A recent roundup of celebrity hot spots in Sonoma and Napa is letting people know how to follow in the footsteps of the famous. The celebrity directory, created by travel and lifestyle website Galuxsee, lists wineries, restaurants, hotels, and other local places where celebs have been spotted (or posted photos on Instagram). Click through the gallery above to find out where the stars hang out in Sonoma and Napa. (And don’t miss our roundup of celebrity wineries in Sonoma and Napa).
Some 70 local businesses are indexed in Galuxsee’s directory, which is intended to make trip planning easy for those looking for a celeb-worthy visit to Wine Country. Included in the list is the winery where Oscar winner John Legend and wife Chrissy Teigen had a dinner date, the cooking school Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon attended with Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore, and the vineyards where past Oscar nominees Jessica Chastain and Salma Hayek spent time.
Have you spotted a celebrity in Sonoma or Napa? Let us know in the comments.
Story on which restaurants charge corkage Corks at Eric Ross winery in Glen Ellen
Given that chef Rob Larman’s charming little Cochon Volant BBQ eatery in Sonoma is an order-at-the-counter spot with just a handful of tables, it’s surprising to find a wine list here. But then, this is Wine Country, where we do expect the opportunity to sip a nice Estate Grown Sonoma Valley Dunbar Zinfandel with our $23.95 combo plate of smoky ribs, tender pork shoulder, brisket and spicy sausage.
More surprising, perhaps, is that we’re welcome to bring in our own wine, and enjoy it for free. But then, this is Sonoma County, the land of grapes, where many of us maintain home wine cellars and consider the drink as necessary to life as water. In our region, many restaurants graciously waive the corkage fee for opening a bottle of wine, in what can often be a very happy discovery for visitors.
Some guests like it because they have a special wine they want to enjoy, while others simply want to save money.
“We’re all friends out here,” says Larman, who after the October wildfi res shut down his restaurant for four days so he could divert his food and cooking talent to feeding the community. “I’ve got a casual place, so if people feel good bringing their own wine, why not?”
It’s a perk that many local restaurateurs have noticed diners asking about more and more. And while nationwide the practice of bringing your own bottle and waived corkage fees is mainly popular with smaller establishments lacking liquor permits, in our parts, it’s becoming commonplace at upscale destinations, too. Think celebrity chef Charlie Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen in Healdsburg, which, since opening in 2001, has offered complimentary corkage on the first two 750 ml bottles of Sonoma County wine per table. This, while Thomas Keller’s famed Per Se of New York charges $150 a bottle.
“Here in Sonoma County, we really value our resources,” says Dry Creek Kitchen wine director Jeff Creamer. “That’s not to say that other wine country regions don’t, but I find that the dedication here is incredible, and we want to share that with everyone that comes into the restaurant.
Charlie believes a restaurant should not only be physically located in a place, but also demonstrate that sense of place with its offerings, so he chose to build a wine list composed exclusively of Sonoma County-sourced wines. The decision to waive corkage on wines from Sonoma County is an extension of that commitment.”
Cochon Volant BBQ Smoke House in Sonoma. (Photo by John Burgess)
At the fig café & winebar in Glen Ellen, 70 to 80 percent of guests take advantage of the free corkage, says owner Sondra Bernstein, who as another amenity doesn’t limit the number of free bottles enjoyed per table, as long as guests keep their consumption reasonable.
That’s despite the fact that she is well-known for her talent in crafting superb California produced Rhône-style wine lists at her several culinary businesses and now owns her own wine shop in Sonoma.
“Years ago, we started free corkage on Mondays, because the Night Football,” she says of the Cal-French bistro that she opened nearly two decades ago. “Soon, Mondays were busier than weekends, and we decided we would rather have people in our seats all the time, so we went full board.”
While not charging for the simple task of opening a wine bottle and providing glasses seems minor, for restaurants, it can severely affect the bottom line. Many restaurants mark up their wine costs as much as 300 to 400 percent, making wine sales a critical support to running expensive businesses. Why would a restaurateur give up such high-margin profits?
