Solve a Murder Mystery Aboard the Napa Valley Wine Train

By Dana Rebmann

Halloween is just around the corner. Have you figured out that costume yet? The Napa Valley Wine Train wants to help jumpstart your plans for the haunting holiday with its Murder Mystery Tour. Getting in costume ensures you’re ready for whatever Halloween happenings emerge from the shadows this month. Other perks onboard the train: multiple course gourmet meals and plenty of wine. Click through the gallery above for all the details and other Wine Train holiday happenings you may want to put on your calendar.

6 Gorgeous Fall Color Hikes in Sonoma County

By Dana Rebmann

The days are still sunny and bright but the temperatures are getting cooler and warm hues of yellow, orange and red are starting to spread throughout Sonoma County. One of the best ways to enjoy Mother Nature’s autumnal art is to hit the trails and take in vineyard views. Click through the gallery above to see some of our favorite scenic treks. Did we miss one of your favorite spots? Let us know in the comments.

Table Culture Provisions Finds a New Home in Petaluma

By Heather Irwin
Table Culture Provisions owner/chefs Stéphane Saint Louis, left, and Steven Vargas. (John Burgess/For Sonoma Magazine)

Table Culture Provisions has found a permanent home at the former Chili Joe’s near downtown Petaluma, at 312 Petaluma Blvd. S.

The pop-up restaurant briefly operated out of the space now occupied by Wishbone restaurant, on Petaluma Boulevard North, before chefs/owners Stephane Saint Louis and Steven Vargas decided the space wasn’t a good fit for Table Culture Provisions, as reported last month.

They have been keeping the new location under wraps until they receive their final health department approval, but a new application to sell alcohol posted in the window of the former Chili Joe’s confirms that the restaurant will be opening in the cozy cafe space.

Saint Louis and Vargas gained fame after investing their pandemic stimulus checks in Tesla and turning the investment into a $17,000 windfall that helped them launch their restaurant and mobile kitchen. The move to a new location is part of a larger plan to work with Asombrosa Farm in Petaluma, a 65-acre plot with a 7,000-square-foot barn and culinary garden.

More dining news: Feel the burn…

Love destroying your taste buds, lighting your face on fire and feeling the burn all the way through your intestinal tract? Burger King’s new Ghost Pepper Chicken Nuggets are your new best friends, served for just $1.49 with a side of two dips.

The fried nuggets are studded with the ridiculously hot ghost pepper, once thought to be the hottest pepper in the world. How hot is that? The official measure of pepper spiciness, the Scoville scale, rates a ghost pepper at between 750,000 and 1.5 million heat units. Jalapeños rank at around 2,500 to 10,000 units. The only hotter pepper is the Carolina Reaper, which has between 1.5 and 3 million heat units. All we can say is order extra ranch dip, some milk and a large order of Tums on the side.

Sonoma County Restaurant Named Among Top 50 in the World

By Heather Irwin

Healdsburg’s SingleThread restaurant has skyrocketed to No. 37 on the carefully curated list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, up from No. 71 in 2019 (the awards were canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic).

The news comes on the heels of last month’s announcement that the restaurant, owned by Kyle and Katina Connaughton, had retained its three Michelin stars — the highest ranking for a restaurant — in the 2021 California guidebook.

Other Bay Area restaurants to make the top 50 list, released by a peer-reviewed awards program, include San Francisco’s Benu (No. 28) and Atelier Crenn (No. 48).

The annual list of the world’s finest restaurants, published since 2002, is a snapshot of some of the best destinations for unique culinary experiences, in addition to being a barometer for global gastronomic trends, according to organizers. A panel of more than 1,000 international restaurant industry experts — food writers and critics, chefs, restaurateurs and well-traveled gourmets — selects the restaurants for each year’s list.

At the top of the list of international restaurants is Noma, in Copenhagen, Denmark. The restaurant bested all others in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2021 with its seasonal Nordic cuisine. Geranium, also in Copenhagen, was No. 2; with Asador Etxebarri in Atxondo, Spain as No. 3; Central in Lima, Peru as No. 4; and Disfrutar in Barcelona, Spain as No. 5.

