Small towns are en vogue this year, at least according to Vogue magazine. In a recent roundup of top U.S. destinations to visit in 2018, the legendary fashion mag highlighted the hip factor of the American small town, describing it as “increasingly cool” and “quickly rising in popularity among today’s jet set.” And what town did we (somewhat unexpectedly) find among these hot travel spots? Santa Rosa!
Now, we already know that Santa Rosa rocks, but to call the urban center of Sonoma County a “small town” might be a bit of a stretch – or contraction. (Of course, by comparison to Vogue’s usual suspects – major cities with skyscrapers and high speed trains – Santa Rosa may seem like the cute town in the country, so they may be forgiven for that, ever so slight, oversight).
On to the more important question: what was it that caught Vogue’s eye in Santa Rosa, and made our county capital join the ranks of Salem, Massachusetts; Lexington, Kentucky and Sarasota, Florida? Click through the gallery above to find out. And leave your comment below to share your favorite spots in Santa Rosa.
Schnitzel at Franchetti’s Wood Fire Kitchen in Santa Rosa. Heather Irwin/PD
It’s Germanuary in Sonoma County, and I’m a sucker for schnitzel (and sauerbraten, spaetzle and cabbage rolls). The combination of thinly pounded pork or veal, with crispy breadcrumbs and lemon — with potatoes, natch — is such a hearty dish it’s no wonder it’s the national dish of Austria (but Germany gets credit for the first cookbook recipe).
If you’re ready for some cheat-night fun, here are three spots to get great schnitzel…
Franchetti’s Woodfire Kitchenis celebrating their love for all things Teutonic — including schnitzel — throughout January. Their version of the breaded and fried veal cutlet is a bit less highfalutin, using co-owner Gesine Franchetti’s recipe for a heartier pork version from her southern German upbringing. Covered with wild mushrooms, spaetzle (a type of egg noodle), buttered bread crumbs and creamy sauce, it’s a winter winner of a dish that is easily enough for two ($18).
Franchetti’s will be continuing their Germanuary menu, with daily dinner specials, throughout the month. Another favorite is beef roulade ($19), a well-flattened steak filled with pickles, mustard, carrots, and bacon, then rolled tightly and cooked. With a natural au jus and crisp fingerling potatoes, we had a hard time deciding which we liked better. 1229 N Dutton Ave, Santa Rosa, (707) 526-1229, franchettis.com.
Wiener schnitzel at Tisza Bistro in Windsor. Heather Irwin/PD
Tisza Bistro:Chef Krisztian Karkus isn’t sure if he wants everyone to know how good his wiener schnitzel is. He has a special recipe, sure, and it’s pan-fried in butter and pork lard with fresh lingonberry jam and homemade cucumber salad, but he isn’t a German chef, he says in a heavy Hungarian accent–and he doesn’t want his new restaurant, Tisza Bistro in Windsor, to be pigeon-holed as an ethnic dining experience. Trouble is, he already has fans coming in weekly for a plate of the breadcrumb-topped veal. You may also notice its the only photo I took after having several bites because it is that good, which anything cooked in pork lard tends to be. Tisza Bistro is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 8757 Old Redwood Hwy, Windsor, 707-838-5100, tiszabistro.com.
Schnitzel sandwich at The Golden Pig in Hopland Heather Irwin/PD
Golden Pig:The Pork Schnitzel Sandwich is owner Julie Golden’s favorite dish, based on her time as a consultant in Germany, it’s a sweet piece of breaded Dijon pork loin, Swiss, and onions on a soft Franco-American roll. The Golden Pig, 13380 S. Hwy 101, Hopland. Sun-Thurs 11am-9pm, Fri-Sat 11am-11pm, 707-670-6055, thegoldenpig.com
Dustin Valette, owner/chef of Valette in Healdsburg. (photos by Chris Hardy)
Thousands of Sonoma County families found themselves in urgent need of food during the wildfires — whether they lost a home, had evacuated family members staying with them, lost jobs or simply needed a place to gather around a table. Heather Irwin recounts how restaurateurs banded together to offer both comfort and calm in the storm. Click through the gallery for photos of some of the restaurants and restaurateurs who made feeding Sonoma County their mission during the fires.
