Everyone who watches Fashion Week lusts to have the audacity to pull off the outfits strutted on the runway. The reality is we can all afford to pack our closets full of top designers, and the designs we see can be downright impractical. Here’s a couple of runway inspirations turned into obtainable, trendy fall fashion.
Ombre dress (Elie Saab / Courtesy of Elle Magazine)
Inspiration: Ombre and sparkling in every direction? Who could want more? Unfortunately, your average fashionista can’t pull off looking blinged to the max. Also light blue screams spring, not the darkening colors of autumn.
Here’s how we would recreate this look for this fall:
(Courtesy / Saks Fifth Avenue)
Saks Fifth Avenue: Young Fabulous & Broke Maya Ombre Dress.
This dress has the same beautiful ombre effect, but in a much more elegant way. This perfect plum purple is gorgeous for the fall season. Forget about the uncomfortable rhinestones, this soft fabric keeps you looking fresh, comfy, and elegant. Plus it is a wrap style, and stretch fabric, which means that it can be worn by all different body types. Who knew all those could go in one dress?
Sheer black dress by Elie Saab (Courtesy / Elle Magazine)
Inspiration: The plunging neckline on a well-fitted black gown is absolutely stunning. Black is a year-round color, but with the cooler weather and darkening skies, black is a great fall/winter color. But again with the gems!
(Courtesy / Nordstrom)
While the sequin-esque look of this gown creates all the “oooh”s and “aaahh”s, it is a little too much sparkle for an evening gown.
How we would recreate this look:
Nordstrom’s: Dress the Population ‘Delani’ Sequin Crepe Gown
This dress has the same gorgeous neckline and fitted features, sans the excess of sparkle. the ‘Delani” gown has just the right amount of sequins to accent the dress instead of taking it overboard.
White jumpsuit by Zuhair Murad (Courtesy / Elle Magazine)
Inspiration: With the boom in rompers during the summer, we were bound to see jumpsuits in the fall line-up. This jumpsuit has gorgeous diamond-like cutouts all over; but that’s the problem.
(Courtesy / Nordstrom)
Any of us fashionistas who aren’t a size 0, and maybe have a little fluff, would look a bit like oozing play-doh in this pantsuit.
How to recreate this look:
Nordstrom’s: MISSGUIDED High Neck Crop Jumpsuit
Here we have a cutout in the form of a plunging neckline, which is a bit more fluff friendly (we all have a little, and it is perfectly fine). Also, this jumpsuit is far more pairing friendly: this would look cute with a sweater or a kimono wrap.
Smoky eye / Dark eye makeup by Elie Saab (Courtesy / InStyle Magazine)
Inspiration: The dark, smoky eye look pairs perfectly with the darker fall colors. The intensity makes us look badass and ready to take on the world. But for those without their own personal makeup artist, we need a palate that covers all our fall bases.
How to create this look:
Urban Decay: Naked Smoky Palette.
(Courtesy / Urban Decay)
The Urban Decay Naked line is known for it’s beauty and variety of combinations, but this new palette knocks it out of the park. How many different gorgeous smoky eye looks can you create with this palette? The world may never know. That purple ombre dress with a gray-purple smoky eye? Yes please.
Leslie Boutell and Simon Purshouse, owners of Urban Refind, sit on a porch swing amongst many of their other wares at their shop in Sonoma, California on Thursday, October 15, 2015. (Alvin Jornada / The Press Democrat)
Leslie Boutell and Simon Purshouse, owners of Urban Refind, sit on a porch swing amongst many of their other wares at their shop in Sonoma, California on Thursday, October 15, 2015. (Alvin Jornada / The Press Democrat)
If you have refined tastes, are conscious about recycling, prefer to shop local and take a liking to vintage, antique items with history and character, Urban Refind is just for you.
Leslie Boutell and Simon Purshouse have spent the past six years sorting through unwanted stuff, which most people see as junk, and finding hidden treasures buried in people’s garages, junk piles, and even through the belongings of parents or grandparents recently passed. This Spring, the Boyes Hot Springs pair opened Urban Refind, a shop with two locations – one with items for “inside places” and the other with stuff for “outside places.” They only sell through appointments – but each item is one of a kind.
