Page 197 – Sonoma Magazine

Best Sonoma Breweries for Fall and Winter Beers

November 2021

By Linda Murphy

The Tacos Tijuana food truck is in the back parking lot at Shady Oak Barrel House in Santa Rosa on Friday, October 22, 2021. (Photo by John Burgess/The Press Democrat)

Push aside, for now, the hoppy and hazy India pale ales and refreshingly crisp pilsner lagers and imbibe seasonally. In November through January, local beers are spiced, flavored and aged in barrels to chase away the chill when consumed. They’re winter warmers that comfort like a fleece jacket and have aromas and flavors that suit the holidays and spread good cheer throughout the body, given their typical high alcoholic strength.

We’re talking dark, low-carbonation porters and stouts with chocolate, vanilla and coffee aromas and flavors, and beers aged in bourbon barrels and infused with wintery enhancers such as spruce tips and pumpkin pie spices. Don’t forget barleywines, complex ales with robust caramel and malt characteristics and the alcoholic potency of wine (12 – 13%), thus the category name.

Most of Sonoma’s seasonal suds are made in limited quantities, so enjoy them now. Some of the recommended brews here are poured only in the taprooms. Others are sold, in cans and bottles, in the tasting rooms and at select retail stores. Your best bet for November and December holiday celebrations is to buy crowlers — 32-ounce cans filled with fresh beer at the taprooms and machine-sealed to remove oxygen and preserve freshness.

For those steadfastly loyal to IPAs, Belgian sours or traditional lagers, you’ll still find them at the following Sonoma breweries. To the more adventurous, and those in need of a warm liquid blankie and aroma therapy, these local taprooms are for you.

*abv = alcohol by volume.

Barrel Brothers Brewing Co.

Brothers-in-law Wesley Deal and Daniel Weber and their father-in-law, Tom Sather, founded their Windsor brewery in 2015 and had great success with their sour beers. Over time, they’ve expanded into hard seltzers, nonalcoholic brews, ready-to-drink cocktails and T.R.E.N.D.S, alcoholic smoothies and slushies loaded with fruit (the first T.R.E.N.D.S. slushy, Pineapple Guava, returned in late October).

Frivolity aside, the brothers are serious about their more traditional beers, among them Dark Sarcasm, a porter they describe as the “dark beer for people who don’t like dark beers.” Madagascar vanilla and fudge flavors join malted barley in this 7% abv ale. For chilly days, the Leatherbound Books is a brown sour that has been aged in used pinot noir wine barrels, which lends cherry and berry notes to the brew. It packs a wallop at 9.5% abv. Bet you can drink just one.

399 Business Park Court, No. 506, Windsor, 707-696-9487, barrelbrothersbrewing.com

The Leatherbound Books is a brown sour that has been aged in used pinot noir wine barrels, which lends cherry and berry notes to the brew. (Courtesy of Barrel Brothers Brewing Co.)

Regulars Gary Covey, left, and Andy Adams talk over a beer at Barrel Brothers Brewing Co. in Windsor on Wednesday, September 15, 2021. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat) — Regulars Gary Covey, left, and Andy Adams talk over a beer at Barrel Brothers Brewing Co. in Windsor. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)

Bear Republic Brewing Co.

Healdsburgers still mourn the closure of the Norgrove family’s downtown brewpub, which followed their relocation of brewing to a larger production and bottling/canning facility in Cloverdale. Yet the flagship, year-round Racer 5 IPA and seasonal beers can be enjoyed in the Rohnert Park pub, indoors and out, and with pub grub and views of Roberts Lake and its resident waterfowl.

IPAs of various strengths and summertime wheat ales are founding brewmaster Rich “Ricardo” Norgrove’s most recognized beers, which he began producing in 1995. Selections, just like consumer tastes, have evolved over time, and while hoppy, hazy IPAs remain a strong suit, the Bear has stayed true to porter.

The Brewmaster Series Porter (6.3% abv) is chestnut brown in color, mildly bitter from Centennial and Cascade hops and rich in caramel and chocolate malt and brown sugar notes. Baba Yaga Chocolate Imperial Stout (a potent 12% abv) is sure to warm the belly, so sip slowly to fully appreciate its dark chocolate, black molasses, caramel and anise spice layers. (Baba Yaga is a nasty witch from Russian folklore and a likely nod to Russian Imperial Stout.)

5000 Roberts Lake Road, Rohnert Park, 707-585-2722, bearrepublic.com

Crooked Goat Brewing Co.

Visit this popular taproom in The Barlow marketplace in Sebastopol for a glass of Silver Lining, an American dark-brown stout with a nuanced aroma and flavor of vanilla. Silver Lining (6% abv) combines dark roasted malts and scrapings from vanilla beans for a smooth, creamy brew.