Volunteers with Sonoma Family Meal, Sally Crain, left, and Mallorie Baron celebrate finishing up the bread pudding in the kitchen of the Vintners Inn in Fulton, on Tuesday, October 24, 2017. (Photo by Beth Schlanker)
TRUE COMFORT FOOD: The Story of Sonoma Family Meal
Used to frantic schedules, scaling up recipes and making a gourmet meal out of whatever food is on hand, chefs are uniquely qualified to run emergency kitchens at the drop of a hat, which is pretty much what they were asked to do during several harrowing days last October.
From heading up shelter feeding operations and organizing chef-made meals for thousands to simply opening their doors to the public with whatever ingredients they had on hand, Bay Area chefs and restaurateurs met the community’s needs with aprons on and knives sharpened.
One beautiful aspect of those dark days was that the chefs who pitched in and offered fundraisers or even just a free meal didn’t ask for recognition. They had a job to do, and whether or not anyone got thanked wasn’t the issue. We owe them a deep debt of gratitude and our continued patronage, since many restaurants suffered great financial losses during what would ordinarily have been their busiest season. Sonoma Family Meal was born at the kitchen table of a friend’s home after days of chefs asking how they could best help the community. Many of the national relief teams weren’t able to process smaller prepared food donations, and it seemed a shame that we couldn’t somehow bring those delicious restaurant meals to our community en masse.
After my own family was evacuated, we found ourselves around that friend’s table wondering how we would feed 10 people at an unfamiliar borrowed home, with limited cooking facilities and our own limited time and emotional capacity. Putting two and two together, we decided to pair up chefs from San Francisco, Sonoma, Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Napa and even farther afield with hungry families affected by the fires.
The call went out, and by the following evening, we’d served more than 1,000 chef-made meals packaged for families of four to six to pick up at Franchetti’s Wood Fire Kitchen (1229 N. Dutton Ave., Santa Rosa) and take to their homes, evacuation centers or wherever families were sheltering together.
Nicole Saadeh, a volunteer with Sonoma Family Meal, helps package bread pudding in the kitchen of the Vintners Inn in Fulton, on Tuesday, October 24, 2017. (Photo by Beth Schlanker)
The idea was to offer more than just basic nourishment. It was to provide as much local, organic food, made in commercial kitchens by some of the Bay Area’s most highly regarded chefs, to those who needed it most. In addition, SFM used large commercial kitchens to prepare food that might have otherwise gone to waste, including pallets of donated vegetables, meat, dairy and canned goods other agencies weren’t able to use.
Our chefs learned quickly that each morning was a test of their mettle, with an empty refrigerator and no idea what types of food would be donated that day. Sunchokes? Lamb shanks? A thousand pounds of squash? No problem. Dinner would be served by 4 p.m.
Among the contributions: organic produce from farm aggregator FEED Sonoma, as well as hundreds of pounds of meat from zazu kitchen + farm (6770 McKinley St., #150, Sebastopol), barbecue from Operation Barbecue Relief (which arrived in a limousine), cupcakes from Moustache Baked Goods (381 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg), curry from Kendall-Jackson Estate’s Kitchen (5007 Fulton Road, Fulton), lasagna from Single Thread (131 North St., Healdsburg), pasta from Jackson’s (135 Fourth St., Santa Rosa), and hundreds of other donations that came and went so quickly we barely registered a thank-you.
Over the next two weeks, SFM was graciously invited to use the kitchens at Worth Our Weight, the Santa Rosa Junior College Culinary Center and John Ash and Co.’s Vintner’s Inn event center, as well as the Council on Aging’s Meals on Wheels Kitchen. More than 80,000 meals were distributed over a five-week period with a donation of two chefs, equipment and money from Mark and Terri Stark (Stark’s Steakhouse, Bravas, Monti’s, Willi’s Seafood & Raw Bar, and Bird & the Bottle) — who lost their flagship restaurant, Willi’s Wine Bar, in the fire. There were also food donations from “Top Chef Masters” winner Douglas Keane and Nick Peyton’s Healdsburg Bar & Grill (245 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg) and from Traci des Jardins of Jardiniere (300 Grove St., San Francisco), who led the SF Fights Fire restaurant teams. Additional and very welcome assistance came from Sondra Bernstein of the girl & the fig (110 W. Spain St., Sonoma) and Sheana Davis of Epicurean Connection (746 Broadway, Sonoma).
From the South Bay, Facebook, Inc. contributed thousands of meals from their central kitchens to help bolster our program. Smaller food companies and distributors donated thousands of pounds of organic meat, dairy products and pasta and hundreds of pounds of spices and equipment. And of course scores of locals — many of whom had lost their own homes — went to work in our kitchens and handed out meals.
