UPDATE: Santa Rosa Seafood Raw Bar and Grill is OPEN. See review and pix here
UPDATE: 7/23
There’s already been a chef shuffle, but owners say that they’re hoping to open in about three weeks.
The tables have been set for what seems like years at the Santa Rosa Seafood Raw Bar and Grill (946 Santa Rosa Ave., Santa Rosa), but nothing much was happening. Biteclub hears that’s about to change. A chef has been hired and the wheels are once again turning.
More details soon.
Just because you’re making a trip to wine country doesn’t mean you have to spend all your time in tasting rooms. Here are a few fun alternatives.
This article is part of a series called “Hidden Sonoma.” To see the full list of 80+ things to do in Sonoma County, click here.
Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Aah: Sonoma Canopy Tours
With your harness attached to a pulley on a heavy steel cable, soar above ancient redwoods and deep ravines at up to 25 mph on the zip lines at Sonoma Canopy Tours near Occidental. The seven lines are connected by platforms, two skybridges and a spiral staircase, providing an eco-friendly workout and thrill ride that ends with a rappel to the forest floor. Look down if you dare. $99-$109; discounts for ages 10 to 17 and seniors.
6250 Bohemian Highway, Occidental, 888-494-7868, sonomacanopytours.com
Johnson’s Beach Alternative: Monte Rio Beach
Guerneville’s Johnson’s Beach may have the history, yet Monte Rio Beach on the north side of the Russian River below the bridge in Monte Rio is a favorite spot for frolicking families and kayakers looking for a soft, shallow spot to put in for a paddle. The concession stand and boat-rental facility are located in the parking lot. In summer, when river levels drop, the Monte Rio Recreation and Park District installs a wood boardwalk that connects these facilities to the water’s edge.
Highway 116, Monte Rio, 707-865-0400, mrrpd.org/monteriobeach.html
Cut the Rug with Flamingos: Dancing at the Flamingo Lounge
Sunday nights are salsa (and bachata) nights in The Flamingo Lounge, the retro bar inside the Flamingo Conference Resort & Spa in Santa Rosa. Every week, local salsa bands take over the lounge and crank out live music for smartly dressed dancers. The party usually starts at 7 p.m., when dance pros offer an hour of salsa lessons ($10 a person). Open dancing ($8) begins at 9 p.m., and usually stretches late into the evening. Order food before 9 p.m. and get 10 percent off.
2777 Fourth St., Santa Rosa. 707-545-8530, flamingoresort.com
A Man of Many Faces: Actor & Historian George Webber
Sonoma’s George Webber isn’t really a defrocked Mexican generalissimo, though he plays one. Webber has for years made appearances at Sonoma events as the famous Gen. Mariano Vallejo, and expanded his “George Webber experience” to the Gen. Vallejo Walking Tour of the Sonoma Plaza. Webber’s got more than a beloved 19th-century land baron up his sleeve. He also brings to life Mark Twain, enologist Professor Vine and Count Agoston Haraszthy.
Lawful Speeding: Sonoma Raceway
Wednesday night is a drag, we know. But this time it’s in a good way. The Wednesday Night Drags at Sonoma Raceway is a safe (and legal) opportunity for teenagers and seniors alike to channel their inner Jeff Gordon and drive their vehicles fast and furious down the raceway’s quarter-mile strip, supervised by Bay Area law enforcement officers. The season runs March through November, 4 to 10 p.m.
29355 Arnold Drive, Sonoma, 800-870-7223, racesonoma.com
Beer and Burlesque
What pairs well with a Lagunitas Imperial Stout? How about a sword swallower? The Daytime IPA goes great with a contorting burlesque dancer on a trapeze. Every August, Lagunitas Brewing’s Beer Circus in Petaluma celebrates steampunk weirdness, vaudeville spectacle and, of course, beer. More than 200 artists and performers, food purveyors and dozens of regional microbrews make this a can’t-miss festival, on Aug. 15 this year. Tickets sell out fast.