A Beatles poster with lamps and other decorative items at Urban Refind in Sonoma, California on Thursday, October 15, 2015. (Alvin Jornada / The Press Democrat)
Their wares all have a certain shabby but chic appeal, from rusted tools and long-forgotten items re-purposed and rescued with sandpaper, paint and through Boutell’s creative touch.
A rusted Radio Flyer wagon, old-time watering cans and milk jugs and a 1950s potato masher were among recent discoveries, along with galvanized buckets, a hand-painted teapot and an autographed copy of a Beatles poster.
A caricature of a waiter on a chalkboard at Urban Refind in Sonoma, California on Thursday, October 15, 2015. (Alvin Jornada / The Press Democrat)
“We like to say we rescue things,” said Boutell, 55, who owns Boyes Hot Springs-based Good Riddance Hauling with her life partner, Purshouse, 46. “These (items) are all our little rescues.”
The merchandise is eclectic and ever-changing, always promoting the environmentally forward concept of repurposing and reusing everyday objects, furnishings and funky finds. Boutell said anything farm-related is big with North Bay buyers who like weathered items for display or DIY projects.
Antique watering cans at Urban Refind in Sonoma, California on Thursday, October 15, 2015. (Alvin Jornada / The Press Democrat)
Everything is taken from job sites where homeowners need help clearing garages chockablock full of long-forgotten stuff, barns brimming with rusted tools and old-time treasures or hoarders’ houses loaded down with trash but with an occasional hidden gem. Even construction cleanups or yard waste and debris hauling can reveal cool or useful things. During a recent job, they uncovered a metal candle holder from within a pile of trash.
An Indonesian goddess sculpture made of wood at Urban Refind in Sonoma, California on Thursday, October 15, 2015. (Alvin Jornada / The Press Democrat)
They rely on their instincts after six years of making dump runs, sorting recyclable items, bringing valuables to consignment or thrift shops and clearing out the clutter that bogs down so many of their customers.
“It’s extracting and realizing that it’s worth something,” Boutell said. The rest gets transported to the landfill, less than half of what they haul away.
Urban Refind fans include interior decorators, set designers, wholesalers, bargain hunters and those who simply appreciate unique items and the opportunity to help save Mother Earth.
Bird and The Bottle, a new Stark Reality Restaurant in Santa Rosa, CA
Buttermilk fried chicken at Bird and The Bottle, a new Stark Reality Restaurant in Santa Rosa, CA
Restaurateurs Mark and Terri Stark may have just saved their best restaurant for last.
The owners of some of Sonoma County’s most well-loved eateries — Willi’s Wine Bar, Willi’s Seafood, Monti’s, Bravas Bar de Tapas and Stark’s Steak and Seafood, as well as a bustling catering business — the couple are the undisputed king and queen of the Sonoma County restaurant scene.
Opening six restaurants in 13 years gets you those bragging rights.
“Craft” Mac and Cheese with mortadella and fried Brussels sprouts at Bird and The Bottle, a new Stark Reality Restaurant in Santa Rosa, CA
But Bird and The Bottle, which opened in late September, just might be their crowning achievement. From the creative menu to the luxe interior, its the culmination of a lifetime of restaurant expertise.
It’s never easy
This ambitious downtown Santa Rosa project took more than two years, $1.5 million in renovation costs, a mountain of permits, construction delays and no small amount of stress, according to Terri Stark. Add that to keeping five other restaurants not just running, but consistently showing up on Top 100 Restaurant lists both locally and nationally. That’s no small feat even with a staff of hundreds.
Grits with preserved egg, hen of the woods mushrroms, schmaltz at Bird and The Bottle, a new Stark Reality Restaurant in Santa Rosa, CA
So when the inevitable question of, “What’s next?” comes up for the couple, — just a few weeks after opening Bird and The Bottle, they’re clear that this is their last. Six restaurants, it seems, are enough.
