Paella So Famous It’s About to Be in an Amy Poehler Movie, Now Available in Santa Rosa

By biteclub
El Pescador paella with sea clams, mussels, prawns, squid, sweet peas, arroz negro, peppers and aioli at Gerards Paella Y Tapas in Santa Rosa. Heather Irwin/PD
El Pescador paella with sea clams, mussels, prawns, squid, sweet peas, arroz negro, peppers and aioli at Gerards Paella Y Tapas in Santa Rosa. Heather Irwin/PD

A few weeks before the opening of Gerard Nebesky’s new Santa Rosa restaurant, the king of Wine Country paella invited a few industry folks to his Occidental home for a preview of the new menu. Not surprisingly, it included mostly discussions about paella, demonstrations of paella and eating paella. That’s a lot of talk about a traditional Spanish rice dish.

And while that was all fascinating and delicious, the true entertainment of the afternoon — and of his now-opened restaurant, Gerard’s Paella y Tapas — was Nebesky himself.

Gerard Nebesky of Gerard’s Paella Y Tapas. Photo Shana Bull, shanabull.com

With a mop top of curly white hair and a grin that rarely leaves his face, Nebesky is the kind of guy who invites you to his longtime camp at Burning Man after knowing you for 15 minutes — and really means it. He routinely dives for abalone and other local seafood for his paella, learned to make paella on a backcountry ski trip and, in 2008, bested Iron Chef Bobby Flay in a paella smackdown in San Francisco. If you’ve ever been to a big Wine Country event, you’ve probably seen him hovered over 4-foot pans of cooking rice and vegetables and shaking hands with pretty much everyone who stops by to say hello.

Interior at Gerards Paella Y Tapas in Santa Rosa. Heather Irwin/PD
Interior at Gerard’s Paella Y Tapas in Santa Rosa. Heather Irwin/PD

To say he’s something of a celebrity is putting it mildly, even before he reveals that he’s also tight with former Saturday Night Live cast member Rachel Dratch (he catered her birthday party) and, with more glee than ego, he reveals that actor Jason Schwartzman will portray him in the upcoming Netflix movie ‘Wine Country.’ The Napa-based “dark comedy” directed by Amy Poehler recently wrapped in Napa Valley and stars Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, Ana Gasteyer and a host of other SNL folks.

“I’m the ‘Annoying Paella Guy,’” he says, holding up a caricature drawing of the cast — with himself in the corner as the Paella Guy. Meanwhile, pans of paella bubble away on his home burners, getting the perfect crispy crunch on the bottom of the pan. Those small paella pans, however, are pipsqueaks compared to the 10-foot pans he’s used at major events like the Maker Faire in New York City.

A large pan of paella from Gerard's Paella catering at Wednesday Night Market in Santa Rosa. Heather Irwin/PD
A large pan of paella from Gerard’s Paella catering at Wednesday Night Market in Santa Rosa. Heather Irwin/PD

“I can serve 1,200 with one of those,” he said.

With the restaurant now open, Nebesky is finding a new audience for his charm and his paella.

Having redesigned the former Persona Pizza in downtown Santa Rosa (also the longtime Arrigoni’s) into a welcoming spot with a cool sunroom, bright and open dining area and open kitchen, the made-to-order paella is as much spectacle as dining.

Just look for Nebesky as both ringleader and greeter behind the giant paella pan, and you’ll know you’ve arrived at the right spot.

Best Bets

The menu is divided into “pintxo” (little bites often eaten with long wooden picks) and tapas (heartier small bites) along with paella, salads, “bocadillos” (baguette sandwiches) and desserts. Lunch and dinner have the same menu. Beverages include several beers and wines on tap (Camlow Cellars rosé of pinot noir is tops) as well as by-the-glass and bottles.

Don’t miss the special cocktails, like the housemade sangria, a lemon and lager shandy and our favorite, white port, tonic and lime, which is the essence of summer in a glass.

 

Marinated mushrooms at Gerard's Paella Y Tapas in Santa Rosa. Heather Irwin/PD
Marinated mushrooms at Gerard’s Paella Y Tapas in Santa Rosa. Heather Irwin/PD


Pintxo (all $5)

Paella Croquettes: Rice and Manchego cheese are mashed into a ball, fried and doused with aioli. What could be better?

Stuffed Piquillo Peppers: Roasted red peppers stuffed with tart goat cheese and topped with dry cured olives and espelette chile, a mild pepper. Sweet, slightly spicy, creamy — it’s the whole package.

