Kendall-Jackson Wines, the official wine partner of the NBA, has expanded its collaboration with the league by unveiling co-branded bottles designed by celebrated artist Victor Solomon. (Courtesy of Kendall-Jackson)
Kendall-Jackson Wines, the official wine partner of the NBA, has expanded its collaboration with the league by unveiling co-branded bottles designed by celebrated artist Victor Solomon.
Announced Monday, the partnership with Solomon officially kicked off Friday at the NBA All-Star Weekend in San Francisco where the Santa Rosa winery is hosting a series of events. The wines — a Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma County, a Chardonnay blend from Monterey County and a Sauvignon Blanc from Lake County — will be released in August.
Kendall-Jackson, known for producing America’s bestselling Chardonnay, was connected with Solomon through the NBA, which had previously worked with the artist.
Jackson Family Wines, which owns Kendall-Jackson, signed a four-and-a-half-year partnership deal with the NBA in April 2024. That arrangement also includes La Crema in Windsor, which is the official partner of the WNBA. Both wineries also represent USA Basketball’s men’s and women’s teams.
Kendall-Jackson Wines, the official wine partner of the NBA, has expanded its collaboration with the league by unveiling co-branded bottles designed by celebrated artist Victor Solomon. (Courtesy of Kendall-Jackson)
“When we partnered with the NBA, we set out to uniquely blend the culture of wine with the excitement of the game,” said Chris Jackson, coproprietor of Kendall-Jackson, in a press release. “We are excited to partner with Victor Solomon and bring his extraordinary talents in connecting art with sports culture to the look of our first NBA co-branded wines.”
Solomon, best known for designing the NBA’s Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy, brings his artistic vision to the project. His past work includes the “Literally Balling” series, which uses stained glass to reimagine basketball imagery. Recent projects include a Swarovski crystal basketball installation for the NBA’s 75th anniversary celebration and his “Journey” sculpture series, which explores the evolution of the game through iconic materials.
“My work has always been about elevating the artistry within sport,” said Solomon in a press release. “Partnering with Kendall-Jackson allows me to extend that vision by creating and celebrating a shared spirit of craftsmanship.”
Amid falling U.S. wine sales, the partnership between Jackson Family Wines and the NBA is leveraging Americans’ passion for sports and the relationship between Wine Country and pro basketball — many players are wine connoisseurs, frequent Sonoma and Napa wineries and even have their own labels — to reach a wider audience.
During the NBA All-Star Weekend in San Francisco (Feb. 14-16), Kendall-Jackson will host several activities and events at the NBA Crossover fan experience at the Moscone Center. The winery is also part of events at San Francisco’s Pier 70 with a pop-up wine bar and an All-Star watch party (Feb. 16).
Purchase tickets and find more information about the NBA All-Star Weekend and NBA Crossover at nbaevents.nba.com/nba-crossover.
Chocolate Tahini Cookies with a gluten-free Almond Shortbread and a Euphoria drink with a ceremonial dose of cacao, milk, spices, adaptogenic herbs and maple syrup from Soft Medicine Sanctuary Friday, November 22, 2024, in Sebastopol. (John Burgess / The Press Democrat)
This cafe, tea house and yoga studio in downtown Sebastopol, which opened in 2022, is all about organic wellness, with a “food as medicine” philosophy that includes vegan dishes and healing kavas, cacaos, matcha drinks, herbal teas and elixirs.
The concept makes perfect sense for Sebastopol, a town where the bohemian vibes are strong. But at this time of year, full of fresh starts and good intentions, the cafe’s healthy focus is a terrific choice for all kinds of diners.
The grain bowl is a plentiful, colorful creation piling on rice, mung beans, veggies, kraut, peppery winter greens and a lake of bright green pesto bound with Ayurvedic spices. Tacos are full of flavor and texture, featuring two corn tortillas stuffed with avocado, roasted veggies, greens, vegan cheese and spicy kimchi. And the “Kitcharito,” a hearty burrito of seasoned local rice, beans, cheese, avocado, crisp sprouts, and tart sauerkraut with salsa and vegan spicy mayo, is a standout.