Or put on Sweater Weather Pumpkin Brown Ale (6.7% abv), brewed with fresh pumpkin that’s roasted and sprinkled with holiday spices. Pumpkin beers have been brewed long before Starbucks and Trader Joe’s turned the squash into a marketing scheme. Crooked Goat’s version is seriously made; a tasty brown ale rich in malt and spice personality. The sugars derived from the pumpkin flesh, when fermented, boost the alcohol content for a warming palate pleaser.

The Barlow, 120 Morris St., Suite 120, Sebastopol, 707-827-3893, crookedgoatbrewing.com

HenHouse Brewing Co.

This decade-old brewer, which began on a small scale in Petaluma and expanded to a larger facility in downtown Santa Rosa, is mostly known for its hoppy IPAs and very original Oyster Stout (4.5% abv), a brown ale brewed with whole oysters from Marin’s Hog Island Oyster Co., with the bivalves providing calcium that lifts the espresso and chocolate notes from the roasted barley.

HenHouse’s seasonal menu also includes the Great Life Peanut Butter Cup Porter, the can festooned with a jack o’ lantern and chicken in mummy wrapping. It’s not just for Halloween, though a treat nonetheless. At just 4.7% abv, it’s an easy-drinking English brown porter style, brewed with peanut butter powder, salt and lactose for a creamy, chocolate-y texture and medium maltiness. Not potent enough? Try Witchcraft and the Occult III: Devil’s Night 2021, a dark, black saison aged in wine barrels with cherries, brettanomyces yeast and lactobacillus. At 7.3% abv, it’s serious stuff, spicy and malty, with a fruity finish.

HenHouse recently announced it has purchased the Iron Springs Pub & Brewery in Fairfax, in Marin County. According to co-founder and CEO Collin McDonell, HenHouse will begin converting Iron Springs into HenHouse in mid-November yet retain Iron Springs’ live music program and commercial kitchen.

Tasting rooms: 322 Bellevue Ave., Santa Rosa and 1333 N. McDowell Blvd., Petaluma, 707-978-4577, henhousebrewing.com

Lagunitas’ Mr. Nice Guy (aka brand ambassador) Don Chartier, right, talks with visitors before a special tasting in the Lagunitas Loft at Lagunitas Brewing Company in Petaluma. (Alvin Jornada/The Press Democrat)

Lagunitas Brewing Co.

Tony Magee built such a huge business at his Petaluma brewery — global distribution, a branch brewery in Chicago and plans for more, and a rousing local pub scene (and the annual Beer Circus) — that he sold the brand to Heineken International in 2017. Corporate ownership hasn’t altered the Petaluma fun (often enveloped in a cannabis haze) and like most Sonoma breweries, the truly special stuff stays at the Lagunitas TapRoom & Beer Sanctuary.

Lagunitas has never met a hops variety it didn’t like, and the IPA lineup is dizzying and ever-changing. Alas, the dark-roasted coffee-like Cappucino Stout isn’t currently in production, but brewmaster Jeremy Marshall offers a handful of limited-release beers to fill that void.

The Unrefined Shugga’ Strong Ale is part of the brewery’s One Hitter Series. Brewed with raw cane sugar, the fermentation gobbles up most of the sweetness, leaving behind molasses, smoke, vanilla and spice notes. Released on Nov. 1, it’s a big boy (9% abv) in amber clothing.

For those who mark their calendars for the February release of Russian River Brewing Co.’s Pliny the Younger, circle Jan. 10 to get your mitts on Lagunitas’ Willettized Coffee Stout, aged in toasted rye whiskey barrels from Kentucky. Think pleasantly bitter chocolate and coffee character, but beware: it has 12.9% alcohol by volume. Designated drivers can refuel with a nonalcoholic Lagunitas Hoppy Refresher or the seasonal IPNA, a malt beverage with lots of hops but no alcohol.

1280 N. McDowell Ave., Petaluma, 707-778-8776, lagunitas.com

Russian River Brewing Co.

Beer buffs know all about Vinnie and Natalie Cilurzo’s Belgian-style brews and their crazily sought-after Pliny the Younger, a triple IPA released every February (Feb. 4 in 2022). Younger definitely creates warm, happy thoughts in the heads of those fortunate enough to acquire it. Its sibling (or uncle), Pliny the Elder, a double IPA made year-round, also generates hand-rubbing excitement. It’s the Belgian-inspired ales, however, that really sing in fall and winter.

