Page 450 – Sonoma Magazine

Sonoma’s St. Francis Winery Top Restaurant in America. Again.

December 2015

By biteclub

Blackberry Galette with creme fraiche granita, raspberry coulis paired with St. Francis' 2014 Sauvignon Blanc, Uboldi Vineyard, Sonoma Valley. From the June 2015 menu. Photo: Heather Irwin. — Blackberry Galette with creme fraiche granita, raspberry coulis paired with St. Francis’ 2014 Sauvignon Blanc, Uboldi Vineyard, Sonoma Valley. From the June 2015 menu. Photo: Heather Irwin.

For the second year, OpenTable.com has tapped Sonoma Valley’s St. Francis Winery as the nation’s number one restaurant, beating out culinary superheroes in New York, San Francisco and Napa Valley.

Yup, a winery has been named Best Restaurant in America. Twice.

“We are still pinching ourselves,” said Chris Silva, President and CEO of St. Francis Winery and Vineyards. “The real irony is that we aren’t actually a restaurant,” he added, acknowledging the, well, uniqueness of his situation. St. Francis won the coveted top spot in 2013, under Chef David Bush (now of Oso).

The view from the dining room at St. Francis WInery and Vineyards, which won Opentable.com's Best Restaurant in America in 2014 and 2015. — The view from the dining room at St. Francis WInery and Vineyards, which won Opentable.com’s Best Restaurant in America in 2014 and 2015.

But it also isn’t an accident that St. Francis Winery’s Executive Chef Bryan Jones’ luxe five-course tasting menu and wine pairings have attracted a lot of attention. Using ingredients from the winery’s 2-acre garden, classical fine dining techniques and presentations, and luxury ingredients ranging from local Wild King Salmon and braised duck to local blackberries, carrots and chanterelle mushrooms, this isn’t exactly picnic fodder. And then there’s idyllic scenery surrounding the dining room, with million dollar views of Mount Hood, the vineyards and historic winery. At $68 per person, it’s relative steal for this kind of dining experience.

But still, a winery?

We went right to the top Opentable.com brass for some answers.

Grilled Snake River Bavette Steak with Honey Lavender Carrots, Spinich Puree, Onion Powder, Onion-Butter Foam paired with St. Francis 2012 Red Wine, Rockpile Red, Sonoma County. Photo: Heather Irwin.

“While St. Francis isn’t a traditional restaurant, they offer a positively magical dining experience,” said Caroline Potter, Chief Dining Officer for Opentable.com, who has dined there herself.

“It truly dazzles all the senses, from the sublime wines and delightful seasonal plates to the welcoming hospitality and pastoral setting. When you dine there, you are part of an intimate group sharing a journey through local food and wine with expert guides, and by the time you leave you feel as if made new friends with the St. Francis staff and your fellow diners,” she said. “In fact, my husband and I are still in touch with our table mates,” Potter added.

Silva agrees that the kinship, as well as the detailed wine pairings (they are a winery, after all) are really what makes the experience.

Red Wine Braised Duck with COriander Spatzle, Endive, Pistachio, Tart Cherry Apricot Mostara paired with St. Francis 2013 Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley from the June 2015 menu. Photo: Heather Irwin.

“We have received a lot of attention over the fact that one of the key themes of this experience is that of community: 16 guests sit together at a round, communal table with one of the best vineyard views in the world and share about 90 minutes of world class wine, food, and conversation—and what we hope will be a sense of awe—with people they have never met,” he said.

So, how’d St. Francis get to #1? OpenTable generates their list of the 100 Best Restaurants in America from more than 5 million restaurant reviews collected from verified OpenTable diners between November 1, 2014 and October 31, 2015. Reps tell us that restaurants are sorted according to a score calculated from each restaurant’s average rating in the “overall” category along with that restaurant’s rating relative to others in the same metropolitan area and the average number of restaurants reviewed by diners who reviewed that restaurant.

That’s a bit too much head scratching for us, but a quick look online reveals that St. Francis has about 462 reviews, with an average of 4.9 stars. Rutherford’s Auberge du Soleil , which also made the Top 100, has over 2,000 reviews, but ranks an average of 4.7 stars. Other restaurants in the lineup Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York, SF’s Benu and Acquerello, NYC’s Daniel, along with neighboring Wine Country restaurants Farmhouse Inn and The French Laundry.