The Nori Wrap with quinoa, avocado, kimchi, veggies, sprouts and vegan spicy mayo with a Passiflora cold elixir with vanilla raspberry almond milk, valerian, skullcap and passionflower from Soft Medicine Sanctuary Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, in Sebastopol. (John Burgess / The Press Democrat)
Throughout the menu, there are options to customize dishes to suit different dietary preferences: an aromatic vegetarian lentil soup with fresh herbs and greens, for example, can get a boost from ghee, a shot of miso or curry-infused bone broth. The cafe sources more than 80% of its produce from within 200 miles, uses only local grains and olive oils, and doesn’t use any seed oils, fillers, refined sugars or GMO products.
No alcohol is served, but the cafe does have a strong selection of kavas, cacaos and drinks made with nut milks and spices. Co-owner Jonathan Pinkston, an Ayurvedic practitioner and acupuncturist, says the sprawling, temple-like space also hosts late-night dance parties with music in the upstairs yoga studio.
“We’re here to sell food and drinks, of course, but the main thing is that we’re giving people a cultural space to meet new beautiful people and feel naturally good,” he says.
Kala Stein is a ceramics artist and teacher based in Sonoma representing issues of climate and weather in her work. Last year, she did a large installation of an atmospheric river storm in a series of clay tiles. Part of her process includes using rain water representing the weather effects in the glaze. (Chad Surmick / The Press Democrat)
If water is life, rain in California is so much more. It defines eternal cycles within cycles of boom and bust: dry summers broken by wet winters; multi-year droughts quelled by equally severe atmospheric deluges. Rain is a godsend, a destructive force and an indicator of long-term changes to our climate.
To ceramic artist Kala Stein, rain is all this — as well as a muse and co-creator. Water falling from clouds into the narrow breezeway outside her Sonoma studio, or drip-dropping from the lip of the gutter, rinses away pigments on the surface of small, handmade tiles she sets out to record its signature.
“The tiles are really a collaboration with the rainwater,” Stein says. “Depending on how much rain and how hard it’s raining, I get different effects on the surfaces.”
Some reflect a “harder drip,” where the rain has “eroded” away the white ceramic pigment she applies before placing the tile outside. Others show more of an “overall wash,” where the rainwater and pigment have “puddled” on the tile’s face.
Kala Stein is a ceramics artist and teacher based in Sonoma representing issues of climate and weather in her work. Part of her process includes using rain water representing the weather effects in the glaze. (Chad Surmick / The Press Democrat)Sonoma ceramicist Kala Stein shapes tiles by hand, then allows the glazed tiles to sit out in the winter rain before they are fired, a process which results in an astonishing variety of patterns and shapes in the finished pieces. (Chad Surmick / The Press Democrat)
“After it reaches a point where I feel like the surface is interesting, I’ll remove it from the rain and fire it to make the material permanent,” Stein explains. She likens the process to creating a fossil record of a particular day and a particular expression of rain. And just as with a fossil, the imprinting material — bone or shell or rainwater — disappears, leaving only its shadow. Stein calls the series “Ghost Rain.”
In a recent show at downtown Sonoma’s Alley Gallery, adjacent to the La Haye Art Center, Stein hung “Ghost Rain” tiles in groups of three or eight or 20, each representing a single day and evoking a certain aesthetic or pattern. The rest was left to the eye of the beholder.
“All of my work is abstract, so people can see what they want when they look at it,” Stein says. “It’s interpretive.”
Kala Stein is a ceramics artist and teacher based in Sonoma representing issues of climate and weather in her work. Last year, she did a large installation of an atmospheric river storm in a series of clay tiles. Part of her process includes using rain water to represent the weather effects in the glaze. (Chad Surmick / The Press Democrat)Kala Stein has created smaller arrays of tiles that can be grouped together. (Chad Surmick / The Press Democrat)
Not in doubt, however, are the works’ foundation in natural processes and materials, including the base tiles themselves, which Stein fires from a dark, iron-rich clay body. Displayed indoors, the finished products “bring a natural element into the built environment” without literally depicting specific scenes. “I’m trying to tap into the feelings of nature, more so than the imagery,” she notes.
The same can be said of another of Stein’s ongoing series, “Atmospheric,” whose pieces memorialize a larger-scale phenomenon: the storms themselves that bring the rain. She starts with satellite images of storms, such as the atmospheric river that hit California on Jan. 4, 2023, dropping as much as 6-8 inches of rain in some parts of the region.
