More time spent at home means more time staring at the walls. For many of us, that easily evolves (or devolves) into contemplating the state of our of furniture, counters and bookshelves and the overall look and function of our living spaces.
While scrambling to improvise a home office and creating a noise-free area for all things Zoom, many have “met the (home design) moment.” If you want to take your redecorating efforts a step further — without spending a lot of time and money — we asked a few local designers for tips and advice.
Reveal your best pieces by removing clutter
Interior designer and Olive and Rose proprietress Chelsea Miller knows how to create a sumptuous yet disciplined aesthetic. She encourages anyone who wants to upgrade a living space to identify the gems in their homes. She uses an ingenious technique for removing less-loved pieces:
“Remove all of your accessories from the space you are redesigning and place them all in one place together. Now “shop” your accessories as if you were purchasing them from a store and place them back in the space in a new and creative way. Only allow things back into the space that you truly love or would purchase again if they were in a shop.”
Once you’ve picked out your favorite pieces, Miller advises that you give away the things that didn’t make the cut. Even in a well-designed space, clutter has a tendency to accumulate over time and destroy the look.
Focus on pieces that give a sense of calm
Jewelry artisan, home stylist and boutique owner Robindira Unsworth has a signature style that is natural and subdued yet sparkles. She recommends figuring out what you love in your home and then replicating that where possible. She likes to focus on pieces that give a sense of calm.
“It can be as simple as cutting roses from your garden or a few sprigs of jasmine from your blooming vine and draping them over a small vessel next to your bed or on your kitchen counter,” she says.
Create a room outside
Utilizing outdoor space can expand square footage. Unsworth moves furniture around to create an outdoor living room. “I am looking at our garden as our summer vacation and plan the layout based on that idea,” she says.
She makes things cozy with pillows and adds pretty Turkish towels to protect surfaces from the sun and birds. “Turkish towels are chic and machine washable, my favorite combination.”
Switch around artwork and bedding
Unsworth says now is a great time to examine your artwork and move pieces and pictures around. Individual spaces can be redefined with a new or newly arranged focal point.
Unsworth also loves to change bedding and moves throw pillows and blankets around her home with the seasons. Now that we’re spending much more time at home, she recommends changing things up each month to keep spaces fresh and inspiring.
Mix sizes. Small and large pillows offer visual interest and comfort.
Mix shapes. “Oftentimes, people will pick all square pillows and then the vignette just falls flat. For visual interest, youʼve got to have — at the very least — a square and a rectangle. Toss in a round one and you’re golden!”
Mix patterns. It’s important to mix different scales of patterns — small, medium and large. “This ensures that the patterns will complement each other instead of competing,” she says.
Use a color palette. Pick one and stay within it.
Add texture. “Toss in some chunky texture next to something smooth like velvet — it makes the design come alive,” she says.
Use odd numbers. Parkers says odd numbers of pillows are more visually stimulating than even.
Move furniture around and away from the wall
Moving furniture around can give a space a brand new feel.
In addition to changing the layout, Parker recommends moving your pieces away from the wall. Our tendency to have furniture pushed up against the wall is probably due to our desire to create more room. Parker recommends working against that inclination when possible.
Be hopeful about your ability to impact your space
With a little time, attention and creativity, we can take what we already own and use it to decorate our home and maximize comfort.
As Unsworth puts it, “There is so much one can do with a little inspiration and desire.”
It’s nearly 9,000 miles across the ocean from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to Santa Rosa. But for Mimo Ahmed, moving to Sonoma County from the east African country was much like following a trail of breadcrumbs.
Make that cake crumbs. Because the young woman discovered a love for cooking in her homeland, built it further by a chance friendship with a visiting American who enjoyed baking, and solidified it after arriving in the culinary mecca that is Sonoma. She is now the pastry chef at Ari Weiswasser’s acclaimed Glen Ellen Star, and on the side, she’s gaining plenty of attention for her website and passion project, The Empty Plate.
At 27, and 12 years after arriving in Santa Rosa, Ahmed has packed in so much experience — and so many cups of flour and sugar — that she seems a bit surprised herself as she recounts her journey.
It started when she was a toddler, as she followed her grandmother around their kitchen in the small, rural village of Naqamtee/Nekemte, in the Oromo people’s traditional rhomeland. She watched her grandmother grind fresh-grown coffee beans, milk their cows, and harvest honey from their bees. She played with the dough as her grandmother baked the daily bread.
“My grandmother was always like, ‘Here, make something,’” says Ahmed. “I was just a baby, but I loved it. Okay, I fell in a giant pot of stew once — I felt like I was helping, even though now that I think about it, I probably gave her more work.”
Music, memories, and lots of cookbooks at the home of pastry chef and food stylist Mimo Ahmed. (Katie Monroe)Music, memories, and lots of cookbooks at the home of pastry chef and food stylist Mimo Ahmed. (Katie Monroe)Music, memories, and lots of cookbooks at the home of pastry chef and food stylist Mimo Ahmed. (Katie Monroe)
Her grandmother passed away when Ahmed was six, and she was adopted by her aunt and uncle, who moved her to their home in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, a city of 4.8 million people. Schools there were much better, but even at her very young age, she yearned for the kitchen and the farm-to-table life.