Pickled Mushrooms: Not for every palate, but if you like mushrooms and vinegar, these giant pickled fungus are so worth stabbing with a toothpick and savoring again and again.

Tapas


Papas Bravas ($8): Any tapas spot worth its weight features these fried potatoes. The “Angry Sauce” isn’t so mean as to burn but has a stern bit of pimenton to get your attention. Aioli isn’t just mayo, but a true egg yolk and oil version that tastes like the summer sun of Seville.

Paella

Our only critique is the lack of crust on the individual servings. It’s truly our favorite thing about paella, and the quick fires just don’t seem to get the same char. We’ve tried it five times now, and though it’s improving, we want more crunch!

El Pescador ($14): If you get one thing at Gerard’s, get this (assuming you dig shellfish). Filled with clams, mussels, prawns and squid, the beauty of this dish is the “arroz negro”, or black rice, created with cuttlefish ink. It’s a classic, and the ink gives a slightly briny taste to the rice, complementing the fresh seafood.

A few dabs of aioli add richness and a hint of sweet, along with green peas for color and additional sweetness. We kind of can’t get enough of this dish.

El Pescador paella with sea clams, mussels, prawns, squid, sweet peas, arroz negro, peppers and aioli at Gerards Paella Y Tapas in Santa Rosa. Heather Irwin/PD
El Pescador paella with sea clams, mussels, prawns, squid, sweet peas, arroz negro, peppers and aioli at Gerards Paella Y Tapas in Santa Rosa. Heather Irwin/PD

Senorita Rosa ($13): The star of this paella is the chorizo Bilbao, made with smoked paprika, garlic and pepper. The chorizo grounds this lighter chicken, arugula and fennel paella, giving it some real muscle.

El Valedon ($15): The #flayslayer, this paella is a mix of seafood and marinated chicken with sweet peppers and garbanzo beans. Think of it as more of a crowd-pleaser with a variety of ingredients rather than a single point of view.

Overall: Half the fun of Gerard’s is the showmanship and stories from Nebesky, well-known to Wine Country for his award-winning paella catering business. But his casual, Spanish cuisine without the fuss is what keeps us coming back again and again.

Gerard’s Paella Y Tapas, 701 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, 707-708-8686, gerardspaella.com.

The New Naked Pig Cafe Opens in Santa Rosa

By biteclub
Eggs Benni with house potatoes, salad and unfiltered sparkling wine at Naked Pig in Santa Rosa. Heather Irwin/PD

The Naked Pig Cafe (2.0) has opened at 544 Mendocino Ave in downtown Santa Rosa (formerly El Capitan Taqueria) with a bigger, brighter and even more stylishly-decorated space than their original shoebox-sized cafe at 435 Santa Rosa Ave. 

We’ve always loved Jason and Dalia’s impeccably curated menus, filled with “urban foraged” flowers, fruits and veggies from throughout the nearby neighborhoods. The Eggs Benni ($15) with Meyer lemon Hollandaise, potatoes and salad were what we’ve come to expect in terms of preciousness and deliciousness. 

A wild fermented sparkling wine ($10) was a unique change of pace from the usual Mimosa. A ruby-colored, unfiltered beverage its somewhere between cider, beer and wine, with a tart, fermented (natch) flavor reminiscent of their “hooch” at nearby restaurant Flower and Bone.

Service can be snail-paced on busy mornings, and the restaurant has taken some hits on Yelp for long waits, but this is slow food after all. For a 20 percent included gratuity, however, we’d be flattered to get just a teensy bit more waitstaff love (and homemade ketchup) with our Benni next time. Nothing over-the-top, mind you. But I’m pretty fond of tiaras and ermine robes.

Open Wednesday through Sunday, 8a.m. to 3p.m.

Great Fried Chicken at a Santa Rosa Gas Station? It’s True

By biteclub
Krispy Krunchy Chicken shops are typically in gas or convenience stations. Courtesy photo.
Krispy Krunchy Chicken shops are typically in gas or convenience stations. Courtesy photo.

Californians tend to get scrunchy faces when you mention any sort of food sold in a gas station. It’s a pained look at your obvious ignorance for even suggesting such a horror.

Not so when you venture east of the Mississippi, where a fill-up means more than just petrol. In fact, gas stations from Pennsylvania to Louisiana routinely have some of the best homemade fried chicken and barbecue at small-town pitstops where restaurants are few and far between. Among the most popular: Krispy Krunchy Chicken, a Louisiana-style fried chicken spot with more than 2,300 locations in 41 states.