Stein rendered a snapshot of that January storm taken from more than 500 miles above Earth upon a wall-mounted mosaic of terracotta tile, forming a massive installation 6 feet tall and 12 feet across. A marbled blue-and-white glaze shows cloudy spirals and undulations against a dark-red, Mars-like field. The result is both familiar enough to recall unbridled natural forces and alien enough to invite ambiguity and close inspection.
Sonoma ceramicist Kala Stein sets out glazed tiles in the winter rain before they are fired, a process which results in an astonishing variety of patterns and shapes in the finished pieces. (Chad Surmick / The Press Democrat)Kala Stein is a ceramics artist and teacher based in Sonoma representing issues of climate and weather in her work. (Chad Surmick / The Press Democrat)
In any case, it is no romantic idyll. Stein calls the piece “an investigation of the tragedy of the Anthropocene Epoch that marks a moment in time, a collective experience of severe historic weather.”
Other works exploring dichotomies of natural-versus-disturbed and creative-versus-destructive take different forms, like the large white vessels with unruly surfaces inspired by satellite imagery of Hurricane Helene. Closer to home, her “Urns for Manzanita” are a tribute to all that burned during the Nuns, Tubbs, and Pocket wildfires of 2017. Crafted of fired black clay and a cracked glaze that recalls charred manzanita wood, the urns are designed to “evoke emotion and loss,” Stein says. At the same time, they are imbued with a sense of “rejuvenation and resilience.”
The 2017 wildfires were an introduction of sorts to California for Stein, who was raised in rural upstate New York by back-tothe- land, homesteading parents and developed an intimate yet pragmatic connection to the natural world. She spent many more years living up and down the East Coast before moving to Sonoma in 2015 to run the ceramics program at the Sonoma Community Center, where she still teaches.
“It’s a completely different experience living out here,” Stein says. “Experiencing the seasons here, and the geography, has been really influential and inspirational.”
So too has been witnessing the reality of the climate crisis.
“I want my work to address that, without overtly pointing to the problems with it. I’m basically celebrating it, maybe lamenting it — lamenting loss caused by natural disasters, the loss of our non-renewable resources. I’d like this work to be in conversation with those issues.”
Kala Stein’s ceramics studio is at La Haye Art Center, 148 E. Napa St. in downtown Sonoma, just off the square. The studio is open by appointment — to visit, email kala@kalastein.com. For information on ceramics workshops or to purchase her work, visit kalastein.com.
Pistachio cardamom doughnut from Carmel-based Dutch Door Donuts. The cooked-to-order doughnuts will be coming to Healdsburg in spring 2025. (Photo: Patrick Tregenza)
Healdsburg’s 109A Plaza St., formerly Burdock, has gotten a bright orange paint makeover in preparation for the arrival of Dutch Door Donuts, a Carmel-based doughnut shop opening a second location in northern Sonoma County.
These aren’t Dunkin’ style but made-to-order masterpieces of fried dough that come in seasonal flavors like passion fruit and hibiscus, miso caramel, salted brown butter and almond sesame cinnamon. For purists, there’s also vanilla, chocolate and cinnamon.
Co-owner and chef Tucker Bunch founded a chain of fresh beignet shops in the Houston area and is a former instructor at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena. Bunch has worked with a local team to bring Dutch Door to Healdsburg, which he thinks will be a good fit for his artisan doughnuts.
Mixed doughnuts from Carmel-based Dutch Door Donuts. The cooked-to-order doughnuts will be coming to Healdsburg in spring 2025. (Photo: Patrick Tregenza)
“We don’t have racks of doughnuts cooked in the middle of the night before,” Bunch said. “We use a long-fermented dough process and roll and hand-shape the doughnuts.”
Then, they’re quickly fried and flavored with various glazes, nuts and toppings. Bunch said each will cost between $4.50 and $5, in line with other gourmet doughnut shops like Johnny Doughnuts in Santa Rosa.
The Primavera pizza with mozzarella, fresh cherry tomato, arugula, creamy burrata cheese, prosciutto San Daniele and EVOO from L’Oro di Napoli in downtown Santa Rosa, March 24, 2023. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)
Petalumans will soon get a taste of L’Oro di Napoli’s Neapolitan pizza and mile-high lasagna that have impressed Santa Rosans and pushed the restaurant to the top of Italian dining “best of” lists.