“My aunt and uncle were more focused on education,” she recalls. “They were always more about the books, studying.”
Yet when she was 12, life changed again. Ahmed’s uncle worked for a nonprofit organization, and a coworker named Kristen came to live at the family house as part of a missionary program. While there, Kristen received care packages from the United States — unfamiliar things to Ahmed, like cookie, cake, and pie mixes.
“We would always bake together, so we made chocolate chip cookies, and apple pie,” Ahmed says. “One time we made brownies, and I was so confused, because I was like, ‘Is this a cake or a cookie? It can only be one or the other.’ The first time I tried them, I thought they were so gross, with the texture and density.”
Still, she began dreaming of desserts. And of visiting this interesting place, America.
Within three years, Ahmed had received a scholarship for her dedicated schoolwork. Kristen connected her with her own parents in Santa Rosa, who helped her enroll at the former Santa Rosa Christian School, where Ahmed aced the English proficiency exams required for international students.
“My aunt and uncle had wanted me to go to America to be a lawyer, or doctor or engineer, just like any African parents,” Ahmed says. So once she graduated high school, she attended Santa Rosa Junior College, studying psychology for two years, and began planning to enroll at Sonoma State.
Except that her host parents opened their kitchen to her, and she couldn’t stop baking cookies, cakes, and pies. In between studying, she read recipe books, and explored the often unforgiving science of baking.
“Then I really thought about it, and I figured, ‘I think I’m adult now, I can make my own decisions,’” she says. “I really wanted to go to culinary school, except I was too scared to tell my aunt and uncle. So I secretly signed up for the culinary school at Santa Rosa Junior College.”
She completed the school’s program in baking and pastry arts, studying under chef Shelly Kaldunski, who became a mentor and close friend. Ahmed also began learning to style food professionally and connected with several Bay Area photographers to capture her work.
“I finally decided to call my aunt and I said, ‘Hey, um, I changed my major, I’m going to culinary school,’ and I was terrified, because I thought I was going to get in so much trouble,” Ahmed says. “And then she said, ‘You know what? I knew this day was going to come. Just work hard, and be the best chef you can be.’”
Today, at Glen Ellen Star, Ahmed crafts delicious treats like house-baked sourdough boule and brown-butter fig cake. On her website, she encourages viewers to use her recipes for such treats as hot milk cake and shares gorgeous photos of delights such as flourless chocolate cake cradled in flaky, shattered meringue. Another standout is a black-bottom lemon tart of buttery sable crust and a thin layer of dark chocolate ganache topped with billows of lemon-orange curd, for a beautiful interplay between dark and light, bitter and sweet.
And she has fun with her Instagram posts. During the long months of the pandemic, Ahmed has spent much of her time honing her design skills, planning to delve even more deeply into food styling and recipe development in the future. Typical of these new explorations is an elegant chocolate cake filled with crunchy hazelnut flakes, smoothed in chocolate frosting, and then whimsically adorned with tiny figurines of a deer, rabbit, squirrel, fox, and fawn — animals she barely knew as a child in Ethiopia.
“This was really not a plan,” Ahmed reflects. “But now, I feel like I’m exactly where I should be.”
Mimo Ahmed’s Apple-Almond Tart
Pastry chef Mimo Ahmed’s stunning, intensely flavored tart makes for an exquisite finish to a holiday meal. It has a sweet crust that is assembled and par-baked in advance, and a flavorful almond filling that rises up to surround apple slices fanned out in pretty shapes.
For the best results at home, Ahmed prefers to use a food processor and weigh ingredients with a kitchen scale.
The tart is made in stages, starting with the crust, then preparing the almond filling and apple slices, and finally assembling and baking the tart. To finish the presentation, try a light dusting of powdered sugar. It’s best served warm from the oven.
Sweet-tart crust
Makes one 9-inch crust.
• 203g all-purpose flour
• 60g powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 128g cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp. ice-cold water
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, and salt for a few seconds until combined. Add the cold, cubed butter and pulse until the mixture becomes crumbly and resembles coarse meal, about 10 pulses. Beat the egg yolk with vanilla extract and water. Add to dry ingredients and keep pulsing until the dough is no longer dry and starts to clump together, about 10-15 seconds. Do not process to the point that a large ball of dough is formed; the dough should be quite crumbly with large clumps.
Another way to check if it’s done is to take a piece of dough and press it between your thumbs — the dough should stick without feeling dry or crumbly. Gather the dough into ball; flatten into disc. Wrap in plastic; chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
Take dough out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for a few minutes to soften slightly for easy rolling. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into an 11-inch circle, then place gently into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place in the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes. Frozen dough is less prone to shrinking while baking.
To bake the crust: Preheat oven to 375 degrees and place a rack in the center. Press parchment paper or aluminum foil tightly against the crust, covering the edges to prevent them from burning. Fill with pie weights, dried beans, or uncooked rice, making sure the weights are fully distributed over the entire surface of the crust. Bake the crust for 20 minutes at 375 degrees. To cool, transfer the crust to a wire rack and remove the weights and foil.
Almond filling and apple slices
Makes 2 cups, enough for one 9-inch tart.