There’s Consecration (10% abv), a sour dark ale aged in cabernet sauvignon barrels with blackcurrants and boasting chocolate, pipe tobacco and red-wine notes. It’s a sipper, not a slammer. Shadow of a Doubt (9.9% abv), named for the Arthur Hitchcock movie filmed in Santa Rosa in 1943, is an Imperial Porter that is malty and chocolate-y, and with a supple mouthfeel. Less alcoholic yet not shy is Russian River Porter (5.7% abv), which smells and tastes of fall: roasty, malty and with a distinct clove character.

On visits to RRBC’s taproom/restaurants in Santa Rosa and Windsor, look for Black is Beautiful, a 10% abv Imperial Stout. Sales proceeds go to local nonprofits “who support police reform and provide legal defense funds and assistance to those in need,” the website explains. It’s an effort by the Cilurzos and other U.S. brewers to “promote equality and inclusivity within the craft beer community and beyond.”

725 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, 707-545-2337; 700 Mitchell Lane, Windsor, 707-545-2337, russianriverbrewing.com

The Russian River Brewing Company was voted the Best Brew Pub in The Best of Sonoma contest. (r to l) Southern California residents Daniel and Erin Anne Wegman planned their vacation around their trip to the Russian River Brewing Company. — The Russian River Brewing Company brewpub in Santa Rosa. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)

Seismic Brewing Co.

Christopher Jackson, scion of Jackson Family Wines proprietor/chairwoman Barbara Banke and her late husband, Jess Jackson, branched out from grapevines to hop vines, founding Seismic to produce excellent beers in the most sustainable, earth-friendly ways. It should come as no shock to Sonoma beer fans that Seismic’s focus is on IPAs and lagers, among the region’s staples. However, a visit to the taproom in Sebastopol’s The Barlow just might lead you to two seasonal brews that put bourbon into play — perfect for winter.

The Starkiller Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Irish Export Stout (10% abv) features dark malts but, unusually, no roasted barley. Aging for one year in bourbon barrels adds a subtle boozy note to the espresso and bittersweet chocolate foundation. Served on tap only, its nitrogenation creates a yin-yang balance of carbonation and creamy texture. The Bourbon Barrel-Aged Oatmeal Stout takes wood aging another step, to two years. At 5.6% abv, this stout has half the potency of the Irish Export Stout, yet with a similar whiskey note, plus vanilla and English toffee flavors.

The Barlow, 6700 Sebastopol Ave., Sebastopol, 707-544-5996, seismicbrewingco.com

Shady Oak Barrel House

As the name suggests, Steve Douty’s beers are typically aged in wood barrels. He started his one-man business near downtown Santa Rosa with a focus on what are known as sour beers, which are tart and refreshing. Their complexity comes from the use of wild yeasts and (non-harmful) bacteria that add spice, fruitiness, crisp acidity and a hint of funk.

Brewers can’t help but experiment, create new beer styles and expand their offerings to meet the seasons and consumer palates, and Douty did just that with his Velvet Couch Oatmeal Stout (5.1 abv.). Very easy-drinking and with a creamy foam head that will leave a mustache on your upper lip, it reminds of an Irish stout, with oatmeal and toasted grains lending the roasty aromas and adult-coffee flavors. Check the website for visiting days and hours of the Shady Oak beer garden.

420 First St., Santa Rosa, 707-575-7687, shadyoakbarrelhouse.com

New Sandwich Shop From Quail & Condor Owners Coming to Healdsburg

November 2021

By Heather Irwin

Melissa Yanc and Sean McGaughey, chefs and owners of Quail and Condor Bakery in Healdsburg. (Emma K Creative)

The owners of Quail and Condor bakery in Healdsburg (149 Healdsburg Ave.) have announced they will open a new bread and sandwich shop called Troubadour at the former location of Moustache Baked Goods (381 Healdsburg Ave.) in late November.

Chefs-owners Melissa Yanc and Sean McGaughey (formerly of Single Thread) describe their second venture as “naturally fermented bread, chef-inspired and locally sourced wizardry.” Since opening Quail and Condor earlier this year, the couple has garnered praise for their lacquered pastries, breads and sweets. They’ve continued to intrigue people with the county’s coolest pop-ups, typically featuring chef friends riffing on favorite themes. We recently visited one and tried bao-style steamed pork buns, hot and spicy Biang Biang cauliflower, silken tofu with ginger soy sauce and a tres leches cake we’re still dreaming about.

Sandwich from Troubadour in Healdsburg. (Emma K Creative) — Sandwich from Quail and Condor Bakery in Healdsburg. (Emma K. Morris)

Bread from Quail & Condor Bakery in Healdsburg. (Emma K Creative) — Bread from Quail and Condor Bakery in Healdsburg. (Emma K. Morris)

Quail and Condor’s pop-ups ended Nov. 2 with a Smashburger tailgate, but look for plenty of tasty new ideas, including at their new sandwich shop. Want to become a real “sandwich artist?” They’re currently hiring at troubadourhbg.com.

