An ugly Christmas sweater and 8,000 santas aren’t the usual recipe for romance, but for San Franciscans Brad Maloy, a human resources professional, and Andy Hartman, who works in finance, that recipe hit its mark. They met for a first date at a bar during the city’s annual SantaCon convention. “We were the only two people who weren’t dressed up, except for my sweater,” Brad laughs. Within four months they’d moved in together, and a year later, Andy popped a big question (though not yet the big one): “Would you travel the world with me?”
Brad didn’t hesitate, and the two embarked on a six-month adventure that included, in Andy’s words, “16 countries, 53 flights, and 75 beds.” From football matches in Australia to shark diving in South Africa to a cat cafe in Tokyo, it was a whirlwind trip that also included a secret phone call from Andy to Brad’s parents and a heartfelt marriage proposal in Cinque Terra, Italy.
Eleven months later, the couple married in an outdoor ceremony officiated by Andy’s brother-in-law at Santa Rosa’s French Oak Ranch. They served specialty cocktails named after their golden-doodle, Ollie, and decorated the reception tables with huge palm leaves, succulents, and wooden lanterns. And there was plenty of dancing on a custom dance floor Brad ordered as a surprise for Andy. “I’m 6 feet, 5 inches but for some reason I can do the worm,”
Andrew says, “It was the best wedding gift he could have given me.”
After donuts and more dancing, the night ended with a whisper. “French Oak has a noise ordinance at 10 p.m., but we had the venue until 11,” Brad explained. “So from 10 to 11 we held a silent disco.” The band stopped, but dance music kept playing through wireless headphones passed out to all the guests. It was a highlight of the party, and a whimsical finish to an unforgettable day.
Resources
Venue: K Venues
Wedding planner: Lally Clark, Lally Events
Photography: Megan Clouse Photography
Caterer: Jessica Lasky
Catering Rentals: Encore Event
Rentals Music: Lucky Devils
Band Transportation: Beau Wine
Tours Invitations: Love Notes Paper Company
Silent Disco: Silent Storm Sound System
Donuts: Bob’s Donuts
Sonoma County’s world-class hotels and resorts are more than just a place to rest one’s weary, wine-fogged head, or relax with indulgent spa experiences. In addition to top-notch amenities, many local hotels also feature great bars with craft cocktails, award-winning wine lists and a bite or two to go along with it all. For visitors and locals, the hotel bar can also serve as a place to catch up on work, with free WiFi and plenty of seating. It can be the perfect spot for a nightcap after a day in Wine Country and, for locals, it provides an opportunity to mix and mingle with visitors from around the world. Click through the gallery above to discover five hotel bars to check out right now.
After a long day of wine tasting in Anderson Valley, hiking the coastal trails, and nibbling on fresh caught seafood in Fort Bragg, you can now go “off the grid” at a new “glamping” site just south of downtown Mendocino.
Mendocino Grove, the latest addition to the North Coast glamping scene, bills itself as a campground that offers a “modern camping experience” for those of us who like the idea of washing our tired, hiked out body in a luxurious hot shower and then drying our skin with a nice, warm organic cotton towel.
Like other glamping sites in the North Bay, Mendocino Grove harkens back to a time when San Franciscans would travel north on their vacation, setting up camp on the coast, complete with dining tables, champagne, and their finest outfits. Today, locals and big city dwellers who’d like to vacation in a natural environment, but prefer the amenities of a decent hotel, book a tent, trailer or cabin at a glamping site.
The Mendocino Grove property features 60 canvas tents with the kind of comfort you’d normally find in a hotel: queen size beds, cotton linens, down comforters, wool blankets, and patios with leather butterfly chairs and lanterns.
While suited for couples in search of a romantic getaway, Mendocino Grove is also family friendly. The property has larger tents with queen and bunk beds, complete with hip Bohemian-inspired furniture and private picnic tables and fire pits. And, regarding that luxurious hot shower: there is an onsite communal bath house with private showers, EO body care products, cotton towels, bathrooms, and all the necessities.
Complimentary continental breakfast is served each morning and there are onsite gas barbecues. After a day of hiking or wine tasting, glamping guests can settle into a communal fire pit, play bocce ball, corn hole or a classic board game, use one of many gas barbeques, or chill out on a hammock. And like any camping site, they offer s’mores. (Less outfitted guests have the option to purchase a camp box, which includes a pots and pans, tablecloth, plates, glasses, mugs, bowls, utensils – everything you need to prepare your organic camping chili.)