• 4 ounces raw whole almonds
• 4 ounces butter, unsalted, room temperature
• 3 ½ ounces sugar
• 2 eggs • 1 tsp. lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 3 medium-size Golden Delicious apples
• 1/2 ounce sliced almonds
In a food processor, pulse the raw whole almonds and the sugar until the almonds are finely ground, then add the butter and process again until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the lemon zest and almond extract and process once more until the filling is thoroughly mixed.
Just before assembling the tart, peel, core, and thinly slice the apples and set aside.
Assembling and baking the tart: When the tart crust is done par-baking, remove it from the oven and allow to cool. Then, whisk an egg and use a pastry brush to coat a thin layer of whisked egg all over the crust. Spread the prepared almond filling into the crust and then arrange the apple slices and sliced almonds on top. I like to take small sections of apples, fan them while in my hand, and then place them gently where I like, covering about half of the top of the tart. The almond filling will puff while baking, so there is no need to press the apples in deeply. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30-45 minutes, or until the crust and filling have bronzed. Allow to cool slightly before dusting with powdered sugar, if desired.
Last spring, as the pandemic closed down much of society and caused disruptions to the food supply chain, people across the United States turned back to the land. They grew their own produce and, as an added bonus, experienced much-needed stress relief. Nursery vegetable starts and gardening essentials were soon sold out, seed company sales increased by a thousand percent, newspapers and media outlets talked about “a comeback for victory gardens.”
Sonoma Magazine’s digital editor, Sofia Englund, also found added peace and calm by indulging her new passion for vegetable gardening in her backyard. She got to talk to local experts Tony Passantino, education program manager at the Sonoma Ecology Center, and Astrid and Matthew Hoffman, founders of The Living Seed Company.
In a television segment produced by Northern California Public Media PBS station KRCB in 2020, Tony, Astrid and Matthew help Sofia troubleshoot some problems she is experiencing in her fledgling garden and Tony talks about the history of the victory garden and its modern-day version. Watch the video here:
Sonoma’s Wine Road Barrel Tasting Weekend was reveling in its 43rd year of success in 2020 when the state ordered wineries to close because of the pandemic. COVID-19 also put a bung in Barrel Tasting Weekend 2021, depriving event guests of the opportunity to sample infant wines a year or so before they are released and buy tomorrow’s wines at today’s prices.
Undeterred, Wine Road, an organization that represents wineries and lodgings in the Dry Creek, Alexander and Russian River valleys, flipped the script this year, urging member wineries to dig into their wine libraries and pour older wines March 6 and 7, along with their current releases. Some 20 producers will participate, each offering yesterday’s wines to try and buy today.
Healdsburg is home to the Sonoma County Wine Library, a treasure trove of books, magazines, research papers, photos, videos and ephemera on the world of wine. At wineries, “libraries” are cellar spaces filled with bottles stored under ideal temperature and humidity conditions, so that the wines — mostly reds — mature slowly over time, develop secondary complex characteristics and show more evolved, smoother tannins.
Aging wine is a topic addressed in myriad Ph.D. dissertations and involves much debate: Are older wines better than younger wines? Or vice versa? It depends on personal taste. In the simplest of comparisons, some love young red wine’s rich, primary aromas and flavors, such as cherry, blackberry and plum, and its palate freshness. Others appreciate the secondary notes of spice, tea, leather and earthiness that can show themselves in wines five to 10 (or more) years old, thanks to the slow ingress of oxygen through the cork.
The beauty of trying older wines at Wine Road wineries is in meeting the winemakers, hearing their often vivid stories of the challenges and rewards of each vintage and tasting the impact that time can have on wine. It’s a rare opportunity to compare older Sonoma wines with newer ones, to gauge when wines in a home cellar will be at the optimum drinking point for one’s personal taste or to buy wines that have already improved with cellaring so buyers don’t have to do the work themselves.
Some producers will pour their library wines from magnum bottles. Magnums hold twice as much wine as 750-mL bottles, but the wine is exposed to the same amount of oxygen as a standard bottle. As a result, the wine ages more slowly and likely will last longer.
The library-wine weekend is not a formal event; no tickets are sold, though guests must, in adherence with COVID-19 safety protocols, make reservations, just as they would any other visit. All tastings are conducted outdoors, with physical distancing and small groups only, and masks must be worn before and after guests are seated. Wineries’ regular tasting fees will be in place and vary by options chosen.
If conditions allow, Wine Road organizers hope to conduct a scaled-down, full-week version of Barrel Tasting May 24‒30, 2021. Follow along at wineroad.com
Here are snapshots of some of the wineries serving library wines March 6 and 7:
Baldassari Family Wines: By day, Matt Michael is the winemaker for Robert Young Estate Wines in Alexander Valley. His nights and weekends go to his family’s Baldassari brand of chardonnay, pinot noir, pinot noir rosé, syrah and Malbec from vineyards on the Sonoma Coast and in the Russian River, Alexander and Bennett valleys. Matt’s father, Dom Michael, handles everything else in this two-person business, named for Matt’s grandfather, Vincenzo Baldassari, who came to the U.S. from Italy and made wine in his basement. For library weekend, father and son will pour from magnums of 2015 and 2016 syrah and pinot noir at their Windsor tasting lounge, in addition to current releases.