L’Oro di Napoli pizzaiolo Domenico De Angelis and co-owner Roberto Sbaraglia will host an opening party with food and music from 5 to 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 17, at 208 Petaluma Blvd. North. The location was previously home to Lemongrass Thai restaurant.
The enormous Lasagna with a Stagionale salad of arugula, roasted butternut squash puree, sliced almonds, topped with pecorino cheese, in an orange mustard and Extra Virgin Olive Oil dressing from L’Oro di Napoli in downtown Santa Rosa, March 24, 2023. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)
The new restaurant will have a Neapolitan wood-fired oven for pizza-making but the larger location will also have an expanded menu with “a variety of primi, secondi piatti and fritti inspired by Campania cuisine,” according to De Angelis.
A plate of tacos includes four types: al pastor, veggie, fish, and shrimp, at El Roy’s Express Mex truck No. 2 on Santa Rosa Avenue in Santa Rosa, on Thursday, July 11, 2024. (Darryl Bush / For The Press Democrat)
El Roy’s Express Mex, popular for its bright orange fleet of taco trucks, will open a brick-and-mortar restaurant in south Santa Rosa in March, according to the owners.
El Roy’s Santa Rosa restaurant will open at 602 Elsa Drive, less than a half mile from its 2728 Santa Rosa Ave. food truck location. The space was previously occupied by La Plaza and Los Dos Gallos.
The new restaurant will include indoor and outdoor seating and a drive-through window, said Yvette Cabrera, a manager at El Roy’s corporate offices.
Customers wait in line at El Roy’s Express Mex truck No. 2 on Santa Rosa Avenue in Santa Rosa, on Wednesday, July 10, 2024. (Darryl Bush / For The Press Democrat)A plate of tacos at El Roy’s Express Mex truck No. 2 on Santa Rosa Avenue in Santa Rosa. Photo taken on Thursday, July 11, 2024. (Darryl Bush / For The Press Democrat)
“We’re putting a lot of work into the building now, and the drive-through aspect is new to us,” she said.
One notable perk at the new location will be easy parking. The Petaluma brick-and-mortar on Edith Street was notorious for its lack of parking, with patrons often resorting to double parking, blocking driveways or using the spots of neighboring businesses while picking up takeout.
El Roy’s has been named the “Best Food Truck” by The Press Democrat readers for a decade. The Santa Rosa restaurant menu will mirror the food trucks’ streamlined lineup of tacos, burritos, tortas and quesadillas. Their al pastor, carnitas and asada tacos are perennial favorites. Daily specials will also be offered.
“A lot of our customers are people who work hard and want to enjoy very good food at a very good price,” said Cabrera.
El Roy’s Express Mex has five food trucks in Petaluma (401 E. Washington St. and 175 Fairgrounds Drive) and Santa Rosa (1569 Sebastopol Road, 2728 Santa Rosa Ave. and 505 Santa Rosa Ave.). Follow their Instagram (@elroysexpressmex) for more details about the construction progress of the new restaurant. elroys.com
Just in time for Valentines Day, J Vineyards & Winery in Healdsburg has released a new sparkling Love Wine Brut Cuvée, crafted with a mix of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes from across the Russian River Valley, Monterey County and Mendocino County. (J Vineyards & Winery)
When you’re paying a good amount for a bottle of wine, you generally expect its exterior to match what’s inside.
A well-thought-out, artful label can encourage an impulse buy and inspire discussions around the dinner table (or even on a picnic). And we all know how irresistible it can be to snap those Instagram photos, if the subject is right.
Let’s be honest — an attractive label can sometimes even make a wine taste better.
To that end, some wineries are transforming bottles into canvases of artistic expression by commissioning artists to create labels that are high-end paintings, photographs and mixed media.
But it all falls flat if the wine is not up to par.
“Caliber of wine must match caliber of art. It’s not just a pretty bottle,” notes Healdsburg fine artist, gallery owner and wine purveyor Marc Harris.
