There are no ballfields or jungle gyms at Sonoma Garden Park, tucked away on a residential street seven blocks from the Sonoma Plaza. Instead, it’s all about edibles and education.
The 5-acre park, open to the public, is a project of the Sonoma Ecology Center and offers an up-close look at food in its uncooked form. There are beehives, chickens and greenhouses, overseen by a ceramic cow named Veggie Burger. Paths lined with flowers, trees and demonstration gardens make for pleasant strolls for kids and adults alike. A seasonal Saturday Harvest Market (9 a.m. to 1 p.m.) sells a wide range of organic produce grown in the park.
Green thumbs and those who want to grow one are invited to the garden’s Nursery Workdays, where volunteers of all ages get their hands dirty working with plants and soil. The drop-in workdays are held every other Thursday through the summer (July 9 and 23, Aug. 13 and 27), 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The nursery provides native plants for restoration projects in and around the Sonoma Valley, and vegetable starts for the crops at Sonoma Garden Park.
Note: The park also hosts private parties and a summer science camp for children. Each spring, it rents community plots to those wishing to grow their own food and flowers.
Behold, the Sonoma County Fair Food winner, 2015; The Lobster Corn Dog
The 12 Things You Have to Eat at the Sonoma County Fair 2015
Fair Food Scramblers Jim May, Robb Sarmento and Dierdre Francis at the Sonoma County Fair 2015
The Delicious Dozen at the Sonoma County Fair
1. Lobster Dog, Sharky’s Fish Fry
2. Torta Ahogada, Nuevo Sazon
3. Chili Pineapple Paleta (popsicle), Frozen Art
4. Fried bacon and cheese, Monster Grill
5. Dirty Greek Fries, Sleek Greek
6. Chips, salsa and ceviche, Pepe’s Mariscos
7. Pumpkin Curry with chicken, Thai Time Asian Bistro
8. Maple Bacon Funnel Cake, Pennsylvania Dutch Funnel Cakes
9. Jalapeno corn dog, Big Jim’s Dawg House
10. Fish Taco, Old Mexico
11. Ribs, Big Bubbas
12. Rocky Road Caramel Apple, DB Ventures
The Sonoma County Fair’s 2015 Food Scramblers have spoken, and this year’s Ultimate Fair Food is…Lobster Corn Dog on a stick.
On Friday, the opening day of the annual Sonoma County Fair, a hearty (and hungry) troop of six food fanatics raced to as many of the fairground’s 60-plus food vendors as $250 and two hours would allow them.
Chosen for their commitment to caloric martyrdom and fearlessness of odd and unusual fried foods, the team included Santa Rosans Jim May, Laurie Trainor, Robb Sarmento, Brad Calkins, John Hendrickson and Healdsburger, Diedre Francis.
Their mission: Grab corn dogs, fries, tacos, burgers and funnel cakes (among other deliciousness) as fast as possible, pile all the food on a single picnic table, grab a fork and get down to business.
“This is a fantasy come true,” said Trainor, a recent Los Angeles transplant and first-time Sonoma County fair attendee.
After an hour of eating and eating and eating and some more eating, the group came to a consensus of what visitors absolutely must put on their hit-list of must-eats at this year’s fair.
“It’s the fair on a stick,” said Francis, of Healdsburg, of the winning lobster dog ($10). The batter fried seafood-sicle from Sharky’s Fish Fry (on Magnolia St.) is drizzled with a lemon ailoi dressing, adding to the decadence.
Ceviche at the Sonoma County Fair 2015
Foodie Jim May defended the taste, saying, “it has a fresh, clean flavor.” Others found it “unusual” and “well cooked”, but it wasn’t the unanimous winner.
Coming in a close second was local newcomer Nuevo Sazon’s Torta Ahogada ($11). The “drowned” sandwich is a specialty of Jalisco made by dipping a baguette into a delicately-spiced tomato sauce and piling it with carnitas and onions. Located next to the Shade Area stage, Sazon is a first-time local entrant run by a small family, so give them the benefit of a few extra minutes if things are busy.