Outdoor tasting by the fire pit at Balletto Vineyards. (Courtesy photo)
Balletto Vineyards: In addition to tastings of its broad array of Russian River Valley-grown, current-release wines, this Santa Rosa winery will offer a four-bottle library set, comprised of the 2013 Sparkling Brut Rosé, 2013 BCD Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, 2014 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir and 2018 Cider Ridge Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. Balletto, a longtime grape grower in the region, has renovated its covered patio tasting area in time for library-wine weekend and oncoming spring weather. Anthony Beckman is the winemaker, and a talented one at that. There are many excellent values to be found here.
Merriam Vineyards: Peter and Diana Merriam’s winery and vineyard are located at the eastern edge of Russian River Valley in a warm part of a cool-climate appellation. There, they can fully ripen red Bordeaux grape varieties such as merlot and cabernet franc, yet the conditions are also suited to growing chardonnay and pinot noir, which enjoy growing in cool, morning-fog conditions. Merriam’s library offerings are the 2014 Windacre Vineyard Merlot from the Merriam estate and 2013 Gloeckner-Turner Ranch Rockpile Cabernet Sauvignon from a subregion of Dry Creek Valley. Current releases include sauvignon blanc, semillon, pinot noir, petit verdot and a blanc de noirs sparkler.
Mill Creek Vineyards & Winery: For more than 40 years, the water wheel at Mill Creek has been a visual icon for those traveling from Healdsburg and turning south onto Westside Road or north onto West Dry Creek Road. The Kreck family planted their vineyards here in 1965 and established the winery in 1974; the location is within the Dry Creek Valley yet just a stone’s throw from Russian River Valley. Jeremy Kreck, son of founders Yvonne and Bill Kreck, produces excellent sauvignon blancs and zinfandels from the Dry Creek Valley vineyard and cabernet sauvignon from the family home ranch in Alexander Valley. For library weekend, Mill Creek will pour the 2000 Kreck Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon from Dry Creek Valley and Alexander Valley and 2007 Reflections Alexander Valley Meritage red blend. The winery has two picnic areas for visitors who want to bring their own lunches.
Library wine bottles from Moshin Vineyards. (Courtesy photo)
Moshin Vineyards: Rick Moshin, who founded his winery in 1989, produces several varietals, yet pinot noir – which made Healdsburg’s Westside Road famous in the wine world – is the one that is closest to his heart. For library tasting weekend, he and his wife, Amber Moshin, will pour their 2013 Rosalina Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, from their estate, and a red Bordeaux-style blend, the 2012 Dry Creek Valley Perpetual Moshin. Instead of fermenting the cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petit verdot, cabernet franc and malbec separately and then blending the wines, Moshin fermented the grapes together, giving them an early start on integrating seamlessly.
Pedroncelli Winery: This venerable Geyserville winery, established before Prohibition and still family-owned, is known for its honest, good-value wines across multiple varietals. Yet zinfandel is predominant in its DNA, and for library-wine weekend, Pedroncelli will pour its 2009 Mother Clone Zinfandel and 2009 Bench Vineyards Merlot side by side with the 2018 vintages of these wines. A splash of Pedroncelli port and a bite of chocolate is served to each guest.
Portalupi Wine: Jane Portalupi and her winemaking husband, Tom Borges, not only fell in love with each other, they also shared a fondness for wines produced from Italian grape varieties and set out to make them in 2002. Barbera is their No. 1 wine, with vermentino, arneis, charbono and an unusual méthode champenoise sparkling barbera also among their California-Italian offerings. Pinot noir, zinfandel and petite sirah complete the lineup. Portalupi’s downtown Healdsburg parklet is the place to taste a barbera flight that includes current vintages and, from the library, a 2013 Sierra Foothills Barbera.
Sunce Winery & Vineyard: Proprietor/winemaker Frane Franicevic has a long and colorful history, which, in Cliff Notes version, took him from Croatia to New Orleans, where he worked in restaurants and as a shrimper. He found his way to California and opened One World Winery in 1991 in Santa Rosa. Frane married Janae in 1994 and together they built the Sunce winery and vineyard after buying property on Olivet Road. The Franicevics will hit their wine cellar with gusto for library weekend, pouring from magnums their 2013 Meritage Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, 2014 Estate Zora’s Vineyard Clone 667 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, 2014 Estate Zora’s Vineyard Clone 777 Russian River Valley, 2013 Cousins Ranch Reserve Merlot Russian River Valley and 2013 Trois Amis SuperT Russian River Valley Reserve. Kids and pets are welcome and tacos will be served.
Viszlay Vineyards: A producer of single-vineyard, small-lot wines, Viszlay grows 13 grape varieties on its 10 vineyard acres in the Russian River Valley, south of Healdsburg. Owner/winemaker John Viszlay and his team will pour from the library a 2012 Reserve Pinot Noir, 2010 Petite Sirah and 2011 Reserve Malbec, along with other estate wines. Typical annual production is just 2,200 cases, and reserve wines are usually available only to wine club members and those who stay at the vineyard guesthouse. Library weekend is an opportune time for those new to the winery to sample its finest bottlings.
