Mark Hopper, owner and chef at Vignette, puts salt in his casserole made from earthquake kit ingredients, in Sebastopol on Thursday, October 2, 2014. (Christopher Chung/ The Press Democrat)
Okay, I’m sorry for the clickbaity headline, but this one’s a bit of a heavy hitter we’re pretty excited about.
Remember Vignette in the Barlow? A while back, it seemed to disappear overnight along with its chef/owner Mark Hopper. The website went dark, the Facebook page wasn’t updated, and pretty much no one we asked knew exactly where Hopper had landed.
Surprise! News came out yesterday that Hopper will be the new executive chef for Barndiva in Healdsburg following the departure of Chef Ryan Fancher. Hopper has a stellar resume, working closely with Thomas Keller at the French Laundry, the opening of Las Vegas’ Bouchon and executive chef for casual dining at the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group. He was also instrumental in the opening of Farmshop in Marin, and the late Vignette, which opened in 2014, was a BiteClub favorite for his handmade pizzas and wood-fired veggies.
It’s a solid fit, as Hopper is dedicated to sustainable, local sourcing and should jive with the Barndiva aesthetic.
Stay tuned for more details on Hopper’s introduction to Barndiva.
Pork belly potstickers at Taste of Sonoma 2018 at the Green Music Center. Heather Irwin/PD
Another great year at Taste of Sonoma, which happened Sept. 1, 2018 at the Green Music Center. Highlights included a rose tasting panel, great showings by Ramen Gaijin, Stockhome (Chef Roberth says they’re doing up to 400 covers a day at the new Petaluma restaurant), Jam’s Joy Bungalow, Chef Tom Schmidt of John Ash & Co, Gerard’s Paella and many others.
The pool at the Olea Hotel in Glen Ellen. (Sonoma County Tourism)
Sia and Ashish Patel finished renovations on their historic Glen Ellen hotel just a year before the Nuns fire marched its way.
Purchased in 2011, the husband and wife fell in love with the property’s 200-year-old olive trees that rimmed the lush Sonoma Valley hillside it brushed up against (the trees gave name to the hotel; olea is latin for olive or olive tree). Together, they modernized its interiors and added four new guest rooms, setting down the final paintbrush in 2016.
When the Nuns fire came racing through Glen Ellen last October, the century-old Warm Springs Road hotel was right in its path.
“You never expect that it’s going to happen to you,” Sia Patel said.
But it did. Thanks to a couple of fire crews that set up camp on the property, though, the damage was surmountable. Gone are two of the property’s historical cottages, as well as a significant number of the olive trees the Patels so loved, but the rest emerged mostly unscathed.
This week, nearly a year after the blaze, the Olea Hotel reopened to the public. Burn scars still mark the hillside.
The damage was estimated to be about $1 million, though the final dollar amount will likely be more than that, Sia Patel said. After scraping the fire-damaged buildings from the land, the Patels took advantage of the closure, further modernizing the interiors and installing a pool.
“Luckily our weekends are totally booked,” Sia Patel said. “Our weekdays, I’d say, we’re 50 percent there right now. We’re just trying to get a couple months of the busy season in.”
Rates begin at just $199 and include a two-course breakfast. Olea Hotel is offering two special packages through February, 2019:Winter Escape – 20% off regular rates plus a $25 spa credit and Linger Longer – Stay one night, get 20% off; stay two nights or more and receive 30% off each additional night. Both packages include the hotel’s signature two-course breakfast of sweet and savory items plus breakfast buffet.
Click through the above gallery to see photos of the recently reopened Olea Hotel, and of the damage it sustained during last year’s wildfires. oleahotel.com
Fall is arriving and the warm, sunny days are slowly dwindling. Avoid the post-summer funk by brightening up your free time: enjoy time at the coast, taste wine in the countryside, try new foods, freshen up your look or simply embrace your weekend laziness. Click through the above gallery for 20 ways to upgrade your weekend in wine country.
Creating a great looking bathroom doesn’t have to involve taking a sledgehammer to your old tile and grout. A lot can be accomplished with some paint, clutter editing and the addition of a few (carefully selected) accessories. Here are some exquisite products, all available in Sonoma, to inspire some salle de bain style—click through the above gallery for details.