Carnitas sandwich from Nuevo Sazon, another front runner at the Sonoma County Fair.
“This sandwich beats the lobster,” said Sarmento. “It just pops with spices. It’s a Sea Biscuit,” he said of the underdog favorite. Culkins, the executive director of the Santa Rosa Convention and Visitors Bureau, gave “Honorable Mention” to Nuevo Sazon’s lengua taco ($2.50).
Behold, the Sonoma County Fair Food winner, 2015; The Lobster Corn Dog
Though many of the larger food vendors are from other parts of the country, a number of local purveyors have been added this year.
Thai Time, which has a brick and mortar restaurant in downtown Santa Rosa, is featuring the light Thai flavors of pumpkin chicken curry ($9), pork with basil, Thai ice tea and sticky rice with mango ($5).
Mexican Candy, including corn husk wrapped tamarind candy (a favorite) at the Sonoma County Fair 2015
The mostly-local Mexican Village was a favorite for simple, fresh dishes like pozole ($11) at Old Mexico, and Pepe’s Marisco’s Ceviche ($10) and fish taco ($3.75). Jorge Alcazar of Santa Rosa’s Frozen Art is a newcomer at the fair with a variety of freshly-made ice cream and palate-cleansing fruit paletas (chili pineapple is a favorite, $4).
Fried Cheese at the Sonoma County Fair 2015
If you’re all about the fried and battered, you’re covered. Dirty Greek Fries ($7) at The Sleek Greek are doused with feta and tzatziki. A twist on the usual corn dog? Jalapeño corn dogs from Big Jim’s Dawg House that “packed a kick” according to Scrambler John Hendrickson. Other break-out winners: Maple bacon funnel cakes ($10, Pennsylvania Dutch Funnel Cakes) and deep fried cheese on a stick (described by one eater as “molten lava on a stick”) from Monster Grill ($6.50).
Scrambler Robb tasting fried cheese at the Sonoma County Fair 2015
“You can’t go to the fair without having some kind of corn dog,” said Culkins.
Of course, every year, vendors try to one-up each other with grease-tastic dishes that are usually more fun to laugh at than eat. This year’s “Oh, come on seriously?” foods included Cap’n Crunch Chicken (chicken breast rolled in crushed cereal), macaroni and cheese-stuffed burgers, fried shark and bacon cotton candy.
Making tongue tacos at Nuevo Sazon at the Sonoma County Fair 2015
Holding their stomachs and tossing the melted, soggy leftovers into the trash, May spoke for the group, saying, “Nothing was terrible, which was surprising.”
Maple Bacon Funnel Cake at the Sonoma County Fair 2015
More Fair Food Scramble Results:
Best Restaurant Quality Food: Thai Time Asian Bistro, chicken pumpkin curry and sticky rice with mango
Best Way to Feed A Family: Pasta King’s Spaghetti Palace Polenta with Marinara
Best Way to Cool Off: Fruit popsicles from Frozen Art
Best Lemonade: Phil’s Lemonade
Best Spot to Cool Off and Eat Barbecue: Barbecue Spot at Sliders Gastropub
Best Sugar Rush: Corn husk wrapped Tamarind Candy at Angel’s Candy
Best Lemonade: Phil’s Fresh Squeezed
Macaroni and Cheese Burger at the Sonoma County Fair 2015
Pumpkin chicken curry at the Sonoma County Fair 2015Best Scramble Team Ever! The Sonoma County Fair Food Scramblers 2015Flautas at the SOnoma County Fair 2015
A satisfied customer at Amy’s Drive Thru. (photos by Heather Irwin)
You know how everybody always says, “Wouldn’t it be great if someone invented healthy fast food?” Well, someone has.
Amy’s Kitchen, the natural foods company based in Petaluma, spent nearly two years developing a one-of-a-kind organic, vegetarian fast food restaurant that could give McDonald’s and In-N-Out Burger a run for their money. With it’s grand opening on July 2o, Amy’s Drive Thru in Rohnert Park aims to do just that.