Outsiders also seem to see something that maybe we natives have become all too accustomed to.

“The experience provides a great deal of value to diners with its modest price, but they don’t skimp on time or attentiveness. You are treated with so much care, questions about the wine and the pairings are not only encouraged, they¹re solicited, and you really come away not just satiated but also enlightened,” Potter said.

“We have the dream team at St. Francis right now, and to be named #1 Restaurant in America is really the icing on the cake,” he said.

Want to see for yourself? St. Francis Winery, 100 Pythian Road, takes reservations for food and wine pairings Friday through Monday (closed Tuesday and Wednesday). 538-9463, stfranciswinery.com.

SHED Cafe Healdsburg

December 2015

By biteclub

Chef Perry Hoffman at SHED Cafe in Healdsburg, California. Photo: Heather Irwin

Chef Perry Hoffman can’t believe his luck.

On a chilly November evening, standing in Shed Cafe’s small open kitchen, he places microgreens and perfectly-arranged bits of smoked trout in a dish while musing about persimmons and cucumbers. As a culinary triple-threat of gardener, farmer and Michelin-starred chef, he’s keenly aware of this seasonal anomaly — finding a winter fruit like persimmon in his kitchen alongside a bunch of late-summer cucumbers — and it’s kind of blowing his mind. With breathless enthusiasm, he talks about a salad he has made with ripe, sweet persimmons and crisp, cool cucumbers, something possible only at this fleeting in-between season of warm days and cold nights. Persimmons. With cucumbers. Imagine.

Wild Fennel Soup at SHED Cafe in Healdsburg, California. Photo: Heather Irwin

“It’s so perfectly of this moment,” says the 32-year-old chef without a hint of affectation. For him, the brief window of bounty brought by changing seasons really is cause for excitement.

Though most of us might roll our eyes at this culinary geekitude, it’s exactly the kind of unbridled passion that the owners of Shed (which includes Shed Cafe), Cindy Daniel and Doug Lipton have dreamed of for the “Modern Grange” they built in Healdsburg. If you haven’t been there, it’s best described as an interactive seed-to-table experience where you can meet a forager, learn beekeeping, drink fermented shrubs, buy Japanese garden sheers and locally-milled grains, and then sit down for dinner amid it all.

Daniel and Lipton, who also own the 15-acre Home Farm, tapped Hoffman as Shed’s new culinary director in October. Hoffman launched dinner service this month, along with new breakfast, lunch and brunch menus. He’ll also host a series of culinary adventures in 2016, including one that targets local foraging. Suffice it to say that Hoffman is pretty jazzed about being at the center of this luxe food playground.

“I’ve been working on these farm-driven menus since before I even got here,” he said. “It’s all the things I’ve been thinking of for a while.”

Unlike so many chefs who give lip service to seasonality and have turned the term “farm-to-table” into a cliché, Hoffman spends his time immersed in ideas like mixing persimmons and cucumbers at this one special moment in time. With an endless bounty from Home Farm and elsewhere, even in the winter months, it’s not the labels that matter to him but the food.

When asked how he describes his new menu, Perry kind of hesitates, wary of too many over-used terms. “Farm-driven,” he says, “seasonally-driven.”

Beef cheeks and persimmon at SHED Cafe in Healdsburg, California. Photo: Heather Irwin.

Destined for a life in food

Napa native Hoffman grew up cooking with his grandparents in the kitchen of Yountville’s French Laundry. Local food pioneers Don and Sally Schmitt founded the iconic restaurant and are credited with putting the small Napa town on the dining map long before selling it to Chef Thomas Keller. Their tables were booked months in advance by Julia Child, Charles Krug, the Mondavis and other culinary luminaries of the time.

In 1995, the Schmitts sold the French Laundry to Keller and bought The Apple Farm in Philo, where they raise nearly 80 breeds of apples. Search for Hoffman online, and you’ll find childhood pictures of him working the apple farm, noshing a baguette at The French Laundry as an infant and kneading dough at 4.