“A husband and wife have to know their limits,” she laughs, looking at Mark. “We are D-O-N-E,” she says about opening any new restaurants in the future. Touring their newly minted restaurant, however, it’s easy to see the heart and soul, sweat and tears that went into making Bird and The Bottle a future classic. It’s also easy to see that this is what Mark and Terri live for, and after taking few deferred vacations and catching their breath, never might just become, someday, when it comes to more Stark Reality restaurants.
Pancho cocktail at Bird and The Bottle, a new Stark Reality Restaurant in Santa Rosa, CA
Cue the ‘Que
With the smell of wood-smoke perfuming the restaurant, it’s clear that the heart of Bird and The Bottle is a $30,000 custom-made wood-fired grill. Weighing a whopping 1,600 pounds, its a behemoth of steel and cast iron that grills everything from whole fish, steaks, burgers and chicken to roasting bread and veggies at temperatures approaching 800 degrees. A V-shaped channel collects fat for basting the meat, “or I just take a spoon to it,” said Mark, a man not afraid of taking, well, a spoon to rendered chicken fat.
$30,000 grill at Bird and The Bottle, a new Stark Reality Restaurant in Santa Rosa, CA
The grill also helps to unify the menu that’s an ambitious mashup of Jewish, Southern and Korean ingredients and preparations.
Cue the record scratch. Wait, what?
Think of it as a marriage of East and West brought together by fire and schmaltz. Here, dishes like chicken skin cracklings fried in chicken fat (schmaltz) with Nashville hot sauce ($4) commingle with congee-style cheese grits topped with a soy-cured egg, and hen of the woods mushrooms.
Open kitchen at Bird and The Bottle, a new Stark Reality Restaurant in Santa Rosa, CA
A whole wood-fired snapper gets gets a flavor boost with red chili oil and pine nuts. Schmears, a New York Jewish deli term for slathering something delicious (usually cream cheese or butter) on a bagel at Bird and The Bottle translates into a dish of smoked black cod with sour cream and horseradish, wood-grilled Brie, bone marrow, or chicken liver mousse with pickled shallots and smoked salt on grilled Costeaux pumpernickel rye bread. Not exactly your baba’s recipe, but inspired by it.
With this last restaurant, it’s clear that Mark is pulling out all the stops, and taking some risks on this kitchen-sink menu. But this is also food that Mark and Terri have wanted to explore for years, reflecting family heritage, Asian influences and Old School comfort dishes they’ve never put on a menu before. With Chef de Cuisine Eric Foster (most recently of Willi’s Seafood & Raw Bar) heading the kitchen, the dishes are both curious and comforting. Which isn’t a backhanded compliment, because the menu is by far my favorite, with constant surprises and far-flung flavors that somehow mesh perfectly.
Bird and The Bottle, a new Stark Reality Restaurant in Santa Rosa, CA
Room with a view
Bathed in light from a sunny southern exposure, the main dining room glows a buttery yellow with padded duvets, tawny wood floors and padded leather chairs. Birds of every stripe perch on mantles and walls, and peeking out from the bar is a faux mounted elephant head.
Chicken Liver Mousse with pumpkernickel bread at bird and the bottle in Santa Rosa.
“Let’s talk about the elephant in the room,” says Terri, who has designed each of the Stark Reality Restaurants. The welded steel pachyderm head surveys the room silently, one of many whimsical touches that have become her trademark. Upstairs, two former bedrooms are quieter, sunny escapes from the bustling open kitchen and bar.
Be sure to stop along the way and check out the black and white pictures of Stark restaurant staff smiling from the frames lining the staircase, all taken by a young, local photographer, Loren Hansen. A large outdoor patio overlooking Fourth St. can be noisy, so if you’re looking for a more intimate escape, try the small upstairs balcony.
Drink up
Pancho’s Pride at Bird and The Bottle, a new Stark Reality Restaurant in Santa Rosa, CA
It’s impossible to talk about a Stark restaurant without mentioning booze. Their cocktails have a craftiness that doesn’t come with the whole farm-to-glass ‘tude, but also don’t rely on neon-colored mixers to taste good. From shandies and liquored-up drinking vinegars to hard teas and classic cocktails, there’s not a stinker on the list.
