Americana Opens in Santa Rosa with Locally Sourced Comfort Food

By Heather Irwin
Roasted garlic ranch burger at Americana Restaurant in Santa Rosa’s Railroad Square. (Kelsey Joy Photography)

When Americana opened last March, it was a dream come true for Samantha and Ryan Ramey. The owners of Estero Cafe in Valley Ford had saved for years with the hopes of bringing their field-to-fork diner fare to Santa Rosa.

So it seemed like kismet when the former Pullman Cafe space on Fifth Street in Railroad Square became available. The storied location once housed Josh Silvers’ Syrah restaurant, an incubator for many top kitchen talents in the North Bay. The Rameys leaped just in time for a pandemic to turn everything upside down.

Over the last year, they tried just about everything to keep their new restaurant open. Ultimately, though, they put Americana into hibernation and turned their focus to Estero.

Now they’re ready for another go.

With Americana still in startup mode, the menu is evolving. It’s an ode to classic American comfort food. Think ’50s favorites like burgers, milkshakes, fried chicken and onion rings with a side of the best pie you’ve ever had, but sustainably sourced from local farms and ranchers.

Think holy grail French fries cooked in beef tallow. Yes, just like the original McDonald’s fries that really did taste good. The fat is bought from Stemple Creek (as is the beef for the burgers) and rendered in house. It’s not a simple process, but the results are undeniable.

The couple recently built a walk-up takeout area to make dining from Americana even easier, with the full menu plus some extra baked goodies.

They’ve been open just a few weeks, and Samantha said the menu isn’t exactly what they’d planned originally. They’ve simplified a bit as they ramp up — there are no breakfasts (Estero’s signature) yet. Samantha said she hopes to include more plated entrees in the future.

But even in its infancy, Americana is the kind of uncomplicated, from-the-heart food that’s a panacea for the culinary doldrums and mental fatigue we’re all ready to put behind us.

Best Bets

Corn Dogs, $8.50: Dogs first, corn second. The crispy batter shell is a delight, but the snappy, beefy, salty hot dogs from Stemple Creek are outstanding. Served with house ranch or mustard sauce.

Blue Cheese/Mushroom/Bacon Burger, $21: This is a mouthful of a burger, piled with roasted trumpet mushrooms, fresh lettuce, bacon, homemade aioli and onions on a Village Bakery bun. Our only qualm is that the grass-fed beef could be cooked a little more rare to really get that juiciness we love.

Fried Chicken Sandwich, $19: Juicy, juicy, juicy breast of fried chicken with a light fry. It has more chicken than breading, and coleslaw gives it a second layer of crunch.

Cobb Salad, $18: The fresh ingredients set this salad apart. Butter lettuce with farm-fresh egg, bacon and blue cheese with housemade ranch. Instead of a ribbon for participation, this salad gets a gold medal.

Done For You Salad, $15: You pick the ingredients, and they make it. Think salad bar without the sticky tongs and sneeze guard.

Homemade Hostess Cake: It’s not a Ho-Ho; it’s an oh-my-goodness chocolate experience for one. Pastry chef Jenny Malicki doesn’t overload this devilish dessert with too much sugar, and she lets the chocolate on chocolate speak for itself.

Pies: Crusts always seem to be a waste of calories and the fillings far too sweet for my taste. Malicki’s strawberry-rhubarb pie is the exception. Buttery dough is cooked to a crisp crust with layer upon layer of flakes. Tart rhubarb and fresh in-season strawberries make this the best pie around. Whole pies are $40, daily hand pies are $7.

American Tacos: These weren’t officially on the menu yet. They are a nostalgic tribute to Midwestern moms, with the soft crunch of fried flour tortillas and hamburger, lettuce, sour cream and tomatoes for the win.

Milkshakes, $8: A creamy vanilla shake is a wonder. Made with Straus ice cream, these aren’t full of stabilizer and artificial flavors and gums, but actual milk and vanilla beans. Taste the difference. Try a float with Revive Kombucha root beer for a special treat.