After several years of cooking at some of the Valley’s toniest restaurants, Hoffman won a Michelin star at Domaine Chandon’s Étoile restaurant (since closed). At just 25, he was the youngest American chef ever to receive the award, holding it for three years.

The menu

Before you even see Shed Cafe’s menu, a canvas of greens, flowers and herbs draws the eye to the small open kitchen of Hoffman’s cafe. Before any dish goes out, a snip of thyme or a piece of tatsoi is added to the plate . Hoffman co-owns Carneros Microgreens, providing his own kitchens and other local chefs with everything from bee balm and edible marigolds to Persian mint and sea beans. These little flourishes of color and flavor add texture to Hoffman’s dishes, which at their heart are relatively straightforward.

Menu Favorites

Roasted potatoes at SHED Cafe in Healdsburg, California. Photo: Heather Irwin

Roasted Little Farm Potatoes, $10: Tiny dry-farmed potatoes are packed with flavor. Roasted in the cafe’s wood-fired oven (as are most dishes), they’re presented atop a layer of tomato sauce, topped with a dot of garlic aioli and sprinkled with herbs. They’re ridiculously simple, but made luxurious in both presentation and layer upon layer of flavor.

Preston Farm Carrot Salad, $14: Multi-colored baby carrots, both roasted and raw, are the stars of this dish. They are accented with olive-oil infused yogurt, soft dates, baby lettuce bee balm and a peppery Middle Eastern spice called Nigella seed.

Farro salad at SHED Cafe in Healdsburg, California. Photo: Heather Irwin.

Farro Verde $14: This is fall on a plate, with earthy, roasted beets and pig fat (lardo) infused with black truffle. Add the sharpness of red mustard and vinegar with the chew of farro, and, well, it doesn’t get much more foresty than this.

Pacific Yellowtail $18: Small slices of tuna mixed with tatsoi greens, thin slices of tart clementines, ginger and togarishi (a Chinese 7-spice blend) is a clean, uncomplicated dish.

Roasted duck at SHED Cafe in Healdsburg, California. Photo: Heather Irwin.

Liberty Farm Duck Leg, $22: One of the most beautiful dishes on the menu is a Mediterranean still life of roasted duck leg, ruby pomegranate seeds, creamy baba ganoush (a smoky eggplant hummus) and pistachio dukkah (a pungent Egyptian mix of herbs, nuts and spices).

Braised Beef Cheek, $22: A tasty cut, braised and fork-tender, is laced with Fuyu persimmons, savoy cabbage, garnet yams and pink whole peppercorns with a sweet, savory broth. It is a soul warmer (and heats up beautifully as luxe leftovers the next day).

The lunch menu has many of the same items, and you can easily fill up on a handful of small plates, where Hoffman really seems to shine brightest.

We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the new wine list and new beverage director, Brandon Gonsalves, who has put together a small but impressive collection of offbeat wines, ciders, sparklers, beers and shims — low alcohol cocktails made with prosecco, bitters or vermouth. Don’t miss the D’anjou Pear with vermouth and cardamom, $12, another seasonal standout.

After tasting through the menu, we came away thinking how exciting it will be to see what Hoffman comes up with next, as the seasons shift from fall to winter, and winter to spring, and he becomes more familiar with the offerings of Home Farm and other Sonoma County producers.

Using local, of the moment ingredients, he already makes familiar, comforting dishes seem entirely unexpected.

SHED Cafe: 25 North St, Healdsburg, healdsburgshed.com. Hours: 8a.m. to 9p.m. Wednesday through Monday. Closed Tuesday. Reservations highly recommended.

Cookie Baking Advice: How To Bake Perfect Cookies Every Time

December 2015

By biteclub

10 Commandements of perfect cookie baking

Want some cookie baking advice from someone who’s made hundreds and hundreds of recipes? After a whole lot of trial and error, I’ve learned over the years how to get consistently good cookies every time. Or at least most every time. Follow these steps, and you’ll be golden (brown).