“This is a controversial topic on the East Coast, especially in New York, where many restaurants still don’t allow corkage, or at least not without higher price tags,” says Creamer. “The decision to waive corkage unquestionably involves a sacrifice in profits, but it brings a reward in terms of developing deeper longterm relationships with local diners and local wineries. Ultimately, the success of a restaurant is built on guest satisfaction and repeat business, and I think our corkage policy is an important part of that equation.”
It’s important to note that the fig café “is really a locals’ place, more so than (her Sonoma restaurant) the girl & the fig,” Bernstein explains. She does charge corkage at girl & the fig since that restaurant caters more to tourists, but “there are so many people in the wine business here — owners and employees that get perks of wine — so it is hard for locals to shell out retail dollars on wine when they have so much at home. I don’t want that to be a reason not to come to the cafe.”
She also hosts local winemakers at the cafe on Wednesday nights, who pour tastes of their wines from table to table. “It’s very fun and educational, and we even sell some of their wine because of it,” she says.
For Sonoma resident Henry Miller, the no-corkage amenity is just another incentive for his family to frequent what he calls “our favorite restaurant anywhere.” He always brings in his own wine, for his visits at least twice a month.
“Even without the complimentary corkage, the fig café would be an outstanding value, especially given the restaurant’s excellent and well-priced wine list,” Miller says. “But the complimentary corkage takes it to a different level.”
The Fig Cafe in Glen Ellen. (Photo by Chris Hardy)
At Railroad Station Bar and Grill in Cloverdale, owner Jangbu Sherpa offers complimentary corkage on Sonoma County wines, and has found his generosity actually boosts his profits.
“It’s just the right thing to do, supporting our local people and wineries,” he says. “Maybe I lose some wine sales, but the area wineries often sell a bottle to a customer, then refer us for a meal, so it makes up for it.”
Such a partnership is a win-win idea that wineries can get behind, too, as evidenced by the Culinary Cooperative program initiated by Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley four years ago. Customers purchasing a bottle at one of the organization’s 60plus wineries receive a voucher for complimentary corkage at participating Healdsburg and Geyserville restaurants, including big names like Healdsburg’s Barndiva and Michelin-starred Madrona Manor.
“Referrals are very much part of the direct-to-consumer equation,” says Jim Caudill, director of marketing communications for the Treasury Wine Estates group that owns such wineries as Chateau St. Jean in Kenwood and Etude in Carneros. “At one of my wineries, we keep a browser book of menus for local restaurants with either no corkage or some incentive, or where our wines are offered on the list. We regularly train staff to answer the no-corkage question, which comes up a lot.”
Caudill does often like to bring his own wine when dining out, he notes. “But it’s never about cost savings. I’m an explorer, so finding (a list wine) I enjoy with my meal is never a problem. But my wife has very definite likes and dislikes. If we visit a restaurant with a distinct point of view about their wine list, we may choose to bring something in so she can enjoy what she likes.”
He also tries to honor the restaurant’s business model, by not relying strictly on BYOB.
“I usually pair my wine with something off the restaurant list, either a glass to begin, or a cocktail and an after-dinner drink,” he says. “When I’m with friends, we may bring a bottle, but then we’ll scour the list and also appreciate a bottle chosen by the restaurant to complement the chef’s vision.”
Dan Goldfield, a partner and winemaker at Dutton-Goldfield Winery, pours a glass of wine during a lunch at Backyard in Forestville. (Photo by Beth Schlanker)
Other Sonoma County restaurants offer free corkage on specific nights of the week, partly to boost business on typically slower evenings, but also as a way to thank what’s mostly a neighborhood crowd for that time slot.
“Mondays are a very localdriven day, and we wanted to show our support to the wineries and guests that support us year-round,” says chef-owner Daniel Kedan, who has featured the free corkage evening since opening his Backyard restaurant in Forestville in 2012. About a quarter of his Monday customers BYOB, he noted, with many guests being area winemakers bringing wines from around the world, and often sharing them with other diners. It makes for a convivial atmosphere, Kedan says, and ultimately, the payback is priceless.
“Our restaurant is so integrated with the Sonoma County agriculture community,” he says. “Wine is a huge part of this. For us, it just makes sense. The biggest part of hospitality is the guest experience, so if guests are enjoying, it’s a win for everyone.”