Here are three of my favorites that marry beautiful label art and beautiful wine. In fact, after finishing these wines, I’ve rinsed the bottles and placed them on a shelf of honor in my wine cellar (OK, it’s more of an oversized closet than a cellar, but it still makes me feel grand).
Love Wine
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, J Vineyards & Winery’s Love Wine collection features unique labels made in collaboration with artist-philanthropist Alexandra Grant and other notable female artists. (J Vineyards & Winery)
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, J Vineyards & Winery in Healdsburg has released a new sparkling Love Wine Brut Cuvée, crafted with a mix of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes from across the Russian River Valley, Monterey County and Mendocino County.
The Love Wine collection features unique labels made in collaboration with artist-philanthropist Alexandra Grant and notable female artists.
The label for the inaugural release was designed by Genevieve Gaignard, a New York-based interdisciplinary artist known for encouraging dialogue around class, race and cultural identity.
“Wine, like art, has the power to bring people together, spark conversation and inspire change,” said Nicole Hitchcock, J Vineyards’ estate director and head winemaker.
New York-based interdisciplinary artist Genevieve Gaignard designed the label for the inaugural release of J Vineyards & Winery’s Love Wine collection. (J Vineyards & Winery)
With its dry, crisp character, Love ($50) is rich in fruit notes of raspberry, strawberry and cherry, smoothed with crème brûlée and a hint of citrus.
The sparkling Brut Cuvée is included in several J Vineyards’ tastings — at the Signature Bar for a casual sampling of five wines in a mix of still and sparkling ($35); or in the Legacy Lounge for five sparklings, or your choice of mixed sparkling and still ($50).
Or you can amp things up in the Bubble Room for a lavish five-course wine-paired meal that stretches two hours ($175).
My favorite experience, in the Legacy Lounge, pairs five sparklings (or your choice of mixed sparkling and still) with a platter of California and Italian cheeses ($30). And then I add in the brand new pairing that brings an additional two glasses of Love paired with a delightful housemade white sesame-lemon curd ice cream sandwich ($45).
If you’re taken with Gaignard’s whimsical, colorful label design, you can purchase themed tchotchkes, such as Love logo jewelry, at the winery’s pop-up through March. Part of your purchase supports artist Grant’s grantLOVE foundation.
11447 Old Redwood Highway, Healdsburg, 888-594-6326, jwine.com
Elaine Wines Russian River
I came across this boutique winery at an event during the three-day Sonoma County Wine Celebration in September. I stopped in my tracks when I saw the label — the screen print hugging the glass bottles is fascinating, in flowing abstract that reminds me a bit of Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock print.
Just as remarkable — the intricate design was created by winery owners Elaine and Mark Sale’s then 14-year-old son, Matt. He drew the art by hand in 2012 using an extra fine point Sharpie on paper, and the illustration does look like the couple’s rugged hillside Calypte Vineyard.
During February, when you purchase three bottles of Elaine wine, you’ll get a four-piece box of lovely artisan chocolates from Fleur Sauvage in Windsor. (Elaine Wine)
“Coincidentally, the vineyard was planted in 1998, the same year Matt was born. But Mark and I did not even buy our Forestville property until 2013,” Elaine said. “Matt had not seen it.”
Elaine explained that the Sales are a family of scuba divers, and Matt had just completed his Open Water Diver certification when he decided to create his design.
“I see ocean creatures when I look at the illustration,” Elaine said. “However, Matt does not recall any particular inspiration for the art, other than the Zentangle method of drawing.”
If you look closely at the label, you will see Matt’s initials and a date (’12 for 2012 on the lower part). The artist turned 27 on Feb. 12 and is now an aerospace engineer.
The family still focuses on their Russian River Valley wine, in extremely limited production. I tasted the 2018 Chardonnay that brims with apple, pear and apricot, underlaid with caramel notes from 16 months aging in 50% new French oak (45 cases, $50).
I also sampled the 2021 Pinot Noir that shows wonderfully with rhubarb, dark cherry, spice and violet (112 cases, $50).
Tastings are led personally by Elaine, by appointment. Or you can check the winery website event list for walk-in tastings, such as the next complimentary open house on March 1 at the micro-winery where Elaine and other winemakers make their products (11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Inspiration Winery, 3360 Coffey Lane, Suite E, Santa Rosa).
