It’s harvest time and there’s so much going on in the vineyards and wineries that you can almost taste it in the air. Julie Fadda Powers suggests where to raise a glass to our region’s winemakers and growers, who work hard all year in anticipation of the season. Many wineries host harvest special events and tours. It’s time to join in the fun! Be sure to check websites or call ahead for hours and reservations. Click through the gallery above for all the details.
Having been to Hudson Valley Foie Gras a number of times, we believe that those ducks are much better-taken care of than industrially-raised chickens.”
That means that the state can now enforce legal actions against restaurants and purveyors who serve foie gras, though exactly how that would be done is unclear.
Seared foie gras with baby kiwi and almonds at Valette in Healdsburg.
So is foie gras coming off menus anytime soon? That depends.
“It depends on how long it takes for the appeals court to do the final approval,” said Dustin Valette of Valette restaurant in Healdsburg.
“Here at Valette restaurant we fully support 100 percent the well-being and stewardship of animals. Having been to Hudson Valley Foie Gras a number of times (a foie gras producer in New York state that provides much of the foie gras at restaurants), we believe that those ducks are much better-taken care of than industrially-raised chickens,” he said. “It’s because of this Valette does not serve chicken.”
Opponents of foie gras say that “gavage”, a technique of inserting a tube into the esophagus of ducks and geese to force feed–and thereby enlarge the liver by up to ten times–is an inhumane practice. Countries including India, Germany, the UK and others have put the brakes on the sale of foie gras, citing its cruelty. Proponents say that the animals have no gag reflex and the practice mimics the animals’ natural cycle of gorging in the late fall.
Hudson Valley Foie Gras at the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco. Photo Heather Irwin
The original ruling in 2004 gave chefs seven years to take force-fed poultry off their menus, going into effect in 2012. In 2015, a lawsuit by two major foie gras producers and several restaurants overturned the ruling, saying that states shouldn’t have a say in federally-approved poultry products. Over the last two years, foie gras has returned to luxury menus, though it seems to have lost some of its original luster–often replaced by poultry pates that use the left-over offal as a way to utilize the whole animal.
Will prohibition make foie gras take flight again? We’ll see.
Food writer MFK Fisher’s home near Glen Ellen is being rehabbed to celebrate her contributions, and to allow the public to connect with her legacy. A party in June was the first look into the house. Heather Irwin/Sonoma Magazine
In the heart of the Sonoma Valley, perched on a grassy hill, sits a seemingly unremarkable house. The stuccoed walls have cracks, the roof needs work and the only identifying feature is a large half-circle punched into a side porch, where an old woman named Mary Frances once spent sunny afternoons contemplating meals long past.
Known to the rest of the world as the culinary luminary and writer M.F.K. Fisher, she authored more than 30 classic food tomes including “The Art of Eating” and “How to Cook a Wolf.”
Food writer MFK Fisher’s home near Glen Ellen is being rehabbed to celebrate her contributions, and to allow the public to connect with her legacy. A party in June was the first look into the house. Heather Irwin/Sonoma Magazine
But this Glen Ellen home she called Last House was nearly lost to time.
Built by her friend, architect David Pleydell-Bouverie, within walking distance of his own estate, both properties were trusted to Audubon Canyon Ranch in 1994 as part of the Bouverie Reserve, where they’ve remained relatively untouched.
“The moment I saw Last House empty, I had to step in,” says chef Sheana Davis of Sonoma’s Epicurean Connection, which offers catering and culinary education services. Davis, who once did odd jobs for Fisher, learned the house was vacant after a serendipitous meeting at the preserve with the curator of the ACR’s mountain lion research program, Dr. Quinton Martins. Until recently, Last House was occupied by caretaker John Martin.
Food writer MFK Fisher’s home near Glen Ellen is being rehabbed to celebrate her contributions, and to allow the public to connect with her legacy. A party in June was the first look into the house. Heather Irwin/Sonoma Magazine
“I went home and could not stop thinking about Last House,” Davis says. The ACR had been contemplating renovations as well, so with the support of Fisher’s daughter, Kennedy Golden, “First Meal at Last House” became the first of a series of fundraising events to restore the space. Davis will lead fundraising programming at the house.
In June several dozen invitees, many of them friends of Fisher, gathered at Last House for an inaugural event curated by Davis. With a fresh coat of Chinese red paint in the bathroom and mementos and furniture brought in by Golden, the afternoon event included some of M.F.K.’s favorite foods: fresh cheeses, sardines with butter, ratatouille and a startlingly strong gin punch.
