Tokyo Shoyu Chasu pork ramen at Miso Good Ramen in Snata Rosa. Heather Irwin/PD
If you want to know what chefs eat on their days off, it’s usually one of two things: Tacos or ramen. Not Top Ramen, natch, but serious Japanese ramen made with real miso, 6-minute eggs, char siu pork belly and, most importantly, good noodles. Otherwise, you might was well eat Top Ramen, or better yet, a taco. And, chefs will tell you that salty, fatty, umami bowls taking the food scene by storm are an ultimate comfort/hangover food that even when they’re not great, are still pretty good.
Miso Good Ramen, in downtown Santa Rosa, is exactly that. Really good, exceedingly slurp-able, ramen bowls we’ve tried on several occasions — and continue to crave. Of course, a serious discussion of the many styles, virtues and classifications of ramen (it’s sort of like regional barbecue in that everyone has an opinion) is outside the scope of this column, but here’s what we can tell you…
Best bets: Surprise, it’s the Miso Butter Veggie ($12)! Though we’re pork lovers through and through, the veggie-centric ramen made with fermented soybean broth and piled with okra, corn, sprouts, mushrooms, and garlic seaweed, gets a bit o’ butter making it over the top delish.
We also loved the Hamachi Carpaccio ($15), with slices of Japanese yellowtail, tart ponzu sauce and a hint of truffle oil — enough to balance the dish, not punch it in the face.
The Tokyo Shoyu Chasu Pork ($12) ramen has great pieces of soy-braised pork in pork broth, a far more flavorful broth than chicken could ever hope to be. Six minute egg was custardy and just soft enough—just like a six-minute egg should be.
In addition to ramen, Miso Good offers poke bowls with tuna, salmon or octopus ($13), the first downtown spot with this Hawaiian staple.
Service has been shaky while the kitchen and waitstaff figure out the kinks, but is improving. Which is a good thing, because we’re still craving that butter ramen.
507 4th St, Santa Rosa, 545-7545. Open Tuesday through Sunday from 11a.m. through dinner. Closed Tuesday.
Popularly known as the Islands in the Sky, The serenity of Ithe Willow Creek addition to Sonoma Coast State Park is not lost to a snoozing hiker, April 28th, 2016. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2016
No matter what your situation in life is like, we all need to get away from it all every once in a while. Work and school can stress us out, not to mention news and current affairs, and that never-ending “to-do list.” Fortunately, Sonoma County excels on the relaxation front. The region is teeming with secluded spots where you can escape from life’s pressures and worries, at least for a little while. Click through the gallery for some of the most serene places in the area for when you need some well-deserved peace and quiet.
A banana smile at the Sonoma County Fair. (Heather Irwin)
Move over moco loco and shove off funnel cakes, because the undisputed must-have eats at this year’s Sonoma County Fair (August 1-11) are the Meat Lover’s Fries from Stuffie’s Char-Broiler.
In a unanimous vote, five Santa Rosa Junior College Culinary students this week named the meat-topped fries as the hands-down favorite after trying nearly a dozen new dishes. With highly-educated palates, the students were selected to cast a fresh light on the annual stuff-your-face-silly event. The goal: To find the ultimate culinary delight from among dozens of this year’s fair food vendors.
Stefan Rubin eats up a chicken wing on the opening day of the Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa on Thursday, August 1, 2019. (BETH SCHLANKER/ The Press Democrat)
Over three excruciatingly delicious hours Thursday, melty cheese was dripped, rice was strewn and forks were poked willy-nilly into plates of food ranging from jerk chicken and hibiscus juice to teriyaki ribs and Flamin’ Hot Cheeto-covered french fries. Spending a total of $196, the team was focused on “new to the fair” foods that piqued their interest.
Nothing was able to stand up to the meat-topped fries, according to the exacting expectations of the students.
“With these fries, everyone’s at the party,” said Neal Wilson, 34, of Santa Rosa on the opening day of the fair.
“You have chicken, beef, pork and sausage,” he said of the book-sized box of crispy french fries, topped with chopped meat, a drizzle of gravy and a dollop of sour cream.
“For $11 that’s so worth it. They’re justing banging,” Wilson said.
Churro fights break out at the Sonoma County Fair 2019. Heather Irwin/PD
Nora Meas, 20, of Santa Rosa agreed, saying, “They’re meaty, but not too meaty. It’s got a great sauce and just a great mouth-feel.”
They assessed whether the oil was fresh in the fryers (on some yes, others, not so much); whether there was enough teriyaki sauce on the Maui Wowie ribs; or whether the Flaming Hot Cheetos should have been dusted atop the canned nacho cheese fries rather than scattered on top. Dusting won.
Coming in a close second to the fries was newcomer Reggae Rasta, with a plate of jerk chicken, plantains, rice and salad.
