I get hassled (almost daily) about how expensive restaurants can be in Sonoma County. Sometimes it’s justified, because, well, good ingredients aren’t cheap. Neither is good help or a good location. But that’s beside the point of this story — Sonoma County’s Cheap Eats! We’ve found 25 restaurants with great value and great food — mostly ones we haven’t talked about lately. Check the gallery above for the whole list.
Have a favorite we missed? Let us know in the comments…
Our kitchens seem to evoke a love/hate response. Most of us love to cook except when we have to, which is most days. But some of the right equipment can make cooking easier, more efficient and more fun. Sonoma stores are full of great buys to enhance your cooking experience. Click through the above gallery for details.
Crisp mornings and pumpkin lattes call for cozy sweaters! Bring on the big knits, the sumptuous yarns and the oversized styles. Fall is in the fashion air, with a particularly 80s vibe this season, and Sonoma stores have got your back for sweater season. Click through the above gallery for details.
Chef Joe Trez is not the man you expect to see walking out of the kitchen with a tray of chicken wings and hot sauce.
Tall and thin, wearing a tidy Wing Man apron and faded jeans, he personally delivers trays of crispy French fries covered in aioli and Parmesan cheese, ribs and delicately fried chicken wings to rustic farm tables at his new Cotati restaurant.
But it’s a chef coat that’s been his daily uniform for years, rather than an apron.
“This is my first casual place,” he says, a little shyly. An alum of Thomas Keller’s Bouchon restaurant in Yountville, his path has been one of carefully composed plates for high-end restaurants and wineries in Napa after attending culinary school.
The Charlotte, North Carolina, native says he veered to the humble chicken wing — a staple of lowbrow bars and fast-food joints — because he couldn’t find the kind he craved. Most wings in Sonoma County, he says, were pre-made, frozen and smothered in Frank’s Hot Sauce.
“I couldn’t find any good wing places, so I decided to start my own,” says Trez.
He’s been a familiar face for several years in the food truck scene, operating throughout Sonoma County and San Francisco.
When a former deli space became available off East Cotati Avenue, he spent months reworking it to become both a commissary kitchen for his food truck and a casual family-style restaurant with his signature wings, eight taps and a lengthy list of beers ranging from $3 PBRs to local ales, stouts, ciders and hard seltzers.
Most surprisingly, he also has an impressive (but small) hand-picked list of favorite small-producer wines including Quivira sauvignon blanc, Iron Horse Wedding Cuvee and Paul Hobbs Malbec.
“We don’t sell a lot of wine, but I figure if people don’t drink them, I will,” he says.
It’s the wings, however, that are his bread and butter. Fried in oil, he uses local chicken for his bone-in wings. So-called boneless wings are fingers of chicken breast breaded in panko.
There are also vegan “wings” of tempura-battered cauliflower that are every bit as delish as the regular wings.
Sauces are truly what set Wing Man apart. Each is made in-house and served on the side so as not to get the wings too soggy (plus it’s a lot less messy).
Some are more of a dare than others, with Orange Fury topping the list of burn-your-face-off sauces. Made with Carolina Reaper peppers, the hottest pepper known, you’ll want to make sure you’ve got a stomach lined with steel before embarking too far on that journey. Double Dog Dare You is an extra-hot Buffalo sauce, and Atomic Fireball is for those who simply like a good tongue burn.
More approachable are the more-flavorful-than-fiery sauces like Spicy Green Goddess (medium heat jalapeño), or “Crazy Uncle Kim,” a Korean-style chili sauce that’s only got a hint of heat.
If you’re mild rather than wild, Southern Brother, a Carolina sweet mustard sauce, is especially tasty with boneless chicken wings. There’s also Tokyo Town Teriyaki with soy sauce and a hint of sweetness. Housemade ranch sauce is a lovely sunset orange, made with a touch of smoked paprika.
Don’t Miss: Don’t limit yourself to wings alone. Porky’s Revenge is a heckuva sandwich made with root-beer braised pulled pork, spicy slaw, pickles and bacon with smoky barbecue sauce ($10). Truffle Parm fries are a good way to go if you’re doing the whole fry thing. Just ask for a little extra sauce.
On Fridays, Wing Man has fall-off-the-bone ribs with just the right amount of crispy bark and tender meat inside.