Lagunitas Brewing Co., 1280 N. McDowell Blvd., Petaluma, 707-284-1020, lagunitas.com/beercircus
It’s You and Not the Sky That’s Falling: NorCal Skydiving
The beauty of the Sonoma landscape takes on an even more precious quality from above, when you’re falling from the sky toward the Alexander Valley at 120 mph. This is the experience with NorCal Skydiving, an outfitter whose planes take off from the Cloverdale Municipal Airport. Once you jump and your chute deploys, the experience is eerily quiet. On clear days, you can see Mount Shasta and the Pacific Ocean on the way down. Prices start at $179.
220 Airport Road, Cloverdale, 888-667-2259, norcalskydiving.com
Lawful Speeding
Wednesday night is a drag, we know. But this time it’s in a good way. The Wednesday Night Drags at Sonoma Raceway is a safe (and legal) opportunity for teenagers and seniors alike to channel their inner Jeff Gordon and drive their vehicles fast and furious down the raceway’s quarter-mile strip, supervised by Bay Area law enforcement officers. The season runs March through November, 4 to 10 p.m.
29355 Arnold Drive, Sonoma, 800-870-7223, racesonoma.com
Groovy Racing: Slot Car Raceway
Slot-car racing didn’t die with America’s innocence in the 1960s. It’s alive and well in Rohnert Park, where Slot Car Raceway welcomes hobbyists to race their miniature model cars on slotted tracks, steered by hand-held controllers. While most enthusiasts leaped to more sophisticated iRacing on computers, Slot Car Raceway does it old school with its in-shop track and cases full of parts and equipment for home hobbyists. If you fondly recall your 1967 orange Manta Ray and spring-loaded plunger, this place is for you.
305 Southwest Blvd., Rohnert Park, 707-795-4156 scrhobbies.com
Rudolfo Vazquez, of San Francisco, launches his ball on the bocce court at Campo Fina restaurant in Healdsburg as his friends wait their turns.
There’s a historic eatery on Manhattan’s Upper East Side that bills itself as the best Italian restaurant in the city with an indoor bocce ball court. It’s also the only one, and you don’t go there for the food.
In Sonoma, diners don’t have to choose between food and fun. There are several renowned restaurants that also serve up a side of la dolce vita in the form of a friendly game of bocce.
“It’s a reminder that the Italians do a better job of relaxing than we do,” said William Foss, owner of The Kenwood Restaurant. “Here’s a sport where you can hold a glass of wine.”
When he reopened the landmark Sonoma Valley restaurant in 2013, Foss added a regulation 90-foot bocce court next to the pond as a way to invite his guests to linger and drink in the view.
“Most restaurants deal with sit down, order, pay and leave,” said Foss, who started playing bocce 20 years ago in his hometown of Los Gatos. “This was, ‘Go to the bar, watch a game, go sit by the pond and play some bocce.’”
In Healdsburg, Ari Rosen named his first restaurant, Scopa, after an Italian card game. When he was ready to open a second, the chef wanted another game, so he naturally gravitated to the Italian game he used to play with his grandfather during summers in upstate New York.
Rosen painted a bocce player above the bar, built a bocce court at the back of the patio, and dubbed the restaurant Campo Fina. (campo in Italian means field, as in bocce playing field).
“For me, it’s about injecting the restaurant with life,” Rosen said. “Before the opening, I was already shopping for vintage bocce balls.”
Every summer, Campo Fina hosts league games on Thursday nights, with Rosen serving as referee. During the playoffs, the restaurant closes and Rosen installs bleachers for the fans. The winning team gets $1,000 plus their name painted on “The Wall of Champions.”
“The playoffs are very intense,” Rosen said. “Teams secretly send drinks to the next team to try to knock them out.”
At Underwood Bar & Bistro in Graton, owner Matthew Greenbaum built a bocce court on the back patio to provide a place for folks to enjoy drinks before dinner or sit down to a casual meal.
“I like it when uninitiated couples come in, and they’re a little nervous, but a half-hour later, they’re drinking and shouting,” he said. “It tickles my heart.”
From BottleRock to Outside Lands, the Bay Area is home to some of the biggest and baddest summer music festivals in the country. But in the hamlets of Healdsburg, Windsor and Cloverdale, the hottest game in town is the free weeknight summer music series. It’s where neighbors, farmers and oodles of families throw a massive town picnic every week, all summer long. Here’s the soundtrack to your small-town Americana:
Through Sept. 4
Cloverdale Friday Night Live, Downtown Cloverdale Farmers Market
Musical range: Just know the theme this year is “The Summer of Soul,” which translates into blue-eyed soul with Eric Lindell, California soul with the Mother Hips and modern soul of Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds.