“I love the sauce,” said Jessica Crumpton, 33, of Santa Rosa. “
Coming in third, was a hollowed-out pineapple with ribs, rice and coleslaw from Ricardo’s Hawaiian Feast. The group loved the sticky ribs and bold flavor. The weight and waste of the half pineapple was concerning, however.
“I got stuck on the pineapple,” said Stefan Rubin, 35, Santa Rosa. “I would change it up and put more teriyaki sauce on the rice,” he said. The group agreed that the compostable pineapple bowl was eco-friendly.
Here are some other fair food hits and misses:
– Flamin’ Hot Cheeto Fries (Garlicky’s Crazy Fries): “You could make that for $2 at Seven-11 with nachos,” said Wilson.
– Jalapeño Cheddar Curly Fries (The Giant Curly Fry): “It’s all about like being at the movie theater with that nacho sauce. It’s not great (cold) but it will feed a lot of people,” said Rubin. “But you gotta eat them hot because they went from warm to not warm pretty fast.”
– Loco Moco (Ricardo’s Hawaiian Feast): “It’s not bad. It’s just not good,” Crumpton said.
– Al Pastor Queso Fresco Salad (Pepe’s): “I want to put cinnamon and sugar on the tortilla bowl,” said Samara Ibarra, 42, of Santa Rosa.
Crepes with strawberry gelato at the Sonoma County Fair. Heather Irwin/PD
– Crepes (Crepes, Waffles and Beignets): Strawberry gelato, whipped cream and sugar.
– Churros (Churro Cart): When not using them as swords, the crew loved the crispy texture and fillings that included Oreo cookie, strawberry and caramel.
Ever practical about food waste, the culinary students had a few ideas for their fair food leftovers.
“California Nachos with beans, Flamin’ Hot Cheeto dust, rice, jalapeños and cheddar sauce,” said Wilson.
“I’d do Fair Latkes. I’d shred the leftover potatoes and make potato pancakes with shredded meat and cheese sauce,” said Crumpton.
A 1953 Rolls Royce awaits passengers at the Grand Reopening of MacArthur Place in Sonoma California, Thursday August 1, 2019. (Photo Will Bucquoy/For Sonoma Magazine).
Before there were walls, a foundation, or even sketches of the form it would take, Michael Muscardini and Kate Eilertsen could envision the contemporary home where they planned to spend the rest of their lives. Shortly after the couple purchased 3-plus acres on Sonoma Mountain in 2015, Muscardini built a wooden platform on the building site, and it was there that the couple would sit for hours, taking in the unobstructed view of the Valley of the Moon and imagining the future.
It was fitting, then, that in 2018, a year after their home was complete, they were married in the living room — their lives officially bound together in the house they created. Their architect performed the wedding ceremony, with 150 guests joining in the celebration.
Prior to launching his award-winning Muscardini Cellars in Kenwood, Michael Muscardini was a longtime high-end-home general contractor. He returned to his career roots for this project, dedicating heartfelt energy to this special place to share with Eilertsen. “I was driven,” he says.
Kate, Biondi, and Michael in their living room.
The couple had been living in a rental home with a view looking away from the valley and after a decade together longed for permanency.
“We wanted it to be simple and minimal,” Eilertsen says of the 2,400-square-foot home that she especially wanted to perfectly showcase their art. A signed Picasso “Demoiselles d’Avignon” print hangs near the entryway, and Eilertsen’s favorite — “Hawk Fields” by Larry Thomas — anchors the great room, hanging on a wall painted golden yellow to set it off.
Eilertsen is now an art consultant, putting together installations for museums and wineries throughout Sonoma and Marin counties, having served seven years as the executive director of the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, with earlier stints at San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and Harvard Art Museums.
The couple brought in their friend Jeff Zimmerman of the architectural firm Zimmerman + Associates to put their dream house on the boards. The home is built on a rocky knoll that presented challenges, and they were grateful for the expertise Zimmerman brought to the project. The glass-encased home boasts a great room, a master bedroom suite, a guest room, and his-and-hers 10-by-10-foot offices so they can work from home.
“I wanted ‘A Room of One’s Own,’” Eilertsen says, referring to Virginia Woolf’s feminist classic. Zimmerman brought a surprise to the plans, adding a glass wine cellar just inside the front door, with one glass wall facing Muscardini’s office, so he can see his library wines from his desk.
Now in their 60s, Muscardini and Eilertsen wanted an easy house to maneuver and maintain, with one level and not a single stair. “There’s not even a curb on the shower,” Muscardini says, “And the only thing we have to do here is hire someone to wash the windows.”