Though the free distribution program ended the week before Thanksgiving, Sonoma Family Meal continues to work with the local community to find ways to address the ongoing needs of those who lost so much in the fires and their aftermath. Learn more at sonomafamilymeal.org.
Sonoma Family Meal was hardly alone; here are some of the other restaurateurs who made feeding Sonoma their mission during the fires:
Josh Norwitt and Miriam Donaldson of Wishbone. (Photo by Alvin Jornada)
Wishbone, Petaluma
There was no stopping Miriam Donaldson and Josh Norwitt from turning out thousands of meals for victims in both Petaluma and Santa Rosa. Although the couple’s 12-table restaurant couldn’t have prepared them for feeding on a scale of thousands, Donaldson headed the Sonoma Family Meal kitchen for weeks, making everything from meatloaf and mashed potatoes to stuffed bell peppers and lamb polenta. 841 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma, wishbonepetaluma.com
Backyard Restaurant, Forestville
Owners Marianna Gardenhire and Daniel Kedan rallied a huge effort to feed those evacuated to the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds, offering a hearty breakfast, lunch and dinner daily for several weeks. Their ongoing efforts in turn helped encourage many donations and feeding programs in the area. 6566 Front St., Forestville, backyardforestville.com
Kendall-Jackson Estate Kitchen, Fulton
Chef Tracey Shepos headed up one of the largest ongoing feeding operations from the culinary kitchens of the wine estate just north of Santa Rosa. Rallying the winery’s chef team, she turned out thousands of meals on a daily basis to aid any of the food operations in need. 5007 Fulton Road, Fulton, kj.com
Valette, Healdsburg
Chef Dustin Valette transformed his upscale restaurant into a feeding operation for first responders during the early days of the fires. Those at the front lines got some good grub for all their amazing work. 344 Center St., Healdsburg, valettehealdsburg.com
Sprenger’s Tap Room, Santa Rosa
Chef Damon Gault has been a breakfast machine at the Santa Rosa pub for months now, but when the firestorm hit, he began cranking out hundreds of hearty, firefighter-friendly meals for first responders and anyone else in need. 446 B St., Santa Rosa, sprengerstaproom.net
Tri-Tip Trolley, Kenwood
In the Sonoma Valley, this local food truck drove meals to the front lines of the fires to feed both first responders and neighbors. 8445 Sonoma Highway, Kenwood, tipstritip.com
The Whole Pie, Santa Rosa
The Whole Pie’s Trisha Davis worked for weeks coordinating food distribution and feeding the SFM team her chocolate and fruit pies for moral support. 2792 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, thewholepieshop.com
Volunteers
Though barely open a month, staff from the downtown brewpub Two Tread Brewing Co. volunteered tirelessly at a number of feeding operations. The Dutch Bros. Coffee chain sent hundreds of volunteers, many of whom drove hours to get to Santa Rosa to cook, clean and lift for days — with a smile and a whole lot of coffee. 1018 Santa Rosa Plaza, Santa Rosa, 2treadbrewing.com; dutchbros.com
There’s nothing like Valentine’s Day to be a little more formal or deliberate about going on a date. Here are some looks with which to impress in vibrant V-day style.
Seems we can’t go a block these days without stumbling over signs for new restaurants in the downtown area. Opening soon is Perch and Plow, located above the former Flavor Bistro (which was slated to be a Peruvian restaurant, but owners backed out). On the day we stopped by, they were interviewing a chef from Portland, so not much to say about the menu yet, but the interior is spectacular, with paintings from local artist Bud Snow.
Also coming: Gerard’s from Gerard Nebesky of Gerard’s Paella at the former Persona pizza and The Jade Room, offering oysters, salads, wine, cheese charcuterie, salads and small bites.
The owners of San Rafael’s and Santa Rosa’s Crepevine will be opening Cascabel, a tequila lounge (and by tequila we mean four pages of blanco, reposado, anejo and mezcal) and snack-eria in Santa Rosa’s Montgomery Village later this month. The upscale-casual Mexican lounge will be the second in the Bay Area, the first opening last August in San Rafael. “Welcome to Cascabel. Our story is simple , no BS , we love tequila and authentic, traditional Mexican food. Cesar is a good cook so we opened Cascabel,” says the website. The nearby San Rafael Crepevine serves as the kitchen for the lounge, with small plates including chips and salsa, shrimp ceviche, fish tacos, spicy wings, “Diablo” fries with jalapeno jelly, braised pork torta, huevos rancherso and a “hamburguesa” with avocado, onions, jack and cheddar cheese.