One by one, items are coming back to the home, which after an estimated $2 million renovation will serve not as a museum but as a living space for chefs and writers, according to Golden, who lives in the Bay Area and attended the June event.
Food writer MFK Fisher’s home near Glen Ellen is being rehabbed to celebrate her contributions, and to allow the public to connect with her legacy. A party in June was the first look into the house. Heather Irwin/Sonoma Magazine
Fisher’s old Coronomatic typewriter sits quietly in one corner, along with a faded 1977 royalty check. A silk robe hangs on a closet door, the pantry is filled with dishes and Mary Frances’ spirit can rest easy on her favorite porch as life comes back to Last House.
“I hope that Last House will become a place where people gather to celebrate and communicate with good food, wine, literature, and conversation — all in celebration of M.F.K. Fisher’s legacy as a writer and someone who lived life fully,” says Golden.
Food writer MFK Fisher’s home near Glen Ellen is being rehabbed to celebrate her contributions, and to allow the public to connect with her legacy. A party in June was the first look into the house. Heather Irwin/Sonoma Magazine
Upcoming events to raise money for Last House renovations and programming include “With Bold Knife and Fork, M.F.K. Fisher and Cassoulet” — a dinner curated by the Epicurean Connection and held at the General’s Daughter in Sonoma on October 8 from 5 to 7 p.m. The cost is $125. For details and tickets go online.
Folks have been noticing that Stout Brothers Irish Pub and Restaurant in downtown Santa Rosa has been shuttered—and are wondering exactly what’s up?
According to owners, the bar is undergoing some renovations as well as getting a brand new menu, reopening in October.But is there more to the closure, since signs on the door say the bar’s liquor license has been suspended?
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“So excited to reopen our doors this October. We hope you will be there to join us in our transformation from club to pub!” says the restaurant and bar’s website.
And, in fact, there are plenty of pictures of the renovation online as well.
Facebook, Sunny Chandi
However, Biteclubbers noticed that an earlier Facebook post suggested that there were some “unfortunate circumstances” around the sudden closure. A search on California’s Alcohol Beverage Control website revealed that the bar’s alcohol license was suspended for 40 days, beginning August 31. Signs are also posted on the bar’s front door. A call to Chandi Hospitality Group, which owns the pub, was not returned.
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The Chandi Hospitality Group recently opened Beer Baron in Santa Rosa with a group of partners, and also owns Bibi’s Burger Bar. County Bench restaurant shuttered early this summer but is slated to reopen as an Indian restaurant and lounge.
As the season cools, it’s time to replenish the wardrobe, filling in the gaps with warmer options. But during a Sonoma County autumn, you have to be prepared for anything weather-wise. These fall fashion finds for women are on trend and good for in-between temperatures. Click through the gallery for more information.
Sonoma County may be a wine lover’s playground but following the emergence of a band of brewery brothers and sisters pioneering the production of artfully crafted local beers, the region has evolved into a mecca for microbrew maniacs. Pliny pilgrims now descend on Santa Rosa during the month of February and beer enthusiasts from around the world populate local brewery patios and taprooms year round.
So how does a beer lover best explore Sonoma County? No doubt, it is easy to get overwhelmed. We’ve picked out a few gems, inside and outside the taproom, to help you structure a trip that will match the county’s beer ratings. And don’t forget to get on a bike, and see the coast between beers!
Click through the gallery above for all the details, and remember to bring a designated driver, or arrange for transportation – Uber and Lyft are available, as well as beer tour buses.
(Left to right) David LaMonica, Diane LaMonica, Krista McCracken, Chef Arturo Guzman
The former owners of Mendocino’s critically-acclaimed Cafe Beaujolais are opening Salt & Stone restaurant in Kenwood. Chef David LaMonica and his wife, Diane LaMonica, have purchased the shuttered KenWood restaurant space with plans to open a “casual-chic” California eatery and oyster bar this fall.
“We’re so excited to meeting and serving locals and visitors alike. Everything about our new venture feels just right, ” said Diane. The LaMonicas have hired Arturo Guzman as executive chef and Krista McCracken as GM and sommelier.
Since last year’s closure of the KenWood restaurant, rumors have been circling as to who would snap up the historic Sonoma Hwy. roadhouse. Earlier this year, a deal fell through for the former Olive & Vine restauranteurs, who planned to open it as Crush Bar & Grill.