Krispy Krunchy Chicken shops are typically in gas or convenience stations. Courtesy photo.
Krispy Krunchy Chicken shops are typically in gas or convenience stations. Courtesy photo.

What may shock and surprise you: It’s pretty darned good.

Sonoma County now has two of its very own, in Geyserville at AJ’s Mini Mart (21079 Geyserville Blvd.) and the newest at the Fuel and Food Market (4856 Old Redwood Hwy., Santa Rosa).

What makes KKC worth a stop? We loved the crispy crust and tasty seasoning that made it a stand out even among more bespoke versions at local restaurants, and definitely a step above KFC. The breast meat was a little drier than ideal, but ours had also been sitting under a heat lamp for a while. Also impressive were “boudin balls” (think poor man’s arancini, made with ground pork and rice and fried into a crisp, mouth-blistering nugget. Plus, its a bargain for a quick lunch or family, with a two piece combo with biscuit just $3.99 and a 12-piece family combo with biscuits and fries for $16.99.

Krispy Krunchy Chicken sides include black beans and rice, honey biscuits, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese and fries. Courtesy photo.
Krispy Krunchy Chicken sides include black beans and rice, honey biscuits, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese and fries. Courtesy photo.

What makes the Redwood Hwy. KKC especially notable is that you can load up on fried chicken, honey biscuits so short you’ll wonder if there’s a single can of Crisco left in the universe while also stocking up on Indian food staples like ghee, basmati rice and aloo bhujia (fried potato snacks).

It’s a curious combination, but one worth seeking out just for the culinary adventure. Just make sure to grab a few napkins.

My very own KKC. Heather Irwin/PD
My very own KKC. Heather Irwin/PD

If you go: The family that runs the Larkfield gas station still seem a little mystified about some of the dishes and fresh chicken can be a little limited at lunch, but if you ask, they’ll fry up some fresh in a jiffy. There’s a little picnic table outside, but we suggest taking it to go and finding your own little bit of heavy to enjoy your KKC.

5 New Sonoma Tasting Rooms to Check Out Right Now

By Dana Rebmann
Silver Oak Cellars in Alexander Valley. (Courtesy of Silver Oak Cellars)

Summer has arrived and with it even more great places to raise a glass. From wine and beer to organic flavored spirits, there’s a plethora of new tasting rooms from which to enjoy the drinks Sonoma County has to offer. Click through the gallery above for new spots to visit right now.

5 Sonoma Buys to Encourage Health and Wellness

By Karen Kizer

Busy life sometimes leaves cultivating wellness at the bottom of the the to-do list. “Self-care” may be a trendy term but it remains something that can be hard to make time for. To help encourage efforts to bring about a sense of wellness, we’ve rounded up a few items from Sonoma County stores. While you can’t exactly shop your way to a peaceful state, this can be a first step. Click through the gallery for details.

Master California Style with Outfits from Sonoma Stores

By Karen Kizer

Lovers of California style have a lot to be excited about right now. Not only is summer here (hello flowy dresses and festival wear!) but there are also new sartorial vibes coming out of the Golden State right now. Fashion designers from L.A., the Bay Area and all over the state are offering a fresh take on the classic West Coast look with strong silhouettes, prints and bold colors. And Sonoma County boutiques are taking note, stocking their shelves with styles that reflect the relaxed beauty of the area. To achieve California chicness this summer (and year-round), click through the gallery above. (All pieces are designed in California, and most of them are manufactured here, too)

Russian River Reverie

By Don McEnhill
Near the Del Rio Dam, 1948. The author’s grandmother Lee McEnhill (center) is pictured holding hands with her son, Don McEnhill Sr., who was on leave from the Air Force at the time.

Awakened by a familiar thunking noise of canoe paddles banging on metal boats, the sounds of summer fill my ears as I half doze under an umbrella. I listen to the shrieks, splashes, and screams of children playing in the water, and a radio is faintly informing us the pitch count is 2 and 2 with someone on second. In the background, nature’s playing its soundtrack with the screeches of the osprey overhead, the cry of a killdeer on the beach, and the hypnotizing song of the Swainson’s Thrush in a tree nearby. It’s another hot lazy summer day when motivation for chores and work is nowhere to be found and the desire to relax is overwhelming. So I’m at the river.