Also slated to open in Montgomery Village later this year, Raku Ramen, serving authentic ramen and sushi.
MOD Pizza will open this spring in South Santa Rosa, a national chain of artisan pizzas.
George Klemme makes a “Bitches of the Seizime,” at Barndiva in Healdsburg, Friday, July 10, 2015. (CRISTA JEREMIASON
Though there are hundreds of great happy hours from Cloverdale to Petaluma, not all are created equal. Here are some favorite places that combine great food, drinks and crowds to make your post-work hours happier, at least for an hour or so. Click through the gallery above for the best happy hours in Sonoma County.
Mark and Terri Stark in the dining room at Stark’s Steak & Seafood restaurant in Santa Rosa. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat)
Tourism in Sonoma County was booming in early October 2017. As harvest season came to a close, travelers enjoyed wine tasting among fall-colored vineyards, farm-to-table feasts in restaurants and overnight stays at local hotels. But on the night of October 8th, and in the weeks to come, the lives of those who live and work here were to suddenly change as roaring fires ignited woods, valleys, hills and homes.
Following the fires, many businesses opened their doors to locals who had lost everything and, in return, friends and families came together to support local businesses throughout the holidays. Although we still don’t know the full extent and longterm impact of the fires on our local economy, the effects are acutely felt by many Sonoma County business owners, employers and employees.
Three months after the October catastrophe, we checked in with a few locally owned businesses that were affected by the fires and witnessed the power of community. Click through the gallery to read more.
We will continue to update this article with more stories in the weeks to come. If you are a local business owner and have stories to share about how your business was impacted by, or helped out during, the fires, please get in touch.
French mocha and cappuchino chocolates Wine Country Chocolate in Glen Ellen with co owners Betty, dark hair and a little taller, and Caroline Kelly, blonde and younger and Betty’s daughter.
Maybe you’re good about showing your love every day, but Valentine’s Day is a good excuse to treat your sweetheart to something sweet or fragrant or fun. Here are gift ideas in the traditional vein, but with a special Sonoma County vibe.
(From left)Ryan Farley, Chris Wardell, Lance Retherford, Alan Le and Spence Harrell swim during pool party as part of Gay Wine Weekend at MacArthur Place on Sunday, June 21, 2015 in Sonoma, California . (BETH SCHLANKER/ The Press Democrat)
Summer may be months away but that doesn’t stop us from getting excited about one of Sonoma County’s most iconic summertime events: Gay Wine Weekend. And it seems others are, too. The three-day event, held every year in July, was recently named “Best Summer Event” by Gay Travel Awards, beating out more than 100 national nominees.
Every year, an estimated 700 LGBTQ wine lovers and friends from around the world attend Gay Wine Weekend, not only to indulge in Sonoma County’s fine wine and food but also to celebrate the welcoming atmosphere Sonoma County offers – no matter who you love.
“Gay Wine Weekend stands out because they represent everything that is special about coming together to celebrate,” shares Victoria Prisco, Sponsorship Director of Gay Travel, “A beautiful venue, great weather…did we mention wine?”
In true Sonoma fashion, the event ensures that guests always have a glass of wine in hand whether attending LGBT winemaker dinners, winery tours and luncheons, or dancing the night away to the beats from famous gay club DJs.
Mark Vogler, partner at Out in the Vineyard; the company that produces Gay Wine Weekend, calls the award an honor and says that it “validates our vision of putting Sonoma on the global map as a top LGBT travel destination – not only in wine, but as the top gay event destination in the world.”
The weekend wraps up with the Gay Wine Auction & Recovery Brunch, which benefits Face to Face Sonoma County AIDS Network. The auction and brunch is a key component to Gay Wine Weekend earning the “Summer Event of the Year” award says Prisco. Last year, the auction raised over $50,000 for Face to Face, which provides fresh food and meals, and support, to individuals in Sonoma County living with AIDS and HIV.
The 2018 Gay Wine Weekend is July 20-22 in Sonoma. Visit outinthevineyard.com to learn more.
Take your on-the-town enthusiasm into the comfort of your own home with these shopping ideas from Sonoma. Save money and avoid traffic, yet achieve maximum togetherness – a night in is a great alternative to painting the town red.