West Wines: Winemaker/owner Katarina Bonde, with her husband, Bengt Akerlind, will pour their 2006 and 2008 West Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, along with the 2016 West Seafoam and Blanc de Blancs bubblies, made in traditional Champagne style. The 2014 Tuscan Cuvee, a cabernet and sangiovese blend, is also on the menu along with current releases. The sparkling wine will be paired with a Brie cheese, the Tuscan Cuvee with an aged Gouda and the library cabernet sauvignons with chocolate.
1000 Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg, 707-433-2066, westwines.com
Pad Thai at Khom Loi in Sebastopol. (Heather Irwin/Sonoma Magazine)
Dozens of woven bamboo lanterns float high above the outdoor-indoor dining patio flanked by two-story sliding glass shoji walls. Inside, water gently tinkles into a charming concrete pond filled with aquatic plants. The best tables are beside the aquascape that lulls diners into lingering just a little longer.
Located inside the former Peter Lowell’s, the newly opened Khom Loi has been an ambition for chefs Matthew Williams and Moishe Hahn-Schuman for years, after travels to Thailand inspired them to host several pop-up dinners featuring many of the dishes that have now made their way onto the menu. Like Gaijin, the food is their own take on the cuisine, inspired by the flavors of their travels.
Khom Loi, which means floating lantern in Thai, is an homage to the cuisine of Chiang Mai and nearby Laos, with nods to central and southern Thailand. There’s nothing shy or demure about the spicy, sweet, sour and bitter flavors of East Asia in every one of the dishes. There is nothing American-ized or even explained on the menu. Instead, it’s an immersion — sometimes a little awkwardly immersive.
“It’s about having fun,” Williams said. That means using hands, rolling rice and wrapping lettuce around tidbits of food. “Our dishes are like what you would find in Thailand.”
Het Paa Naam Tok from Khom Loi. (Heather Irwin / The Press Democrat)Outdoor dining area at Khom Loi. (Heather Irwin / The Press Democrat)
That sometimes means having no real idea what you’re eating (unless you have a cellphone handy to look up words like rau ram and naam prik noom). It’s more fun, however, when you start asking questions, such as, what do you actually do with sticky rice?
“I roll it up in a ball in my hands,” Williams said. “You dip it; you don’t pour curry on it. You have fun with it.
What do you do with the piles of lettuce, basil and mint that come with several dishes? You wrap up morsels in them, or take a bite of one thing, then a bite of another. Even for an experienced diner, it’s an adventure that takes some understanding if you really want to appreciate it more deeply than at a surface level.
But being an outsider is what’s so enjoyable, especially when we can’t travel to a far-flung place for the original experience. It’s about making that effort to engage, learn something new and make a few awkward mistakes along the way.
Or just go to Khom Loi to eat really good Pad Thai. Your call.
Best Bets: Must-order dishes
Gai Tod (lemongrass fried chicken), $10: The smell of lemongrass and fried lime leaves are enough to send you into orbit. Sharp black pepper and chile sauce (nam jim) with two-bite fried chicken pieces make this almost impossible to put down, or share.
Som Tam Pu (green papaya salad), $12: Dried shrimp and fish sauce are two of my favorite things about Thai food, but sometimes it’s difficult to find either of these salty, fishy flavors that pump up the volume of green papaya salad. Here, unripe papaya are crunchy carriers for the tart-sweet lime fish sauce I could literally drink with a straw.
Yum Som-O (winter citrus salad), $14: This is where the team’s varied culinary backgrounds shine through with a Cali-Thai flair. Bitter pomelo and grapefruit are tossed in fish sauce with green apple, toasted coconut, dried shrimp and fried peanuts. It’s a perfect winter dish that somehow tastes like summer.
Pad Thai, $18: The true measure of any Thai restaurant is this simple noodle dish. 1. It should never be red. 2. It shouldn’t be too sweet. 3. It should have the “wok hay” or breath of the wok. 4. Palm sugar and tamarind should be included. Ketchup shouldn’t. Khom Loi gets it right on all fronts and includes tofu, chicken thighs and prawns for extra, extra credit.
Bpet Yang (charcoal-grilled Liberty Duck breast), $18 (half) or $35 (whole): Another local-meets-Thai dish with a crispy charred exterior and buttery soft, rare interior. Just like it should be. The fun is in mixing and matching the duck with bites of lettuce, pumpkin, long beans and a green chile sauce.
Khao Niaw (sticky rice in a basket), $3: Sticky, glutenous rice has a special place in Thai cuisine; it’s used mostly to soak up sauces as you might with bread. Don’t try to use a fork or you’ll end up with a mess. Instead, pinch off a handful, roll it into a ball and dip it into soup or the sour dressing of green papaya salad. Fragrant jasmine rice is better for soaking up curry, however.
Sundae, $10: Save room for soft-serve ice cream flavored with lemongrass and other “flavors of Thailand” (they change). Topped with fresh mango (we got brûléed bananas, which were even better), crunchy coconut peanut crumble and condensed milk, this refreshing meal-ender is studded with sticky mochi for an extra surprise.