Best bets
Prepare to share. Little plates are great appetizers, and if heartier shared entrees can feed 2-4 people.
Pimento spread and biscuits at Bird and The Bottle Restaurant in Santa Rosa
Table for One: Love dining alone? Me too, and Bird and the Bottle has a communal table facing the kitchen, as well as small bar tables for single diners. Huddle over a bowl of Mark’s matzoh ball soup with smoked bbq chicken and ramen dashi ($10) and a “Breakfast of Champions” cocktail (St. George Spiced Pear, Korbel Brandy, Carpano Antiqua Vermouth, Chai Tea, Pomegranate, Grenadine, Fee Brothers Orange Bitters, $11).
Thrice fried potatoes at Bird and The Bottle, a new Stark Reality Restaurant in Santa Rosa, CA
Meat and Potatoes: Thrice-fried potatoes with smoked mayo stay crispy even through an endless first date ($6); BBQ Mini Burgers are two-biters with two tiny patties, grilled onions, American cheese and secret sauce ($8); 8-hour smoked pork shoulder with mustard-miso with bean sprout slaw and sesame biscuits ($24) can be made into dainty sandwiches or stuffed directly into your craw.
Meat-Free: Sweet and savory smoked eggplant schmear with pumpernickel rye and pickled raisins ($8) is one of the best things on the menu, along with heavenly grilled radicchio, smoked blue cheese, roasted grapes and hazelnuts ($10); I could live solely on creamy cheesy grits with hen of the woods mushrooms (ask for it without schmaltz if you must). Cheese is a big part of most dishes, so if you’re vegan you’ll struggle with this menu, and substitutions may be difficult, but the grilled squash and greens and garlic are your best bets.
Grilled squash at Bird and The Bottle
Family Style: Spring Hill fried cheddar cheese curds ($8) keep the kids quiet; chicken liver mousse for mom ($10); Craft Mac and Cheese with fried mortadella is even better than watching the Muppets with a plate of bologna and Kraft Dinner (they actually worked hard to get the consistency of the stuff in a box, and this ain’t fancy pants mac); fried chicken with mumbo sauce and sesame biscuits ($24); cake in a jar, literally ($10).
Grilled octopus at Bird and The Bottle, a new Stark Reality Restaurant in Santa Rosa, CA
Business Lunch:Wood-grilled Gulf prawns, heads on ($13); Angus skirt steak with miso marinade and garlic butter ($28); barbecue octopus leg with suckers and all ($16); oysters and King Crab legs. Who’s the boss, now?
Whole snapper at Bird and The Bottle, a new Stark Reality Restaurant in Santa Rosa, CA
Seafood Lover:Terri’s Oregon Bay Shrimp Wontons ($8), smoked black cod schmear ($11); whole grilled snapper with pine nut gremolata ($32) shows off the best of what a wood-grill can do for fish — moist and perfect.
Chicken skin cracklings at Bird and The Bottle, a new Stark Reality Restaurant in Santa Rosa, CA
Ladies Night: We love doing lots of little plates to share with the gals, leaving more room for cocktails. Pancho’s Pride cocktails for the table ($40, 7 Leguas Blanco Tequila, Amontillado Sherry, Cinnamon Bark Syrup, Lime, Grapefruit); Wood grilled Brie with Gravenstein apple butter ($14); fried chicken biscuits ($8); BBQ Mini Burgers ($8); half-dozen oysters ($15); crispy chicken skin cracklings ($4); pistachio and vanilla bean ice cream sundae ($9).
Cake in a jar at Bird and The Bottle, a new Stark Reality Restaurant in Santa Rosa, CA
The best compliment I can give a restaurant? Coming back frequently on my own dime. Having already supped there four times, I can say Bird and The Bottle is already a favorite. So, Mark and Terri: Are you sure you’re not going to open any more restaurants? Because they just keep getting better.
Bird and The Bottle, a new Stark Reality Restaurant in Santa Rosa, CA
Bird and The Bottle: 1055 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, 707-568-4000.
Hours: Sunday-Thursday, 11:30am to 9:30pm; Friday + Saturday 11:30am to 10pm.
