold in pairs, and reservations are filled for September.
Two weeks before opening, it was quiet chaos as workers scrambled to finish renovating the former prune-packing plant. Private investors bankrolled the $5 million construction. It includes a cavernous open kitchen (and separate prep kitchen), temperature-controlled wine vault, private dining room, a main dining room and wraparound patio and a 1,600-pound cantilevered steel table floating against a backdrop of olive trees and vines.
The opening menu is still in development, but Keane disclosed a few seasonal dishes that may appear, including Gazpacho Consommé; Steamed Egg Custard with Gochujang and Gribenes; Sonoma County Duck with Kosui Pear and Hoisin; and Strawberry, Lemon Verbena, Greek Yogurt and Black Lime.
There’s no shortage of jaw-dropping features. Keane pointed out the highlights of the new space while juggling near-constant inquiries from vendors and contractors.
“Nick and I were involved in every aspect of the process,” said Keane of his longtime business partner, Nick Peyton, who serves as greeter, meeting scheduler and overall “fixer” before the opening. Peyton will reprise his role as maître d’hôtel in September.
Wine Director Cyrus Shultz and sommelier Alex Silverman sat at the chef’s table surrounded by bottles of wine and spirits as they checked emails. Chef Drew Glassell shucked corn as hunks of beef were cooked sous vide. Josh Gaulin will be the pastry chef. A series of friends and family dinners (by invitation only) will test the staff’s mettle over the next week.
The new Cyrus will have 20 staff members, about a third of the staff size of the original Cyrus. All employees will share tips and work both front and back of house, with waitstaff also preparing food and kitchen staff also serving food. Keane aims to equalize pay between the two groups as well.
“We can’t keep fighting this,” said Keane of the ongoing labor shortage and the lack of living wages for restaurant staff nationwide. “We have to do more with less. We want to pay people good money.”
Nearly 4,000 bottles of wine will be available at the opening, and plans are for the cellar to hold 10,000 bottles, Keane said. Although a curated selection of classic cocktails and spirits will be available, craft cocktails like those established by mixologist Scott Beattie at the original Cyrus will not be a focus.
Keane has a 30-year lease on the property off Highway 128, having learned a hard lesson in 2012, when wine magnate Bill Foley purchased the Les Mars Hotel, where the original Cyrus was located. The relationship between the two soured quickly, resulting in the restaurant’s closure.
In 2014, Keane hoped to reopen Cyrus at a property owned by Jackson Family Wines near Jimtown. A group of neighbors voiced concerns about zoning changes in the quiet vineyard area. The plan for Cyrus once again faltered.
In 2017, it was announced that Keane planned to reopen Cyrus in Alexander Valley by 2019. That also never came to fruition.
Peyton and Keane want to make the Cyrus experience inclusive for locals and will open the Bubble Lounge to the public in early October for small bites and drinks, without reservations. Food and drinks will be available a la carte there.
Cyrus is at 275 Highway 128, Geyserville, 707-318-0379. Reservation only. Tickets for the full Dining Journey are released in monthly blocks two months in advance at cyrusrestaurant.com.
Looking for a new place to sip in Sonoma County? Here are two places to check out.
The Drink
The drink is a collaborative tasting space from Leo Steen Wines and Rootdown Wine Cellars, two brands that share not only a building, but also a thoughtful, intentional style of winemaking. The co-mingled tasting flight pulses with veracity and verve, featuring standouts from each producer, like Leo Steen’s flagship Chenin Blanc from Saini Farms and a zippy Riesling from Rootdown’s Cole Ranch vineyard.
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday mornings, the menu expands to include flaky pastries from Marla Bakery and espresso drinks served from a cheeky, vintage ‘Italian Ape’ scooter cart that once served as a tuk-tuk.
The Drink in Healdsburg. (Bonafide Productions)
Through August, drop in the second Friday evening of each month for live music on the patio and bites from local chefs.
Tastings from $30; reservations recommended. 53 Front St., Healdsburg. 707-433-3097, thedrinkhealdsburg.com
Elk Fence Distillery
Located in an industrial building off Santa Rosa Avenue, Elk Fence Distillery is an exercise in patience and determination for friends and co-owners Gail Coppinger and Scott Woodson. From ideation to first distillation, the process of launching their new business took about five years.