Top bill: Local blues harmonica virtuoso and Mississippi Delta ex-pat Charlie Musselwhite ends the season on Sept. 4.
Strategy: Plan ahead and get early-bird specials at nearby restaurants.
Rules and regulations: No outside alcoholic beverages, so you have to buy your craft beer and wine at the venue. Music starts at 7 p.m.
707- 894-4410, cloverdaleartsalliance.org/fridaynightlive
Through Aug. 25
Healdsburg Tuesdays in the Plaza, Plaza Park
Musical range: From gypsy jazz and Old-World folk to blues and rock, with Cajun zydeco tossed in for flavor.
Top bill: Roy Rogers closes it out with blues slide guitar on Aug. 25. But you don’t want to pass up the Crux and its self-described “barn dance tunes, klezmer jams, pirate shanties and bluesy dirges” on July 14.
Strategy: BYOB is the way to go. From blanket to blanket and lawn chair to lawn chair, the gushing wine on tap any given night is a who’s who of American winemaking. Dancing shoes highly recommended.
Rules and regulations: Set up blankets and chairs after 4 p.m. Music starts at 6 p.m. Leave Fido at home.
707-431-3301, ci.healdsburg.ca.us
Thursdays through Aug. 27
Windsor Summer Nights on the Green, Windsor Town Green
Musical range: Authentic Mississippi blues to cheesy cover bands.
Top bill: Tossup between Charlie Musselwhite (Aug. 6) and San Francisco Americana singer-songwriter Chuck Prophet (July 30). Super Huey channels Huey Lewis and the News on July 9. The all-chick Killer Queens lead a crowd sing-along of “Bohemian Rhapsody” on Aug. 20.
Strategy: Free valet parking if you arrive by bike, skateboard or stroller.
Rules and regulations: No sitting on blankets before 4:30 p.m. Music starts at 6 p.m. Leashed dogs OK.
707-838-1260, ci.windsor.ca.us
Hazel Restaurant is on the horizon.
The countdown is on for Hazel, the new Occidental Restaurant from Berkeley chefs Jim and Michele Wimborough.
Slated for a Thursday, July 16, 2015 opening, the former Bistro de Copains has been undergoing some serious interior updates, and both chefs have been teasing fans on their Facebook page with pix of roasted branzino, curried scallops with Santa Rosa plums, cupcakes, and braised short ribs with polenta.
The “rustic California-Mediterranean” menu is centered around the restaurant’s two wood-fired ovens, and Jim is a live-fire pro from his years at top-ranked restaurants including Boulevard, Kokkari, and Evvia. Because working with temperamental coals isn’t for just anyone. Michele will head up the desserts, including a weekly seasonal Friday Pie Day, sundaes, cookies and cakes. The inside scoop: Blueberry pie is up first.
Hazel (named after Jim’s great grandmother who inspired him to become a chef) will be doing dinner only its first week and then lunch and dinner seven days thereafter, as well as weekend brunch.
More details at facebook.com/Restauranthazel, or restauranthazel.com 3782 Bohemian Hwy., Occidental.
The requisite farm-to-table shout out: “Hazel is committed to using local sustainable produce from farmers such as New Family Farm Sonoma Swamp Blues Farm, Ford Cheese and Olivian Olive Oil, meats and seafood. Wines from West Sonoma county producers, among them Radio-Couteau, Paul Matthews and Atascadero Creek will anchor the list and locally made beers will be prominent as well,” says the press release.
After just three years, the Thomas/Fagiani’s Bar is closing in downtown Napa and Ninebark will be its immediate replacement.
The vintage Fagiani’s sign in downtown Napa has gone dark again. In fact, it’s gone altogether.
After just three years, the upscale/retro Fagiani’s Bar/The Thomas restaurant is shuttering.
Call it the curse of the building, which was the site of the town’s most notorious murders, the kerfuffle the Fagiani family made over the original name (it was changed in 2012 after opening), the lineup of chefs that came and went from the restaurant, or maybe just the need for something different in the ever-changing landscape of the Napa Valley dining scene.