Short rib poutine at Down to Earth Cafe in Cotati. Heather Irwin/PD
For the last 18 months, Down to Earth Cafe has been a cheerful neighborhood cafe with a fairly straightforward menu of sandwiches, salads and entrees. It doesn’t scream for attention by fussing over how their house-cured pastrami takes 16 days to make or how their butterscotch pudding is made with cream and butter and not butterscotch chips. There’s no indication that chef/owner Chris Ball has worked in some of the best restaurants in Europe, and has worked for years to perfect his shatteringly good fish and chips. Which is exactly why it’s escaped the radar for this long.
Strawberry salad at Down to Earth Cafe in Cotati. Heather Irwin/PD
When the dazzle of six-figure restaurant makeovers, precious farm-to-table menus and a never-ending lineup of pedigreed Wine Country chefs is a constant, simpler neighborhood cafes can be lost in the shuffle. Also, they’re also usually not run by a Lark Creek Inn and Fish (Sausalito) alum, so there’s that.
“I just want to feed people,” says Ball, as we chat for nearly two hours on a Saturday afternoon between services. He’s been freshly featured on Guy’s Grocery Games on the Food Network, a local chef honor not uncommon since it is filmed in Santa Rosa, but Ball also worked for nearly a year with Fieri on a seasonal menu for Tex Wasabi’s when it was shelved during ownership changes.
“He is stunningly knowledgeable about food,” says Ball of the Food Network chef.
Down to Earth is housed in the former Nicolino’s in downtown Cotati (and briefly Stax), revamped from kitschy Italian to a cozy walk-up cafe where service and the menu are casual, but the technique behind the food is anything but.
Fish and chips at Down to Earth Cafe in Cotati. Heather Irwin/PD
Take the fish and chips — something I rarely order after years of flabby, greasy, anvil-heavy disappointments.
“Most of them are like sad pancakes on bad fish,” he says sensing my trepidation. Here, fresh North Coast rock cod is dipped in a light beer batter (and plenty of cornstarch) giving it a lacy, fizzled crispness that’s crackles in your mouth rather than laying there like a sodden blanket.
The fish is clean and whisper light rather than a rubbery mess smelling of low tide. It’s a bit of a revelation served with hand-cut fries (pretty much no one goes to the trouble of making fries anymore), spicy remoulade, a wedge of grilled lemon and coleslaw.
And Ball knows his fish. “We used to bring in fish two times a day,” says Ball of his time at Scotland’s most famous restaurant, the Witchery. During his stint at Sausalito’s Fish Restaurant, he would be awakened before dawn with day boat captains ready to drop their entire catch within a few hours.
Chef Chris Ball of Down to Earth Cafe in Cotati. Heather Irwin/PD
The Grand Rapids, Michigan native, however, doesn’t feel the need to overcomplicate things at the 49-seat restaurant.
“It’s like turning a carrot into a carrot,” he says of his time in fine dining, where a simple carrot would be manipulated 20 times to become, well, a carrot, albeit with foams and gels and pumpernickel “dirt”.
“This is Cotati, I’m trying to feed people here. I want to make really good food. I want everything to be what it is, with just a few components that go together, and you have to put love into food,” says Ball.
Best Bets
Strawberry Balsamic Salad ($9.50/$11.50): This is a popular seller for a good reason. Sweet ripe strawberries are the star of this simple salad that plays ping pong on your palate with sweet candied pecans, pickled onion, creamy herbed goat cheese, peppery arugula, bitter frisee and a sweet, sour balsamic reduction.
Pastrami Reuben ($14): Ball’s house-cured pastrami is thinly sliced and slightly crisped, stacked with sauerkraut, Swiss and spicy remoulade on marbled rye. Each element of this sandwich plays nicely with its neighbor, rather than anyone trying to steal the show.
Shells and cheese at Down to Earth Cafe in Cotati. Heather Irwin/PD
Slow-Braised Short Rib Poutine ($13/$19): This is the show-stopper. Throw out everything you know about Canadian gravy fries, because this is possibly the most elevated dish on the menu. Handcut Kennebec fries, Cabernet gravy that I have contemplated writing an ode to, blue cheese cracklings and a chunk of slowly braised short ribs so sweet and tender you’ll want to send it a Hallmark card. Speaking of which, if you’re more of an entree kind of person, you can get a giant plate of short ribs, mashed potatoes and grilled veggies for $19.50.