Americana, 205 Fifth St., Santa Rosa, 707-755-1548, americanasr.com. Online ordering available. Hours are currently 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.

New Burger Spot Coming to Sebastopol

By Heather Irwin
BBQ burger at Sonoma Burger, a pop-up at Gravenstein Grill in Sebastopol. Photo: Sonoma Burger.

Last winter, Gravenstein Grill in Sebastopol hosted a burger takeout pop-up that began gaining traction in January. We heard buzz about the team looking for a permanent spot to expand the burger program, named Sonoma Burger, now confirmed to be at 173 Pleasant Hill Ave. (the former location for Giovanni’s Deli).

Slated to open July 1, the menu will feature Gravenstein Grill’s pimento burger, a barbecue burger with blue cheese and crispy onion strings, chicken and turkey burgers and a tempeh burger with miso-honey glaze, along with griddled hot dogs, salads, chili cheese fries, popcorn chicken and freshly baked cookies. Stay tuned.

More dining news

Challenges for restaurants: Yes, we are all so excited to eat out again! Restaurants love having us back, too. But at the same time, there’s an insane hiring shortage happening. Many servers and cooks have gone back to school, switched careers, left the area or are still getting by on unemployment. Restaurants are even closing on Fridays and Saturdays because they don’t have enough staff to cook the food. Hiring bonuses of $400 or more are barely making a dent in filling the need for people willing to work the restaurant industry.

Sure, it’s time for a reckoning on wages in the hospitality industry, but diners are averse to paying more for their food, so it’s a moot point, for now. In the meantime, have patience when going out to eat — your server might be just plain overwhelmed.

Soft Serve Spectacular: I’ve been working on a story about the food scene in Occidental for Sonoma Magazine, but here’s a sneak peek at something I fell a little in love with last weekend: Straus Soft Serve with plum shrub at Altamont General Store. Tart and sweet and a little savory, it’s a miracle. 3703 Main St., Occidental, 707-874-6053.

Amid Pandemic Shutdowns, Some Local Chefs Started Working from Home

By Carey Sweet
Sean Perry, owner of Sean of the Bread, bakes a different style of bread each day in his Kenwood home bakery. (Photo by John Burgess/The Press Democrat)

It’s tough to keep a great chef down. As restaurants rode the wave of the pandemic, many talented food professionals found their careers taking unplanned turns. Yet rather than throw in the kitchen towel, some creative types turned to opening cottage enterprises, renting large commercial kitchens — or even securing permits for their home kitchens — to create new businesses.

The scale remains small for now, but given the allure of these one-of-a-kind artisan operations, not to mention the local support they’ve received, the sky’s the limit. “This isn’t how I normally launch things,” laughs chef Jennifer McMurry of her new Friday night supper club in Sonoma Valley. “Normally I have to know where I’m going with something before I leap.” But sometimes, not knowing can be delicious.

T & K Mixology, Sonoma

Home-based happy hour became quite a thing this past year, and thanks to craft bartenders Kenneth De Alba, 38, and Tony Leyva, 32, we can rival the region’s best mixologists. The duo introduced their artisanal cocktail mixer company in March 2020, after they lost their full-time jobs at Sonoma’s El Dorado Kitchen due to Covid.

“With bars being shut down, there was an obvious gap in the home market for craft cocktails,” says De Alba. “We looked at store-bought mixers and realized they didn’t taste fresh, and that we could make our own to taste as perfect as something we would serve at the bar.”

The Mint to Be cocktail mix from T&K Mixology in Sonoma. (Courtesy of T&K Mixology)
The Mint to Be cocktail mix from T&K Mixology in Sonoma. (Courtesy of T&K Mixology)

The result is a heavenly, all-natural quaff made in tiny batches of less than three cases per week in flavors like blood-orange margarita and strawberry.

Glittering like liquid jewels in their hand-labeled canning jars, the colorful mixes are exquisite enough to drink on their own, but T& K includes recipes for expert drinks like a Spicy Mezçal Margarita rimmed with chile salt.