Bird and The Bottle, a new Stark Reality Restaurant in Santa Rosa, CAButtermilk fried chicken at Bird and The Bottle, a new Stark Reality Restaurant in Santa Rosa, CABird and The Bottle, a new Stark Reality Restaurant in Santa Rosa, CA
The 2016 Michelin Stars for the Bay Area have been announced. While there have been many additions and cuts from the list in the Bay Area, the wine country has big news: we’re safe. All wine country restaurants kept their stars.
The wine county restaurants with Michelin Stars are:
Oh, it’s the dirty dirty Jordan Winery kids having a little fun at harvest. The parody of Austin Mahone’s newest single “Dirty Work” brings a little funk to Sonoma County’s toughest season. Have some fun with this one. (Wait for it…Storm Troopers make an appearance at 2:18)
A tribute to the winery’s 40th harvest, apparently the video has been viewed 193,000+ times on Facebook with an organic reach of 550,000+. You can see more of their videos here (and, um, am I the only who wants to go work there?)
The Big News for Wine Country restaurant star-seekers in the 2016 Michelin Star San Francisco Bay Area announcements: You’re safe.
Though there’s plenty of drama in SF and the Peninsula, Wine Country didn’t see a single addition or loss of stars this year.
Maintaining their MICHELIN THREE STARS in Wine Country: French Laundry and The Restaurant at Meadowood. The big news down south is the Chef David Kinch of Manresa has finally gotten his third star. A major fire shut the restaurant down for a time in 2014 (although he got two stars for the 2015 guide).
It is all about Manresa Family. I love u all. You are most deserving of our 3 Stars in the 2016 SF Michelin Guide!! #MichelinGuide2016
There are no MICHELIN TWO STAR restaurants in Wine Country
Keeping their MICHELIN ONE STAR status are: Auberge du Soleil, St. Helena; Bouchon, Yountville; Farmhouse Inn & Restaurant, Forestville; La Toque, Napa; Madrona Manor, Healdsburg; Solbar Wine, Calistoga; Terrapin Creek, Bodega Bay; Terra, St. Helena.
Thanks to my team I just received the call from @MichelinGuideSF we were awarded one star.
Three Stars Benu French Laundry (The)
Manresa South Bay Restaurant at Meadowood (The)
Saison
Two Stars
Acquerello, San Francisco
Atelier Crenn, San Francisco
Baumé, South Bay
Campton Place, San Francisco
Coi, San Francisco
Commis, East Bay
Quince, San Francisco
One Star
All Spice, San Francisco
Al’s Place, San Francisco
Ame, San Francisco
Aster, San Francisco Auberge du Soleil, Wine Country
Aziza, San Francisco Bouchon, Wine Country
Californios, San Francisco
Chez TJ, South Bay
Commonwealth, San Francisco Farmhouse Inn & Restaurant, Wine Country
Gary Danko, San Francisco
Keiko à Nob Hill, San Francisco
Kin Khao, San Francisco
Kusakabe, San Francisco La Toque, Wine Country
Lazy Bear, San Francisco
Lord Stanley, San Francisco
Luce, San Francisco Madrona Manor, Wine Country
Michael Mina, San Francisco
Mourad, San Francisco
Nico, San Francisco
Octavia, San Francisco
Omakase, San Francisco
Plumed Horse, South Bay
Rasa, Peninsula Solbar Wine, Country Napa Valley
Sons & Daughters, San Francisco
SPQR, San Francisco
Spruce, San Francisco
State Bird Provisions, San Francisco
Sushi Yoshizumi, Peninsula Terra, Wine Country Terrapin Creek, Wine Country
The Village Pub, Peninsula
Wako, San Francisco
Wakuriya, Peninsula
Sonoma County is known primarily for its wine, but it also has a ripe history of orchards. As early as ten years ago, a drive through the county’s orchards would’ve resulted in not-so-attractive photos of apples rotting on the ground. These days, the orchards have been rejuvenated through ciderists making popular hard ciders.
Check out this article for a list of the best hard ciders and the best spots to find them.