Note: If you purchase three bottles of any wine in February, you’ll get a four-piece box of lovely artisan chocolates from Fleur Sauvage in Windsor.
You can tell one of the co-owners here is an artist, as he prefers to go by the name A3L3XZAND3R. His father is also a renowned artist, Marc Cabell “M.C.” Harris, and the two work together on creating world-class paintings for their Healdsburg gallery.
Some of their modernist, cubist, abstract and impressionist paintings are showcased across their portfolio of six varietals and 18 labels (each wine features multiple label options with art from both resident artists, so the bottles themselves become collectors’ items).
The Harris Gallery Art & Wine Collection features the art of M.C. Harris and A3L3XZAND3R Harris on the labels. (Christopher Chung / The Press Democrat)
Resident Winemaker, aka “wineartist,” Wells Guthrie specializes in Burgundian-style Pinot Noirs, including a single vineyard standout from the Klindt Vineyard in Anderson Valley. The 2021 vintage is a mélange of seven different clones and a splash of Pinot Gris from the same vineyard. The result is rich and plush but also light and floral, extra-appealing with its 13.5% alcohol by volume (56 cases, $65).
Consulting winemaker Leo Hansen, best known for his Leo Steen brand, also crafts a Dry Creek Valley Chenin Blanc for the Harris family ($35). The Harris Chenin Blanc is a showstopper, bone dry with vibrant acidity amid layers of orange blossom, chamomile, jasmine and citrus.
The Speakeasy Burger is a half-pound Angus burger with chopped bacon, chipotle aioli and greens on a brioche bun, from Speakeasy, Friday, February 7, 2025, in Petaluma. (John Burgess / The Press Democrat)
I hadn’t thought about Petaluma’s Speakeasy restaurant and its sibling music venue, The Big Easy, in a decade — until I started working on a story about Sonoma County’s best mac and cheese. Searching for candidates, Speakeasy’s lobster mac rose to the forefront of a neck-and-neck selection of gooey, melty, cheesy pasta from some of the most recognized restaurants from Cloverdale to Petaluma.
It made the cut based on my memory of the sweet lobster with cheddar, fontina, herby breadcrumbs and crumbled bacon clinging to every surface of the curved orecchiette pasta. But it also made me realize it might be time to see if Speakeasy was still as good as I remembered in its tucked-away location on Kentucky Street.
On a chilly January evening, Speakeasy’s outdoor patio didn’t feel like a good idea despite being a massive draw in warmer seasons. Inside is dark and sparsely decorated with just a few tables and a bar. Service is friendly and adept but not fawning. As early bird eaters, our only company inside was a lone diner at the bar, but tables filled up as night fell in earnest.
Lobster Mac & Cheese with crumbled bacon, lobster, cheddar and fontina cheese topped with herbed breadcrumbs from Speakeasy on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, in Petaluma. (John Burgess / The Press Democrat)
And that’s the point of Speakeasy, one of Petaluma’s few late-night dining options — open until 10 p.m. on weeknights and midnight on Friday and Saturday. It’s the comfort food you crave after a few cocktails: rib-sticking and classic.
You can get the Speakeasy menu with a martini at the neighboring Big Easy while listening to singer-songwriters, jazz, big band, hip-hop and electro-pop seven nights per week. Local music producer Roger Tschann owns both venues.
But this story is about the Speakeasy experience and the food crafted by chefs Jesus Ortiz and Angel Chan. It’s not overwrought cuisine but straightforward comfort food that’s impressive for being just that. Comforting.
The Big Easy music and food venue features a Jazz big band on Wednesdays, a monthly Flamenco dance nigh and an eclectic mix of nightly entertainment on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, in Petaluma. (John Burgess / The Press Democrat)From left, Tacos of Jackfruit, Coconut Plaintain and Tomatillo Chicken from Speakeasy on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, in Petaluma. (John Burgess / The Press Democrat)
Ortiz is a humble, behind-the-scenes cook you could find in almost any restaurant in Sonoma County. Originally from Mexico, he’s lived in Petaluma for nearly 25 years, working at Old Chicago Pizza and Brixx before joining Speakeasy seven years ago. His cooking skills weren’t bought, but hard-earned while working menial prep jobs and slowly moving his way up the line.