Great Picks: seriously delish
Plaa Thawt Lat Prik (crispy whole rock cod), $32: The only reason this isn’t a Best Bet is because I know how people are about a whole fish staring back at you, studded with millions of little bones inside. I feel you. However, this fried rock cod is scored before frying for maximum crispiness. Tamarind and chile stick to the skin, and the small bites are perfect for eating with chopsticks or a fork. Don’t forget the juicy and delicious head — the cheeks are one of the best parts. Sadly we made a mess of the poor cod and ended up eating a few bones. Ask for a little help if you’re new to eating whole fish. We should have.
Het Paa Naam Tok (charcoal-grilled mushroom salad), $15: If you’re a Ramen Gaijin devotee, you’ll recognize these (or something very similar) from their menu. Sweet and earthy mixed mushrooms get kissed by charcoal, adding bitterness and depth. Toasted rice powder binds everything together, and Thai coriander, basil and mint give the dish a pop of fresh, light greenery.
Going back for
Kaeng Khei Whwan Hoy (green curry with clams), $20: The massman curry with wagyu short ribs was very good, but seeing this dish with fresh clams and a light green curry in coconut milk made me wish I’d ordered this instead.
Not my jam
Tom Yung Goong Nam Khon (spicy sour shrimp soup), $16: There’s a lot to love about this showstopper, with huge head-on gulf prawns, coconut milk, galangal and mushrooms, but a float of sliced limes add bitterness rather than depth. Fishing out huge unshelled prawns with finger-poking antenna, then pulling off shells and legs at the table is more of a messy task than a pleasure. Large chunks of inedible herbs also make it a minefield.
Needs a warning
Tua Tod Samu Prai, $5: “Thai peanut crack” had us at “crack,” but these little nuts are only for experienced heat-seekers. They’re tossed into several dishes where they’re less atomically hot, but the combination of lemongrass, lime leaf and skin-on peanuts are hard to resist — even when you know you should.
Drinks
A lovely by-the-glass wine list highlights lighter wines that pair well with Thai flavors, offered in 150-mL, 350-mL and 750-mL sizes. A longer, brilliantly curated bottle list includes offbeat picks from the Basque Country, Portugal and Hungary along with rieslings, pinot gris and a whole lot of bottles of fermented grapes we wouldn’t even try to spell. I wish I had delved a little deeper into these wines. There’s Thai beer, naturally, along with local ciders and brews. Don’t miss the Thai iced tea with a float of coconut cream and a hint of cardamom.
A few notes
Allergens: Shellfish, fish sauce and peanuts are a huge part of the flavor of Thailand and are in many of the dishes. If you’re deathly allergic to any of these, Khom Loi might not be a good fit. Gluten-free and a few vegan dishes are available.
Despite the frequent use of lime leaves on the menu, you won’t find them referred to as “kaffir” — a term often used to differentiate them from American or European limes. Instead these richly perfumed leaves are called “makrut” because the k-word is actually a highly offensive slur in South Africa and other regions.
Khom Loi is at 7385 Healdsburg Ave., Sebastopol, 707-329-6917, khomloisonoma.com. Open Wednesday through Sunday for dinner. Reservations strongly recommended. Parking is very limited and on the street only. Until indoor dining returns, the restaurant is serving outdoors in a tent and for takeout.
It takes some imagination (and an architect’s drawing) to fully appreciate the vision Chef Dustin Valette has for his soon-to-be-completed new restaurant concept, The Matheson, but it is certainly coming together in a spectacular way.
From the soaring ceilings that invoke wine-barrel staves to the still-wrapped Mugniani pizza oven and still-under-construction open kitchen where Valette and Ken Tominaga (of Hana Japanese Restaurant) will cook, it is the Healdsburg native’s dream project come to life.
The three-story space on the Healdsburg Plaza will include an upscale dining room, a bar and an 88-bottle self-serve wine wall on the first floor (similar to the Barlow’s Region). A small mezzanine is prime real estate for its view of the dining room. The upper level, Roof 106, is a casual, lounge-y indoor-outdoor area with a second bar, pizza oven and patio.
Though there was some initial push back over the size of The Matheson when it was first proposed, capacity is spread throughout the building, with about 85 seats in the dining room (at 100% capacity) and 42 on the rooftop patio.
But it is the almost childlike glee that Valette expresses about each tiny detail — the Hestan range in Matador red, the hexagonal tiles that match the bee theme upstairs — that makes even a hard-hat tour fun.
Like Valette’s namesake Healdsburg restaurant, The Matheson has a family history as one of the bakery spaces once used by his immigrant great-grandfather.
“We wanted to keep this place and make it live on. This is so much bigger than me. The Matheson is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do something bigger than yourself,” Valette said.
With plans to use small artisan producers like Lou Preston, Valette said the space will tell a story.
“This is the evolution of Healdsburg. It’s something we need right now. I hope people will come and get excited about Wine Country again,” he said.
The Matheson, at 106 Matheson St., in Healdsburg, is slated to open in late spring. thematheson.com
Hot Chix Coming to Santa Rosa: The Union Hotel on Mission in Santa Rosa is launching a Nashville-style fried chicken pop-up starting March 1, available for pickup and delivery only.
Owner Daniel Gonnella was inspired to create a California-meets-Tennessee fried chicken sandwich with five levels of heat — mild, medium, hot and Call Yo’ Mama, considered “too hot for the sober gentleman,” according to Gonnella.
