This isn’t your fancy wood-fired pizza, or pizza with four kinds of Brie. This is Friday night pizza. The ooey-gooey stuff you pull out of a box and eat with a paper towel, with a smile on your face and a little grease running down your fingers. Click through the gallery above for a handful of our favorite mom-and-pop Friday night pizza spots in Sonoma County. Note: Call for delivery areas and hours, as they may vary.
Les Pascales, owned by Pascal and Pascale Merle (a married couple from Lyon, France) is slated to say Bienvenue to Glen Ellen residents later this spring. The familiar old building at 13758 Arnold Drive will become the town’s first authentic patisserie, according to insiders.
Speaking of French food…
The much-loved Frenchie food cart owned by Sarah Pinkin and Elizabeth Payne, is about to get a permanent spot in Sonoma. Their French picnic food and provisions have proved so popular that they’ve started a Barnraiser crowd-funding site to help get the restaurant off the ground. So far they’ve raised about half of the $30k goal they’ve set. “Our hope for Frenchie is to bring the local food scene to the forefront of the plaza. Tourism is on the rise in Sonoma. We would like to show visitors what the Sonoma food scene is about,” says the website. More details about their cart and their fundraising at facebook.com/frenchiesonoma.
Also…
After years of being first-come, first-served (to the consternation of many diners), owner Josh Silvers has expanded the restaurant and is now taking a limited number of reservations. Hallelujah. They’ll also have plenty of non-reserved tables. 135 4th St., Santa Rosa, 707-545-6900, jacksonsbarandoven.com.
Don’t get your schnitzel in a knot
Chef John Franchetti says his phone hasn’t stopped ringing about their Germanuary menu addition of German schnitzel. Schnitzel will stay on the menu for the foreseeable future, so you can stop worrying. 1229 N. Dutton Ave., Santa Rosa, franchettis.com.
New businesses are popping up around Sonoma County like flowers in spring. As we speak, 27 new businesses are either open or getting ready to open their doors. From wineries and breweries to French bakeries and luxury hotels – and more Mexican food than you can shake a stick at – we can’t wait to check out these new additions to the Sonoma County scene. Check out the slideshow above for all the details.
Four months ago, Dennis Tussey was sifting through the ashes of his Fountaingrove restaurant, Sweet T’s in search of whatever he and his wife Anne could salvage—a few dishes, some patio furniture, and a $25,000 barbecue smoker they recently purchased. Today, he stands in front of an empty Windsor restaurant space planning the popular barbecue restaurant’s return this summer.
“We have such a faithful following,” says Tussey, misting up a bit, “We didn’t realize until after the fire, but we can go anywhere and people want to talk to us about the restaurant,” he said. “It never entered our minds that we were done. Our only thought was that we needed to come back. We want to put our employees back to work.”
And that’s why the couple set to work almost immediately on finding a new location for Sweet T’s, despite the trauma of losing so much on the night of October 8. The new restaurant will be at the former Denny’s at 9098 Brooks Road South in Windsor.
The Tussey’s fire story started in the early hours of the morning as Ann was closing up the restaurant. She smelled smoke but passed it off as fireplaces possibly being lighted on the windy night–until a fire truck went by the restaurant, heading up Fountaingrove Parkway. Curious, she followed, seeing some smoke but thinking maybe it was a house fire. Like most folks, she didn’t know that fire was already ravaging the hillsides to the east. Tussey went home, and at 2 a.m. the landlord of the building called to inform them that sprinkler alarms had gone off in the restaurant. “We knew something was very wrong,” Dennis said. Their beloved pitmaster, George Ah Chin, who lived nearby, tried to reach the restaurant and saw the entire area ablaze. “We knew it was gone,” Tussey said.
“Of course I feel much more sympathy for the folks who lost homes,” Tussey said. “I had a bed to go home to. But six years of intense effort just went up in smoke.”
In the days after the fire, Tussey invited his staff to home to regroup, giving them 60 days severance pay and helping them find new jobs. They’ve worked with the kitchen staff to rewrite the many recipes for Sweet T’s signature Southern dishes — from grits to ribs — and have a staff of 12 working on the reopening of the restaurant.
Quitting just wasn’t an option. “If you don’t like the restaurant businesses, it’s a tough business to be in. We had grown that place by word of mouth, and we were on solid footing, with between 400 and 600 guests per day,” he said. He equates it to a long-running Broadway show, where there’s always a new audience, always more expectation. “You have to be as good or better than you were yesterday.”