Grove Cafe in the Redwood Credit Union headquarters in Santa Rosa. Heather Irwin/PD
It’s time for a little lunchtime dignity at the office. So long to sad brown paper sacks, desiccated Lean Cuisines warmed up in a dirty microwave, and worst of all, whatever stinky thing you had for dinner last night that’s making us all wretch at our desks. I make it a practice to publicly humiliate anyone with the chutzpah to bring a steaming plate of fish stew, garlic curry or god forbid, tuna salad near my workstation.
That’s why I’m convinced that Redwood Credit Union’s new Grove Cafe is the future of the office lunch.
Simple daily menus are placed near the entrance to the bright, modern space and include dishes like blacked chicken flatbread with sweet corn and red onion ($6), roast cauliflower and pear soup ($3.50), or Korean bbq chicken in lettuce cups ($8) or a grilled veggie sandwich with sun-dried tomato pesto and goat cheese ($6) fresh beet salad with arugula ($6.75), made-to-order sandwiches and burritos (all under $9). There are no servers or waitstaff, instead, diners simply pick a dish or two on the touch screen monitor, pay with a credit card and sit down. Minutes later, your number is called and your order ready for pickup at the counter. No muss, no fuss, no lost time when your lunch hour is ticking by quickly.
Recently built inside the RCU headquarters, (3033 Cleveland Ave, Santa Rosa), anyone is invited to dine at the cafe, though mostly populated by hungry bankers, nearby Empire College students and Superior Court staff. In fact, I was tipped off by my son, who has made it his mission to receive most of his daily sustenance at the cafe while on break from his college classes. It’s that affordable.
While the concept cafe isn’t locally-owned or Michelin-starred (it is part of international foodservice conglomerate Compass Group, which operates cafes and food services for businesses, schools and hospitals including Bon Appetit Management and Wolfgang Puck Catering), the simple idea is efficient, inexpensive and what office drones (myself included) could really use on days when simply putting food in our faces is something of a luxury.
The Grove Cafe: Open Monday – Friday. Breakfast – 8:30 -10:00 a.m, lunch – 11:30 a.m-1:30 p.m., snacks -1:30 – 3:00 p.m..
Tessa, 6, left, and Joey White, 2, brought their girl power posters to the Women’s March in Sonoma on Saturday. (photo by John Burgess/The Press Democrat)
March is Women’s History Month and there is no time like the present to celebrate and explore the achievements of women – famous and unknown, international and local. Click through the gallery above to discover seven events in Sonoma County that bring the community together in celebration of women. Did you know that Women’s History Month originated in Sonoma County?
Baked Lemon Ricotta Pancakes from SHED in Healdsburg. Moist, delicate pancakes with a hint of lemon and creme fraiche are a weekend breakfast favorite. 25 North St, Healdsburg CA 707-431-7433 healdsburgshed.com
(Courtesy Photo)
Good wine and food is so plentiful in Sonoma that stocking your kitchen with quality goods is easy, if not automatic. Options are everywhere: tasty wine selections, slow food and farm-to-fork treats from local producers. Here are a few independently-owned shops to help fill the wine cellar, the pantry and, hopefully on a daily basis, the table. Click through the gallery above for details.
To most of the world, Sonoma and Napa are synonymous with wine. But in recent years, the region known as Wine Country has also become known as a mecca for craft beer lovers. Now, a new addition to the local beverage scene is merging wine and beer.
St. Clair Brown, a Napa winery, recently revealed that they have added a “nanobrewery” to their operations. The winery, which opened four years ago in the city of Napa, bills itself as an “urban winery,” and is nestled among culinary gardens with a greenhouse tasting room. The winery hosts music performances and locals nights, and offers wine tastings of their small production wines, which include sauvignon blanc, muscat, rosé, zinfandel and cabernet sauvignon. And now, there’s craft beer, too.
Since opening the winery in 2014, St. Clair Brown co-founder and winemaker Elaine St. Clair had dreamt of adding a brewery to the operations. A former winemaker at Domaine Chandon and former brewmaster and co-owner of Napa Ale Works, she founded St. Clair Brown with co-owner Laina Brown with the intention of creating small batch wine (they make about 1,000 cases a year) and small production craft beer.