Wing Man is at 101 E Cotati Ave, Cotati, 707-794-9464, wingmanfoodtruck.com. Open Tuesday through Sunday, closed Monday. Lunch and dinner Friday through Sunday. open from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday.
A food writer’s job is never done, because just about every meal is a chance to explore something new. This week, I explored a handful of spots — some just with friends or for fun, and others as scouting missions for a larger write-up. Here are a few pix to inspire you.
On this week’s list:
– Kamura Sushi
– Handline Coastal California restaurant
– City Garden Doughnuts
– Simply Vietnam Express
– Duke’s Spirited Cocktails
– Tan’s Donuts & Cambodian Food
Since opening in 2011, Windsor’s Kin Restaurant has become a well-loved, family-friendly dining destination on the Windsor Green. With an extensive comfort menu that ranges from burgers and frickles (fried pickles) to braised short ribs, mac and cheese, wedge salad and warm cobbler.
If you’re looking for a place where mom and dad can get a nice dinner with a glass of wine and the kids will be well-taken care of with a chicken fingers and hot dogs menu of your own, Kin is the spot.
Fieri alums Brad Barmore and JC Adams, both restaurant biz dads wanted to create a place to take their kids that didn’t feel like, well, a place to take the kids. Armed with family recipes like Grandma’s beer-braised pot roast and Brad’s father-in law’s secret barbecue sauce (“It was harder to get that recipe than it was getting his daughter’s hand,” laughs Brad). They also own Kin Smoke Barbecue restaurant in Healdsburg and the Town Green watering hole, Publican.
The menu changes up seasonally, though their signature Kin Burger (a half-pound patty with smoked white cheddar, applewood smoked bacon and BBQ sauce on a brioche bun; Kin Mac & Cheese; and pizzas are evergreen.
Pull up a table, take a nibble off everyone’s plate, toast to your kin and pass dad the bill at the end. When you’re at Kin, you’re family.
Kin Restaurant, 740 McClelland Drive (former DePaoli’s), Windsor, 837-7546. Open daily for lunch and dinner.
Don’t panic, people. Even though your fridge may have gone kaplooey, there is plenty of great food available at restaurants throughout the county. Go support them!
Biteclub is keeping an evolving listing of restaurants and grocers that are open during the outages. Info may change as power goes off or on, but we will keep it as up to date as possible. Specific restaurants that email or contact me (heather.irwin@pressdemocrat.com) will be listed individually. NOTE: Bring cash, as some restaurants do not have internet for their card machines.
RESTAURANTS OPEN FOR EATING DURING POWER OUTAGES 10/10
OPEN IN Santa Rosa (Currently, the majority of restaurants *are* open)
– Bistro 29
– Franchetti’s
– Perch + Plow
-Steele and Hops
– Victory House
– Riviera Ristorante
– Lita’s Cafe Open
– La Gare open for dinner 5-9p.m.
– Omelet Express (Both locations)
– Taco trucks in Roseland operating normally
– Whole Pie
– Hank’s Creekside
– Fountaingrove Deli open until 3p.m, but phone and WiFi is down
– Spinster Sisters
– Ricky’s Eastbound: Food truck outside tonight from 5 pm (with bar open!) BYO-Light.
– Brew: Open with WiFi and coffee.
– Rosso is open
– Noble Folk (both locations): The ice cream is SAFE! 😉
– Joey’s Pizza
– Jackson’s Bar & Oven
– Dierk’s Midtown
– All Montgomery Village Restaurants/Cafes: (Acre Coffee, Boudin, Copperfield’s Café, Cascabel, Cattlemens Steak House, Crepevine, Emily’s Kitchen, Fresh Press, Gus’ Café & Grill, Monti’s, Raku Ramen & Rolls, Round Table Pizza, SEA Thai Bistro & Bar, Sonoma Bagel & Deli, Tomatina, Village Bakery)
– Fogbelt Brewing
– John Ash & Co, River Vine Cafe
– Beer Baron
– Bollywood
– Mountain Mike’s Pizza (2280 Santa Rosa Ave)
– Barrel Bros. Brewing:
– Third St. Aleworks
– Belly Left Coast Kitchen
– Ca’Bianca
OPEN IN Healdsburg: Most restaurants open
– Willi’s Seafood, Bravas open
– Valette open
– Barrels, Brews and Bites is open! 11:30-8pm Happy Hour All Day.