“You hit one brick wall, you figure out how to go through it, and then you keep going,” says Coppinger.
Gail Carpenter, right, and Scott Woodson, owners of Elk Fence Distillery, make Fir Top Gin, The Briny Deep Whiskey and White Elk Vodka in the only distillery in Santa Rosa. (John Burgess / The Press Democrat)
Elk Fence Distillery produces three spirits: an American single malt whiskey, a botanical gin, and a barley-based vodka. Woodson and Coppinger, both former painting contractors, deftly transformed an office space adjacent to the distillery into a cozy tasting room beaming with character, from the first-growth redwood bar dating to the 1800s, to the antique Steinway piano, to the dark and dreamy flea-market art, collected over time.
Tastings include a complimentary tour of the distillery, and the pair hope to start offering live music and distilling classes.
Fridays, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. and by appointment. 464 Kenwood Court, Santa Rosa. 415-497-4338, elkfencedistillery.com
Ramen at Bayou on the Bay. (Heather Irwin/Sonoma Magazine)
Third Street Aleworks once again will become a full-time brewpub with food on Tuesday, Sept. 6, as Chef Bradley Wildridge’s Bayou on the Bay takes up residence in the kitchen, permanently.
“We’re thrilled to welcome @bayou.onthebay to the 3SAW fam! This new partnership will bring a full food menu back to the pub seven days a week,” the brewery announced Monday.
In early June, the downtown Santa Rosa brewpub closed its kitchen to focus entirely on making beer. Food was served only on the weekends, as caterers including Canevari’s Deli and burger restaurant Lunch Box (forthcoming in Sebastopol) stepped in for brief weekend pop-ups but didn’t commit to the kitchen full time.
Muffuletta sandwich at Bayou on the Bay. (Heather Irwin/Sonoma Magazine)Chef Bradley at Bayou on the Bay. (Heather Irwin/Sonoma Magazine)
Cooking under a humble pop-up tent, Wildridge and his wife, Mandy, quickly became rising stars of the local food scene, serving beer-friendly dishes including jambalaya, crawfish meat pies, muffuletta sandwiches and beignets. Wildridge launched his roving restaurant in November 2021, serving food at local brewpubs and farm markets.
Kitchen hours will be noon to 7 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and noon to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Loren Hansen, 29, of Sebastopol serves up coffee and beer for happy hour at Brew in Santa Rosa. (Heather Irwin/Sonoma Magazine)
The owners of Brew Coffee Bar and Taproom in Santa Rosa are opening a second location in Forestville early next year. According to co-owner Alisse Cottle, they’ll take over the former Backyard restaurant space. They plan to continue to serve coffee and local brews and add casual food on the patio.
The new location will have breakfast sandwiches, burritos and avocado toast, but Cottle said they hope to add more menu items including for brunch, grab-and-go picnic food, snacks and salads. Long-term plans include pop-up dinners and events, too.
“We are excited and ready to spread some more Rainbow Unicorn Brew Magic,” Cottle said.
BBQ Smokehouse Bistro & Catering pork ribs and coleslaw being served during the 22nd annual Sonoma County Cajun Zydeco & Delta Rhythm Festival held Saturday at Ives Park in Sebastopol. September 2, 2017. (Erik Castro/for The Press Democrat)
After 56 years in the restaurant and catering business, Chef Larry Vito is hanging up his apron and closing the Bar B Que Smokehouse Bistro. The Sebastopol restaurant opened in 2009 and was one of the few in Sonoma County to offer respectable slow-cooked smoked meats, cornbread and collard greens.
“I bought a smoker at an auction on impulse, and it changed my life,” said Vito, now 71 and ready for retirement.
A high-end chef and caterer for most of his career, Vito was nervous about putting his name on a simple barbecue shack, but ultimately his affordable prices and tasty ’que created a loyal following.
An early entrant into the local barbecue revival that began with his restaurant, Vito watched other pit masters come and go over the years. He credits his modest prices and tried-and-true recipes for the smokehouse’s success.