“I’ve always described creating cocktails as cooking, combining fresh ingredients and flavors,” De Alba says. “We try to support local farmers, like using fruit from Watmaugh Strawberries in Sonoma, and organic California citrus. It brings us great joy to work with local businesses, and see how we’ve all come together and helped each other through these difficult times.” To order, search Facebook for T& K Mixology, find them on Instagram @tnkmixology, or email tnkmixology@gmail.com.

Sean of the Bread, Kenwood

For his new home-based business, professional baker Sean Perry managed to come up with the cleverest name we’ve heard in a long time, a riff on popular zombie movie titles of the early 2000s. Perry left his retail bakery job in San Francisco to move to the town of Kenwood last November and immediately sold several starters to neighborhood customers sheltering in place. Soon, orders were pouring in for his own fresh-baked sourdough bread, ancient grain loaves, English muffins, and bagels.

“The science of bread is fascinating, and I love explaining it to people,” Perry explains. “Grain’s ability to develop gluten and trap the wonderful gases produced by fermentation is what makes it a magical gift to humankind.”

Sean Perry, owner of Sean of the Bread, bakes a different style of bread each day in his Kenwood home bakery. (Photo by John Burgess/The Press Democrat)
Sean Perry, owner of Sean of the Bread, bakes a different style of bread each day in his Kenwood home bakery. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)

Inspired by the tradition of small towns and villages having a local baker, Perry delivers his art within a three-mile radius of Kenwood or will meet customers in town for pick-ups.

It’s worth a drive for the all-natural, golden crusted breads lovingly mixed and shaped by hand, then baked loaf by loaf.

“I wake up around 4 a.m. every day,” he says. “This allows me to ensure that a product will never be rushed, and I can adhere to the bread’s schedule as opposed to trying to force the bread to adhere to mine.” To order, email seanofthebreadkenwood@gmail.com or visit seanofthebreadkenwood.com.

Ta’ Bueno, Sonoma

Surely, a superb cure for pandemic stress has to be gooey, cheese-laden enchiladas bathed in rich sauce, or steamy tamales plumped with lots of toothsome pork cloaked in fruity-smoky guajillo chile sauce. Happiness surely comes in complex, chocolatey chicken mole, sopes made with homemade masa, and creamy arroz con leche.

It’s Erik Mejia to the rescue, who debuted his Ta’ Bueno (“It’s Good”) Mexican food in August 2020 after a heady career at restaurants such as the three-Michelin-starred Restaurant at Meadowood in St. Helena, which was lost last September in the Glass Fire.

Based on home delivery, Mejia’s concept is run out of a donut shop in Sonoma and showcases family dishes treasured through generations. “We had to call our grandmothers in for this, taking old recipes from our relatives from distinct parts of Mexico,” he says. That includes using real lard in the tamale masa, because, as Mejia, notes, “We are trying to keep Mexican food as authentic as possible. It is very hard to find a substitution for lard that keeps the full flavor, texture, and smoothness of a tamale.”

That said, he has introduced a best-selling vegan tamale that’s sumptuous, too — “because the world and its people are changing.” To order, visit facebook.com/tabuenosonoma, Instagram @tabuenosonoma, email tabuenosonoma@gmail.com or call 707-408-3138.

Kraffty Kitchen, Kenwood

Cookie dough is delightful enough, but when it’s healthy, it’s an extra-special pleasure. Kraffty Kitchen chef-owner Audrey Krafft’s treats are free of sugar, gluten, dairy, and eggs — and are ready to bake, freeze, or simply enjoy raw.

“Growing up, I would make a batch almost every week, occasionally baking cookies but 99% of the time just making it for the delicious dough,” she says. “I was obsessed.”

The fitness coach and personal trainer launched her company in March 2020, when shelter-in-place allowed her to focus on her paleo, vegan, and keto-friendly recipes. Because Krafft is sensitive to most added sugars, she uses zero-calorie monk fruit extract; she also uses a custom combination of almond and cassava flour. Her other secret weapons? Organic vegan butter from Miyoko’s Creamery in Petaluma, and natural vanilla and almond extracts from Sonoma Syrup Co.