The couple love to entertain, and have a center-set dining table dividing the open kitchen area from the living room, so they can converse with guests while they are cooking. The long waterfall island is Carrara marble, which Muscardini insisted on despite its tendency to stain and etch. “Michelangelo made ‘David’ out of Carrara. There was no question we were going to use it,” Muscardini says. He sees it as one more way to honor his Italian ancestry, in addition to a winemaking style inspired by Franco Biondi Santi (the namesake of the couple’s 2-year-old golden retriever).
The east-facing home allows them to see sunrise and moonrise from every room, and the location is so remote not a single other home is visible.
Muscardini Cellars’ tagline is “Bottled with love, for the joy of living.” Eilertsen and Muscardini’s home has a similar theme: It was built with love and the living is joyful.
Fifty Sonoma County dishes may seem like a lot, but to be honest, it wasn’t easy to whittle down our list from the hundreds of incredible and iconic meals we’ve had from Cloverdale to Cotati.
What makes the grade? Eating isn’t an exact science, but these dishes represent either the chef or the restaurant, use great local ingredients or have been around so long that they’ve become part of the fabric of Wine Country. That, and the fact that we got great input from our readers.
No doubt we’ll miss plenty of favorites, but that’s the fun of lists like these – doing the research for the next list.
In no particular order, we present Sonoma Magazine’s 50 Favorite Sonoma County Dishes in the gallery above.
There are so many things to love about Sonoma weddings, the first thing being the Sonoma scenery, which doesn’t need any dressing up to be storybook-worthy. But that doesn’t stop local artisans and designers from stepping in to add their spectacular touches. Here are some of our favorite details to inspire your own memorable event—click through the above gallery for details.
This Spartan was the first renovation Geoff did after moving to Sonoma County. It is located in the backyard of a Petaluma residence. The Spartan was there when the family bought the property.
Sonoma County is home to quite a few artist-types itching to go to Burning Man this summer — but many of us are less than eager to suffer the ravaging winds and dust tornadoes hurtling across the Black Rock Desert of northwest Nevada. Dirt littering our granola, stuffing our sleeping bags, and caking our tents — no thanks.
Internet entrepreneur Mark Pincus has a solution. The founder of the $5 billion San Francisco-based mobile gaming company Zynga will be glamping in a posh, renovated 1970s Airstream trailer he purchased specifically for the self-expression festival that runs August 25 through September 2.
So will Swiss designer Yves Behar. Founder and principal of Fuseproject, a business consulting firm in San Francisco, Behar bought his own retro-chic Airsteam for Burning Man, outfitted with personalized goodies like a built-in bar and high-tech sound system.
As tricked out as their custom-designed, 31-foot-long mobile palaces are, neither man had to look far. One call to Geoff Sacco got it done, as the owner of The Portable Life in Petaluma found and negotiated purchase of the coveted trailers, calling on his network of Airstream sellers in Arizona and Oregon. Sacco then coordinated mechanical checks, worked with Pincus and Behar on their dream designs, gutted and rebuilt the trailer interiors, and finally delivered them to the gentlemen within just three months.
The first paid renovation Geoff Sacco took on after moving to Sonoma County was this Spartan, which sat in the backyard of a Petaluma home when the current owners bought the property. They recognized its potential, and Sacco made their hopes a reality.
Working out of an airplane hangar-style shop on a 100-acre Italian water buffalo dairy off Valley Ford Road, Sacco has completed more than 50 such vintage trailers since taking one on as a hobby project in 2012. Behar’s trailer layout was rather rare, Sacco noted, with its bedroom in the back and bath in the middle. That was fine, but no one liked the uncomfortable twin beds, or the clunky kitchen that blocked the floorplan’s flow.
“It was, well, ugly,” Sacco says. “These trailer interiors were always substandard design, in a disconnect to the classic exterior iconic style.” So he stripped the entire interior, added insulation, designed a 3-D layout mockup, and had the grungy aluminum exterior professionally polished to a mirror shine. “Some of the old trailers are hideous, actually, but that’s why everyone used to live 80 percent of the time outside of them.”
Space is at a premium in an Airstream, so Sacco added raised platforms hiding storage space under Behar’s bed and front lounge seating, and tucked the water heater in a lift-up cubby. Sanitation is state-ofthe- art, with a Laveo Dry Flush toilet, requiring no water hook-ups, chemicals, or messy disposal.
While many projects are completed within six months — or barely two months for a 10-foot “canned ham” trailer — a few summers ago, Sacco tackled a monster 50-foot Spartan that took more than two years to complete.
“I have the good fortune to be doing something I really love,” says Sacco, who was a designer for Patagonia, Timbuk2, and other businesses, and then owned his own bag manufacturing company with Apple as a primary client.
His art background shows in the finishing touches unique to each trailer, though Sacco favors wire-brushed oak flooring, reclaimed materials from Petaluma artist Michael Black of Black’s Farmwood, and easy-clean waxed canvas fabrics. Sometimes he goes really ornamental, such as creating hitch stands that are inspired by buoys and made of wood, paint, and leather.