Every family has its summer tradition. Ours always started a few days after school let out, when we’d load up the station wagon to spend some 90 days on the Russian River. Growing up, the rituals of the river began with moving out the field mice and spiders to make way for extended family at the summer cabin. The work didn’t end after that initial cleanup; each summer day started with a chore list dispatched by Mom. As soon as my siblings and I got the OK on chores, we disappeared to catch up with cousins and friends, but never with an agenda — it was just get down to the river to do whatever sounded like fun. Some days that meant catching frogs or turtles or crayfish. Some days it was seeing how many kids could pile into a raft before it sank or splashing the people canoeing by. Many days went back and forth between exploring nature’s wonders and just staying cool in the water.

Today much has changed in our family. We’re all grown up and have kids, my brother moved to Virginia, our aunts and uncles no longer have places near the river. But certain traditions endure. All 18 cousins I grew up with on the river and their kids now get together every summer for a reunion we like to call Lee’s Kids, after my Grandma Lee. We always go back and forth on what to eat for the dinners and who’s going to host them, but one thing is never, ever in question. As they say, location is everything, and our family reunion takes place where our hearts are. We meet at the river.

I Spend $30 a Week at Santa Rosa’s Trader Joe’s, Here’s How You Can Do the Same

By Claire Pelote

Most of you are probably thinking something along these lines right now: “30 dollars for one person? No way,” or “I’d sure like to find out how I can spend that little on groceries.” As a college student, I know how challenging grocery shopping can be, especially if you’d like to eat healthy. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be that way – and I say this to even the most skeptical readers.

Now, this next sentence will probably put a few of you off – but stay a minute and hear me out.

I’m vegan. When I tell people this, many offer the same two objections: “you won’t get enough protein in your diet” (let’s save that topic for another article), and “it’s too expensive.” In my experience, cutting out animal products has actually helped me spend less on groceries. So, whether you’re vegan or would just like to reduce your meat intake, this might actually be an opportunity to save a few bucks.

For me, Trader Joe’s on Santa Rosa Avenue is a convenient spot for buying healthy produce on a budget. Of course, there are endless opportunities to load up on fresh fruit and veggies in Sonoma County – from farmers markets to CSAs to your own backyard. But, as we all know, sometimes it’s just easier to hit the grocery store, and there’s no shame in that.

Before I go grocery shopping, I make sure that I have planned my meals so that I only buy what’s necessary to get me through the week. This way, I can ensure that everything I purchase stays fresh and that I don’t waste anything. (Not so fun fact: globally, we throw out about 1.3 billion tons of food a year; and the United States wastes more than $160 billion in food a year.)

If you purchase everything on the grocery list in the above gallery, it should come to just over $30. Keep in mind, this list is for those of you on a really tight budget. If your bank account allows, you can always add a little more – but make sure you’re not wasting food. Follow these tips and I promise you’ll leave the store with more money in your wallet and healthier food in your cart.

Yanni’s Sausages Named Small Business of the Year in Sonoma County

By Ashlee Ruggels
11/28/2012: D1: PC: Yanni’s Sausage Grill owners John (Yanni) Vrattos, right, and his wife, Francesca make their links on Monday and Tuesday for the overflow crowd at their tiny store on Main St. in Penngrove. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)

Yanni’s Sausages, a Sonoma County favorite with roots in Greece, has been named small business of the year by Senator Bill Dodd (D-Napa).

Founded nine years ago, the family-run business was built on childhood memories – and a kitchen mixer. Shortly after owners John “Yanni” and Francesca Vrattos were both laid off from their jobs in 2009, the couple received a mixer from their daughter for Christmas. Yanni then went to work replicating the Greek Loukaniko sausages his mom made when he was a child – only this time, the sausages were made with the help of a Kitchen Aid. His experiment was a success and the couple launched a sausage-making business and restaurant in Penngrove. Before they knew it, Yanni’s Sausage Grill was flourishing.

Over the years, Yanni’s became a popular Penngrove place with regulars devouring Greek and Italian sausages and chili. John and Francesca Vrattos closed the restaurant in February of this year to focus on their booming wholesale sausage business. According to their website, their sausages are available at 18 restaurants and 30 grocers, and won the “Best of Charcuterie” award at the Sonoma County Harvest Fair in 2010, 2011, and 2012.

In addition to running a successful business, the Vrattos have donated thousands of pounds of sausage to the Redwood Empire Food Bank, hoping to share their food with all community members. After nearly ten years in business, the enthusiasm for Yanni’s Sausages continues to move the couple. “We are still humbled by how much people love our sausages,” said John Vrattos.

Senator Dodd is one of those avid fans. “It is truly inspiring to see the way John and Francesca have turned their vision into a reality,” said Dodd. “I applaud their achievement and wish them the best as they pursue more great sausages.”