Kayaking, canoeing, and hiking are some of the many activities that the area around Mendocino Grove offers. The historic town of Mendocino, located a mere five minutes north from the glamping site, has a handful of boutiques, bookstores and art galleries. Head a bit further north to Fort Bragg’s Noyo Harbor for a bite of the fresh catch of the day at the Noyo River Grill (707-962-9050; 32150 N. Harbor Dr., Fort Bragg). Anderson Valley, a wine region regarded for their pinot noir and Alsatian varietals like riesling, is a 20-minute drive away. Must-visit wineries include Goldeneye Winery (707-895-3202; 9200 CA-12, Philo), Smith Story Wine Cellars (707-494-5575; 9000 CA-128, Philo) and Navarro Vineyards & Winery (707-895-3686; 5601 Hwy 128, Philo).
And don’t fret, Mendocino Grove is not truly “off the grid” – they offer wifi and electricity, so you can share those Instagrammable camping moments with your biggest Facebook and Instagram fans.
Mendocino Grove’s season is from May 11-October 31, with rates starting at $142.50. Dog friendly. mendocinogrove.com.
In case allergies haven’t made it perfectly clear already, spring has sprung in Sonoma County. But don’t let the neon green grasses and wildflowers hog all the beauty. The indoors can steal some design “inspo” from outside – click through the above gallery for more information.
“Velocity needs direction,” is how Ginny Freeman wryly describes the dilemma she and husband David Freeman found themselves facing once they’d retired from high-powered jobs in San Francisco and moved full time to Kenwood two years ago. David, especially, was a man in need of a project, and as the couple pondered what they might take on as their next adventure, Ginny posed a question. “What is the thing we’ve done that made us happiest?”
The answer? Attending some of the country’s most prominent authors festivals — including the Sun Valley Writers’ Conference, the Pebble Beach Authors and Ideas Festival and the Rancho Mirage Writers Festival. There the Freemans listened avidly to the likes of Anthony Doerr, Colson Whitehead, Mary Roach and Robert Gates, talking about everything from key elements of their awardwinning novels that never made it to print to longheld frustrations with federal bureaucracy.
“When we were thinking about why we like these conferences so much, it’s because we love to learn,” says Ginny. And so the lightbulb went on: Why not create an authors festival here in Sonoma?
They’ve now done just that, with the Sonoma Valley Authors Festival set to launch May 4-6 at The Lodge at Sonoma Renaissance Resort & Spa, featuring 26 authors and speakers including David Brooks, Billy Collins, Amor Towle, Doris Kearns Goodwin, and astronaut Scott Kelly.
At the outset, the Freemans took their authors festival concept to an expert on such matters: Elaine Petrocelli, who with husband Bill Petrocelli co-owns the Book Passage bookstores in Marin County and San Francisco. Book Passage has long held multiple author events and writers workshops, and Petrocelli knows a good idea when she hears one. She was quick to sign on to help the Freemans with both selecting and securing participating authors and promoting the event.
“One thing that impressed me the first time I met Ginny and David was that they’d already done the research — by going to other festivals and seeing what was working and what wasn’t,” Petrocelli says. But what excited her most was the Freemans’ desire to involve students.
Festival passes for the full weekend are $750, not including lodging, for non-student attendees, who are limited in number to 550. But on Friday, May 4, nine of the authors will address 2,700 students from Sonoma Valley High School, Adele Harrison and Altimira middle schools, Hanna Boys Center and Sonoma Academy. The student component of the program, which will mainly take place at Sonoma Valley High, was orchestrated in large part by 10,000 Degrees, a Marin-based nonprofit that focuses on bringing books and stories to students from low-income households in Sonoma and Marin counties.
“What they’re introducing to the community, introducing to these students and their families, is a huge gift,” says Kim Mazzuca, president and CEO of 10,000 Degrees, of the Freemans and their new festival.
For her part, Petrocelli sees a big future for this little conference that could.
“I think it won’t be long before people are coming from all over the world to attend this festival.”