So far, he’s never had to advertise. Behar, for just one example, is so happy with the end result that he recently asked Sacco to find two more Airstreams for friends.
Vintage lovers rejoice! There’s so much resale style to be had in Sonoma County. Here are some great buys, all from decades ago. Achieve that great nostalgic look that comes from a commitment to keep things out of the landfill—click through the above gallery for details.
Of the more than 400 wineries that call Sonoma County home, the grand estates have a knack for getting all the attention. But when you make the turn onto the retired tractor-lined driveway at Chenoweth Wines, it’s the unpretentious setting that makes you happy you’ve arrived.
With 800 acres of land, from redwoods to vineyards (even a coyote on the day of my visit), there’s plenty to see here. But it’s the how you get to see it – buckled into an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) – that adds even more bragging rights to a busy day of wine tasting.
“That’s a big pour but that’s how I roll,” says winemaker Amy Chenoweth as we sip Chardonnay in the shade of a redwood grove.
Our glasses empty, we hop into the off-road vehicle, holding our glasses tight as we bump our way toward the vineyards.
The name may not be as recognizable as other notable Sonoma County wine families, but the Chenoweth roots run deep: the family has grown fruit in Sebastopol for more than 150 years. The Chenoweths homesteaded the ranch in the mid-1800s, farming Gravenstein apples, cherries and other crops. Redwoods from the property were used to rebuild Santa Rosa after the 1906 earthquake. Grapes found their place on the ranch between towering redwoods and rolling hills, and then Prohibition happened.
Fast forward to 2000, when Charlie Chenoweth decided to plant pinot noir grapes and sell these to local wineries. A second vineyard came in 2006 and a third in 2009. Chenoweth’s vineyard management business was the talk of the town when Amy, his wife, decided it was time to keep some of the fruit.
The new ATV tour introduces visitors to the history of the family and the property and offers an opportunity to learn how different soil influences grapes, how wildlife like owls and deer can impact a vineyard. And then there’s the pinot noir, of course, and the stellar views.
As you travel along the rugged dirt roads from Treehouse vineyard to the Home Ranch vineyard (sometimes also called Chenoweth Ranch), colossal redwoods provide shade while reminding you of the beauty of heading off the beaten or, in this case, paved path.
Siblings, sons, and assorted family members live in homes on the Chenoweth Ranch. Even those technically not in the wine business seem to have a hand in the business of making Chenoweth wines. Charlie’s brother contributed the sketches that grace many of the wine labels.
Chenoweth makes pinot noir, rosé and chardonnay, but annual production is limited to 600 cases. The wines are only available direct from the winery and at a handful of select restaurants. Grapes that don’t wind up in Chenoweth bottles find a home in vintages made by the likes of Kosta Browne and Patz and Hall.
Tours last about 2 hours, and are limited to 8 guests. The cost is $50 per person; tours are available by appointment only. Guests are welcome to bring along a picnic to enjoy after the tour. 5550 Harrison Grade Road, Sebastopol, (707) 829-3367, chenowethwines.com
More Wineries Where You Can Roam Off Road
Whenever possible, tastings at Calistoga’s Jericho Canyon Vineyard include a spin in an ATV. In addition to 40 acres of grapes, 90 acres have been set aside by the Bleecher family as wildlife habitat. Plan on about 90 minutes for the tour and tasting. Cost is $75 per person, by reservation only. 3322 Old Lawley Toll Rd., Calistoga, (707) 942-9665
The Back Country Tour of Pope Valley’s Heibel Ranch Vineyards cruises the vineyards in a baby-blue, 1963 Willys Jeep. Run by owner Trent Ghiringhelli and his dog Chachi, the ranch has been in the family since 1945. Annual production is limited to 300 cases made from predominantly estate farmed fruit. Tastings, complete with a charcuterie plate, take place at a picnic table on the 185-acre property. Cost is $125 per person, by reservation only. Aetna Springs Road, Pope Valley, (707) 968-9289
The Mountain Excursion at Healdsburg’s Stonestreet Winery comes with views and insight into how they sustainably farm cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, and sauvignon blanc at higher elevations. Tours of the estate mountain vineyards, ranging in elevation from 400 to 2400 feet, take place in a Land Rover. The tour is offered Monday through Friday at 10am and 1:30pm. Cost with wine tasting is $200 per person in the morning (box lunch included), and $150 in the afternoon. 7111 Highway 128, Healdsburg, 800.355.8008
La Crema uses an electric cart to move about the 200-plus acre estate on its Saralee’s Vineyard Tour. Guests learn about the history of the property and label, along with La Crema’s sustainable wine making practices. The tour is offered daily, spring through fall, at 10:30am and 12pm. Cost is $80 per person including wine tastings, reservations required. 3575 Slusser Road, Windsor, (707) 525-6200