They’ll also have chicken tenders, a whole fried chicken, mac and cheese, crinkle-cut fries, coleslaw, baked beans and cornbread, along with waffle strips with maple-Bourbon dipping sauce (now there’s a breakfast of champions).
How’s the sandwich? You’ll never eat at Chick-fil-A again. Franco American bun, coleslaw, fresh pickles and crispy fried chicken with just a little burn (medium) and a whole lot of sass — mine didn’t make it home. Details at hotchixsantarosa.com
Neoclassical busts, modern crystal sconces and abstract paintings are just a few components that come together in a renovated home just off the Sonoma plaza. The interior design scheme is the work of Íreko Interior Design & Fine Furniture in Santa Rosa. The home — framed by olive trees and with timeless details throughout — exemplifies the magic that comes from skillfully mixing contrasting elements.
Íreko co-founders Jim Rascoe and Michael Webb started out in 1985 with a small flower shop in downtown Santa Rosa. Soon, their services expanded into floral home design and, finally, interior design. 35 years later, the two now have a team, an expanded retail home store and design projects that range from condominiums to wineries to heritage homes.
Here, Rascoe shares some advice for home decorating, whether that’s with new furniture, old cherished pieces or a mix of both. He has several tips for creating a well-designed interior. But one of his best tips centers on what not to do.
Design for your unique space and tastes
“The ultimate mistake is to invite your neighbor to give the final call on what you want to do with your own house,” says Rascoe. “Getting advice is great, but it’s your space. If you love it, it’s probably okay.”
This advice encapsulates a central tenet of Rascoe’s interior design philosophy: homes should be functional and comfortable, and also suit individual tastes and preferences rather than trends. This means avoiding replicating rooms featured in catalogs and stores. What might look great in marketing photos won’t work in every home.
“Your house doesn’t have 20-foot ceilings, French doors, steel case windows (like the rooms in magazines). There’s no one way to treat all rooms,” he says.
As people want to make “safe” choices, they copy interiors from magazines and online and pick pieces that will coordinate easily. Rascoe works against this pervasive uniformity in home design.
“It’s all going to work great, but it’s all boring and unexciting,” he says. Instead, he prefers to mix old with new, ornate with modern. “Accessories show your character,” he adds. “This is your opportunity to “transform something from ho-hum to ‘oh wow.'”
Start with large pieces
Rascoe employs a particular foundational tactic to achieve a great look. “I’ve come to the conclusion that everything about interiors hinges on scale,” he says.
He suggests starting with the biggest most functional pieces (like sofas, tables and TV furniture) and, once the larger pieces are in place, smaller objects, accents and decorative pieces can fill the spaces that call for them. Feel free to move large pieces around to find a sense of balance that’s both functional and pleasing to the eye: A TV might sit across from a sofa. A reading nook might fill in a corner.
Rascoe encourages investing in a few good pieces like upholstery, tables, lamps or art. “Those can be reinvented a million and one ways,” he says. “You will always find a home for great things. Great pieces last forever.”
The Santa Rosa designer also believes in using what you already own.
While some might hesitate to put an ornate piece in an otherwise modern room, Rascoe says, “It is that touch of something with a history that will create the most exciting contemporary look.” Add pieces that are unique and personal and “see them in a way you’ve never seen them before.”
But don’t add too many small things to a room. Collections tend to make a room feel cluttered, while large objects don’t usually have that effect on a space, says Rascoe.
Use light as an accessory
In addition to creating visibility for performing tasks and moving around the house, pools of light can be interesting focal points. Rascoe likes to use light as an accessory — it can be atmospheric, exciting and dramatic. He enjoys viewing spaces with lighting done well — (they) are so exciting to visit at night,” he says.
There’s no need to do a massive rewiring project to add more interesting light sources to your home.
“Most builders want to punch can lights (in ceilings),” says Rascoe and adds, “The fewer of those kind of lights, the better off you are. You’re not living in a grocery store. You’re living in a residence.”
Instead, add a well-designed reading light, floor lamp or table lamp, which will also serve as accents. Rascoe also suggests adding dimmers to lights so that the mood of the room can be controlled with a simple slide on the switch.
Look for new ways to use familiar pieces
Rascoe has made lamps out of china and fashioned side tables from antique Japanese screens. These pieces can become focal points in any room by highlighting the beauty of antique or vintage materials. Visits to antique stores, salvage yards and estate sales can be the inspiration for accents that are truly unique.
The Santa Rosa designer always moves around furniture and decor in his own home. A living room chair might get moved to the bedroom to go with an ottoman. Such movements can reinvent pieces and give the owner renewed appreciation for them.
Among Rascoe’s most treasured pieces is a table made by award-winning designer Paul Maitland-Smith. The top of the rustic table is woven copper and the base is bronze. Every day, Rasco thinks to himself, “My God. It’s a totally singular piece of furniture. It doesn’t get better than that.”
It’s a crown jewel in a space that epitomizes Rascoe’ design philosophy, “The same room has never been done twice and never will be done again.”