“It took me almost a year to get the right consistency, texture and flavor,” she says. “And really, what’s better than eating someone else’s cooking in your jammies in the comfort of your home?” Available at Glen Ellen Market in Glen Ellen or Baker & Cook in Sonoma, or order online at krafftykitchen.com.

Viola Supper Club, Sonoma

Last fall, Jennifer McMurry, formerly of Viola Pastry Boutique and The Pharmacy, realized she had an opportunity to create restaurant-quality meals for longtime customers. Now, every Monday, she creates a new menu, then cooks multi-course, heat-and-eat meals, delivered on Friday. More than catering, it’s become a club, with local members who join on Instagram, then often celebrate their meals together via social media.

One of Viola Supper Club’s hearty dinner salads, with sprouts, chickpeas, and fresh avocado. (Courtesy of Viola Supper Club)

“I created this model directly due to the pandemic,” McMurry says. “I started small, working with former customers who knew me and my food. I really wanted to create something that felt special. It is very personal – I work with every guest individually.”

McMurry named the club for her grandmother, Viola, and follows her rule of showcasing fresh, organic, seasonal ingredients. “We buy local as much as we possibly can,” she says. “I shop at the farmers market every week to determine the menu. We also grow a lot of our own produce, and use local organic eggs and Straus dairy products.”

The menus are marvelous. One recent week, the meal began with chanterelle sformato with Pecorino Romano cheese and organic cauliflower, and ended with cardamom panna cotta and homemade salted caramels. “I’m grateful to have created something new during a pretty rough time,” she says. “It feels amazing every Friday when we get to deliver the food to people, and have a moment to see their excitement.” Join via Instagram @chefjennifermcmurry.

A Young Family Builds a Dream Home in Penngrove

By Karen Kizer

Kaitlin Loewenthal has a nightly ritual with her three oldest children. Every evening, they each sit down on a plush velvet chair and, with a cup of tea in hand, they read for an hour from one of the many books on the shelves in the “reading room.”

Loewenthal, who owns and operates the boutique Hello Penngrove, designed this room in her custom home to facilitate this treasured time of day.

“If I create this magical space that’s dedicated to reading, we’re going to do it more and enjoy it even more,” she said of her thought behind the project.

Loewenthal and her husband, Aaron Loewenthal, a realtor, began working on the plans for their new home with architect James McCalligan in 2014. Two years later, they celebrated their first Thanksgiving in their new house.

When the couple found themselves in need of an additional source of income, they got creative: Their dream home was transformed into the vacation rental Hello Penngrove Home while the family stayed for a few days at a time in Kaitlin’s father’s nearby studio or the family vacation home at Stinson Beach.

The growing family (now six) soon perfected their packing skills — bags needed to be packed quickly and belongings put away while the house was cleaned and readied for guests; towels fluffed, local soaps and lotions put out and the fridge stocked with bubbly water.

Loewenthal discovered she enjoyed taking care of these hospitality details. Being a fan of minimalism also helped streamline the process — with few superfluous items in the home, packing the family’s belongings into lockable closets was easier than it otherwise might have been. Knowing they had to keep their belongings to a minimum to facilitate moving in and out of their home, Loewenthal continued to scrutinize every item in the household, assessing whether or not it was necessary and/or meaningful.

This less-is-more philosophy carries over to Loewenthal’s business. Hello Penngrove sells housewares, gifts and items for children, such as clothing, toys and, of course, books. The store doesn’t carry anything Loewenthal wouldn’t like to have in her own home and she often gives items a test run in the Hello Penngrove Home. She styles the products for photos, which then appear on the store’s Instagram page.

Loewenthal has adopted a holistic approach to home design. Just like the “reading room” engendered a new nightly ritual for her family, she believes that a well-designed space can change how we live. To that end, she also created a “secret garden” for her family’s home.

The Loewenthal backyard boasts a collection of trees — fig, orange, olive and lemon — that produce an impressive amount of fruits for the family and their lucky neighbors. Each child is in charge of their own raised bed — the corn was easy to grow, the watermelons proved a challenge — and they love filling their wagons with carrots, tomatoes, pumpkins and gourds.