Vito had hoped to sell the business for $50,000 but hasn’t had an offer yet.
“Time is a-wasting, and I don’t see the restaurant industry getting any easier. And I’m not getting any younger,” he said.
Increasing labor and food costs, along with the high cost of outsourcing deliveries to companies like Grubhub and DoorDash, were additional reasons to close shop, Vito said. He will lay off eight staff members when the restaurant closes sometime in early September. (The timing will depend on when the restaurant uses up its remaining inventory.)
Vito plans to travel to Mexico, where his 36-foot sailboat awaits him.
“I’m going wherever the wind blows,” he said. “We had great fun, and I have no regrets. I’m ready to get out of Dodge.”
Fried chicken with cucumber and coconut peanut curry from Valley Bar + Bottle on the Sonoma square. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)
Every town has hidden gems that locals know, but usually elude outsiders. These restaurants are top-notch contenders that may not be on your radar. We’ve handpicked some gems worth seeking out. Click through the above gallery for details.
The dining room of The Villa restaurant, now closed. (The Villa)
Gaspare Bernardo was just 29 years old when he opened The Villa restaurant in Santa Rosa in 1976. Last week, the longtime owner and host — now 75 — quietly shuttered the iconic hilltop restaurant, citing hiring issues and a dramatic drop in customers since COVID-19 began.
“It’s not easy, and it was one of the worst things I had to do in my life,” Bernardo said of the closure.
Hidden on a hilltop overlooking much of Bennett Valley, the restaurant was the go-to spot for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and prom dinners. In rural Sonoma County, the white-tablecloth Italian cuisine, vaulted ceilings and an expansive view were an anomaly, predating the advent of Wine Country cuisine in the 1980s.
Though The Villa’s edges had frayed in recent years, the restaurant still had a loyal following for its early-bird dinners and daily happy hours. But like hundreds of other restaurants in Sonoma County, Bernardo has recently struggled to find waitstaff and wasn’t up to managing the restaurant alone.
“The restaurant just wasn’t making it anymore. There was just too much pressure on me, and we had to call it a day,” he said. “We tried the best we could, but it’s just been a struggle. It’s so very disheartening.”
Twelve employees were laid off.
Bernardo partially blames his decision to close the restaurant for more than a year during COVID, when county health mandates severely limited indoor dining in 2020.
“We shouldn’t have closed. We should have kept the deck open and the bar and that was a mistake. We couldn’t recover,” he said.
Bernardo, who was born in Calabria, Italy, and immigrated to the U.S. in 1969, opened the restaurant with four friends: Johnnie Giacri, Tino Tocchetto, Mario Peric and Michele Chieffo. All had worked together at The Fisher restaurant in Burlingame and moved to Santa Rosa in 1976 to take over the former Hilltopper restaurant.
The opening menu featured 110 items, including seafood, veal and pasta, according to an archival Press Democrat story. Bernardo stuck to Italian-American staples — spaghetti and meatballs, linguine with clams, lasagna, ravioli and veal scaloppine — throughout the restaurant’s tenure. Caesar salad made tableside was a signature dish.
Bernardo recalls hosting hundreds of busy Mother’s Days, prom dinners, New Year’s parties and even a visit from football legend and former Oakland Raiders Coach John Madden. (In the 1970s, the Oakland Raiders’ training camp was in Santa Rosa).
“I was at The Villa for most of my life, so I saw it grow from every angle. There were a lot of celebrities here over the years,” Bernardo said.
In its nearly 50-year history, partners at The Villa came and went, but Bernardo remained constant.
John Vicini, the owner of Trecini Winery, spent 27 years working at The Villa, retiring as a partner. Though he left more than 20 years ago to start his wine brand, he said Bernardo is like a brother.
“I feel so sorry. It was my first job, and we were just young kids. It was very stressful, but we worked together 14-hour days,” he said.
There are no plans to reopen the restaurant, which was Bernardo’s lifework, leaving him unsure about his future.
“I’m very confused and have no idea what I’m going to do now. I’ve been in the restaurant business my whole life, but I couldn’t do it by myself any longer,” he said.