The highest-ranking American restaurant on the list is Cosme in New York at No. 22.

For more details on the winners, visit theworlds50best.com.

5 Sonoma Distilleries to Visit for Fall Cocktails

By Dana Rebmann

Saying goodbye to summer is never easy but the changing of the seasons comes with a few perks. For example, local distilleries are serving fall-inspired cocktails with a taste of the cozy and festive months ahead. Click through the above gallery to see what some of our favorite distilleries are mixing up for their guests. Did we miss one of your favorites? Let us know in the comments below.

What to Plant in Your Sonoma Garden This Fall

By Karen Kizer

Saying goodbye to your summer garden’s radiant sunflowers and scrumptious tomatoes can be kind of heartbreaking. But there’s still plenty of growing fun to look forward to as the days become cooler. We looked to Sonoma’s garden pros for fall planting inspiration. While fall and winter plants don’t provide the colorful show that spring and summer plants do, there’s still lots to cultivate in sunny Sonoma during this more subdued season. And for a spectacular spring, the time to start planning is now. All you need to do is dig a little bit deeper.

Grow your greens

The gardens at Wild Flour Bread in Freestone (140 Bohemian Highway) are fantastically bountiful — make sure you peruse them before or after you get some of the bakery’s legendary scones or breads. While the fruits of summer’s labor can now be seen hanging heavily on trellises (grapes, pumpkins and squash), hardier crops are flourishing alongside them, including kales and cabbages. These leafy plants prefer the cold but can withstand heat, so they’re a good choice for planting right now. Staggering planting times a week or so apart can keep a crop growing over a longer period of time.

Experiment with garlic

Wild Flour gardener Sally Smith loves planting garlic this time of year because of the experimentation involved in growing different varieties. The bakery sources seeds and plants from Harmony Farm Supply and Nursery (locations in Sebastopol and Petaluma); the nursery carries garlic in varieties that range from super spicy to mild and rich. This year, Smith will grow hard neck and soft neck varieties — she likes to weave the soft neck garlic bulbs together and give them as gifts. Her main advice for planting: “The plants will do whatever they want. You think you’ll get control — just let ’em go.”

Plant those bulbs

Now, before the first frost, is the time to plant spring bulbs. Daffodils, hyacinths, tulips and more can make up a great cutting garden. Planting with bloom times in mind — that time range from late winter to early spring — allows for staggered blooming.

Act on your impatience

If waiting for those spring bulbs to bloom makes you feel crazy with impatience, King’s Nursery in Santa Rosa (1212 13th St.) provides an excellent option. They recommend planting cold-hardy blooms in the spaces between the bulbs. Pansies or Icelandic Poppies and other flowers can color the garden beautifully while you wait for spring.

Use a cover crop

If you’d rather put your garden to bed for fall and winter, consider planting fava beans to enrich the soil with nitrogen. This creates a naturally fertile planting ground come spring. We like to take a cue from the test gardens at Cornerstone Sonoma (23570 Arnold Dr.), where the raised beds grew fava beans last season. The beanstalks grow high (at around four feet — not enough to reach a giant, but still) and provide a pop of green during winter.

Don’t forget perennials

Fall is a good time to plant perennials since cooler temperatures won’t stress young plants. Perennials are stalwart elements of the garden, making things easier on the gardener while offering a little color during dormant times. Verbena on a Stick at the test gardens at Cornerstone Sonoma (see photo in slideshow) fill in the gaps between crops. They attract pollinators to boot, which are good for the earth and the garden aesthetic.

Peek Inside Iconic Sea Ranch Property Listed for $8 Million

By Karen Kizer

An iconic piece of architecture has hit the real estate market in northern Sonoma’s oceanfront community The Sea Ranch. With an $8 million asking price, the cliffside estate of late landscape architect and Sea Ranch master planner Lawrence Halprin will be open for offers until Oct. 15.