Shells and Cheese with House-Cured Bacon ($13): Check out the Yelp reviews. You’ll see a particularly loving review or two of this blockbuster for good reason. Let’s just say Ball knows his way around a Béchamel sauce. A throwback with the addition of a grilled hot dog for us 70s kids.
Butterscotch pudding at Down to Earth Cafe and Deli in Cotati. Heather Irwin/PD
Butterscotch Pudding ($7): Like we said, no melted butterscotch chips, which tend to give short-cut puddings a gritty texture. Smoother than Michael Buble doing a Sam Smith cover in silk pajamas.
Needs Work
Fried Chicken Sandwich ($13): It’s not that I didn’t like this lovely little torpedo roll with crisp fried chicken, but both times I tried it, the use of chicken tenders, rather than the whole breast made the whole thing unwieldy. Java BBQ with Pt. Reyes Blue Cheese also got a little heavy handed.
We’ll Be Back For
Sunday brunch is simple, but Pastrami Hash ($13.50) with crispy potatoes, piquillo pepper and eggs has our name all over it, especially with a side of Meyer Lemon Hollandaise.
Overall: Chris Ball is a top-notch chef who uses his classic training to create comfort classics with a light touch and an earnest heart. A Cotati sleeper that’s snoozing no more.
Open daily. Monday through Thursday, 11a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday to 9 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Catering available. 8204 Old Redwood Highway, Cotati, 707-753-4925, dtecafe.com.
Chef Michael Kalanty, an artisan bread baker and author shared his secrets for creating the perfect pizza in a hands on cooking class at Ramekins Culinary School in Sonoma Saturday May 26th. (Photos Will Bucquoy/For the Press Democrat).
Featuring fancy farm-to-table restaurants and some of the best chefs in the world, Wine Country is a mecca for food lovers. In addition to dining out in style, locals and visitors can also hone their cooking skills here with top notch instructors and ingredients. A cooking class can be a great addition to a girls weekend, a way to (literally) add some spice to your date, an opportunity for some family fun after school or an exercise in team building. As an added bonus, many cooking classes offer a complimentary glass of wine to enjoy with the fruit of your labor. Click through the above gallery for some of our favorite cooking classes in Wine Country.
$1 tacos usually raise alarm bells for me. Then again, so do $6 tacos.
Somewhere in between is the sweet spot, where value meets a reasonable expectation of deliciousness and sustenance. I’m happy to announce that I’ve found a $1 taco — at least until the end of August — that is both good and cheap at the newly opened
You’ve got to buy 5 for the deal, but that gives you the chance to hit up nearly all of the taco meats, which include asada, chicken, al pastor, carnitas and birria (they also have a veggie if you’re so inclined). Al pastor (shaved beef with pineapple) is a riff on Lebanese schwarma, and here it’s saucy and rich and perfect on a taco.
Sope from Freaking Taco (YELP)
Birria is typically a stew meat (here it’s beef) with a mildly spicy kick. Both are favorites, along with the asada. Carnitas (shredded pork) misses the mark a bit, lacking the crisp fattiness that true taquerias get so right, but for $1 it’s worth a try.
Sopes are $3.25 and maybe my very favorite thing on the menu. A tiny corn bowl that soaks up all the meaty goodness piled on top — meat, sour cream, lettuce and queso fresco. You can also grab wet-rittos (saucy burritos), quesadillas and nachos for $7.25, but really, the tacos and sopes are the freaking stars of Freaking Taco. Don’t expect anything fancy, this is definitely a walk-up or take-out spot, but for the price, its a steal of a deal.
Summer may be fading, but not the Sonoma style! To make your autumn nights brighter, I’ve rounded up a selection of stylish lighting pieces that will also add focus to your home design scheme with the splashes of light they emit. Click through the above gallery for details.
Since return from vacation often affords us a desire to double down on our work goals, we might also want to organize our homes better. Here are a few helpful tools, all available in Sonoma County – click through the above gallery for details.