The menu will be mostly the same, though the couple is adding a wood-fired grill to their barbecue lineup. And there will be plenty more parking in the shopping center — something that was always a challenge at their former location. Otherwise, expect the Southern hospitality and solid ‘que Sweet T’s was known for.
“It will be good to see all of our old friends again,” said Tussey.
The official Oscars after party, the Governors Ball, is about to get a taste of Sonoma.
Following the awards ceremony on March 4, celebrities will be toasting their wins (or drinking away their losses) with wines from acclaimed filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola’s Sonoma County wine brand. Coppola has won six Oscars himself, some of which are on display at his Geyserville winery.
“The Academy Awards is a ceremony that honors daring, fearless, innovative storytelling, and in that tradition, we have developed two exquisite Director’s Cut wines that reflect innovative excellence,” says the winery’s CEO, Corey Beck.
The first wine is the Oscars 90th Edition 2016 Chardonnay, which is a single-vineyard chardonnay from Gail Ann’s Vineyard in the Russian River Valley. The vineyard is located at Dutton Ranch, a property known for producing world-class pinot noir and chardonnay.
The second wine is the Oscars 90th Edition Cabernet Sauvignon, made from grapes grown just steps from the winery itself, in Alexander Valley.
They’ll also be serving other Francis Ford Coppola Winery vino at the Oscars party, including Director’s Cut Sauvignon Blanc, Director’s Cut Chardonnay, Francis Coppola Reserve Pinot Noir and Archimedes, a red blend.
According to the winery, they’ll serve 2,400 bottles of wine and over 14,000 glasses. That’s a lot of tipsy celebrities.
While we humble masses won’t be able to acquire the two limited edition Director’s Cut wines, the winery has produced a single vineyard malbec, 2014 Final Cut, with a cool interactive label.
Crowdsourcing restaurant review site Yelp has revealed the top 25 wine bars in the U.S., based on votes by Yelp reviewers. Coming in on #8 is Sigh, a champagne bar in the town of Sonoma.
Sigh, owned by Sonoma local Jayme Powers, was the first bar to specialize in sparkling wine and champagne in Northern California and remains the only one of its kind in the region, outside of San Francisco.
The bubbles bar posted on Facebook saying they’re “incredibly proud” to have made the Yelp list.
Sigh has 125 reviews on Yelp and a five star rating. According to Sigh’s website, the bar is named after “the sound of the cork escaping from a bottle of Champagne,” which “should mimic the SIGH of a contented woman.”
Sigh reopened in mid-2017 after a relocation to a new space in downtown Sonoma. The wine bar has garnered the attention of locals and visitors, who flock to the stylish space. With its cream and light pink shades, fluffy pillows and expansive marble bar, the interior design makes you feel as if you’re inside a bottle of blanc de blancs. Yelpers call it “beautiful,” “tasteful,” and “a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere.”
Yelpers also praise the service, describing the staff as “great and so personable,” and of course the bubble selection, which includes big names (Dom Perignon, of course), independent producers, and local favorites (Gloria Ferrer, Iron Horse Vineyards).
Sigh is located at 120 W. Napa St., Sonoma. (707) 996-2444. sighsonoma.com.
One of the hippest and happening wine brands in Sonoma County, Banshee Wines, has entered into a “strategic partnership” (take that as you will) with “big wine” company Foley Family Wines.
Banshee Wines, which was founded in 2010, has a bohemian-inspired tasting room in the heart of downtown Healdsburg, where they pour boutique pinot noir and chardonnay, as well as a rosé (which we named one of our favorites of 2017).
The “strategic partnership” includes not only Banshee, but Rickshaw Wines, a second label of Banshee specializing in sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon from sustainable vineyards.
A potential partnership had been part of Banshee’s business strategy, according to Banshee CEO Baron Ziegler. “We knew that if we were successful, we would eventually need to align ourselves with a strategic partner who could help us grow beyond the amazing foundation that we established with our small, core team.”
Foley Family Wines was founded in 1995 by Bill Foley, a billionaire who made his fortune in the title insurance industry. The company owns over 20 wineries in California, Washington, Oregon and New Zealand. Sonoma County wineries owned by Foley include Chalk Hill and the historic Sebastiani Vineyards and Winery.
Two big things come out of the partnership for Banshee: the Healdsburg winery will be able to use grapes from Foley vineyards in California and they’ll have the distribution and sales power that Foley offers.
Ziegler and the rest of the Banshee team will “retain continued interest and ownership” in Banshee and Rickshaw.