Ninebark Restaurant has opened in Napa. Photo: Ninebark
Ninebark opens in Napa, as of Oct. 13, 2015
NYC’s Matthew Lightner has taken over the former Fagiani’s Cocktail Lounge and The Thomas with Ninebark (813 Main St., Napa). There’s a lot of interest in seeing what the 2-Michelin-starred chef will do with the bounty of Wine Country. The “California-inspired, market-driven restaurant” will have an emphasis on “smoking, perfuming, and grilling with unique ingredients and processes,” said reps.
Horiatiki Salad with buddha’s hand, persimmons, peppers, seasonal selections of fresh fruit and produce, local feta cheese, citrus, and olive oil.
Rock Cod Poke with slow-cooked kombu, brown butter dashi, onion marinade, house fish sauce, seaweeds, sea lettuces, and sesame seeds
Dumplings of Chicken, Shrimp and Ricotta Cheese with gravy of roasted chicken and prawns, smoked bread, and parmesan
Skewers of Trout from Mt. Lassen (California) lightly perfumed over cedar branch with eggplant, oyster mushroom, pine oils, and mushroom stock
House Blackened Sturgeon Collar, slow smoked over hardwood, porridge of heirloom rice, salt baked daikon and sourdough, fish sauce, and lemon.
Charcoal Roasted Duck with Valencia orange, garden sorrel, and tarragon sauce
Poached and Grilled Halibut with escabeche, ragout of radishes, fresh and dried nasturtium, and broth of stewed vegetables
Aged Ribeye with cornbread pudding, young onions and leeks in a roasted grain jus.
Japanese-style cheesecake with persimmon, parmesan, and cream cheese ice cream
Thousand Layers of Chocolate S’mores with vanilla marshmallows, smoked chocolate mousse, and burnt sugar
Cocktails vary by location within the restaurant. First floor cocktails are twists on classics including: Pina Colada with smoked pineapple, white rum, and coconut; a Side Car with cognac, lemon, triple sec, and fig; and a Tennessee Cola with whiskey, house-made cola, and toasted grain. Third floor cocktails are unique creations from the bar’s cocktail magnate, Andrew Salazar, including the Old Ball Gamewhich combines popcorn and peanut-infused rye whiskey, demerara, and leather bitters; the Panache Indochine mixing up IPA, gin, whole pressed lemon, ginger, and kaffir lime; and the Route 15 combining Mosto Verde Italia Pisco with lemon, cream, egg white, orange blossom, and honeycomb
NINEBARK is open for dinner Tuesday – Sunday, 6:00pm-10:00pm. The bar will be open Sunday, Tuesday-Thursday 5:30pm-12:00am; Friday-Saturday 5:30pm-1:00am. Reservations are accepted either through OpenTable by calling 707-226-7821, or by contacting the restaurant directly at info@ninebark-napa.com. In the coming weeks, NINEBARK will open for both brunch and lunch.
Sam Aerneson, 14, climbs atop a pyramid of hay bales at the Santa Rosa Pumpkin Patch in Santa Rosa, on Monday, October 5, 2015. (Beth Schlanker / The Press Democrat)
Where are the best pumpkin patches in Sonoma County?
Find out in this gallery and in this Press Democrat article
Check out these Sonoma County pumpkin events while you can!
October 17-18 and October 24-25 — Tolay Fall Festival. In a season full of hay rides and pumpkin patches, this annual family event stands out, offering all that and more: a straw maze, gunnysack races, a pumpkin seed spitting contest, a barnyard animal petting area, a replica of a Native American village, demonstrations of archery, fly fishing and astronomy — and that’s still not a complete list. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. $5 for adults; $3 for children 12 and younger. Tolay Regional Park, 5869 Lakeville Highway, Petaluma. 565-2041, parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov.