“I’ve always wanted to get back to beer,” shares St. Clair, “If we were going to be here for the rest of our lives, I really wanted to be able to do both again.” (St. Clair holds a degree in Fermentation Science from the University of California at Davis, with a focus in both winemaking and brewing).
St. Clair Brown’s nanobrewery (“a scaled-down microbrewery”) is the first of its kind in the city of Napa, which has seen an uptick in breweries over the past few years as more locals and visitors have become thirsty for something more than wine. The brewery produces ten beers, about 60 gallons of each batch, which are bottled by hand in re-sealable Champagne bottles. The beers are unfiltered, naturally carbonated, and malt-driven, with a preference for a less bitter or heavily hopped profile.
“I’m a traditionalist in my palate choices. I want to make beers that are just wonderfully balanced,” says St. Clair.
St. Clair Brown winery serves three beers on tap, with weekly rotations through the beer lineup. Their current beer offerings include a little something for everyone: pilsner, honey wheat ale, farmhouse saison, pale ale, red ale, Scottish ale, brown ale, black IPA, porter and oatmeal stout. Tastings, glasses and growlers are offered.
St. Clair Brown Winery & Brewery is located at 816 Vallejo St., Napa, CA 94559. 707-255-5591. stclairbrownwinery.com.
4/6/2014: D3: The BN Ranch Hanger Steak with Jalapeño charmoula, demi-glace and
salt & pepper frites at Seared in Petaluma.
PC: BN Ranch Hanger Steak with Jalapeno charmoula, demi-glace, salt & pepper frites at Seared in Petaluma, thursday April 3, 2014. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2014
Sonoma County Restaurant Week is here!Now in its 9th year, the event features more than 120 restaurants from every corner of the county serving up multi-course lunches for $10 or $15 and dinners for $19, $29 and $39 per person.
We just like to call it an opportunity to stuff your face at great local restaurants for a bargain. And this year, you have more than a week to enjoy the bounty; from Friday, March 2 all the way through Sunday, March 11. Other than a few stretches, pulling out your most forgiving pants and sharpening those fork tines, the most important thing you need to do is a little planning.
We’ve pulled together a few tips to make your experience a little easier to navigate, as well as some Restaurant Week menus that got us salivating (in the gallery above).
Top Tips
1. $15 lunches are the best way to see if you want to go back for a $29 or $39 dinner at the restaurant. Most have completely different lunch and dinner menus, but you’ll get a good sense of the restaurant’s style. Others offer similar lunch and dinner menus— adding a salad, soup or dessert to the dinner menu for evening diners. In that case, we’ll take the $15 version and skip the dessert.
2. Look at restaurants by price range on the website. We like to compare what folks are doing in the same price range. We’d probably skip over spots that aren’t offering anything different from their regular menu, or that haven’t put much effort into their menus. Seek out the restaurateurs that are putting extra oomph into their offerings.
3. Expect something impressive for $39. Don’t expect that same level of wow for $19. We tend to make a rule that we expect higher-end restaurants to really impress us with their $39 menus. We’re very impressed with menus from John Ash ad Co., Dry Creek Kitchen, and Seared at the higher price point. Also, look out for restaurants that aren’t staying in their usual lanes. For a value-priced fast-casual spot, a $39 dinner might be a bit overambitious.
4. If you hate to wait, go early or go late. But really, go early. Restaurant Week is very popular, so restaurants can get crowded. Also, make a reservation if possible. Weekdays tend to be quieter than weekends, natch.
5. Tip your servers well. Let me repeat that, tip well. Whether its a $10 lunch or a $39 dinner for two, restaurant staff are put to the test during this busy week. All restaurant participants want to impress their guests, but service can be a bit harried during crush hours. You may be getting a great deal, but everyone from dishwashers and bussers to servers still depend on that extra percentage of your bill to stretch their paychecks.
High school is hard. Let us who’ve been through it count the ways. Add to this the grand, but sometimes fraught finale called “the prom”—wherein pressures of surviving grade-getting and social scenes are heightened by the challenge of finding the perfect dress, date or group to go with, as well as the cash flow to make it all happen—and you have some familiar teen woes in need of a fairy tale-type fix. (According to a 2015 study by VISA, the average prom night costs for a teen range from $500 to more than $700.)