1. Use Parchment or Silpats
Martha uses them and so should you. Parchment paper (or a silpat silicone sheet — though I prefer parchment) creates a barrier between the tray and the cookie, allowing for more even baking and less messy cleanup. You won’t need to grease the sheet, and the cookies will slide right off. Trust me, it’s a major time saver.

2. Use Fresh Spices
I cannot stress this enough. Spend a few extra minutes a get freshly ground spices. The stuff at the grocery store is okay, but you won’t believe the difference in flavors if you stock up on a few dollars worth of fresh cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cardamom. Plus it makes your kitchen smell great.

3. Use Good Flour
The cheap stuff is just, well, cheap. Use unbleached, all-purpose flour. King Arthur’s is top notch.

4. Use Unsalted Butter, The Good Stuff
You don’t need to buy that really fancy artisan stuff for baking, but don’t cheap out either. i’ve used a variety of butters, and usually settle on Land ‘O Lakes as my go to. I’m more fond of Clover, of course — and snap it up when it’s on sale. Unsalted is the best choice for baking, since it won’t add extra salt to the final product. But frankly, it’s not tragic if you have to use it.

5. Room Temperature is the perfect temperature
We all know butter needs to be softened (if you’re in a hurry, you can nuke it for a few seconds in the microwave, but don’t melt it). But eggs work better in recipes at room temp, too. Don’t let them sit out too long, but if you can let them warm up a little, your ingredients will come together better.

6. Chill
Many recipes call for dough to chill for a few hours after mixing. That’s because the butter often gets very soft, and if you pop it into the oven right away, you get the “lace effect”, where the cookies just sort of become gooey, spread out messes on the tray. It’s a good idea to let most of your drop and butter-based cookies take a little time out in the fridge before you spoon ’em out.

7. Test Your Oven
I have a cheap oven that can be 50 or more degrees off from what I set it to. I’ve learned its quirks, but investing in a little oven thermometer isn’t a bad idea so you know exactly when you’re pre-heated and what the real temperature is.

8. Don’t Guess at measurements
Unlike cooking, baking is a science. Measurements need to be as precise as possible for the best effect. I’ve learned the hard way that guessing or throwing in an extra pinch or two doesn’t usually work out well. On that note, when measuring flour, lightly scoop it into the measuring cup then use a knife across the top to get a more accurate measure.

9. Stand Mixers Make Baking Easier
Not everyone can afford these monsters, but if you do a lot of baking, they are a sound investment. The power of a stand mixer allows you to really cream butters and sugars together and incorporate ingredients faster than using hand mixers. If it’s not in your budget, maybe a friend or relative will loan theirs out for a couple days. And while you’re at it, investing in a cookie scooper is a pretty awesome idea, too. They look like little ice cream scoops, and make spooning out drop cookies a lot easier and more uniform.

10. Vanilla matters
Oh, tell me you don’t use that horrible cheap stuff that’s mostly flavoring and alcohol. Buy expensive vanilla (and other flavorings) that are extracted from actual vanilla beans. Your cookies will taste much better. i promise.

Virgin of Guadalupe Pilgrimage in Sonoma County

December 2015

By Linda Murphy

Some 1,000 people will walk the 9 miles from Santa Rosa’s St. Rose Catholic Church to Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Windsor at 12:01 a.m. on Dec. 12, an act of devotion to one of Mexico’s most beloved religious figures.

On what likely will be a chilly early morning, the pilgrims will carry candles, roses, crosses and statues of Our Lady of Guadalupe — the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus — accompanied by horse-mounted riders and Aztec dancers. When the procession arrives well before dawn in Windsor, songs will be sung, Mass will be celebrated in a flower-filled church, and a breakfast of pan dulce (pastries), hot chocolate and coffee will be served.

Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe is the recipient of the adoration, a collective gratefulness for the miracles she and God have worked for followers. For some, it’s a plea for help with difficulties in their lives.

A dark-skinned, pregnant, colorfully dressed Mary is said to have appeared before a peasant named Juan Diego near Mexico City in 1531, asking that a church be built in her name. To convince the bishop to do so, Juan Diego delivered a miracle: his tilma, or cloak, imprinted with the image of the Virgin Mary and filled with roses that could not have bloomed at that time of year. The bishop believed, and the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe was built on the hill of Tepeyac.