Speaking of hiring, the SRJC Culinary Arts Department is recruiting chef instructor candidates for its adjunct pool. The part-time teaching positions are for spring, summer or fall of 2022. The community college recently resumed about a third of its classes for in-person learning but continues to hold most classes online. That’s expected to change gradually until spring 2022, when the campus is expected to fully reopen. For job description and qualifications, go to schooljobs.com/careers/santarosajc.

Popular Forestville Bakery Launches GoFundMe

November 2021

By Heather Irwin

A selection of breads from Nightingale Breads in Forestville. (Courtesy of Nightingale Breads)

A power generator isn’t typically at the top of the wish list for an artisan bakery. But after suffering through the consequences of electricity outages during floods, fires and public safety power shut-offs, Nightingale Breads owner Jessie Frost is asking for help to keep the lights on, literally.

Frost recently set up a Go Fund Me page seeking $50,000 in donations to upgrade her tiny Forestville bakery. A large chunk of that money would buy a generator to keep the ovens on, the water hot and the refrigerators running to preserve valuable ingredients during power outages. Like many local restaurants and businesses, Nightingale Breads lost power for more than 12 hours during the recent rain storms, hampering their ability to bake.

“As it’s become clear that these sorts of interruptions in business will continue to happen, we’ve decided this purchase will be a great asset for us,” Frost said about the generator on the Go Fund Me page.

Frost took over Nightingale Breads in 2018 after founder Beth Thorp retired. Since then, she’s slowly grown the business to include more grab-and-go items, including sandwiches and an expanded lineup of sweets and breads.

Many area restaurateurs are looking into alternative power sources after losing thousands of dollars’ worth of ingredients and prepared products in their commercial refrigerators and freezers during power outages and shut-offs. Events like these also shutter restaurants for days, further hurting revenue. Many can’t afford external generators, and it’s likely we’ll see more local fundraising efforts to keep doors open during the ongoing natural disasters that have become business as usual in Sonoma County.

To make a donation and learn more about Nightingale Breads’ vision for the future, visit nightingalebreads.com. The bakery is located at 6665 Front St., Forestville.

Realtor Designs Stunning Sonoma Home Inspired by Prospective Buyers’ Wish Lists

November 2021

By Karen Kizer

Most of us dream of the “perfect home:” Spacious but cozy, functional but beautiful; the list goes on. We all have our individual preferences but there are a few common home features prospective buyers tend to be looking for.

Sonoma-based realtor Regina Clyde is familiar with the desires of prospective home buyers. Over the years, she’s taken note of their likes, dislikes and deal breakers. Now, she’s designed a home based on their preferences.

The result is an impressive property on Pueblo Avenue in Sonoma. Located just off the plaza, the 4,000-square-foot, one-story structure is a modern take on a ranch-style home, complete with a pool, plenty of outdoor lounging areas and an accessory dwelling unit (ADU), popular right now due to increasing demands for expanded living space. The home, which was listed for $5,495,000, sold in just three days.

Clyde, a realtor with 14 years of experience selling and updating homes in Sonoma County, was new to home design when she started working on the blueprint for the Pueblo Avenue home. “I went to it with crayons, basically, with my two contractors,” she said.

She may have been new to the home design game, but Clyde had a clear idea of what she wanted — and what she didn’t want. For one, she wasn’t going to design a typical farmhouse property. In her opinion, the now ubiquitous farmhouse trend, with its white board-and-batten siding, was ready for an update. So she flipped the aesthetic on its head and decided to paint the building black.

“That’s why I call it the Black Fox,” she said of the home. (Black Fox also is the name of the dark charcoal gray paint Clyde selected for the home’s exterior.)

With the assistance of Mickey Greer of Mickey Greer & Associates in Sonoma, Clyde made design choices that make the subtly-styled interior sing. Beautiful bamboo cabinets throughout the home provide storage and add warmth to the space; the cabinets are stained or bleached to create different shades. A roughly textured backsplash wall, sleek wooden cabinets and modern light fixtures in simple angular shapes stand out in the kitchen. The great room and the kitchen share an arched ceiling that is lower than the roofline to create a greater sense of intimacy. Greer recommended this particular design, said Clyde, as most people love an airy space but also want to feel cozy.

The Black Fox home has multiple covered outdoor spaces — at the top of home buyers’ wish lists in these pandemic times. The roof extends over an outdoor lounging area with a large sectional sofa next to an electric fireplace built into the wall. The ADU comes with a white kitchen with wooden countertops and textured backsplash, a bright-looking bedroom and an adjacent covered outdoor dining space with a kitchen. All rooms can be accessed from the pool area, as the house and ADU surround it on three sides. Click through the above gallery for a peek inside.