Whatever the reason, the NYC hospitality group behind the 2012 opening, AvroKo, is reinventing the restaurant as Ninebark (the name refers to a woody bush native to the region).
What’s really captured our attention: AvroKo has partnered with Michelin-starred wunderkind Matthew Lightner to open the restaurant and handle all of their West Coast culinary operations. And that means not just a new Napa restaurant, but whispers of a second restaurant in Calistoga, and likely other Wine Country eateries. Lightner rose to fame as executive chef of Castgna in Portland, Oregon, then received two Michelin stars in NYC after opening Atera.
His new focus for the restaurant and rooftop bar will be “California-focused, market-forward cuisine based around “innovative preparation techniques”, with proposed menu items like scallops with bottarga, seaweed and buttermilk; skewers of fatty tuna, shiso, peppercorns and sorrel and savory porridge with smoked fish, heirloom rice and sourdough.
The Thomas/Fagiani’s is slated to close at the end of July, and Ninebark will hopefully open in early August. Call us stoked.
The ultimate food porn magazine is one you’ve probably never heard of, but every chef has.
Long before iPhones and food bloggers and digital cameras that can make almost anyone a culinary documentarian, Art Culinaire Magazine was the first and last word in food.
Introducing the world to the greatest chefs, the most state-of-the-art kitchens and, of course, the latest trends and recipes in haute cuisine with “jaw dropping” photography, Art Culinaire was —and is — a magazine coveted by chefs and gourmands.
In fact, Wolfgang Puck was in the first issue, long before he became “Wolfgang Puck”, and renowned Napa chef Thomas Keller is rumored to have almost every issue of the hard-bound magazine published since 1986.
But few people know that the “International Magazine in Good Taste” (delivered to 57 countries, currently) makes its home in Healdsburg, quietly co-published by husband-and-wife team Carol M. Newman and Lars Ryssdal.
The two took over the publication in May 2014 from founder and friend Franz Mitterer, who Ryssdal describes as an Austrian gourmet who envisioned a magazine that honored chefs and their food.
What makes this magazine stand out amongst a flurry of digital food magazines, however, are its decidedly old school ways: Printing an oversized book on heavy gloss paper in full color. With almost no advertising.
“It’s like a vinyl record. There isn’t an online component, and you keep it forever,” said Ryssdal. “But we think about the legacy of chefs and their food. This is the only way to really honor a dish that a chef creates, with giant photos that show every detail,” he said.
You can order the magazine ($68 for four issues a year), see what’s being featured in the current issue, and check out the impressive index of chefs included in each of the magazines online at artculinairemagazine.com, or by calling (707) 595-3850.
Get ready for Outside Lands 2015 with this handy guide.
Oh. My. God. My favorite event of the year for eating, this three-day extravaganza is the culmination of Bay Area food, wine and beer. I’ll let it speak for itself. Stay tuned for lots more details as the date approaches.
OUTSIDE LANDS ANNOUNCES THE 2015 FOOD & DRINK LINEUP
FEATURING
78 RESTAURANTS, 37 WINERIES AND 32 BREWERIES
WITH THE LIKES OF
BOURBON COKE FLOATS, DONUT CHEESEBURGERS, JAPANESE FRIED CHICKEN, PORKY FRIES, KORRITOS, GREEN JUICE, & FARM FRESH PRODUCE ON THE MENU
May 14, 2015 — San Francisco, CA – Outside Lands Music & ArtsFestival announces another mouthwatering food and drink lineup for its eighth annual edition. Given producers’ insatiable creativity and love for Northern Californian food and drink, Outside Lands offers over 200 menu options, found within six unique experiences: A Taste of the Bay Area, Wine Lands, Beer Lands, Choco Lands, Cheese Lands, and GastroMagic, which was introduced in 2014 as a fully programmed stage devoted to fantastical culinary entertainment. Outside Lands will once again take place in San Francisco’s historic Golden Gate Park August 7-9, 2015. A limited number of Single Day, Friday VIP tickets are still on sale via www.SFOutsideLands.com.