Inside the home, a large dining table of reclaimed redwood accommodates large family gatherings and a chalkboard wall allows Loewenthal to create a seasonal mural — the bottom half is used by the kids for drawing.

The master bedroom is housed at the top level of a small tower-like structure connected to the house. The bedroom windows, high above the ground, allow for stargazing and waking up with the sun. Early rising is important for the busy mom and entrepreneur.

“I feel like I’m really trying to create spaces where we’re going to live life how we want to — I believe in decorating a space that reflects our values,” said Loewenthal.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the family has lived at home full time but Loewenthal imagines they will rent out their Hello Penngrove Home as an Airbnb in the future.

Forestville’s Backyard Restaurant Closing Permanently

By Heather Irwin
“This was our baby,” said chefs and co-owners Daniel Kedan and Marianna Gardenhire of Backyard restaurant who are permanently closing their Forestville restaurant on June 6. (Photo: Erik Castro/for The Press Democrat)

Takeout boxes of fried chicken, biscuits and honey butter were the key to the pandemic survival of Backyard restaurant in Forestville. That, and nearly 25,000 meals they prepared each week for seniors at the West County Senior Center as part of an emergency restaurant relief program.

As they prepared to reopen their dining room, still reeling from a year of uncertainty, owners Daniel Kedan and Marianna Gardenhire realized that pre-pandemic issues still loomed large, including the need for building improvements, their lease ending and a shifting west county demographic that’s reduced the number of local families coming to their restaurant.

So, last week the couple made the final decision not to reopen, informing social media followers on Monday.

“We worked our butts off to survive COVID,” said Gardenhire. “It was so hard to pull this trigger and we really grappled with this, but it was just getting really, really tough out here in Forestville.”

The story of any closure, of course, is more nuanced than a simple goodbye. Like so many other restaurateurs struggling to restart at this point in the pandemic, they couldn’t seem to catch a break.

Rural west county’s ascension as a popular vacation rental spot has driven out full-time residents, resulting in fewer families and locals coming to their restaurant, Gardenhire said. And the iconic 77-year-old building they’d leased for nine years in Forestville was no longer meeting their needs.

“We don’t know what the future holds for us. Maybe in a year we’ll do something else after the dust settles. We’re going to miss seeing those mushroom foragers walk in the front door in the fall. We’re going to miss the guests who come in week after week. For nine years we’ve fed people, but I guess it just is what it is,” Gardenhire said.

The familiar sign of Daniel Kedan and Marianna Gardenhire’s Backyard restaurant which is permanently closing June 6 after making it through the pandemic in Forestville, Calif. on Tuesday, May 18, 2021. (Photo: Erik Castro/for The Press Democrat)
The familiar sign of Daniel Kedan and Marianna Gardenhire’s Backyard restaurant in Forestville. (Photo: Erik Castro/for The Press Democrat)

Backyard’s closure is a big blow for the restaurant community at large. Kedan and Gardenhire were at the forefront of a resurgence of true seed-to-table dining when they opened, sourcing from their own farm and small family or cooperatively owned farms nearby. Fermentation, sustainability, food justice and eliminating food waste were foundations of their food philosophy.

Kedan once made a gourmet dinner at the restaurant entirely from “garbage” — food scraps like broccoli stems, offal and other things usually meant for the compost heap. The restaurant was one of a handful to win Slow Food Sonoma County’s “Snail of Approval” for their commitment to ethically raised food. They were, and are, respected members of the local food community, and Gardenhire has been instrumental in feeding disaster survivors over the last several years.

“We’re always looking at how we can help, because at the core of what we do is feeding people. We nourish them. And when a crisis comes up, that’s what chefs do,” Gardenhire said.

While the restaurant winds down, Gardenhire is spending time making pottery and Kedan is teaching. In early July, they’ll begin cooking at Davis Family Vineyards. The restaurant employs seven full-time workers and two part-time workers. Several will be kept on for catering work, Gardenhire said.