Sonoma Valley Authors Festival, May 4-6, The Lodge at Sonoma Renaissance Resort & Spa, Sonoma. A Single Pass for the festival weekend is $750 per person. svaf.info
The arrival of sunny skies and warm temperatures marks the beginning of a new season in California: the music festival time of year.
Coachella kicks of the season in mid-April, with celebrities and boho-chic fashion, A-listers on the stage and concertgoers sporting ruggedly feminine looks in the heat of Indio.
After Cochella follows a slew of other festivals in the area, including wine country’s Bottle Rock, which has top acts playing but a toned-down vibe in terms of “essential” concert wear.
Then there’s Outside Lands in in Golden Gate Park in foggy August, which requires a more bundled up vibe. And in between are numerous lesser known, but much beloved festivals like Lightning in a Bottle and Mendocino’s Enchanted Forest Gathering, which play off the dance culture and transformational arts scene. These festivals are more “rainbowy and bouncy” and center around connection to self and others, according to Sebastopol’s Funk and Flash store owner Jared Milligan.
The festivals, and the cultures that evolved around them, have their own signature fashion looks that are influencing style. Click through the gallery above for some looks inspired by and intended for your “day(s) on the green.”
Muffaletta sandwich at the Parish Cafe in Santa Rosa. (Heather Irwin / The Press Democrat)
In a swirling cloud of powdered sugar, jambalaya and fried okra, the boisterous bon temps of Bourbon Street have arrived in downtown Santa Rosa.
Flanked by flickering New Orleans-style gas lamps and perfumed by the spicy bouquet of crawfish and hush puppies, The Parish Cafe is warmer than a peach cobbler resting on maw-maw’s window sill–and owner Rob Lippincott means to keep it that way.
“Be nice or leave” reads a sign on the hostess stand, fair warning for anyone threatening to put a damper on Parish’s heaping helping of Southern hospitality.
This isn’t Lippincott’s first crawfish boil. The Healdsburg outpost of the Parish Cafe opened in 2012, and Lippincott has been slinging beignets at farm market stands for years — and was where many of us first met the NOLA native.
“I always felt like I was selling memories,” said Lippincott, sitting at a communal redwood table at the new restaurant. “New Orleans is such a vortex for Americans. Everywhere I’ve gone I meet new people who want to tell me about their experiences there — about Cafe du Monde.”
“I think that’s always been part of our success,” he said, coming off a bustling weekend that saw more than 600 diners between the two cafes.
Beignets at Parish Cafe in Santa Rosa. Heather irwin/PD
Covered with enough powdered sugar to cover most of your shirt, pants, and shoes should you fail to take heed, beignets have always been the constant for Lippincott, and are on just about every table. Fried squares of dough and hot, oily air are New Orleans’ unofficial food mascot and a bellwether for a chef’s prowess in Cajun cuisine. Lippincott takes his very seriously, though not everyone’s a pro at the art of beignet eating. You can always tell first-timers by their watering eyes and embarrassed coughing after inhaling a cloud of sugar. Nothing iced tea can’t correct
The downtown location comes at an exciting time for Santa Rosa’s revitalizing restaurant scene. Parish has opened in the former La Bufa Mexican restaurant after the owner retired. A complete overhaul began last May, with groundbreaking in October, and opening almost a year later.
It’s been worth the wait for a restaurant that feels so natural in this space, with its shrimp po-boys, muffaletta sandwiches, fried oysters, shrimp and grits, red beans and rice and rib-sticking jambalaya.
Surf and turf po-boy at Parish Cafe in Santa Rosa. Heather irwin/PD
Best Bets at the Parish Cafe
Parish is open for breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday, and breakfast is served all day on the weekend.
Lunch begins at 11:30 a.m., but we’ve heard that you might be able to get a crawfish po-boy if you order before 11:45, the best of breakfast and lunch. No promises, though.
Po-Boys: This NOLA classic is basically a sandwich on steroids. The bread, however, is the key, and Lippincott’s father-in-law happens to be Will Seppi, owner of Cousteaux bakery in Healdsburg. The two worked on a special recipe for the perfect soft inside and lightly crunchy outside that sets his po-boys apart from all others. Our favorite is the Surf & Turf, with fried shrimp, roast beef and “debris” gravy. $14 regular, $18 king-sized.