A Taste of the Bay Area
The food wonderland that is A Taste of the Bay Area is folded directly into the Outside Lands experience, allowing festival-goers to catch performances like Elton John, Mumford and Sons and The Black Keys, while also choosing from 78 restaurants, food trucks and food carts, 12 of which are new. This year, the three-star, classic Cal-Ital restaurant Delfina joins A Taste of the Bay Area, as does Russian Hill hot spot Stones Throw, the modern and Mexico City inspired La Urbana, chef-driven sandwiches from Liza Shaw and Merigan Sub Shop, coffee masters Sightglass Coffee, and Indian street food devotees Raj + Singh, to name a few. San Francisco all-star chef and restaurateur Michael Mina will foray into Outside Lands’ VIP experience with Michael Mina’s Tailgate.
Beer Lands
A towering beer mug reading “Ye Ole Beer Lands,” beckons brew lovers into Beer Lands. In exciting news, this year, Beer Lands will include a food experience. Leading the way for this new addition will be The Monk’s Kettle. This pioneer in the gastropub movement will be serving the perfect salty companions to chilled ales – pretzel knots and sausages in a pretzel bun. As always, Dave McLean, Owner of San Francisco’s Magnolia Brewing Company and Alembic Bar, will curate the Beer Lands lineup. Appropriately, McLean fell in love with Northern California beers while pairing them with live music (Grateful Dead concerts to be exact), and he now makes some of the best beer in San Francisco. In its fourth year, Beer Lands gathers 32 breweries, hailing from San Francisco, Napa, Sonoma, Half Moon Bay and Berkeley, that epitomize Northern California’s powerful craft beer culture. Six welcome newcomers to Beer Lands 2015 include two urban, small-batch breweries that launched just this past year, Local Brewing Co. and Fieldwork, as well as HenHouse, Half Moon Bay, Napa Smith and St. Florian’s. One of the country’s foremost craft breweries, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., will also return to Beer Lands. Sierra Nevada’s Beer Ambassador Terence Sullivan will bring Beer Camp back to the Hellman Hollow Field and will feature Sierra Nevada’s special festival brew, the Outside Lands Saison, on tap from the brewery’s signature solar-powered trailer.
Wine Lands
Unlike any other music festival experience, Outside Lands offers Wine Lands, and the chance to discover 37 top regional winemakers pouring more than 120 wines, as led by the award-wining wine expert, Peter Eastlake. UnderWine Lands’ornate tent, complete with chandelier lights inspired by grapevines, guests can pass through for the perfect wine for their next show, or can linger to chat with winemakers about everything from harvest to biodynamic practices to wine pairings. Wine Lands’ outdoor Courtyard offers picnic tables and wine barrels to post up at, as well as a 1920s vintage sink with wine on tap. Wine Lands sees 11 new winemakers this year. Several exciting newcomers include the iconic Chateau Montelena, Buena Vista Winery and Vineyards – the oldest winery in Sonoma dating back to 1857, and CrossBarn by Paul Hobbs, known for its commitment to sustainable winemaking. Two urban wineries join the bill with Bluxome Street Winery in San Francisco and Dashe Cellars from Oakland. Welcoming the Pacific Northwest at large, Wine Lands will also see three Oregon makers this year: Mouton Noir, Union Wine Co.,and SakéOne.
Choco Lands
Since there is nothing better than ending a meal at Outside Lands in an enchanting and decked-out forest full of rich, sugary and locally made desserts, Choco Lands returns. Guittard Chocolate Company, the oldest, continuously family-run chocolate company in the United States will be back to serve Melted Chocolate Bars, as will dessert veterans Sharona’s Chocolate Shop with Chocolate Dipped Brownies, Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Cups, and Chocolate Dipped S’mores, Candybar Dessert Lounge with Hot Chocolate to beat the August chill, Kara’s Cupcakes with Artisan Cupcakes and Epic Cookies with Chocolate Crackled Cookies, White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies and Two Percent Milk for dunking.
Cheese Lands
Now in its third year, Cheese Lands will be curated by Thalassa Skinner of Culture, America’s magazine for cheese lovers, in partnership with Napa Valley’s Long Meadow Ranch. Cheese Lands will feature expansive cheese and charcuterie selections where artisan producers will engage in educational discussions about the best of the Bay Area’s cheese.