Halprin, who passed away in 2009, was among a group of architecture faculty at UC Berkeley, who, in the early 1960s, were tasked to transform a 5,200-acre sheep ranch on the Sonoma Coast into a modernist residential community. Halprin and his colleagues envisioned a community in harmony with nature; Halprin defined its guiding ethos — “living lightly on the land.” Typical features of suburbia and non-native plants were banned. No lawns, no palm trees and no fences were allowed.

While devising the Sea Ranch master plan, Halprin also made sure that the new dwellings wouldn’t obscure the rugged coastline. He wanted to protect the area from the kind of mansions typically built on expensive ocean-view properties, a phenomenon he called the “Malibu wall,” referring to the miles-long row of three-story luxury homes along the Pacific Coast Highway from Santa Monica through Malibu.

At The Sea Ranch, homes dotted the area, while ocean views remained. The community’s radically restrained approach to residential development and its unadorned wooden houses soon garnered international attention.

The Halprin estate for sale today is an expansion of a cabin the landscape architect and his colleagues designed for the lot in the 1960s. The simple dwelling by the sea provided creative inspiration to Halprin and his wife, Anna, an accomplished modern dancer. The couple held workshops for their students in an outdoor amphitheater on the property.

Over the decades, Halprin added an additional level, an adjacent studio and a Carnelian granite fireplace to the property. (The fireplace references the Franklin D. Roosevelt memorial Halprin designed in the 1970s. The memorial’s water features are made out of Carnelian granite).

In 2001, a house fire destroyed the oceanfront cabin. Halprin described the subsequent rebuilding process as “at once exciting and emotionally difficult.” The rebuild adhered to The Sea Ranch’s strict building regulations and architectural requirements intended to preserve the community’s harmony with nature. Halprin was able to add a room for his grandchildren, a larger kitchen and a study for Anna. Single-sloped roofs run parallel to the hillside. Wood siding blends seamlessly with the land.

The sale of the Halprin estate comes at a time when the local real estate market is hitting price records monthly. Listing agent Hanne Lissberg says “prices (at Sea Ranch) are up 41% over the last year with an average price of almost $1.5 million, on par with San Francisco and Santa Barbara or double the Sonoma County average.” Just this year, 77 homes at The Sea Ranch have sold.

Click through the above gallery to peek inside the Halprin estate.

The Halprin Estate is listed by Hanne Liisberg and Company in The Sea Ranch. For property details and appointments, please call 707-785-3322, info@liisbergandcompany, liisbergandcompany.com. 

The Best Pumpkin Patches in Sonoma County

By Dana Rebmann
The Petaluma Pumpkin Patch and Amazing Corn Maze in Petaluma. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)

No matter how old you are, a visit to the pumpkin patch remains a cherished fall tradition. In Sonoma County, there’s more to this seasonal ritual than simply picking pumpkins. Depending on what local pumpkin patch you choose to visit, you can wander through corn mazes, climb a haystack, pet fuzzy farm animals or try out a pumpkin slingshot! Click through the gallery above for help planning your next pumpkin patch adventure.

What’s your favorite Sonoma County pumpkin patch? Let us know in the comments below!

4th Street Social Club Closing in Santa Rosa

By Heather Irwin
At 4th Street Social Club in downtown Santa Rosa, the entire restaurant is run by three people with Leonardo Santoni, center, originally from Lake Garda, Italy, as the only waiter, Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. “Working here has become a family to me both emotionally and financially,” said Santoni. (Erik Castro / For The Press Democrat)

The quirky downtown Santa Rosa restaurant 4th Street Social Club faced an uphill battle during the pandemic, opening just weeks before shelter-in-place orders took effect.

Since then, we’ve enjoyed wildly ambitious fare from Chef Jeremy Cabrera, made in a postage-stamp-size kitchen without a gas range or hood. The team won a Snail of Approval award for their dedication to using local ingredients and had a small but loyal following.

But, as reported Thursday, owners Melissa and Chris Matteson have decided to close up shop Oct. 11, due to COVID-19-related losses and the impact of the pandemic on foot traffic downtown.