– Costeaux Bakery
– Taste of Tea (with a nice massage to get you back to your happy place)
OPEN IN Petaluma: West Petaluma restaurants reportedly not affected and open for businesses.
– Della Fattoria open!
– Pub Republic
OPEN IN Sebastopol: Most Restaurants open and operating normally.
Reported open to Biteclub
– Papas and Pollo
Sushi Tozai open tonight!
– Sushi Kosho open tonight
– Barrio Open
– Gravenstein Grill
– Fernbar, Handline
Sonoma Valley (reported from our friends at the Sonoma Index-Tribune) and the Sonoma Valley Visitor’s Bureau
Many businesses and homes are affected and a limited number of businesses are open…
OPEN IN SONOMA
– Hopmonk Sonoma serving limited menu in the beer garden
– Basque Boulangerie serving food
– Town Square is selling beer
– Sonoma Market and Lucky are selling what is on the shelves
– Cafe at MacArthur Place
– Layla at MacArthur Place
– Murphy’s Irish Pub
– Reel and Brand
– TIPS Roadside Tri-Tip Trolley (outside)
– Starling Bar
OPEN IN Cotati
– Grav South Brew Co.
OPEN IN Windsor
– Russian River Brewing
Geyserville
– Diavola: If you love eating pizza in the candle light, we got you covered tonight!! We are open for both lunch and dinner. Limited menu. Pizza, beer & wine!! Mick Unti from Unti Vineyards & Winery will be pouring some beautiful wines tonight. Come join us
OPEN IN Forestville, Guerneville: Most restaurants operating normally
– Twist Eatery
CURRENTLY CLOSED
Willi’s Wine Bar
Girl and the Fig Cafe
Geyserville Grille (reopens Friday)
Frenchie (Sonoma)
Sonoma County restaurateurs are racing to prepare themselves for a proposed power outage that could have a devastating impact on their bottom line. At risk: Hundreds, if not thousands of pounds of refrigerated and frozen food that could quickly spoil if their electricity goes out for an extended amount of time.
That’s in addition to the potential revenue loss of having to close their doors for multiple days.
“We’re in the throes of this right now,” said Domenica Catelli, of Catelli’s in Geyserville. With just hours to go before what’s expected to be a significant outage throughout the county, she was scrambling to find some extra refrigerated space and canceling food orders.
“We’re reaching out to everyone we know,” said Catelli. “We’re looking at refrigerated trucks and downsizing what we have,” she said. Throughout the county, the race is on to prepare for what could be several days without power.
The timing, for many, couldn’t be worse. A lack of trained workers, still-slumping tourist revenue and the loss of entire neighborhoods that are still not-yet-rebuilt has taken a serious toll on the restaurant industry.
“This is really what everyone needs right now?” said restaurateur Terri Stark of Stark Reality Restaurants of the continued stress the industry has seen in the last 24 months.
“The timing of it is so eerie and I’m on edge,” she said.
All but one of the six restaurants Stark owns with her husband, Chef Mark Stark, are in proposed outage areas from Healdsburg to Santa Rosa. Her own home is also in one of the zones and Willi’s Wine Bar was among a handful of restaurants that burned in the 2017 wildfires two years ago.
Stark said they’re currently packing their walk-ins with dry ice. Walk-ins are large refrigerated rooms, that range from closet-sized to hundreds of square feet and are imperative for keeping perishable food at safe temperatures.
Stark’s Steakhouse near Santa Rosa’s Railroad Square will be their base of operations if the power goes out. “The Steakhouse will be open and we think we may be pretty busy because people need a place to eat if there’s no power. But we’re just gonna take this one step at a time. We have a huge walk-in there and we can move whatever food to use at that location,” she said.
Stark, along with other restaurateurs say the large refrigeration units typical in restaurants will hold the temperature for up to a day or longer if they remain unopened. But once the refrigeration temperature hits 40 degrees most perishable food like meat or produce, have to be discarded.
“It could be a total loss. If the power is down, we’ll cancel all our orders for the morning, but it’s gonna be touch and go,” she said.
“I’m making sure I’ve got gas in my generator,” said John Franchetti, of Franchetti’s Gasthaus. Though his Dutton Ave. location isn’t currently on a map of planned outage areas, he’s planning for the worst. In 2017, his restaurant was closed for 15 days while wildfires raged.
“If we have power, I’m going to be open,” said Franchetti.