GastroMagic
GastroMagic debuted at Outside Lands in 2014 as a fully programmed stage devoted to fantastical culinary entertainment. It will return to Outside Lands in 2015. Stay tuned for its lineup and programming.
A Portion of the 2015 Outside Lands Menu is below
* subject to change
All new vendors are marked by (new)
4505 Meats – Cheeseburgers and Chicharrones
Alicia’s Tamales Los Mayas – Tamales, Arroz con Leche
AQ – Sweet, Spicy and Shroomy Waffles
Azalina’s – Peanut Tofu Nachos, Chicken Curry Nachos
Beast and the Hare – Texas Style Baked Potatoes
Big Chef Tom’s Belly Burgers – Pork Belly Burgers, Crinkle Cut Cheese Fries
Charles Chocolates – Gourmet S’mores, Brownie Ice Cream Sundaes
Chino – Lumpia, Pork Fried Rice
Curry Up Now – Sexy Fries, Deconstructed Samosas
Delessio Market & Bakery – Thai Chicken Sandwiches, Kale Salads, Rabanada
Delfina -Meatball Subs with Provolone and Tomato (new)
Earthly Delights – Philly Cheesesteaks, Cajun Chicken Sandwiches
El Huarache Loco – Huaraches, Gorditas, Quesadillas
Endless Summer Sweets – Gourmet Funnel Cakes, Hand-dipped Corn Dogs
Escape from New York Pizza – Pesto, Roasted Garlic and Potato Pizza Slices
Event Specialists – Cinnamon Sugar Churros, Giant Soft Pretzels
Freshroll Vietnamese Rolls & Bowls – Vietnamese Sandwiches, Taro Chips
Full Belly Farm – An Outside Lands Farmers Market
Glaze Teriyaki – Teriyaki Bowls, Gyoza, Shishito Peppers
Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream – Secret Breakfast Ice Cream, Bourbon Coke Floats
Il Cane Rosso – Olive Oil Fried Egg Sandwiches, Griddled French Toast
La Urbana -Mexican Chorizo Dogs, Bean Soup (new)
Little Skillet – Chicken & Waffles, Mac & Cheese, Fresh Watermelon
Living Greens Juice – Fresh Juices, Thai Coconuts, Hot Detox Tea, Hot Mulled Cider
Long Meadow Ranch – Cheese and Charcuterie Plates (in Cheese Lands)
Loving Cup – Madagascar Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding, Frozen Yogurt Sandwiches
Lucca Foods – BBQ Pulled Pork, Rice Krispy Treats
Merigan Sub Shop – Eggplant Parm Subs, Italian Shaved Ice (new)
Michael Mina’s Tailgate- Burgers and BBQ (new; in VIP)
Namu Street Food – Mushroom Udon, Pork Tonkotsu
Nojo – Spicy Japanese Style Tater Tots
Nombe – Ramenburgers, JFC (Japanese Fried Chicken)
Pacific Catch – Hawaiian Ahi Poke, Fish & Chips, Sweet Potato Fries
Pica Pica Arepa Kitchen – Arepas, Sweet Plantains, Yuca Fries
Precita Park Café – Deep Fried Organic Donuts, Equator Coffee
Proposition Chicken – Fried, Flipped, Fake Chicken Sandwiches
Raj + Singh – Chicken Tikka Masala Naan Wraps, Veggie Korma Rice Bowls (new)
Rich Table – Dried Porcini Doughnuts
Rocko’s Ice Cream Tacos – Ice Cream Tacos, Frozen Bananas (new)
Rosamunde Sausage Grill – Beer Sausages, Chicken Cherry Sausages, Vegan Apple Sage Sausages
Sababa – Falafels, Cardamom Coffee Slushies (new)
Sabores Del Sur – Award-winning Alfajores
Sataysfied – Chicken Satays, Mie Tek Tek Fried Noodles
Sightglass Coffee – Individually Prepared Coffees, Vanilla Iced Cold Brew (new)
Southpaw BBQ & Southern Cooking – Smoked Brisket Sandwiches, Collard Greens
Spicy Pie – Pizza Slices, Cookie Pie
Spin City Coffee – Black Jet Pastries, Dynamo Donuts, Shakedown Ice Cream, and