The Salt & Stone menu is still in the works, but owners promise “fresh seafood, quality meats and charcuterie” with indoor and outdoor dining, full bar and lounge.
Chef Arturo most recently was executive chef at The French Garden in Sebastopol and Dawn Ranch Lodge in Guerneville. He spent 20 years at Meadowood Resort in Napa Valley.
Investor and restaurateur Bill Foss purchased the Kenwood Restaurant in 2013 from longtime chef Max Schacher. Schacher’s 26-year tenure gained the restaurant a strong local following, especially among the nearby Oakmont community. Looking to modernize the menu, Foss and his team worked to create a locally-sourced lineup of dishes that had some impressive moments–but didn’t always translate for the weeknight crowd. In other words, many of Schacher’s fans weren’t wild about having his signature Caesar salad, poached salmon and cheesecake suddenly replaced with rabbit legs, $16 burgers and hamachi crudo.
Diane LaMonica says she is definitely hoping to bring back local diners with a more approachable menu and “gathering place” feel.
Before becoming the Kenwood Restaurant, Bunny’s Country Kitchen, a favorite fried chicken restaurant in the community, occupied the space.
Salt & Stone, Kenwood’s Gathering Place, is located at 9900 Sonoma Hwy (CA 12). Kenwood, California. Stay tuned for details when the restaurant opens.
Roasted heirloom beets with smoked creme fraiche, golden beet puree and nasturtium at Russian River Vineyards. Heather Irwin/PD
For years, Russian River Vineyards was like a blind date with amazing potential and a great personality who shows up wearing stonewashed jeans and a Members Only jacket. You didn’t really want a second date, but hey, maybe we could be friends?
Recently renovated, Russian River Vineyards has become hot-list worthy. It’s revitalized tasting lounge, in the shadows of a historic hop kiln, new chef, and updated dining patio is an entirely new experience at this oft-overlooked restaurant, winery, and farm.
Though there are still rough edges around the property, the imperfections somehow add to the authentic Sonoma County experience. A blue-haired singer belts out pop tunes on an acoustic guitar as visitors meander around the outdoor lounge, snagging picnic tables for plates of charcuterie and sips of the winery’s pinot noir. The restaurant’s outdoor patio shares the other half of the backyard space, making for a lively if sometimes slightly noisy dining experience. We can’t complain too much, however, since on a warm summer evening the space feels like a convivial beer garden rather than a stuffy restaurant.
The winery and restaurant (previously named Corks), filed for bankruptcy in 2011 after acquiring the property in 2008. Over the last six years, several chefs have come and gone as the property slowly underwent improvements.
Farmer Kayta Brady at the Russian River Vineyards Farm i Forestville. The 1.25 acre farm provides much of the restaurant’s produce. Heather Irwin/PD
What makes Russian River Vineyards and Farm so special, however, is the food.
The 1.25-acre farm just behind the hop kiln is the foundation of Chef Ben Davies’ menu, a gold mine just feet from his kitchen. Farmer Kayta Brady has worked several acres of the property, providing edible flowers, fruit and produce from tomatoes and green beans to lettuces and ground cherries. Davies mixes up the menu with the most recent harvest.
During such a bountiful season, that means melons, tomatoes, fresh amaranth greens and Sonoma County’s favorite pepper, the Jimmy Nardello. In the kitchen only about four months since his departure from the now-shuttered County Bench, Davies has assembled a solid team focused on technique and presentation of local products, including truly sustainable seafood like San Francisco Bay Halibut. Though we’ve long admired Davies’ passion for local food, he seems to be stretching his wings with this unique opportunity.
Prices range from $6 for a plate of compressed melon or $10 for halibut rillette to a $26 to $36 for main entrees. Suffice it to say if you’re not passionate about the where and why of what’s on your plate, this may not be a good fit. (The restaurant is open for lunch and brunch, along with the tasting lounge for more thrifty eats).
Sitting with Hawaiian-shirted co-owner Chris O’Neill, sharing a bottle of his 2014 Horseridge Vineyard pinot noir, he says he’s optimistic about this next phase for the property as well as continued renovations. With the taste of still-warm tomatoes and beans from the farm still on our palates, we can only hope that the Davies and his team remain a signature part of Russian River Vineyards. Because suddenly, this blind date has become the very dateable Sonoma County destination it’s always had the potential to be.