“We’re gonna have some fun, and it will be our little home base for a while,” Gardenhire said. They also plan to serve fried chicken at the Gravenstein Apple Fair in August.

Before the restaurant closes, there’s still time to order your fried chicken dinners, house fermented kimchi, chocolate budino tarts, lamb gyros and chicken pot pies.

Backyard will host a fundraiser for El Molino High School on June 6. For more details on that and their Davis Family Vineyards schedule, go to backyardforestville.com.

9 Eco-Friendly Gardening Tips from Local Pros

By Karen Kizer

As warm weather calls us outside, it’s go-time in the garden. This year, however, we’re facing a deepening drought that will likely make gardening a little more complicated even for the most dedicated green thumb. Thankfully, local gardening and farming experts have plenty of tips on how to make your garden more drought-tolerant, fire-resistant and eco-friendly.

Choose plants from places with similar climates

Sprawling green gardens might make your heart sing, but during drought years you’ll need to find plants that are adapted to dry weather. Cloverdale Nursery suggests using plants that come from areas with similar climates. To this end, they specialize in offering varieties from the Mediterranean region, South Africa and Australia.

Use mulch to save water 

Edible plants typically need a lot of water to thrive. Cloverdale Nursery recommends using mulch to help retain moisture in the soil, which in turn can help reduce water use. (According to a study by the Pacific Institute, mulching can reduce water use by 20%).

When picking mulch, you should take into consideration not only its ability to retain moisture but also whether or not it is fire safe. Shredded bark mulch, for example, is highly flammable, advises UC Master Gardeners of Sonoma County. Compost or wood chip arbor is your best choice.

Low-water gardens can be lush

The drought-resistant garden doesn’t have to be all rocks and succulents. In their book “Gardening in Summer-Dry Climates,” Bay Area author Nora Harlow and landscape photographer Saxon Holt offer inspiration through photographs of Pacific coast gardens and an extensive list of water-wise plants. Native plants are often a good choice for your garden, but many plants from around the world have adapted to Pacific coast climates, said Holt in a recent panel discussion with the UC Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County.

Sonoma Master Gardeners and the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership have partnered to offer this eco-friendly garden tour: 2021gardentour.savingwaterpartnership.org

Lean in to the succulent craze

Succulents have the benefit of being both drought-resistant and aesthetically pleasing. Capitalize off those pretty graphic shapes to create an interesting, low-water landscape — you’ll find plenty of inspiration for your garden at Cornerstone Sonoma.

Keep those pollinators in mind

Choosing plants that attract pollinators is good for us all. You can support biodiversity while enjoying a show of visiting animals. The Pollinator Garden at Cornerstone Sonoma was designed as a habitat for birds, bees and butterflies. Landscape manager Benjamin Godfrey and the property’s lead organic farmer Christopher “Landy” Landercasper offer informative private tours of the gardens every Friday at 1 p.m. The tours are $15 per person (max 10 person group). Fill out a request form to make a reservation. Spanish language tours are available by request on the second Friday of each month.

Save the monarchs with milkweed

Cornerstone Sonoma landscape manager Benjamin Godfrey suggests planting milkweed to help save the endangered monarch butterfly. According to the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, the monarch population has declined by 99% in coastal California since the 1990s. Monarch caterpillars eat only milkweed, so planting more of it is crucial for their survival. Keep in mind that some species of milkweed are toxic to humans and animals.

Fertilize with fava

Fertilizing without chemicals will help keep beneficial bugs and animals alive. Fava beans are nitrogen-rich and make for a great natural fertilizer. Cornerstone farmer Christopher Landercasper plants fava as a cover crop, which suppresses weeds and keeps the soil healthy.

Consider planting fava in late summer or early fall, at the end of your growing season. The beanstalks will grow tall — the beans can be harvested and the soil will be ready and nutrient-rich come spring.

Offer a water feature

Offer some water to bees, birds, lizards and more animals with a simple bird bath or fountain. In a drought, these animals are also faced with the effects of water scarcity.