Seen as a champion of the poor and an answerer of prayers, La Virgencita is celebrated year-round. On Dec. 12, Sonoma gives her extra attention.

St. Rose Catholic Church, 398 10th St., Santa Rosa,
707-542-6448, stroseonline.org

Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, 8400 Old Redwood Highway, Windsor, 707-837-8972, olgwindsor.org

Christmas Bird Count at Sonoma Valley

December 2015

By Linda Murphy

Across Sonoma VALLEY on Dec. 30, folks will be counting birds, and they won’t include partridges in pear trees.

The California quail is far more likely to be spotted when the Sonoma Valley Christmas Bird Count sends out 25 or more teams to identify and count species, by sight and sound, as part of the National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count (CBC). Between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5, volunteers toting field glasses and scopes will fan out across North America to conduct the annual census. Once compiled, the data will help wildlife organizations assess the health of avian populations, and perhaps save those that are dwindling. CBC has been called one of the largest “citizen science” projects in the world.

In a 24-hour period, Sonoma Valley CBC volunteers will follow specified routes within an established 15-mile-diameter circle, in search of the more than 400 bird species known to winter in the county. All species are eligible: ducks, egrets, hawks, eagles, falcons, doves, owls, woodpeckers, chickadees, robins, finches, jays, shorebirds, even crows and hummingbirds.

On Dec. 27, the Western Sonoma County Bird Count will be conducted by the Madrone Audubon Society. Last year, the 48th annual event fielded 22 teams, with more than 134 volunteers identifying 185 species and 38,738 individual birds, according to group president Gordon Beebe.

Two counts are just for kids: Petaluma CBC4K and Sonoma CBC4K. Junior Birdmen (and Birdwomen) are taught by experienced adults to use binoculars and spotting scopes, identify species, and understand how vital it is to preserve them. There is lots of fun, too, and antsy kids have a reason to get outdoors during their holiday break.

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT
dates and contact info

Dec. 27: West Sonoma County CBC, Gordon Beebe, gdbeebe@earthlink.net, madroneaudubon.org

Dec. 30: Sonoma Valley CBC, Gene Hunn, enhunn323@comcast.net, sonomabirding.com

Jan. 2: Petaluma CBC4K, Al Hesla, a.hesla@comcast.net

January: Sonoma CBC4K, visit
sonomabirding.com for actual date.

Healdsburg Author Gives Christmas Trees Flight

December 2015

By Meg McConahey

129_Blue, Blue Christm_opt — Photographs by Paige Green, excerpted from “The New Christmas Tree” by Carrie Brown, Artisan Books, copyright 2015.

To Carrie Brown, a Christmas tree is like a mannequin to a great designer — a naked shape just begging to be dressed.

Every Christmas for more than 20 years, the owner of the rustic and retro Jimtown Store on the outskirts of Healdsburg “concocts new flights of fancy” with her own tree.

“I love the idea of the Christmas tree as a vehicle to express individual style,” she said. “You’re literally hanging a theme on this classic icon.”

The inventive Brown dreamed up 24 different themed trees along with 100 crafty decorations for her new book, “The New Christmas Tree,” a cheerful take on an old tradition (Artisan Books, $29.95).

Some of the holiday rut-busting ideas are good enough to eat, from the Hansel and Gretel tree (with gingerbread-house fixings on the branches) to the Biergarten one laden with strings of popcorn, dangling bottle caps, pretzel hearts and old-fashioned German pickle ornaments. Then there are the far-out themes like the Galaxy tree, with handmade comets and shooting stars swathed in a Milky Way garland of gauzy tulle.

Purposely avoiding Martha Stewart and Pinterest to keep her ideas unique, Brown designed all the themes and decorations. She recruited her sister, Judy Brown, and Jimtown Store manager Haley Callahan to make ornaments and style the trees for photographer Paige Green of Petaluma. It all took place over four months in Brown’s studio barn, with Garlock Christmas Tree Farm in Sebastopol supplying fresh trees.

COVER. The New Christm_opt — “The New Christmas Tree,” a cheerful take on an old tradition (Artisan Books, $29.95).