Blue Bottle Coffee
Split Pea Seduction – Farm to Fork Soups, Salads, and Sandwiches
Sprogs – Rice Scooters (new)
Stones Throw – Chicken Parm Sandwiches (new)
Straw – “The Ringmaster” Donut Cheeseburgers
Sugar & Spun – Freshly Spun Cotton Candy Bouquets
Suite Foods Waffle Shop – Maple Bacon Waffles stuffed with Fried Chicken
Tacolicious – Shot-and-a-beer Braised Chicken Tacos, Veggie Tacos, Baja Style Fried Fish Tacos
The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen – Classic Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Smoky Tomato Soup
The Butcher’s Daughter – Spicy Cheddar Brats, Knackwurst, Chicken Brats, Pâtés
The Creme Brulee Cart – Gourmet Creme Brulees (new)
The Little Chihuahua – Breakfast Burritos, Plantain & Black Bean Burritos
and Fajita Burritos
The Monk’s Kettle – Pretzel Knots, Sausages in a Pretzel Bun (new; in Beer Lands)
The Pizza Place – Cheese, Pepperoni and Vegan Personal Pizzas
Three Babes Bakeshop – Chicken Pot Pie, Peach Pie, Hot Apple Cider
Three Twins Ice Cream – Brownie Batter Chunk Ice Cream, Raspberry Sorbet
Up & Under Pub and Grill – Waffle Fries with Crazy Toppings
Wise Sons Deli – Pastrami Sandwiches, Bagels and Cream Cheese
Woodhouse Fish Co. – Oysters, Maine Lobster Rolls, and
New England Clam Chowder
Food Trucks 2015
Bacon Bacon – BBQ Bacon Burritos, Porky Fries
Del Popolo – Margherita Pizzas
Señor Sisig – Sisig Burritos and Tacos
Seoul on Wheels – Korritos, Rice Plates
The Chairman Truck – Pork Belly, Pork Shoulder, Chicken and Tofu Buns
The Rib Whip – BBQ Bowls & Sandwiches
Those Fabulous Frickle Brothers – Fabulous Frickles, Fried Green Tomatoes, and
Cold Kosher Dills
Choco Lands 2015
Candybar Dessert Lounge – Chocolate French Macarons, Homemade Hot Chocolate
Epic Cookies – Chocolate Krackle Cookies, White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies, Chocolate Chunk Cookies, and 2% Milk
Guittard Chocolate Company – Melted Chocolate Bars
Kara’s Cupcakes – Cupcakes, Karamel Corn, Artisan Cookies
Sharona’s Chocolate Shop – Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Cups, Chocolate-Dipped S’mores, and Chocolate-Dipped Brownies
Beer Lands 2015
21st Amendment Brewery
Ace Cider
Almanac Beer Company
Anchor Brewing Company
Anderson Valley Brewing
Bear Republic Brewing Company
Bulmers Cider Company
Calicraft Brewing Co.
Drake’s Brewing Company
Faction Brewing
Fieldwork Brewing Company (new)
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Fort Point Beer Company
Golden Road Brewing
Half Moon Bay Brewery
(new)
HenHouse Brewing Company (new)
High Water Brewing
Iron Springs Brewery
Linden Street Brewery
Local Brewing Co.
(new)
Lost Coast Brewery
Mad River Brewing Company
Magnolia Brewing Company
Mendocino Brewing Company
Napa Smith Brewery
(new)
North Coast Brewing Company
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Social Kitchen & Brewery
Sonoma Cider
Speakeasy Ales & Lagers
St. Florian’s Brewery
(new)
Triple Voodoo Brewing Company
Wine Lands 2015
AP Vin
Banshee
Bluxome Street Winery (new)
Broc Cellars
Buena Vista (new)
Calder Wine Co.
Chateau Montelena (new)
Claypool Cellars
CrossBarn by Paul Hobbs (new)
Dashe Cellars (new)
Ghost Pines
Hess Collection
Hobo Wine Co.