Four Seasons Resort Opens in Napa Valley, Take a Look Inside

November 2021

By Dana Rebmann

The highly anticipated Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley officially opened its doors Monday. That’s big news in Wine Country and what makes it even more special — at least to wine-lovers — is the fact that the resort is located within a working winery property.

“We could not be more excited to welcome guests,” said General Manager Mehdi Eftekari, who’s been overseeing the construction of the property during the past three years. “It’s been a long time coming, giving us the luxury of time to build a team of truly talented people and put together thoughtful programming that embodies the best of the Napa lifestyle.”

Also referred to as The Resort at 400 Silverado Trail, the Calistoga property has 85 guest rooms and suites located within Elusa Winery. The resort also is home to TRUSS Restaurant + Bar from renowned Chef Erik Anderson, along with Spa Talisa, two pools and a supervised kids club that caters to traveling families. Rates start at $1,200 a night.

TRUSS cheeseburger. (Courtesy of Bonjwing Lee)

Chef Erik Anderson at Truss Restaurant + Bar at the Four Seasons Napa Valley. (Courtesy of Four Seasons Napa Valley) — Chef Erik Anderson’s menu highlights ingredients from local purveyors, as well as caviar from his private label with Sausalito-based California Caviar Company. (Courtesy of Bonjwing Lee)

Opened in mid-September, Elusa Winery features hand-crafted wines by Thomas Rivers Brown, a Calistoga resident and former Food & Wine magazine “Winemaker of the Year.” Elusa’s inaugural release includes cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and sauvignon blanc. The wines are available exclusively to members and as a part of tastings at the winery.

TRUSS Restaurant + Bar is led by Michelin-starred Executive Chef Erik Anderson, previously at San Francisco restaurant COI and The Catbird Seat in Nashville. Boasting vineyard and mountain views, the TRUSS Living Room offers a seasonally focused all-day dining menu along with bar bites, signature cocktails and wine. (TRUSS Living Room reservations are available now via OpenTable.)

The resort’s more formal dining space, TRUSS Restaurant, is expected to begin lunch and dinner service in the coming weeks. The restaurant’s wine list includes approximately 250 labels, with a nod to the Calistoga area.

Spa Talisa offers its own take on the Calistoga mud experience, along with a wide range of treatments, including a Vineyard Scrub that utilizes grape seeds. Along with indoor spa treatments in eight rooms, al fresco experiences include the Spa Garden with a whirlpool that is heated in winter and cooled in summer.

“Uniquely situated amid the vineyards with endless opportunities to use native ingredients and draw upon the natural environment, I’m thrilled to act as a guide to our guests as they seek to strengthen both their body and mind at Spa Talisa,” said Spa Director Natalie Posner.

Click through the above gallery for a peek at the Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley.

A Designer Transforms a Sonoma Cabin Into a Chic Forest Retreat

November 2021

By Karen Kizer

Homeware designer and Airbnb owner Anya Dinovich creates vacation rentals for “design-minded travelers.” She draws inspiration for her Sonoma properties — one in Kenwood and one in Cazadero — from the cozy vibe of Sundays and a quote from dancer and choreographer Mark Morris: “The goal of Sunday is to leave my home as little as possible.”

Dinovich is also a fan of lazy Sundays at home; of doing nothing or spending time with family and friends. “For me, that means being cozy,” she says. She creates pom pom pillows, sheepskin rugs and wool wall hangings to enhance that Sunday feeling; she even named her online boutique Seven Sundays. “I believe that being surrounded by beautiful things affects our mood and sense of well-being,” she adds.

Dinovich wants to create a cozy environment in which people can relax and enjoy themselves, while having a rich sensory experience.

“When designing an Airbnb you don’t have to worry about the functionality as much as you do when it’s (a) home you live in everyday,” she says. “It becomes a bit of a fantasy; a dreamy place where you can lounge by the fire, enjoy another’s company, read, relax, daydream.”

Homeware designer Anya Dinovich rests her head on one of her fiber creations. (Seven Sundays Studio)

Shower at Casa Anush. (Seven Sundays Studio)

The homeware designer’s Kenwood Airbnb, a three-bedroom home named Casa Anush with an adjacent geo-dome, showcases her approach to interior design. Large pom pom pillows add a soft and playful look. The bathroom shower has black hexagonal tiles that create a dramatic backdrop for plants. Woven lampshades and leather vases add interesting textures. A giant geo-dome provides an unusual space for sleeping. A pool area has a covered sofa with wispy drapes for sheltered lounging.

Her Cazadero Airbnb, the Sequoia House, is a 1970’s marvel of a cabin nestled among redwoods along Austin Creek. Dinovich has used the particular geometry of the cabin to enhance each space.