Acme Burger at Acme Burger in Cotati. (Heather Irwin/Sonoma Magazine)
Downtown Petaluma is already hopping with great places to eat and drink, and even more venues are set to welcome guests this fall and beyond. Here are four dining-and-drinking destinations we’ll be first in line for.
Luma Bar & Eatery
Petaluma’s beloved oyster bar and seafood restaurant The Shuckery is about to get a sister establishment in the former Dempsey’s brewpub location. Set to open in late November, Luma Bar and Eatery will focus on veggie-forward fare.
“The goal of the menu is to showcase Sonoma County’s bounty of produce and support local farms,” says proprietor Jazmine Lalicker, who also owns The Shuckery.
While vegetable dishes will receive top billing at Luma, offerings will not be exclusively plant based. “We want to have a menu that is inclusive of everybody—vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores,” says Lalicker.
Luma will feature four distinct seating areas swathed in earthy garden tones, including a traditional dining room, a cocktail bar, an intimate wine lounge, and a riverfront patio.
Sisters Jazmine (left) and Aluxa Lalicker at The Shuckery in Petaluma. (Beth Schlanker/The Press Democrat)
Kapu
Since 2020, Petaluma has been buzzing with the rumor that David Ducommon of Duke’s Spirited Cocktails in Healdsburg is about to launch a tiki bar in town. With opening day for Kapu projected for early November, the rumor is about to become reality.
Once you step through the bar’s lava cave entrance, another world awaits. Legendary tiki bar designer Ben Bassham—a.k.a. “Bamboo Ben”—and his son, Blake, created or commissioned each element of Kapu’s design, from its Balinese tiki sculptures to the main bar’s hand-carved bamboo panels.
“Kapu is about escapism. It’s a chance to step away from the norm for a few hours,” says general manager Mike Richardson, a former manager and mixologist at Frankie’s Tiki Room in Las Vegas. “This is our effort to celebrate multiculturalism through art, food, music, and drinks.”
Especially drinks. As a tiki bar, Kapu will specialize in tropical craft cocktails. The small-plates menu, still in development, will lean toward street food with Hawaiian, Korean, and Portuguese influences.
Along with a massive rectangular tiki bar, Kapu will include individual booth-style huts, a dragon-festooned lounge equipped with vintage pinball and pachinko machines, a patio, and the Captain’s Room, a reservation-only space designed to evoke an old sailing ship smashed onto rocks.
Mike Richardson, general manager at Kapu in Petaluma. (Tina Caputo)
Acme Burger
Chef Todd Kniess opened his first Acme Burger in Cotati in 2019 and followed up with a Santa Rosa outpost in 2021. This October, the latest Acme is set to debut in Petaluma, just across the parking lot from the new Crooked Goat Brewing taproom.
Those who’ve visited Acme’s other locations already know what all the excitement is about. Burgers are made with freshly ground beef each day and have just the right amount of seasoning and char. Non-beef burger options are equally satisfying, from buttermilk fried chicken to Willie Bird turkey to Impossible patties.
The new building is pretty cool, too. Originally a gas station, the structure is brimming with vintage Americana charm. Patrons will be able to dine on the patio out front, or order food from Crooked Goat for tableside delivery.
Sonoma Beef Burger with onion rings, fried chicken burger, chili fries and Cajun fries from Acme Burger. (Heather Irwin/Sonoma Magazine)
Stellina Alimentari
Anyone who has sampled the stellar Italian pastries and focaccia sandwiches at Stellina Pronto bakery will be thrilled to learn that owners Christian and Katrina Caiazzo are launching a new food-focused business in the former Thistle Meats storefront on Petaluma Boulevard.
Like the small “alimentari” grocery stores of Italy, Stellina Alimentari — the venue’s working name — will be an Italian specialty market and bottle shop with a deli counter offering a variety of focaccia sandwiches, salumi, antipasti, imported and local cheeses, salads, and prepared foods to take away. Those who like to linger can enjoy a glass of wine or beer onsite.
“Our pantry will feature our favorite products from local and Italian producers, including Calabrian peppers, the best anchovies, grissini, artisanal olive oils, and wines from 20 regions of Italy as well as local Sonoma County vineyards,” says Christian Caiazzo.