Here are some best bets:
– Roasted Heirloom Beets, $15: The prettiest dish of our summer. Sweet, earthy beets in brilliant ruby and gold get even more grounded with smoky creme fraiche (why did we never think of this?). Golden beet puree seems like an afterthought, especially when poured a bit clumsily on the jewel box of a plate. Otherwise, perfect.
Warm burrata with heirloom tomato, sauce vierge and bread at Russian River Vineyards in Forestville. Heather Irwin/PD
– Warm Burrata, $16: I’ve never met a burrata I didn’t like, and this is no exception. Served with Nightingale bread and summer tomatoes, it’s enlightened.
– Seared Octopus, $17: Perfectly cooked, these tiny tentacles work well with the intense flavor of compressed melon, lemon cucumber and baby basil leaves.
– Halibut Rillette, $10: These adorable potted rillettes are almost impossible to put down. Mixed with creamy caper onion aioli, it’s a decadent spread atop house made herb crackers. A seal of clarified butter between you and the rillette can be a bit confusing—just remove it with a knife and spread it on crackers when it softens.
– Grilled Akaushi Coulotte, $36: Yeah, we had no idea what that was either. Akaushi is a breed of Japanese wagyu now raised in America. It’s prime, it’s expensive, it’s like butter when properly cooked. Coulotte is a very tender cut of sirloin. The pool of blue cheese mousseline underneath doesn’t overpower this tender steak, simply adding an umami note. Charred Jimmy Nardello peppers add just the right amount of sweet and bitter to the mix.
– San Francisco Bay Halibut, $32: We all want to eat sustainably, but seafood is one of the worst offenders in the food chain. Even for chefs, knowing the backstory on where their seafood has been caught, and how, is something of a mystery. San Francisco Bay Halibut is caught, well, here and is a highly sustainable fish. It’s also a delicious white fish that’s seared, served atop beans, roasted cherry tomatoes, and eggplant. Roasted corn broth is the essence of summer, with coriander vinegar to sass up the whole dish.
Lemon verbena mousse with strawberry “Nerds” at Russian River Vineyards restaurant in Forestville. Heather Irwin/PD
– Dessert: Leave room is all we can say. Talented pastry chef Victoria Madrigal has come with Davies from County Bench, where her sexy desserts were always a show-stopper.
Overall: A stunning organic farm is the foundation of this truly farm-to-table restaurant. With Davies at the helm and a talented kitchen staff, Russian River Vineyards has become a Forestville dining destination instead of a Hwy. 116 drive-by.
Russian River Vineyards is located at 5700 CA-116, Forestville, 707-887-3344, russianrivervineyards.com.
Heather Irwin is the fork behind the long-running weekly dining column, BiteClub. She pays for all meals unless otherwise indicated.
The fried chicken sandwich at the Twin Oaks Road House in Penngrove. (Kent Porter . Th
Hungry for something new? Here are spoon-size portions of hot restaurant picks from our food critic. Bon Appétit!
Alioto’s Healdsburger: A locals’ favorite at a former A&W, it’s pricey, but the burgers and hot dogs are top-quality stuff. Sixteen regular-menu burgers and several specials are available, including the hangover burger with fried egg, bacon, cheese, Sriracha sauce and mayo, paired with fries and a drink. 48 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, 707-473-9604, healdsburger.com.
Boathouse Asian Eatery: The former M.Y. China has been reborn as a swanky restaurant featuring Japanese, Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese cuisine. Flavors are fresh, portions are big and signatures impress, such as duck soup, classic sushi and pork belly kimchee lime fried rice. 630 Park Court, Rohnert Park, 707-588-9440, gratonresortcasino.com/dining.
Calistoga Kitchen: A local’s secret, this classic cottage bistro deserves to be on everyone’s radar. Chef-owner Rick Warkel is a Culinary Institute of America graduate, and his training shows in his meticulously crafted panroasted Grimaud Muscovy duck breast in sour cherry jus and skillful rabbit gumbo. 1107 Cedar St., Calistoga, 707-942-6500, calistogakitchen.com.
Coast Kitchen: Since 1963, the redwood and stone Timber Cove resort has been a fun, if somewhat funky, retreat. A lavish renovation in 2016 turned it into a truly deluxe destination, with a luxury Cal-cuisine restaurant to match. Inventive bites shine, like fried quail drizzled in sweet chile vinaigrette, and King salmon over lentils and tangy sorrel salad. 21780 Highway 1, Jenner, 707-847-3231, coastkitchensonoma.com.
Click through the gallery above for the full list.