The Mattesons said they hope to pursue a new restaurant endeavor. Until then, they’ll be serving dinner from 6 – 10 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday. 643 Fourth St., Santa Rosa

More dining news

Little Saint pairs with Marine Layer: What might be on the menu at the upcoming Little Saint restaurant, from Kyle and Katina Connaughton of the upscale Single Thread? Get a sneak peek by visiting the new Healdsburg tasting room from Marine Layer Wines.

Marine Layer is pairing samples of its wines with a Little Saint mezze plate that includes dips, spreads, housemade crackers and crudités, changing based on what’s in season in the Little Saint farm garden. Tastings with the mezze platter are $50 per person.

Exterior of the former Healdsburg SHED, now being transformed into Little Saint. (Courtesy of Little Saint)
Exterior of the former Healdsburg SHED, now being transformed into Little Saint. (Courtesy of Little Saint)

Little Saint, located nearby in the former Shed space, is the much-anticipated collaboration between owners Jeff and Laurie Ubben, Jenny Hess and designer Ken Fulk and the Connaughtons. Similar to the “modern grange” concept of the previous owners, the massive space will have a restaurant, quick-service cafe and wine shop along with a gathering space. Owners expect a late fall opening.

Marine Layer is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, with reservations strongly recommended. To reserve, go to marinelayerwines.com. 308 B Center St. 707-395-0830.

Chef Shuffle: Brendalee Vialpando has been named executive chef at Jenner’s Timber Cove Resort. She was most recently executive chef at Bodega Bay Lodge. Cameron Bouldin is taking over the kitchens at Kivelstadt Winegarten in Sonoma. Calling himself a self-made chef, Bouldin has worked his way through the ranks, ending up as the former sous chef at Napa’s Oenotri and executive chef for Round Pond Estate.

‘To Receive This Recognition Is Humbling’: Healdsburg Restaurant Gets First Michelin Star

By Heather Irwin
Barndiva co-owner and creative director Jill Hales, center, with her children Isabel, left, and Lukka at Barndiva restaurant in Healdsburg. (Alvin Jornada/The Press Democrat)

Michelin stars are shining once again for California restaurateurs tapped for inclusion in the much-coveted 2021 lineup. Twenty-seven restaurants from San Diego to Mendocino County, including Healdsburg’s Barndiva and SingleThread, were awarded the coveted honor Tuesday.

The Michelin Guide canceled its 2020 awards because of the pandemic and California wildfires, making this year’s recognition even more notable and much anticipated.

The French tire company’s decisions on which restaurants have earned or lost stars is a closely watched annual ritual that can make or break the reputations of restaurants and chefs. This year’s honorees were appreciative of the attention after a difficult 2020.

“We know how hard it’s been just to open the doors for so many, so to receive this attention is humbling,” said Lukka Feldman, Barndiva’s General Manager. The restaurant has been open for 17 years, and this is its first Michelin star. The restaurant had previously won the “Plate Award,” which recognizes “good cooking.”

“It’s just a testimony to how hard everyone has been working,” said Feldman.

Like so many other local restaurants, it’s been a bracing 18-plus months as lockdowns, mask mandates, and a challenging hiring environment put a damper on restaurant dining. Feldman said that the restaurant never closed but simply pivoted to comforting takeout meals in the early days, a jarring welcome to newly-installed chef Jordan Rosas. The Southern Californian chef arrived just weeks before health mandates closed both indoor and outdoor dining. Pastry Chef Neidy Venegas also started working at Barndiva during the pandemic.

The reopening of Barndiva’s outdoor gardens allowed Rosas and Venegas to spread their wings, creating signature dishes that pull from nearby farms, ranches and waters that captured the attention of Michelin’s “Famously Anonymous” inspectors.

“The cooking, as conceived by chef Jordan Rosas, hones in on prime local produce and sustainability. There is a tangible deftness in such aromatic flavor combinations as seared day boat scallops with kohlrabi, grapefruit and lemongrass-ginger butter sauce. Of course, it should be unlawful to forgo the creative goodies from pastry chef Neidy Venegas,” said the inspectors for the 2021 Michelin Guidebook.