Ortiz isn’t out to win critical acclaim with fancy ingredients, an unstained chef coat and a publicity team. Instead, he works day after day in his well-worn whites, serving good food that makes people happy.
Ortiz and Chan, who is from the Yucatán, have introduced some traditional Mexican dishes, including carnitas, ceviche and tacos, but dishes like the very American mac and cheese, short ribs with polenta, burgers, sandwiches and grilled steak remain their most popular. Prices are incredibly reasonable, and such a relief with the ongoing sticker shock of $32 burgers and $25 salads.
The menu doesn’t change much, though specials appear from time to time, which is just fine. Occasionally, a big bowl of mac and cheese at a restaurant where nobody knows your name is the most satisfying meal of all.
Best bets
Braised Short Ribs with creamy blue cheese polenta and red wine bordelaise sauce from Speakeasy Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, in Petaluma. (John Burgess / The Press Democrat)
Braised Short Ribs with Blue Cheese Polenta, $24: I’ve had braised short ribs from some of the best chefs in Sonoma County, and these were — by a landslide — my favorite. Long-braised meat that’s not too fatty or lean falls apart faster than a Temu sundress. The polenta instantly raised my mood and cholesterol level, held together with more dairy than a milking barn. The blue cheese is an accent rather than a statement. The leftovers were extraordinary.
Lobster Mac and Cheese, $18: Exactly what you wish mac and cheese would be, but usually isn’t. Fontina adds creaminess to the sauce, with bits of bacon hidden about. Bowl-shaped orecchiette pasta, is perfect for holding onto breadcrumbs and cheese. My only complaint — I’m not sure the lobster adds that much to the whole thing. It would be equally delish without it. Either way, outstanding.
Tapas: Whether you make these a starter or a meal, little shared plates of papas bravas ($9) and spicy cauliflower ($14) are my favorites. Papas bravas are fried fingerling potatoes sprinkled with chili powder and served with chipotle aioli — which is how any fries should be served. Cauliflower is only a stinky carrier for sauce, in my book. This version of pan-fried florets has prickles of Anaheim pepper and salty capers that make it a joy rather than a punishment.
Papas Bravas topped with chili powder and chipotle aioli from Speakeasy Friday, Feb. 7, 2025 in Petaluma. (John Burgess / The Press Democrat)
Tacos, $17 for three: Our favorite tacos were vegetarian and delicious. Soft corn tacos are piled with cabbage slaw, avocado puree and parsley, with a choice of meat or vegetables, but jackfruit smothered in sweet-sour barbecue sauce (a pulled pork dupe) and fried plantain with coconut were our top picks.
Fried Chicken, $23: If a TV dinner were delicious, this is what it would be. Crispy boneless chicken breasts, perfectly smooth mashed potatoes and flavorful gravy take me to a happy place sitting on the sofa, watching the Muppets and feeling like all is right with the world. If only there were a little square of overcooked apple pie.
Speakeasy Burger, $16: A simple, good burger served on a smushy brioche bun and all the fixings. Chipotle aioli gives it an added zing. Nothing complicated, nothing showy, just tasty.
Cheesecake, $7: Made in-house, flavors change with the chef’s whims. It’s more of a classic cheesecake that’s moist, fluffy and not overly sweet atop a buttery graham cracker crust. It’s not a mile-high Cheesecake Factory style, but a more modest grandma-style.
Speakeasy is open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and until midnight on Friday and Saturday. Brunch begins at 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. 139 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma. 707-776-4631, speakeasypetaluma.com
Breanna Kuhl heads back to her picnic table at the Hog Island Farm and Oyster Bar picnic area with a plate of Cliffside oysters and Cypress Grove Chevre. Shot on Friday November 22, 2013 at the Hog Island Oyster Company in Marshall, Calif. for Sonoma magazine. ( Photo by Charlie Gesell )
Hog Island Oyster Co., a beloved Bay Area seafood institution, was featured Sunday in one of the year’s most high-profile advertising slots: a Super Bowl commercial.
The restaurant and oyster farm appeared in Google’s “50 States, 50 Stories” campaign, which highlights businesses across the country leveraging artificial intelligence, specifically Google Workspace and Gemini, to enhance their operations.