Well, Fairy Godmother has arrived in the form of The Princess Project, a nonprofit, free retail pop-up that provides a wide selection of dresses at no cost to teens with a financial need. Sonoma County will hold its first dress giveaway March 24 and 25 at the Petaluma Village Premium Outlets mall.
The Princess Project was born in 2002 when founders Laney Whitcanack and Kristi Smith Knutson were managing youth programs at COROS Northern California and learned that an intern wasn’t attending her prom because she couldn’t afford a dress. Whitcanack and Smith Knutson were moved to email a number of people in search of a dress, and when many responded to this one request they knew there was an ample supply of dresses and generosity ready to meet a demand.
Now the all-volunteer organization has hundreds working to transform donated spaces into pop-up boutiques where teens in need of a no-cost dress can “shop” for the perfect fit. With chapters in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Silicon Valley, The Princess Project each year outfits an estimated 5000 teens of all shapes, sizes and genders in new and gently used dresses.
The Princess Project’s number one core value is to celebrate bodies of all sizes. To that end, they commit to using no body imagery in their promotional materials.
Volunteers are tasked to help match teens with their idea of the perfect dress, and, according to Princess Project Board of Directors member, Jennifer Lynch, “to be supportive of teens without focusing on individual body traits.”
“We try to position every question designed to make the teen think, ‘How do I personally feel in this dress? Am I physically comfortable? Can I dance in this dress?,'” says Lynch.
“Our volunteers honestly dote on all of the teens,” says Alisa Sharp, co-founder of the Sonoma Princess Project. “From the minute you walk in the door, you have someone assigned to you to help be your personal shopper. They compile an entire armload of dresses to take back to the dressing room. If the teen gets to the dressing room and isn’t happy, (the volunteer) runs back out to grab another handful. It’s fun!”
Lynch expresses gratitude to the Petaluma Premium Outlets for being “a great support,” and for providing valuable space for the dress giveaway on March 24 and 25.
Teens interested in getting a dress through the Princess Project can sign up here for an appointment time and need only provide a valid student ID at their appointment.
Volunteers, dress and monetary donations are needed around events and throughout the year. For more information visit: princessprojectsonoma.org/volunteer-1
Princess Project Sonoma’s dress giveaway will be held March 24 and 25 at the Petaluma Village Premium Outlets Mall. Please visit princessprojectsonoma.org for more information and to schedule an appointment.
Sonoma Ecology Center biologist Caitlin Cornwall, left, leads a walk past California poppies at the Van Hoosear Wildflower Preserve in Sonoma, on Sunday, March 30, 2014. (BETH SCHLANKER/ The Press Democrat)
Spring’s sweet arrival calls us to spend more time outside. Here are some Sonoma products to help you enjoy the changing weather and take to the trail for some exhilarating exercise and wildflower gazing. Click through the gallery above for details.
Beets and greens salad with walnuts, pickled onions, black pepper buttermilk dressing. Heather Irwin/PD
Fine dining was never a perfect fit for Matt and Sonjia Spector, the chef/owners of the critically acclaimed JoLe restaurant in Calistoga and Mattyson in Philadelphia.
“My grandmother always said live life with zoftig,” said Matt. A Holocaust survivor, she often used the Yiddish term that roughly translates as “fullness” that comes with being well-fed. “My uncle would constantly tell me to make sandwiches more zoftig –– or chubby,” Matt laughs, referring to the word’s more cheeky translation––a plump frame which literally means “juicy.” A life of late nights and Instagram-worthy menus just wasn’t the couple’s idea of finding abundant happiness –– or juiciness –– in their lives.
A sign at Zoftig in Santa Rosa. Facebook
“Matt and I aren’t fancy people,” said Sonjia, who was JoLe’s pastry chef. “We would come greet guests (at JoLe) with flour on our shoes,” she said. Most folks found the informality charming. But some weren’t amused by the casual vibe in tony Napa. “Matt was always trying to fit into a box he wasn’t comfortable in.”