Although she’s included step-by-step instructions and provided templates online, Brown said she hopes “The New Christmas Tree” will also serve as “creative fuel” for others’ own flights of holiday fancy.

“You might not make exactly what we have here,” she said. “But you might have the most amazing collection of jewelry or silver. It’s all about hunting and finding objects and putting them together in fun and creative ways.”

Top 100 Wines: Syrah & Petite Sirah

November 2015

By Sonoma Magazine Staff

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Francis Ford Coppola Winery
2012 Francis Coppola Reserve Wallace Creek Vineyard Dry Creek Valley Syrah
$38
Its deep purple color signals the dark, luscious plum, blackberry and black raspberry aromas and flavors. This powerful, flamboyant wine gets its complexity from subtle notes of black pepper, black tea, licorice and spicy oak. (LM)

Graton Ridge Cellars
2013 Russian River Valley Petite Sirah
$42
Full-bodied, beefy and leathery in a textbook Petite Sirah way, with well-ripened blackberry and blueberry fruitiness. Despite its palate
weight, it remains beautifully balanced and finishes juicy and long. Best of Class at the North Coast Wine Challenge. (LM)

Keating Wines
2012 Rockpile Dry Creek Valley Petite Sirah
$38
Full-bodied and cellar-worthy, this mountain grown Petite Sirah is tannic at first, of course, but softens in the glass to reveal cigar smoke,
leather, black pepper and blackberry. Outgoing and robust, it has a sly sophistication. (VB)

Donelan Family Wines
2012 Sonoma County Cuvée Christine Syrah
$48
From several high-elevation sites across Sonoma, this Syrah represents the best of both worlds, melding Old World meatiness with New World ripe fruit and juicy texture. An explosion of black currant meets white pepper to tremendous effect, making for an intriguing wine. (VB)

Ramey Wine Cellars
2012 Rodgers Creek Vineyard Sonoma Coast Syrah
$65
This spicy, black pepper-laced wine is a sophisticated and savory celebration of the grape variety, with blackberry, leather and dust. Supported by well-integrated, unobtrusive oak, it is soft and delicious now, with meaty undertones, but will intrigue even more over time in thecellar. (VB)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Petaluma Restaurant Bistro 100 is a top pick for hyper-local, comfort classics

November 2015

By biteclub

CLOSED

It has been almost a year since chef Garrett Adair opened his dream restaurant, Bistro 100. But the cozy cafe in Petaluma’s downtown Theater District feels like it has been there forever. Everyone knows everyone or, if they don’t, the bistro tables lend themselves to casual conversation and knowing nods of approval as a lusty plate of short ribs arrives.

“Oh, those are so good,” says a woman on one side, apologizing for the interruption. “Sorry, but we come here all the time, and those are just so good.” It’s an opening to ask about her cheesecake, and in turn a chatty dessert and coffee conversation about kids and taco trucks.

It’s that kind of neighborly vibe and approachable fine-dining that Adair mentally mapped-out for a decade while working as a caterer and private chef in Sonoma County. Combining that with stints at notable restaurants like 101 Main Bistro and Wine Bar in Sebastopol and the Michelin-starred Farmhouse Inn, Adair has hung his toque on upscale-everyday French-American cuisine.

Take the cabernet braised short ribs and truffle butter, tender beef rib meat taken off the bone, with garlic mashed potatoes and red wine sauce with black truffle butter ($29). This isn’t Wagyu, just a simple cut of meat that’s deboned, trussed and braised in red wine for hours, then dolled up with a few classy accessories: truffle butter and veal demi-glace.

Other good bets on the menu include:

Mushroom and Truffled Bruschetta Cream Canapés. Black trumpet, crimini and shiitakes with white cheddar, cream and herb aioli on a baguette ($9.50). These luxe vegetarian appetizers are one of the most-ordered dishes. For good reason.

Sonoma County Terrine at Bistro 100 in Petaluma

Sonoma “Country” Terrine. A barnyard mix of pork, lamb, bacon, ham and walnuts with herbs, brandy and tarragon creme fraiche ($10.50). Forget all about calories; it’s worth a splurge.