Upstairs, an a-frame ceiling creates a cozy, tent-like sleeping area with a patterned wool blanket and fluffy pillows. The richness of the wood-paneled walls is brought out by a white fiber wall hanging and a sofa with sheepskin blankets in front of it. A fireplace in the center of the room does double duty as a source of heat and a decorative design piece while floor-to-ceiling windows connect the indoors and the outdoors. (The Sequoia House was featured on Netflix’s “The World’s Most Amazing Vacation Rentals.”)

In addition to selling her textiles through her online store Seven Sundays, Dinovich also sells the pillows, wall hangings and blankets in her vacation rentals directly to clients who stay at her properties. Products from her second company, Hooga Hooga (inspired by the Danish practice of “hygge,” or “cultivating coziness”) are also displayed and sold at the properties.

“I hope that by sharing my creations with people who want to have unique, handmade items in their home, I also get to share the sense of calmness and joy that we all need now more than ever,” she says.

Dinovich’s textiles are available at Seven Sundays Studios, seven-sundays-studios.com and Hooga Hooga, hoogahooga.com. For information on the vacation rentals, visit sequoia-house.com, and instagram.com/casaanush.

The 20 Top Restaurants in Sonoma County, According to Yelp

October 2021

By Heather Irwin

A variety of pizzas, including the Old Grey Beard, left, featuring Italian sausage, Calabrian peppers, hot honey and orange zest, the Spayde, center, a square pan pizza with red sauce, mozzarella, pecorino, olive oil and fresh basil, and the Chingona, top, featuring olive oil, garlic, mozzarella, ricotta and fresh basil at PizzaLeah in Windsor, Calif., on Wednesday, May 27, 2020. (Beth Schlanker / The Press Democrat)

Everyone loves a list, and Yelp is no exception. This week, the crowd-sourced review site that chefs love to hate released its Top 50 Places to Eat in the North Bay. Curated by Yelp “data scientists” using “a variety of factors, including the total volume and ratings of reviews”, the result is an eclectic and somewhat unexpected mix of local restaurants.

To be fair, the multitudes have spoken, and most of these restaurants are quite delightful — some even destination-worthy. But hot dog and breakfast sandwich spots making the region’s “Top 50”? The sound of local foodies scratching their heads in bewilderment is pretty deafening. Click through the gallery to see which Sonoma County restaurants made the list (including their spot on the list).

And find a few favorite hole-in-the-wall-restaurants here. Plus, 25 Sonoma County restaurants every local and visitor must try.

Co-owner Gal Ginzburg will take your order among the antique radios at the Lightwave Cafe at Creekside Park in Monte Rio. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)

The Pharmacy Owner Opens Second Santa Rosa Restaurant

October 2021

By Heather Irwin

Avocado toast from The Pharmacy cafe in Santa Rosa. (Courtesy of The Pharmacy)

Branch Line, a new plant-based eatery, is expected to open later this year in the former Flying Goat Coffee space in Santa Rosa’s Railroad Square.

Owner Kim Bourdet of The Pharmacy cafe (990 Sonoma Ave., No. 1, Santa Rosa) says the space will be transformed into a fast-casual dining restaurant and mercantile with local products. No meat or dairy food will be available at Branch Line. Instead, the restaurant will make its own nut-based milks and vegan “cheeses” and focus on local produce.

Meyer lemon curd pot from The Pharmacy in Santa Rosa. (Heather Irwin/Sonoma Magazine)

Plant-based restaurants are gaining traction in Sonoma County as meat prices skyrocket, more Americans seek healthful alternatives to high-fat foods and climate change makes grazing land more precious. A vegan/vegetarian restaurant and quick-service cafe from the owners of Healdsburg’s SingleThread is slated for a late-fall opening inside Little Saint, a new food, wine, music, events and art center in the former Healdsburg SHED space. Find more Sonoma County restaurants for plant-based meals here.

More tidbits from BiteClub.

Psychic Pie Pop-Up Finds Permanent Home in Sebastopol

October 2021

By Heather Irwin

Psychic Pie, the funky pizza pop-up from Bay Area baker Nicholi Ludlow and his wife, Leith Leiser-Miller, has found a permanent home at the former Food Mechanic in Sebastopol (980 Gravenstein Highway S.). Aiming for an early 2022 opening, the couple plan to continue serving their Roman-style square pizzas by the pound at the new location, along with salads, wine, beer and sweets.

Ludlow and Leiser-Miller launched their Psychic Pie pop-up in April 2021 as a pandemic side hustle, making only 30 pizzas each week at a commercial kitchen in Santa Rosa’s Skyhawk Village. With nothing quite like their chewy, crunchy, locally sourced pies in the North Bay, eaters went wild for the couple’s par-cooked 9-inch-by-9-inch pizzas that could finish baking at home for a better-than-delivery experience.