From old vine rieslings to cool climate syrahs, there is no shortage of mind-blowing wines to taste in Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino. But it is not just the wine that makes a wine tasting stand out, the tasting experience also counts. We went in search of the exceptional and lined up a selection of wine tasting experiences to try right now. From train rides to fine art exhibits to drinking in the winery owner’s house, click through the gallery above for all the details.
Sonoma County is full of hidden gems and local spots, but some of the best spots come with long lines. A prime example is the hours-long lines for Pliny the Younger. Click through the gallery above for 20 things in Sonoma County that are worth the wait.
The gentle perfume of cinnamon, orange, and warm milk hangs like a halo around a bowl of arroz con leche, or Mexican rice pudding. Light streams in from the window as the scent drifts upward and using a soup spoon, I start fanning the bouquet toward my face, inhaling deeply. It’s a seminal food moment, captured forever in my memory, angels singing and birds chirping. Until I get a little too excited about the whole thing and splatter the warm rice on my face and clumsily lose my grip on the spoon. The bartender pretends not to notice, but clearly I cannot be taken anywhere.
It’s hard not to get enthusiastic about Cascabel, the newest addition to Santa Rosa’s Montgomery Village restaurant lineup. Though just a few weeks old, there are already several menu standouts at this casual tequila bar and grill, including a sweet-and-savory Oaxacan mole, meltingly soft barbacoa, spicy shrimp ceviche and homey arroz con leche.
Owners Maher and Tareq Fakhouri, who also run several Bay Area Crepevine restaurants(including the one at Montgomery Village) and other San Francisco ethnic eateries are a constant presence in the dining room, bringing guests chips and a trio of salsas — from mild, to hair-on-fire serrano — and overseeing the kitchen where Chef Caesar Vasques keeps dishes as authentic as possible. Problem is, most of us gringos aren’t quite as enthusiastic about his authentic/ liberal use of hot peppers, so searingly hot dishes like Aguachile ($14) have dropped a few thousand points on the Scoville scale since opening.
Our waitress laughs uncomfortably on our first visit when I complain that, holy habanero, my face is on fire. “We keep telling the chef,” she smiles as I dab my eyes. The message has gotten through, and a little sinus tingle is as mouth-searing as the dishes get. If you’re a fan of having your lips melted, however, Vasques will be more than happy to help you.
Of course, you can also just stick your face into a warm dish of arroz con leche should things get too intense. They call it comfort food for a reason, right?
Best Bets
Barbacoa Pancakes ($10): Cascabel uses a low-temp sous vide technique to slow cook meats overnight, then a pan fry to caramelize and crisp. In the case of barbacoa, the sweet shredded beef is butter-soft, but propped up with an intense mole sauce that commands respect. Piled atop a soft potato latke with crema and red onion, it’s a menu favorite.
Chicken Tinga Enchiladas with Mole Poblano ($13): The last time I ate an enchilada, Carter was in office, so they’re not exactly a go-to for me. Usually bland and over-sauced, enchiladas have gotten a bad wrap — literally. Cascabel’s version stars corn tortillas filled with moist chipotle-spiced chicken, then covered with their sweet-savory mole sauce, crema and onions. Paired with cilantro rice and beans, it’s a hearty meal.
Conchinita Piblil ($18): This classic braised pork dish with achiote paste and habanero peppers will have your taste buds standing at strict attention. Flavors of orange, cumin, cloves, and garlic make this a special dish that’s not always easy to find.
Cocoyoc Salad ($13): Achiote marinated chicken with pineapple relish, red onion, toasted pumpkin seeds and a pumpkin seed-serrano chili vinaigrette. A lighter way to enjoy the intense flavors of Cascabel in more calorically-virtuous way.
Cascabel Fries ($6): Fries mixed with jalapeno jelly, queso fresca, and cilantro. Why has no one thought of this before?
Arroz con Leche ($10): I feel sad for you if you don’t love this. Because any sane person would.
Coconut Cheese Flan ($10): Flan, meet cheesecake. Topped with citrus caramel and toasted coconut, you’ll have a fork war for the last bite.
Tamarindo Cocktail ($10): I was going to tell you how much I loved the white wine sangria, but I fear you might lose respect for my discerning palate. I also won’t mention how much I also like blended margaritas and pina coladas. Instead, I’ll tell you about the Tamarindo, a more respectable cocktail with a stiff pour of Maker’s Mark Bourbon, tart tamarind syrup, and lemon juice.
Happy hour 3 to 5 p.m. daily, plus two pages of tequilas, beer and wine.
Cascabel is at 909 Village Court, Santa Rosa, 707-521-9444, cascabelbayarea.com/santa-rosa.