October 24 — “Pumpkins on Pikes.” Here’s something a little different. The festivities start at 2 p.m. with food, music and pumpkin carving. Participants the chance to display their Jack-O-Lantern on a pike in the corn field. When the sun goes down the pumpkins are lit. Bring carving tools, a blanket if you’re staying after dark, and favorite dessert if you’re participating in the dessert potluck. Admission: $20; children age 6 and under free; $10 barbecue plate available for dinner. No dogs, please. Tara Firma Farms, 3796 I St, Petaluma. 765-1202 Petaluma. tarafirmafarms.com
Through October 31 — Petaluma Pumpkin Patch and Amazing Corn Maze. Traditionally, traffic tends to slow down along southbound Highway 101 north of Petaluma every fall as drivers gawk at those 5-acre attraction. sometimes sparking a few gripes, but visitors adore it. Pumpkin patch hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Free activities at the pumpkin patch include a straw mountain to climb, farm animals, a little kids maze, rubber duck races and a corn kernel “sandbox.” Corn Maze hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Sunday; 6-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Corn Maze admission: $5 during the daytime (age 5 and under free); $9 at nights. 450 Stony Point Road, Petaluma. 781-3132, petalumapumpkinpatch.com.
Eastside Seasonal Farm and Pumpkin Patch. This site also includes a corn maze, plus goats and ducks. Noon-6:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Saturdays; closing at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 9, and 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24. 5834 Petaluma Hill Road, Santa Rosa. No admission charges; discount coupons available at eastsideseasonalfarm.com. Information: 206-9672.
Grandma’s Pumpkin Patch. The patch features a petting zoo, farm animals, hay a stack for climbing, noodles for stringing and old tractors for imaginary driving. Open daily from 10 a.m. until dusk. Free admission. 17740 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg. 431-8058, healdsburggranny.com.
Great Peter Pumpkin Patch. There’s a lot more to do than pick a pumpkin at this Petaluma patch. Visitors can milk a cow, take a hay ride, dig for potatoes, taste fresh cheeses and eat homemade ice cream. Live music on weekends. Open 9 a.m.-dusk daily. Free admission and parking. 4235 Spring Hill Road, Petaluma. 762-9038, 775-1183, springhillcheese.com.
McClelland’s Dairy Organic Pumpkin Patch offers the full list of fall fun, with a hay maze, a hay pyramid, seed “sandbox,” tire swings, pumpkin tether ball, petting zoo, a peddle track racetrack and more. Free admission. 6475 Bodega Ave., Petaluma. 664-0452, mcclellandsdairy.com.
Muelrath Ranches Pumpkin Patch. Let the kids get interactive, with a pumpkin slingshot and a pumpkin cannon. Free admission and hay rides. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Fridays and Saturday. 3800 Walker Ave., Santa Rosa. 585-2195, muelrathspumpkins.com.
Santa Rosa Pumpkin Patch. This place thinks big, with 8 acres of pumpkins and an 8-acre corn maze, featuring both long and short routes. 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Corn maze closes an hour before the patch closes each day. Admission: $2. 331-6653, santarosapumpkinpatch.com.
Handline, a new restaurant from the owner of Sebastopol’s Peter Lowell’s, is slated to open next spring.
Restaurateur Lowell Sheldon of Sebastopol’s Peter Lowell’s will open Handline Fish and Food, a “California coastal inspired restaurant” next May with partner Natalie Goble. There has been plenty of speculation about what’s going on at the former Foster’s Freeze on Gravenstein Highway, but Sheldon plans for a chef-driven menu that isn’t about clam chowder and fish and chips, but is more inspired by Californian flavors.
“We are many things in California, but essentially we are a blend of Mexican and American. This is our history, and this is what we grew up eating,” said Sheldon. Inspirations for the restaurant, he said, include the Marshall Store, Fish Restaurant, Gott’s Roadside, Swan Oyster Depot, the old Foster’s Freeze and El Molino Central.
The menu is still in development, but think ceviche, fish tacos, burgers, seafood stews and salads.
Also from Sheldon, Peter Lowell’s has recently implemented a no tipping, inclusive service charge to help employees earn a fair wage. Similar programs have come and gone in the county, but frankly, it’s time for food service professionals to earn enough to survive in this already insanely expensive region.
Sonoma County is known primarily for its wine, but it also has a ripe history of orchards. As early as ten years ago, a drive through the county’s orchards would’ve resulted in not-so-attractive photos of apples rotting on the ground. These days, the orchards have been rejuvenated through ciderists making popular hard ciders.