The pizzas sold out swiftly each week. Seasonal produce and well-sourced ingredients, including Central Milling flour, Bellwether Farms ricotta, local water buffalo mozzarella and Zoe’s Meats bacon, made them all the more coveted.

“Our goal is hyper-local pizza that puts a big emphasis on naturally fermented dough — a truly Bay Area pizza,” Ludlow said in an interview with BiteClub in April. Both Ludlow and Leiser-Miller previously worked at San Francisco pizzeria Del Popolo.

Sadly, you won’t be able to get your hands on a Psychic Pie for a few more months, as Ludlow and Leiser-Miller build out the former Food Mechanic space. But like anything great, it’ll be worth the wait. Follow their progress on Instagram @psychic_pie.

Taste Rare Small-Production Wines at Sonoma’s Custom Crush Facilities

October 2021

By Carey Sweet

Wine tasting at Grand Cru Custom Crush in Windsor. (Beth Schlanker/The Press Democrat)

Grapes slide to the sorting table in juicy clusters, dancing and jiggling on the vibrating, 20-foot-long mechanized belt. Winemaker and consultant

Adam Lee of Clarice Wine Company studies the fruit as interns and friends carefully pick out leaves, twigs, and other unwanted hitchhikers in a ritual that marks the beginning of the winemaking process.

But this is a different kind of winery. It’s Sugarloaf Crush, located along Highway 12 at the western edge of Sonoma Valley, and the expensive sorting and crushing equipment is all in rented space. Lee, known for his limited-production Pinot Noir, shares the 60,000-square-foot structure with some three dozen other clients, all making their own small-production fine wines. Think of it as a collaborative co-working space for winemakers.

“I knew that Clarice’s production was going to be small — only about 600 cases a year — and that certainly isn’t enough to sustain its own facility,” Lee says. “But I needed to make wine somewhere. Custom crush allows smaller wineries to exist, and if it weren’t for them, many of us wouldn’t be around.”

In the highly competitive world of Sonoma wines, pennies count. Winemaking equipment is expensive — sorters, tanks, presses, and bottling lines, not to mention the square footage to house them. So custom crush facilities, where small producers come together and share equipment, are a great value. Sonoma County has long hosted custom crushes, ranging from larger wineries that lease out their facilities for extra income to behemoth businesses like Healdsburg’s Rack & Riddle, which handles more than one million cases annually for some 150 clients.

Cristian Ortiz adds sulphur dioxide to wine barrels at the Grand Cru Custom Crush facility in Windsor. (photo by John Burgess/Sonoma Magazine) — Cristian Ortiz adds sulphur dioxide to wine barrels at the Grand Cru Custom Crush facility in Windsor. (John Burgess/Sonoma Magazine)

A boon for wine lovers

But here’s the big news: the newest custom crush facilities in Sonoma County now come with extra amenities that are a boon for wine-lovers: first-class tasting facilities, event areas, and tours. Guests can see the work in action, meet one-on-one with winemakers, and explore rare wines they might never find otherwise.

Trendsetters include the luxury Grand Cru in Windsor, Healdsburg’s architecturally stunning Grapewagon Custom Crush, and Sugarloaf itself, which wows with its communal Grand Room: a lounge trimmed in reclaimed wood featuring a fireplace, and plush leather furniture, not to mention an expansive entry lawn with majestic mountain views.

Working with a modern crush is a more personal experience now, says Rebecca Birdsall, who co-owns the 3,000-case Black Kite label with her husband Tom Birdsall, and was one of the first winemakers to join Grand Cru. They previously made wine at the more industrial Punchdown Cellars in Santa Rosa and were happy with the experience, she said.

“But we were intrigued by the elegant design and flexibility of Grand Cru, and the fact that we could use their tasting salons and take our customers into the winery and barrel-taste.”

Certainly, a custom crush is financially necessary for their Black Kite brand, with most of the wines produced in tiny batches ranging from about 125 to 200 cases. But Grand Cru’s individual tasting salons, framed by modern garage-style roll-up doors, allow customers to learn first-hand about — and fall in love with — the couple’s Burgundy-style Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

The Grand Cru Custom Crush in Windsor. (photo by John Burgess/Sonoma Magazine) — Windsor’s Grand Cru Custom Crush has private tasting salons, which its winemaking clients use to meet with guests. Wineries here include Black Kite and Maritana Vineyards. (John Burgess/Sonoma Magazine)

At Grand Cru Custom Crush in Windsor the upper offices have views into the fermentation room. (photo by John Burgess/Sonoma Magazine) — At Grand Cru Custom Crush in Windsor the upper offices have views into the fermentation room. (John Burgess/Sonoma Magazine)

Cross-pollination of ideas

Winemaker Donald Patz makes 5,000 cases a year of his Maritana Vineyards Russian River Valley Chardonnay and Pinot Noir at Grand Cru. In addition to the value of being able to speak directly with his customers, he appreciates the collaboration with fellow winemakers and the cellar crew.