Continue your fire-wise gardening education

There’s lots to consider when it comes to creating a fire-resistant garden. Stay on top of current recommendations and research with the UC Master Gardeners of Sonoma — they offer helpful guidelines here. A few takeaways:

  • Keep plants, wood and organic materials at least five feet from buildings, especially windows, vents, chimneys and combustible siding. Use rock or hardscaping in the zero to five-feet zone.
  • At five-feet out, plants are okay in small “islands,” separated by non-combustible paths to disrupt the chain of ignition.
  • Trim tree canopies off the ground so there’s no ladder of ignition.
  • Make sure trees and plants are green and healthy. Cut away wooded or dead plant material.
  • Do not use shredded bark mulch.

All Aboard! Napa Valley Wine Train Resumes Operations

By Grace Yarrow

After being stopped in its tracks at the onset of the pandemic, the Napa Valley Wine Train is once again inviting wine (and train) enthusiasts to hop on the one-of-a-kind attraction starting Monday.

The train is a popular way to explore Napa wines and cuisine, while taking in the views of the valley’s rolling hills and vineyards. The first experience to be relaunched Monday is the fan-favorite Legacy Tour, which begins with sparkling wine, is accompanied by a four-course gourmet meal and tour of Napa Valley, and ends with a photo opportunity and exclusive tastings at local wineries.

More winery tours and even a Murder Mystery Tour will be opening in mid-June.

The Napa Valley Wine Train is reopening Monday, May 17. (Napa Valley Wine Train/Noble House Hotels & Resorts)

To give back to the community after months of pandemic struggles, the Napa Valley Wine Train has partnered with OLE Health to host a temporary vaccination clinic at their train station since mid-April. Additionally, health care workers will be offered complimentary tickets to celebrate the train’s reopening, as a way to thank them for their efforts in the fight against COVID-19.

The train’s antique rail cars became a space for dining service in 1989, but the railroad they travel on opened in 1864 as a route to take passengers from south Napa to Calistoga. The 16-car train is one of a few historic passenger trains that are still in operation in the United States. Visit winetrain.com for more information or to reserve your spot.

On The Radar: 5 New Sonoma Restaurants You Should Know

By Heather Irwin
Fried Chicken Dinner for Two with a green salad, bean cassoulet and chicken gravy from Table Culture Provisions in Petaluma. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)

Life moves fast, and sometimes in the rush to get to another new restaurant we forget to appreciate some of the recent openings that ranked high on our “must try” list.  Click through the above gallery to see five restaurants we’re excited about this spring.

Cafe Citti Opens in Santa Rosa

By Heather Irwin
Prosciutto di Parma and housemade mozzarella on housemade focaccia served alongside Caesar salad at Citti Cafe in Kenwood. (Chris Hardy / for Sonoma Magazine)

After renovating their new Santa Rosa location for nearly eight months, Cafe Citti owners Luca and Linda Citti are finally ready to take orders for their much-loved Caesar salads, tuna egg focaccia sandwiches and fried polenta.

It’s been a well-kept secret for several weeks that the couple were quietly launching their new takeout-only restaurant at 2792 Fourth St. (the former Whole Pie), but early this week an online ordering site went up at cafecitti.com.

The new digs are tiny and mostly taken up by the kitchen, but the couple are excited to be back in business after closing their Kenwood location last fall. In October, the Cittis cited a desperate need for renovations to the building, frequent power outages during the high summer season and threats of fire as the reasons for shuttering their beloved restaurant.

Like most restaurateurs, the Cittis were forced to lay off most of their staff at the height of the pandemic and slim down their menu to streamline operations. And, like most restaurateurs who are now getting back to “normal” after a year of significant challenges, they’ll be gradually scaling up to welcome regulars and new diners eager to get a taste of that Citti magic.