Nearby SingleThread retains the elusive three Michelin-star designation, the highest award a restaurant can achieve. Only five other restaurants in the state have the same honor — The French Laundry (Yountville), Atelier Crenn (San Francisco), Benu (San Francisco), Quince (San Francisco) and Manresa (Los Gatos).

“We are so incredibly proud of the team. They have persevered this past year with so much integrity and creativity We really have been so thoughtfully supported by the community and this is a much-appreciated recognition of both our team and for where we draw both our ingredients and inspiration,” said Kyle Connaughton, chef-owner of SingleThread.

Most of the two-star designations were in Southern California, except the far-flung Harbor House in Mendocino, climbing from one to two Michelin stars. Inspectors honored the hyperlocal and foraged ingredients that Chef Matthew Kammerer sources from coastal waters and farms.

“We are delighted to celebrate 19 promotions for restaurants that elevated their quality and consistency despite the challenges of the health crisis and welcome eight new entries to our selection at the star level,” said Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides.

Notably missing from the stars lineup in Sonoma County are Farmhouse Inn and Madrona Manor, both longtime Michelin favorites. Farmhouse was demoted to a Plate Award. Madrona Manor has been closed for remodeling for months, though a handful of San Francisco restaurants did receive stars despite lengthy closures.

Sonoma County now only has two restaurants with Michelin stars, down significantly from years past as the guidebook expands beyond its traditional favoritism of French cuisine and major metropolitan cities. Sonoma County has no two-starred restaurants.

This year sees far more diversity with the inclusion of new Japanese and Southeast Asian restaurants, among other cuisines. It also goes further afield to oft-overlooked restaurants in Sacramento, Santa Barbara, Orange County, Paso Robles, the South Bay and Los Angeles.

Last week, the guidebook announced its newest Bib Gourmand winners, restaurants recognized for value and high-quality food. In Sonoma County, Khom Loi in Sebastopol and Sonoma’s Folktable and Valley Bar + Bottle — all opened during the pandemic — were tapped for the culinary honor.

 

Check out the full list here.

Here are the other California Michelin Star winners for 2021.

Three Michelin Stars (no changes)
SingleThread (Healdsburg)
The French Laundry (Yountville)
Atelier Crenn (San Francisco)
Benu (San Francisco)
Quince (San Francisco)
Manresa (Los Gatos)

Two Michelin Stars
New for 2021
Harbor House (Elk -promotion from one MICHELIN Star)
Addison (San Diego – promotion from one MICHELIN Star)
Birdsong (San Francisco – promotion from one MICHELIN Star)
Hayato (Los Angeles – promotion from one MICHELIN Star)
Mélisse (Santa Monica – New two MICHELIN Star)
See list for those retaining 2 stars outside of the North Bay

One Michelin Star
New for 2021
Adega (San Francisco – Promotion to one MICHELIN Star)
Avery (San Francisco – Promotion to one MICHELIN Star)
Bell’s (Santa Barbara – Promotion from New Discovery)
Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura (Los Angeles – New one MICHELIN Star)
Jeune et Jolie (San Diego – New one MICHELIN Star)
Knife Pleat (Orange County – Promotion from New Discovery)
Marlena (San Francisco – Promotion from New Discovery)
Morihiro (Los Angeles – New one MICHELIN Star)
Niku Steakhouse (San Francisco – New one MICHELIN Star)
O’ by Claude Le Tohic (San Francisco – New one MICHELIN Star)
Pasjoli (Santa Monica – Promotion from New Discovery)
Pasta | Bar (Los Angeles – Promotion from New Discovery)
Phenakite (Los Angeles – Promotion from New Discovery)
Selby’s (San Francisco – Promotion from New Discovery)
Six Test Kitchen (Paso Robles – Promotion from New Discovery)
Soichi (San Diego – Promotion from New Discovery)
Sushi | Bar Montecito (Santa Barbara – Promotion from New Discovery)
Sushi I-NABA (Los Angeles – Promotion from New Discovery)
Sushi Shin (San Francisco – New one MICHELIN Star)
Sushi Tadokoro (San Diego – Promotion from New Discovery)
The Shota (San Francisco – New one MICHELIN Star)
See list of those retaining one stars