Idell Family Vineyard
Idelwild / Ryme / Jolie Laide (new)
Jaffurs Wine Cellars (new)
Jamieson Ranch Winery (new)
Long Meadow Ranch
Medlock Ames
Menage a Trois
Mouton Noir
Navarro
Pellegrini Wine Company
Preston Farm and Winery
Prisoner Wine Company
Qupe-Verdad
Red Car
Ridge Vineyards
Robert Sinskey Vineyards
SakéOne
Scharffenberger Cellars
Scribe
Swanson (new)
Tin Barn (new)
Turley Wine Cellars
Union Wine Co. (new)
Wind Gap
The confirmed Outside Lands 2015 music lineup is below:
Elton John
Mumford & Sons
The Black Keys
Sam Smith
Kendrick Lamar
Wilco
Axwell & Ingrosso
Tame Impala
D’Angelo and The Vanguard
St. Vincent
Porter Robinson
Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals
Billy Idol
G-Eazy
Hot Chip
Slightly Stoopid
Caribou
Milky Chance
Chet Faker
The Devil Makes Three
Nate Ruess
ODESZA
First Aid Kit
Toro Y Moi
RL Grime
Lake Street Dive
Mac DeMarco
George Ezra
Lindsey Stirling
Iration
Angus & Julia Stone
DJ Mustard
St. Paul and The Broken Bones
Glass Animals
Laura Marling
James Bay
Green Velvet & Claude VonStroke: Get Real
Django Django
Classixx
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe
Sky Ferreira
Leon Bridges
Robert DeLong
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
SZA
Allah-Las
Shakey Graves
Dan Deacon
Benjamin Booker
MisterWives
Langhorne Slim & The Law
Ryn Weaver
Broods
Hurray for the Riff Raff
Giraffage
GIVERS
Alvvays
Twin Peaks
The Family Crest
The Revivalists
METZ
Strand of Oaks
Speedy Ortiz
Fantastic Negrito
DMA’s
Natalie Prass
Alex Bleeker & The Freaks
The Sam Chase
Devon Baldwin
The Tropics
More announcements will be made in the coming weeks; for updates and more information, check out www.sfoutsidelands.com and follow Outside Lands on Facebook: Outside Lands Music Festival, Twitter: @sfoutsidelands and Instagram: outside_lands
Move over cronuts, Kouign Amann are the “it” pastry of the moment. With its deliciousness turned up to an 11, this menage a trois of croissants, butter and cake (kouign amann literally means “butter cake”) is about as decadent as breakfast gets.
With layers of puffed dough, caramelized sugar and more butter than should be legal, they’re so worth whatever caloric damage inevitably follows.
And no one makes them better than Celine Plano, the new pastry chef at Pascaline Gourmet Shop. It’s in her blood, after all.
Having grown up in Brittany, Plano is well-versed in the complex and unforgiving creation of Breton’s most famous cake. “These are from where I’m from,” she says, pointing the kouign amann (pronounced “queen yamman”) among the meticulous rows of muffins, scones, breads and cakes she’s made that morning. And unlike the leaden American pastries made with heavy bread dough, most of Plano’s patisserie are based in brioche or layer puff pastry.
But wait, there’s more! Plano is just half of the dynamic French duo behind the newly-opened breakfast and lunch spot along Gravenstein Hwy (next to Mom’s Apple Pie).
The other half of the team is Didier Pascal Ageorges, the former culinary powerhouse of Chalk Hill Winery, SF’s Ritz-Carlton and Hotel du Palais Biarritz in France. Plano worked with Ageorges at the Ritz-Carlton, and is Chef and Technical Advisor to Callebaut, the world’s largest premium chocolate manufacturer.
Not that sweets are all you’ll find at Pascaline Gourmet Shop. Open just a few weeks, they’re open for lunch as well, with simple but luxurious salads, and sandwiches (Croque Monsieur). The team also does catering and events, and Didier said they plan on including pop-up dinners and other surprises as they settle into the space.
Stay tuned for more tastes from Pascaline. (The din of people asking about this spot was getting pretty loud, so I figured I’d go snarf some goodies to give you the heads up.)
Um, yeah. Why are you still reading this without a mouth full of pastries?
Pascaline Gourmet Shop, 4550 North Gravenstein Hwy, Sebastopol, (707) 521-9348, open Tuesday through Sunday, 7a.m. to 7p.m.