More dining news

Tony’s Galley Opening

Sea Thai Bistro chef Tony Ounpamornchai has a new restaurant in the works at Montgomery Village, and lobster rolls are one of the stars of the menu. The seafood-centric cafe will include four versions of the classic East Coast sandwich, including Maine Style with chilled mayonnaise, celery and scallions; Connecticut Style featuring lobster poached in clarified butter; Thai Style with tempura-fried lobster in sweet chili aioli, pickled chiles, tobiko (flying fish roe) and green onion and an LGBLT with lobster, garlic butter, bacon, mayo, lettuce and tomatoes. Also on the menu are oysters, shrimp, fried calamari, chilled seafood towers, steamed mussels in Panang curry sauce, clam chowder, a seafood beer boil and surf and turf with garlic-crusted rib-eye. Look for a July opening.

Pizza for India

Plan ahead for a limited-edition pizza collaboration between Leah Scurto of PizzaLeah and Chef Preeti Mistry (recently featured on Michelle Obama’s “Waffles + Mochi” Netflix series) the week of May 18. The 12-inch pie will include julienne carrots and snap peas sauteed with curry leaves, ginger, turmeric and mustard seeds topped with caramelized onions, pickled hot peppers, mozzarella and fresh cilantro. A portion of the proceeds will go to Give India, a nonprofit working to provide oxygen, ventilators and food rations to those with COVID-19 in India. Order at pizzaleah.com.

Single Thread Owners Opening New Restaurant at Former Healdsburg SHED

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

Single Thread owners Kyle and Katina Connaughton have announced plans to open a plant-based restaurant, quick-service cafe and wine shop at the former SHED in Healdsburg this summer. The project, called Little Saint, is a collaboration with new property owners Jeff and Laurie Ubben, Jenny Hess and designer Ken Fulk.

Honoring the original vision of SHED founders Doug Lipton and Cindy Daniel, who called the Healdsburg space a “modern grange,” the Connaughtons will offer an approachable a la carte menu inspired by Sonoma County’s seasonal bounty. Their new management group, Vertice Hospitality Management, will manage the day-to-day operations and their newly purchased 24-acre farm will provide produce for the restaurant.

“We want to build upon Cindy Daniel and Doug Lipton’s vision of creating a community gathering space when they first opened Healdsburg SHED,” said Kyle Connaughton. Daniel and Lipton closed SHED in 2018, citing financial difficulties.

It’s an opportunity for the founders of Sonoma County’s only three-Michelin-star restaurant to reach a wider audience who may not be able to afford a meal at Single Thread.

“We envision Little Saint as another way to express our culinary creativity in a more accessible manner and as another avenue to expand our agricultural footprint and biodiversity presence in Sonoma County,” Connaughton said.

The Ubbens, Healdsburg-based philanthropists also involved in San Francisco’s Saint Joseph’s Arts Foundation, saw like-minded partners in the Connaughtons.

“As we have gotten to know Kyle and Katina we believe we have the perfect partner in this mission-driven endeavor,” the Ubbens said in a press release. “Our long friendship with Ken Fulk and his team make this a truly happy collaboration.”

In November, the Connaughtons purchased a 24-acre farm in Dry Creek Valley, previously home to Noci Sonoma. The couple and their staff have spent months rehabbing the land to be sustainably managed and support Single Thread, Little Saint and their charitable feeding projects. Their 5-acre farm in Healdsburg has been taken over by the Montage Hotel. Little Saint Farm will also be part of the project.

“Little Saint presented a creative opportunity to compose a menu highlighting all the produce coming from our new farm as well as support and showcase the other incredible farms in our community,” Connaughton said.

The expansive Healdsburg space will also be used as a community gathering place for art, conversations with thought leaders, live music and events. The restaurant is anticipated to be open for lunch and dinner, and the quick-service cafe and retail components will be open daily.

Plans for the 10,000-square-foot steel and glass “modern grange” have been the subject of speculation since the Ubbens purchased the space in September, revealing only vague details about what it would eventually become. The pandemic put the project on hold, but remodeling has begun. For several months, Sonoma Family Meal used the state-of-the-art kitchen at Little Saint to prepare nutritious, restaurant-quality meals for local residents experiencing food insecurity during the pandemic.

Heather Irwin is the founder of Sonoma Family Meal.