Poulet Forestieres and Potato Gratin. A pan-seared chicken breast with mushroom-chardonnay cream sauce cheese-tasic gratin. ($23).

Croque Monsieur. This is a grilled-cheese sandwich you’ll lay awake dreaming about. Pullman bread, Béchamel sauce, ham, Sonoma Dry Jack ($14, lunch only).

“We try to elevate the sense of casual dining to something more elegant,” said Adair, using high-end local ingredients sourced from within 100 miles (hence the name, Bistro 100).

If you’re rolling your eyes at the whole farm-to-table mantra, Adair shifts the focus to relationships he has forged with players like the fledgling Live Oak Farm in Petaluma, Green String Farm, F.E.E.D. Sonoma, Twin Dog Farms and Canvas Ranch.

“We’re talking the talk and walking the walk, with about 96 percent of our menu actually coming from within 20 miles,” he said.

That also includes wines from the up-and-coming Petaluma Gap wine region, a unique cool, coastal microclimate in the Sonoma Coast AVA (Cloud’s Rest, La Follette) and frequent winemaker dinners that sell out in hours.

“We like to work with the little purveyors, the stuff you can’t find in Safeway,” Adair said. Bistro 100 also has frequent beermaker dinners and stocks seven microbrews on tap.

You’ll find Adair spending plenty of time in the dining room on Friday and Saturday nights “expediting,” doing everything from garnishing plates to bringing them to your table and making sure the kitchen runs smoothly, while leaving the cooking to his kitchen staff.

During the week, he’s in the open kitchen, serving up everything from crepes to mussels.

Having weathered the perilous first six months of restaurant ownership, Adair says there are four things he has learned the hard way: Ambiance is just as important as a great dish (they’ve spent lots of time reducing noise levels); finding a cohesive staff is imperative (in the early days they had lots of turnover); fancy brushstrokes on a plate are nice, but real soul is what brings people back; and cooking is the easy part of owning a restaurant.

“When I stress out in the morning worrying about things, prepping polenta is a lot of fun,” he said. “I’m doing this on a dime and a lot of hope, but we’re here for the long haul.”

Bistro 100, 140 Second St., Petaluma, 981-8228, bistro100petaluma.com.

Open Tuesday through Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for lunch; happy hour 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.; dinner from 5 p.m. Closed Monday. Reservations recommended. $$-$$$.

Fernet Francisco: Sonoma is Falling in Love

November 2015

By Tina Caputo

Ben Flajnik has a new love, and her name is Fernet.

For those out of the reality TV loop, Flajnik was the season 16 star of “The Bachelor,” which in 2012 brought national attention to Envolve Winery, the Sonoma brand he co-founded. Flajnik has since moved on from his chosen “Bachelor” mate and the winery to create Fernet Francisco, an Italian-style herbal liqueur. Launched in April, the San Francisco spirit is a partnership of Flajnik, 32, and Max Rudsten, 31.

While the American masses have yet to embrace fernet, the bittersweet, aromatic, supposedly stomach-settling amaro is the darling of mixologists and sommeliers, particularly those in Northern California.

“I don’t think most people in the United States are used to drinking amaro, because it’s truly an acquired taste,” Flajnik said. “Max and I set out to make a very approachable spirit and help change that perception.”

Distiller Farid Dormishian vapor-infuses a core of botanicals, then blends in herbal infusions. Rhubarb root plays a starring role, supported by locally sourced bay leaf, chamomile, orange peel and spearmint. Unlike other fernets, Fernet Francisco has very little residual sugar. “The result is much less syrupy and can be the focus of a cocktail,” Rudsten said.

Drink Fernet Francisco straight up, on the rocks with an orange twist, with tonic and a slice of lime, or in the Fernetaboutit: 1 ounce Fernet Francisco, 1 ounce Green Chartreuse, 1 ounce maraschino liqueur and 1 ounce lime juice, served in a chilled cocktail glass.

“There is a much quicker turnaround time in distillation and macerating herbs for the fernet process. Wine can take years,” Flajnik said. “It’s much friendlier as a startup business, because you don’t have to invest as much money in inventories.”

Flajnik may have truly found his perfect match.

fernetfrancisco.com