We’ve been asking a lot of our bedrooms lately. All that time spent within the same four walls has most of us in need of an in-home refuge — a peaceful spot to get away from it all. But with kitchens, living rooms and bedrooms becoming pop-up offices or schoolrooms, serenity is hard to come by these days. We turned to Sonoma County designers and stylists for some bedroom decorating inspiration. Here are some sweet spots with ideas for making our bedrooms offer more of what we need — click through the above gallery for details.
Patio dining at the Fork Roadhouse on Bodega Ave. east of Sebastopol. (JOHN BURGESS/The Press Democrat)
Sonoma County residents are a passionate breed when it comes to breaking bread with their dogs in tow and local restaurateurs roll out the red carpet for furry canine companions. We’ve got a plethora of patios where you can bring a pup when you dine out. Keep in mind that we’re talking about well-mannered pets that won’t take a bite out of anyone or anything else. If you don’t abide, Dude won’t be welcome. Click through the gallery for details. Please note that most photos were taken before the pandemic.
Did we miss one of your (and your dog’s) favorites? Let us know in the comments!
The pandemic and shelter-in-place orders have led to a long list of changes to everyday life — including how we eat. With outdoor dining available once again, some are now donning layers to eat al fresco. Others have upped their takeout budget in an effort to support local restaurants and get a break from the stove. Whatever your approach, you’ve likely become better acquainted with your kitchen during the past year.
Local chefs have been forced to develop their own set of Covid-19 kitchen survival skills. Committed to rolling with the pandemic punches, Executive Chef Shane McAnelly and his culinary team at Bricoleur Vineyards in Windsor have launched a Wine & Food To Go program to put delicious dishes on our home tables.
“We wanted to find a way to cook for our friends and neighbors and still entertain to a certain extent, even when we couldn’t host them at the winery,” said McAnelly.
With a half-dozen Bib Gourmand distinctions from the Michelin Guide, McAnelly is well known from his days as Executive Chef at Healdsburg restaurants Chalkboard and The Brass Rabbit. Now at the helm of the culinary program at Bricoleur Vineyards, he continues to hone his skills and evolve his dishes. This includes adapting to pandemic-era restrictions.
Although chefs and restaurant staff have been working overtime to make up for the absence of in-restaurant dining, some foods just don’t translate well to takeout. So when McAnelly set out to design a cook-at-home meal kit, quality control was a top concern.
Two frozen pizzas and salad are paired with a bottle of Bricoleur Vineyards 2018 Zinfandel. $82.00, serves two to four. (Courtesy of Bricoleur Vineyards)
Throughout McAnelly’s years in the kitchen, pasta and pizza have remained favorite dishes to prepare. This is reflected in Bricoleur’s menus as well as its cook-at-home meals. The burrata agnolotti arrabbiata paired with a rosé of pinot noir and the gnocchi bolognese paired with a pinot noir have been the most popular kits so far. There’s also flash-frozen, wood-fired pizzas paired with zinfandel (McAnnelly’s favorite), and mushroom and spinach lasagna or pork and cabbage tortellini in brodo, both paired with chardonnay. (The kits require very simple prep: boiling pasta, heating up lasagna, putting garlic bread in the oven, and tossing dressing on salad).
“He gained a reputation for his true passion — creative pasta dishes — and they’re at the heart of all of our menus, whether folks order Wine & Food To Go, or join us here at the winery for dinner, or a Sip & Savor tasting,” said Mark Hanson, CEO and co-founder of Bricoleur Vineyards.
Located in the Russian River AVA, Bricoleur Vineyards released its first vintage in 2017. The tasting room opened to the public last June, amid pandemic and ever-changing Covid-19 safety requirements and precautions.
There’s more to the newly-opened 40-acre wine estate than just grapes. Dozens of fruit trees, an olive grove and a vegetable garden, close to an acre in size, add to the scenery and help shape McAnelly’s menus. As spring produce starts to become abundant, he expects pasta dishes will take advantage, giving diners fresh dishes to look forward to.
“The thing I like most about our Wine & Food To Go program is the simplicity and the quality,” said McAnelly. “I am proud that the final product at home is easy to make and tastes as good as if I were cooking it for the guests here at the winery.”
Wine and food packages range from $62 to $88 dollars and serve two. All options include salad; pasta dishes also come with garlic bread. Meals are available Thursday through Monday and can be ordered online or by phone. Placing orders 24 hours in advance is recommended, but same-day pickup can often be accommodated. Along with curbside pick-up at the winery, delivery is available to Sonoma County addresses within a 20-mile radius for $20. The menu is expected to be available through March.
Pandemic Wine and Food Offerings
Bricoleur isn’t the only winery that’s getting creative with food offerings during the pandemic.
Gary Farrell Vineyards & Winery is offering Taste at Home Self-Guided Wine Experiences. Along with wine, vineyard and tasting notes, the winery recommends cheese pairings available for purchase from local favorite, Cowgirl Creamery.
Clif Family offers a number of curated gift boxes that include wine and bites. The Napa Valley Happy Hour box includes a bottle of both red and white wine, and a number of cheese-plate-friendly munchies like nuts, jam and crackers. You just add the cheese.
Guerneville’s Big Bottom Market is delivering picnic lunches to nearby AutoCamp Russian River and a number of wineries including Iron Horse Vineyards in Sebastopol and Paul Mathew Vineyards in Graton.