The ad, which aired during Super Bowl LIX, showcases Hog Island’s oyster farming operations with sweeping views of Tomales Bay, workers harvesting oysters and customers enjoying fresh seafood.
Founded nearly 40 years ago by John Finger, Hog Island began as a modest 5-acre lease in Tomales Bay. With a background in marine biology and restaurant work, Finger sought to combine his love of the ocean with his passion for food, according to the Marin Independent Journal.
Over the coming decades, he expanded the business to encompass 250 acres of intertidal lands and five restaurant locations, harvesting and selling over five million oysters and Manila clams annually.
Oysters from Hog Island Oyster Co. (Courtesy of Remy Anthes)
While committed to traditional aquaculture, Hog Island has embraced AI as a tool to refine its processes. The company, a longtime Google Workspace user, has recently incorporated Google Gemini to analyze decades of data on inventory, weather patterns and oyster growth cycles — tasks that were once time-consuming and labor-intensive. Rather than replacing hands-on expertise, AI is an enhancement, allowing the team to make informed decisions while still focusing on sustainable farming and customer experience.
For Finger and his team, the integration of AI means spending less time processing data and more time doing what they do best: growing world-class oysters and connecting with their community.
Hog Island Oyster Co. has five locations across the Bay Area. Last year, it opened its newest location in the form of a pickup window in Petaluma (419 First St., Suite B). hogislandoysters.com
Bartender Danielle Peters shakes up a cocktail at Brewster’s Beer Garden in Petaluma. (photo by John Burgess/The Press Democrat)
Move over Bourbon Street. This year, you can stroll through downtown Petaluma to celebrate Mardi Gras.
Petaluma Craft Cocktail Week is returning from Feb. 27 through March 9. Lorraine Barber, co-owner of Barber Lee Spirits, is back at it organizing the second installment, following a successful launch in November 2024.
Ten local businesses are taking part, each shaking up its take on the daiquiri, a classic Mardi Gras cocktail.
Bamboo Forest, Barber Lee Spirits’ take on a daiquiri for the second installment of Petaluma Craft Cocktail Week. The event kicks off on Feb 27. (Courtesy Barber Lee Spirits)
“We wanted to have a fun way to celebrate Mardi Gras and bring a little bit of the Big Easy festivities to Petaluma,” said Barber. “The first round [of Petaluma Craft Cocktail Week] was really well received. People had a fun time exploring the craft bar scene in Petaluma.”
With feedback from last year’s cocktail week providing guidance, festivities this time around will run a day longer, giving savvy sippers a little extra time to come out and raise a glass.
“It seemed like a really cool community building event,” said Cappy Sorentino, bar manager at Brewsters Beer Garden. “We are hoping to see people interested in cocktails, and further expand cocktail culture in Sonoma County.”
The Timeout cocktail from Brewsters Beer Garden in Petaluma. (Courtesy Brewsters Beer Garden)
Brewsters’ daiquiri addition to Petaluma Craft Cocktail Week is called the Timeout. The drink is a blend of three rums — Mount Gay Eclipse, Planteray Stiggins’ Fancy Pineapple and Smith & Cross — along with Tempus Fugit Spirits Crème de Banane, coconut milk, lime and organic cane sugar.
Along with highlighting all of the participating businesses, Petaluma Craft Cocktail Week aims to provide a clear understanding of what customers can expect, regardless of when they visit.
“This time of year is a little slower, so we all do hope to see some more guests, but it also means that we’ll have a little more ability to spend time with everyone,” said Barber. “We hope that everyone takes this opportunity early in the year to shake off the cold, wet weather and build community.”
Luma Bar and Eatery is also mixing up a daiquiri for Petaluma Craft Cocktail Week. (Courtesy Luma Bar and Eatery)
Revelers that make it to three of the 10 participating businesses can claim a commemorative sticker at Barber Lee Spirits.
All of the participating businesses are located in downtown Petaluma, so it’s easy to walk from one location to another. Rideshares, LumaGo (Petaluma’s free, on-demand rideshare service) and designated drivers are highly encouraged.
Drink prices will vary by location.
Expect more craft cocktail weeks to come in 2025, each highlighting a different drink. And check out @petaluma_cocktail_society on Instagram for the latest updates regarding Petaluma Craft Cocktail Week.