Matt Spector, chef and owner of Zoftig restaurant in Santa Rosa. Heather Irwin/PD
So after selling the restaurant in 2016 (and doing a chef stint at Sonoma’s Girl and the Fig) the couple began looking for a restaurant to call their own again. This time, however, it would be close to their Santa Rosa home and only open for breakfast and lunch, giving them more regular daytime hours rather than perpetual night shifts. With two sons, the couple was ready for more zoftig. Which is exactly why they named their new cafe after that elusive feeling — Zoftig.
Porchetta banh mi from Zoftig in Santa Rosa. Heather Irwin/PD
Focused on simple, yet well-made sandwiches, salads, and bowls, the concept doesn’t sound particularly fascinating at first pass. Until you realize that Matt makes everything from scratch — from the roasted chicken and Diestel turkey to oven-roasted tomatoes, and fresh porchetta for his own take on a Vietnamese banh mi. It’s a grab-and-go lunchtime spot near downtown Santa Rosa that’s far better than it actually needs to be, featuring bread from their next-door neighbors at Goguette, fresh chicories, and kale from FEED Sonoma and salad add-ins including paprika roasted cauliflower, goat Gouda, and grilled crimini mushrooms.
If, like us, you’ve been jonesing for a giant DIY salad packed with healthy arugula, farro, grapefruit slices and decadent Point Reyes blue cheese or a harvest bowl full of roasted squash, pumpkin seeds, and dried cranberries, we’ve found the spot where you’ll be well-fed.
Best Bets
The breakfast menu is still in flux and chances are some of the dishes will change up over time, but we brought our leftovers to the newsroom and the consensus was, essentially — yum. Build-your-own salads are $8.95, and wraps and bowls are between $10.50 and $13.50. Most are easily splittable for two. Beer and sodas available.
Go Light
Roast chicken sandwich with apple Brussels sprout slaw, sharp cheddar, Dijon. Heather Irwin/PD
Roasted chicken ($11.50): This is what every deli sandwich aspires to be. Shredded, seasoned chicken with apple and Brussels sprouts slaw, tangy dijon mustard, sharp cheddar cheese and aioli on an airy ciabatta roll. We could easily eat this daily.
Falafel Wrap ($10.50): Grilled lavash stuffed with thick falafel patties, hummus, crisp cucumbers, sweet pickled red onions, tahini, and avocado. Too often this Middle Eastern staple is drier than the Negev desert, slathered with bitter, gritty tahini and stuffed with tasteless tomatoes. The sweetness of pickled onions, and moisture of good hummus, avocado and cucumber make it a lunchtime mitzvah.
Go Green
Beets and Greens Salad ($10.50): A giant bowl of greens studded with roasted beets, walnuts, pickled onions and a light buttermilk dressing. I might swap out a vinaigrette, but a solid meal of a salad.
Hanna salad with quinoa, kale, arugula, olives, red peppers, chick peas and tahini dressing at Zoftig. Heather Irwin/PD
Hanna Salad ($11): Virtue in a bowl. Peppery arugula with kale, quinoa, tomatoes olives, cukes, roasted red peppers, chickpeas and tahini dressing. Named after Matt’s mom. And as a mother, we know she’d be happy you’re eating your greens.
Go Big
Korean BBQ Burrito ($12.50): This food truck mashup is stuffed with sweet grilled short ribs, kimchi, daikon and short-grain brown rice inside a tortilla. It’s rib-sticking and hearty — not for dainty eaters.
Philly Special ($11.50): A nod to the Spectors’ time in Philly, where they ran a BYOB small plates restaurant, there’s no steak or cheese whiz in this version (though I’d be totally into that). Instead, fried chicken cutlets, bitter broccoli rabe, roasted garlic and provolone (natch) tell your tastebuds to fuggetaboudit and get to chompin’. Tart oven-roasted tomatoes class the whole thing up a notch.
Porchetta banh mi from Zoftig in Santa Rosa. Heather Irwin/PD
Banh Mi ($12): Porchetta is the secret ingredient. This rich, crispy rolled pork is paired with tasty chicken liver mousse, pickled carrot and daikon, cilantro mint and jalapeño mayo. If you aren’t a huge fan of heat, skip the jalapeños sprinkled on top. They’re often a sizzling mask for lower-quality ingredients, but here, you’ll want to actually taste the ingredients. My favorite sando on the menu.