In Glen Ellen, Ari Weisswasser said his restaurant, Glen Ellen Star, has a busy weekend planned, and he’s not planning to close if he can help it. “Look, I’ve done this before,” said Weisswasser, whose restaurant was perilously close to fires that devastated the surrounding area in 2017. “It would take an earthquake to shut us down. I’m staying open. I’ve done this before and I can do it again,” he said.
In Healdsburg, Dustin Valette said he supports the preventative measures being taken by PGE, though it could seriously affect his businesses. Valette’s father, Bob, is an active duty Cal Fire tanker pilot so the potential for wildfires hits close to home.
“We fully support preventative measures to help save the lives and homes throughout Sonoma County,” he said. “We feel that taking a preventative approach far outweighs the negative effects. If there is a power outage, we will have to close for regular service, although we will be taking this on a case by case basis and plan on having regular service throughout the week,” he said.
Catelli said that despite the worries, the Sonoma County restaurant community is tight-knit and will stick together.
“What I know from what we’ve all been through the last two years is that we’ve gone through a lot and our community is strong,” she said.
Achieving a unique style for home and wardrobe is all about curation. But, with Instagram and big box stores generating viral kind of styles, it can be hard to pull off a look that feels personal and fresh.
Enter the small-batch makers of the Bay Area. Inspired by the beauty of the local landscape and with a commitment to craftsmanship and design, they are creating unique wares that can enliven a space and help define personal style. On October 12, a Bay Area pop-up marketplace for small, emerging brands—Head West—is coming to the Barlow in Sebastopol. The impressive roster of artisans with offerings from plant hangers to bespoke watches, will join the Barlow’s exquisite retail offerings for a truly unique shopping experience—click through the above gallery for information on sellers.
Head West Marketplace, Saturday, October 12, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., The Barlow, 6770 McKinley St., Sebastopol, headwestmarketplace.com
One of Sonoma County’s most iconic farm-to-table restaurants will close this month after 12 years of service. Lowell’s, once known as Peter Lowell’s, will serve its last meal on Oct. 14, according to owner Lowell Sheldon.
“It’s going to be a good evolution for my life,” said Sheldon. He said that he and his former partner Natalie Goble, looked at the businesses over the last year to see what kind of relevance it still held in the community and their lives.
“As the owner of the business, it has to reflect what’s going on in my life. With having two kids…the way this business worked it wasn’t possible given my current priorities. Sebastopol is changing and has different offerings,” said Sheldon.
With the opening of Handline in 2016 and Fernbar in late 2018, Sheldon’s plate has been full.
“Since Handline opened, we knew it would impact the business. We didn’t know how much or for how long, we didn’t know what it would look,” said Sheldon. With a family-friendly fast-casual concept, lower price point, modern design and sustainable focus, Handline has been wildly successful, while Lowell’s has seen a decline in diners over the last year.
It’s a bittersweet moment for Sheldon, who announced that he’s planning to turn over the space to Ramen Gaijin’s Matthew Williams and Moishe Hahn-Schuman. Williams confirmed that he’s looking into a new project but is not ready to speak publicly about it yet.
When it opened in 2007 Sebastopol’s Peter Lowell’s was radical even for Sonoma County. With a focus on produce grown on their own farm and a mostly vegetarian menu, it reflected a place and a time in West County. Over the years, that point of view evolved, launching Chef Daniel Kedan (now of Backyard) onto the local scene and including a variety of carefully-sourced meats and regional Italian cuisine.
Owner Lowell Sheldon bravely took on the idea of including a 20 percent service charge to offer employees a living wage, which was met with pushback despite it now becoming more common.
“After service on Monday, October 14th, we are ending what has been the fantastic journey of Lowell’s Restaurant. The fire in my heart burns bright with gratitude for the moments I have shared with each of you. It was at this restaurant that I learned what it means to combine of love for something with the work it takes to sustain it. It was at this restaurant that I met one of the great partners of my life, Natalie Goble, with whom I share two beautiful boys. It was at this restaurant that I learned what it means to fail, to wake up renewed, and to start once again with the belief that I may succeed,” said Lowell in an email to fans of the restaurant on Oct. 2.
Sheldon said that the current challenging in hiring restaurant workers hasn’t been an issue for the restaurant, though with increased minimum wages, it has been difficult.
With his young children chattering in the background as he talked by phone, Sheldon seems ready to move forward.
“There’s sadness in me, but I’ve worked through it and I’m excited,” he said.