Red Beans and Rice ($6, $10): Not for vegetarians, it’s made with ham hock and andouille sausage so it actually tastes good.
Muffaletta ($14, $26 for a whole): This NOLA classic is a round loaf of focaccia stuffed with ham, salami, mortadella, provolone, mozzarella and olive tapenade. Olives are my kryptonite, but I actually ate a pretty darn big portion of this sandwich despite the tapenade. True connoisseurs, however, tell me this version is dead on.
Seafood Platter ($20): Big enough for one hearty eater, or two hungry lighter eaters, it’s a fried food bonanza with shrimp, oysters, fries, catfish and hush puppies.
Beignets ($5): A necessity.
Shrimp and Grits ($14): This is exactly what this Southern dish should be, full of butter, with Creole tomato sauce.
Overall: A love letter to Rob Lippincott’s hometown of New Orleans, the second Parish Cafe has already woven itself into the fabric of downtown Santa Rosa.
Parish Cafe, 703 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, 707-843-7804, theparishcafe.com. Also at 60 Mill St, Healdsburg.
With sunny weather and warm temperatures predicted for Easter, brunch is on the menu for the hoppiest of holidays.
Here are some favorite breakfast, brunch and dinner spots for your Easter celebrations.
Coast
Rocker Oysterfellers Kitchen + Saloon: Two-course brunch for $32 per person with their special Bloody Mary Bar that includes pickled veggies, bacon, peppers, salami, flavored salts and hot sauces. Egg hunt around the patio and a chalk art area for kids. Reservations highly encouraged. 14415 Shoreline Highway, Valley Ford, 707-876-1983, rockeroysterfellers.com.
Healdsburg Spoonbar: Lineup includes buttermilk pancakes, spring vegetable quiche and orange and honey glazed baby back ribs, and a dessert bar. The brunch will also feature small pancakes and a “build-your-own ice cream cookie sandwiches” station for the kids. Diners can also toast with a Bergamot Blossom, a Bloody Mary or acclaimed “farm-to-bar” cocktails. $39 per person, $15 for kids under 12. 219 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, 707- 433-7222, spoonbar.com.
Botiffara at Mateo’s Cocina Latina in Healdsburg. Courtesy
Mateo’s: Open at 9 a.m. serving breakfast and lunch (11:30 a.m to 3 p.m.) with specialties including Huevos Rancheros, Chilaquiles, sangria, mimosas, pork carnitas quesadillas, cochinita pibil, ceviche and more. What’s especially fun is that they’ll be selling a limited supply of their housemade Botifarra, an ancient recipe for a regional type of sausage. Try something new! 214 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, 707-433-1520, mateoscocinalatina.com.
Barndiva: Brunch in the gardens, with a 3-course $55 brunch including chilled asparagus soup, baby kale caesar, yellowfin tuna crudo, Dungeness crab BLT, steak and eggs, lobster huevos rancheros, Meyer lemon tart. Barndiva is also offering French Country dinners each Sunday throughout April in the Gallery, with homey dishes like herb roasted leg of lamb, soupe au pistou, salmon croquette, smoked pork and more. 231 Center St, Healdsburg, 707-431-0100, barndiva.com.
Dry Creek Kitchen: Three-course brunch featuring warm crab and asparagus, Bellwether ricotta pancakes, Mary’s chicken pot pie, German chocolate pie, carrot cake, key lime millefeuille.$55 per person, 11 a.m to 2 p.m., 317 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, 707-431-0330, drycreekkitchen.com.
Petaluma Chicken Pharm : Gather your flock at Chicken Pharm for Easter Brunch. Easter Bunny photos from 9am-11am, brunch from 9am-2pm, including $17 bottomless mimosas for the adults. There will also be Easter eggs and other festive favors for the chicklets. The brunch menu includes Chick n’ Waffles; Stack Attack (buckwheat hotcakes, roasted bananas, Marshall Farms honey); Breakfast Tacos (Petaluma eggs, Black Pig bacon, black beans, avocado, pico de gallo) and giant blueberry muffins. 132 Keller St, Petaluma, 707-543-1278, chickenpharm.com.
Santa Rosa
Walter Hansel Wine Bistro: A la carte Easter menu with crab cocktail, Coquille St. Jacques, Veal Cordon Bleu, spring lamb shanks, fruit tart. Open for dinner 4 to 8:30p.m., 3535 Guerneville Road, Santa Rosa, 707-546-6462, walterhanselbistro.com.