“Even when it’s really busy, the staff is so good at parsing out assignments that it feels like my own wholly dedicated team, with skills I couldn’t afford on my own,” says Patz. “And winemakers hang together here, so there’s cross-pollination of ideas, which is what I really wanted.”

Behind-the-scenes peeks become an integral part of custom crush visits, as guests experience the complicated waltz between winemakers and facility management. “There is immense communication taking place at harvest time to optimize the pick dates, the available labor, crush pad usage, and tank and press availability,” explains Birdsall.

“The best winemakers are clairvoyant.”

While Clarice’s Adam Lee, who is in high demand as a consutant, could likely operate out of almost any winery he’d like, he remains a custom crush fan. He makes his new Beau Marchais Pinot Noirs at Grapewagon, wines for the Bucher Winery at Grand Cru, and projects for J. Cage Cellars at Sugarloaf Crush. It’s interesting, he finds, as multiple winemakers collaborate, sharing tips and techniques. “In the heat of harvest, it sometimes is every person for themselves, but during the rest of the year we often chat and taste together,” he said.

Clarice Wine Company owner/winemaker Adam Lee in the large tasting room at Sugarloaf Crush facility in Oakmont. (photo by John Burgess/Sonoma Magazine) — Clarice Wine Company winemaker Adam Lee in Sugarloaf’s large shared tasting room. (John Burgess/Sonoma Magazine)

The main barrel storage room at Sugarloaf Crush in Oakmont has a capacity of 4500+ barrels in a temperature controlled environment. (photo by John Burgess/Sonoma Magazine) — The storage room at Sugarloaf Crush has a capacity of 4500 barrels. (John Burgess/Sonoma Magazine)

Chris Leonard, owner of the Leonard Wine Company, takes samples from 40 different barrels for blending trials at the Sugarloaf Crush facility in Oakmont. (photo by John Burgess/Sonoma Magazine) — Winemaker Chris Leonard of the Leonard Wine Company high up in the barrel stacks, sampling for a wine-blending trial. (John Burgess/Sonoma Magazine)

Jessica Yeates, the enologist for VML and Truett Hurst wineries, uses a still to titrate wine to measure the volatile acidity levels in the lab at the Sugarloaf Crush facility in Oakmont. (photo by John Burgess/Sonoma Magazine) — Jessica Yeates, the enologist for VML and Truett Hurst wineries, in the facility’s wine lab. (John Burgess/Sonoma Magazine)

Behind-the-scenes thrills

Witnessing the teamwork can be a rush. Flaunt Wine Company joined Grapewagon Custom Crush for the 2019 harvest, with owner/ winemaker Dianna Novy producing 250 cases of Sexton Vineyard Pinot Noir. Grapewagon’s owners, James and Kerry MacPhail, originally built the 42,000-square-foot facility in 2011 for their MacPhail Family Wines. After selling that brand, the MacPhails switched the setup to custom crush, serving a dozen clients, including their own new label, Tongue Dancer. The facility is just 50 feet from the MacPhail family’s own home.

“Winemakers collaborate here, and if it weren’t for custom crush, small boutique wineries would be basically nonexistent,” says Novy. “There is a great camaraderie, and I think it’s because we all just want to drink the best wines, so we encourage each other to make the very best that we can.”

The Sugarloaf Crush facility rests at the base of Hood Mountain in Oakmont. (photo by John Burgess/Sonoma Magazine) — The Sugarloaf Crush facility rests at the base of Hood Mountain in Oakmont. (John Burgess/Sonoma Magazine)

How to taste at a custom crush

Custom crush tastings and tours are generally by appointment and often arranged individually by each winery client.

Grand Cru Custom Crush, 1200 American Way, Windsor. 707-687-0905, grandcrucustomcrush.com. Independent wineries include Bucher Wines, Maritana Vineyards, and Black Kite Cellars.

Sugarloaf Crush, 6705 Cristo Lane, Santa Rosa. 707-244-4885, sugarloafcrush.com. Three dozen wineries including J. Cage Cellars, Leonard Wine Company, Truett- Hurst, and Clarice Wine Company.

Grapewagon Custom Crush, 851 Magnolia Drive, Healdsburg. 707-433-4780. Over a dozen clients including Tongue Dancer, Flaunt Wine Company, and Beau Marchais.