Franchetti’s: A la carte menu includes a Bennie Balooza with a Caprese bennie, ham, and pineapple, chilaquiles, frozen blackberry lemon chiffon pie or prix fixe featuring biscuits and honey butter, arancini, bennies and dessert. 1229 N. Dutton, Santa Rosa, 707-526-1229, franchettis.com.
Sonoma Breakaway Café : Spring vegetable toast with sauteed favas, oyster mushrooms, eggs and Hollandaise, braised lamb shank with lemon risotto, open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., 19101 Sonoma Hwy., Sonoma, 707-9965949, breakawaycafe.com.
Sebastopol Patisserie Angelica: Passover and Easter sweets include Lemon Lavender Egg cake with flowers and piped flowers, and eye-popping chocolate raspberry eggs with chocolate truffle mousse, raspberry preserved and fresh raspberries glazed with dark chocolate. Order ahead for pickup. 6821 Laguna Park Way, Sebastopol, 707-827-7998, patisserieangelica.com.
Zazu Kitchen and Farm: Prix-fixe, $29 per person includes Nutella French toast sandwich with strawberries, asparagus risotto, housemade bagel with smoked McFarland springs trout, Corned beef Rueben on rye, rabbit tinga tostadas, plus Black Pig bacon, grilled asparagus with tarragon Hollandaise, kale caesar, fried green tomatoes. 6770 McKinley #150, Sebastopol, 707-523-4814, zazukitchen.com.
Gravenstein Grill
Brunch specials from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. includes Dungeness Crab Benedict and Sonoma Spring vegetable quiche. Plus Willie Bird Turkey Burger and Liberty duck confit. 8050 Bodega Ave., Sebastopol, 707-34-6142, gravensteingrill.com.
The Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance presents its second annual Signature Sonoma Valley event April 6-8.
The event, which offers a “deep dive” into the wines, the land and the people of the Sonoma Valley region, will include the participation of vintners and winemakers from over 30 wineries, hosting parties and exclusive dinners, and providing rare access to special, limited wines.
“Our goal is to educate, inspire, and delight our oenophile guests with once-in-a-lifetime experiences that showcase our world-class wine region,” shares Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance’s Executive Director Maureen Cottingham, “it provides wine experience seekers with even more access to Sonoma Valley’s famed wineries and esteemed luminaries.”
The event will showcase not only the wine and cuisine of the region and the people who craft it, but also provide educational experiences meant to expand the palate of guests, as well as their knowledge of the winemaking process and the history of Sonoma Valley winemaking. Click through the gallery above for some of the highlights at this year’s event.
Proceeds from the weekend benefit Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers, a nonprofit trade organization that promotes awareness of Sonoma Valley’s grapes, wines, and history as the birthplace of the California wine industry.
Tickets range from $65 to $500 and $1,750 per person for the entire weekend, the latter which includes transportation to and from events. Visit sonomavalleywine.com for more information.
Petaluma barbecue spot What A Chicken features barbecue chicken, ribs, fresh salsas and tortillas. (Heather Irwin/The Press Democrat)
Petaluma is going gonzo for What A Chicken!, a budget-friendly barbecue spot, which specializes in — you guessed it — chicken.
You’ll smell it before you see it, with a massive grill perfuming the entire block with mesquite smoke and grilling chicken. Prepare to drool a little. Once you’ve passed through the mist of sizzling poultry, it’s an order-at-the-counter affair. Choose from mixed grill plates, as well as tacos, fall-off-the-bone ribs, a so-so-sides like potato salad, coleslaw, and Spanish rice. Instead, get the freshly made corn tortillas and spend some time at the salsa bar. There’s usually a line, so you’ll have time to ponder the menu.
We found the chicken to be wonderfully flavored, but a bit dry. Doused with fiery pineapple salsa and wrapped in a warm tortilla, it’s easier to see why folks are so impressed. That and the prices: You’ll get a two-item, two-side plate and a drink for $7, hearty tacos are $3 and burritos around $7 as well.
Super plus: A selection of icy agua frescas are delightfully cool and sweet, taking some of the bite out of spicier salsas. 708 E. Washington, Petaluma, 510-776-7615.