Located within throwing distance of McDonald’s, In-N-Out, Taco Bell and Arby’s, Amy’s Drive Thru will compete with its flagship item, the Amy’s Burger, a hearty, mouth-stretching patty made from beans, grains and vegetables and piled with sweet pickles, lettuce, tomato slices, cheese and “special sauce” on a soft bun. It can satisfy even the most devout, skeptical carnivore. Other menu items include meatless chili-cheese fries, milkshakes, mac and cheese, personal pizzas, burritos and salads, all made with GMO-free, organic ingredients, many of which are sourced locally. All items can also be made gluten-free or vegan.
These clearly aren’t rehashed versions of Amy’s nationally distributed frozen meals: instead, they’re dishes that have been entirely created for a fast-food experience. And that came with plenty of misfires in the R&D lab, according to co-owners Rachel and Andy Berliner.
“We’ve grilled enough burgers to run the restaurant for a month and a half. Multiple times,” said Amy’s head food developer Fred Scarpulla. Trial and error can be delicious, but not necessarily easy.
Expect to pay under $10 for a double cheeseburger, fries and a shake, and less than $5 for a burrito.
There’s nothing like an old-fashioned barbershop, with a colorful striped pole, leather chairs and friendly conversation. Petaluma’s Boulevard Barbers and Shaving Parlour has all of those elements, plus something most barbershops don’t: a young, female owner.
The shop is run by Sara Sass, a former Petaluma bartender who gave up her cocktail shaker for a pair of clippers last summer.
“I loved bartending while I did it, but I knew that I would grow to hate it if I stayed in the industry,” she said. “I looked into many different careers, but barbering kept coming up. I started spending more time in local shops and found that I loved the environment.”
Since opening Boulevard Barbers a year ago, Sass, 31, said she’s noticed parallels between the two professions. “I stand on my feet all day, make conversation with friends and strangers, and get to meet a lot of tourists,” she said. “I love how people open up and share random life stories with both their barbers and bartenders.”
Boulevard Barbers is not one of those new hipster barbershops with handlebar-mustachioed stylists and $40 haircuts. It’s an old-school place, with no appointments necessary and just two chairs — one attended by Sass, the other by two part-time barbers. Haircuts cost $19 for men and $15 for boys. Not many traditional barbershops still do straight-razor shaves, but Sass’ shop does, for
only $25.
Sass also dispenses travel advice and local happy-hour recommendations, free of charge.
The Napa-Sonoma Marshes Wildlife Area, a restored wetland spilling over both counties just north of San Pablo Bay, is open to the public for hiking, biking, boating, birding and photography, though not many know that.
Some 50,000 acres of marshland have been within view of traffic humming along highways 37 and 121 for decades, but now there’s a reason to park, get out and breathe in the salty-fresh marine air. Ongoing state and federal restoration efforts have lured wildlife of all kinds to the 13,000 acres of tidal sloughs and wetlands within the preserve boundaries. Although much of it can be reached only by small boat, canoe and kayak, there is considerable land access on trails crisscrossing the levees. The paths are flat and easy to walk; dogs are prohibited.
What visitors will see, depending on the season, includes migrating ducks and geese, Tundra swans, avocets, egrets, coots, raptors and songbirds. Black-tailed deer occasionally wander the levees, and protected species such as the chicken-like clapper rail and the salt marsh harvest mouse make appearances.
Consult the tide tables for the safest times to launch a boat or paddlecraft, and know that waterfowl hunting is permitted October through January; don’t be surprised by the sound of gunfire.
The easiest way to access the site is on the Napa County side, just past Bouchaine Vineyards (1075 Buchli Station Road, Napa). Drive past the barn and turn right on the dirt road past the vineyard. Follow the road to the railroad crossing and park at the Department of Fish and Wildlife office.
The Fork-11:Amy’s Drive Thruin Rohnert Park is a “healthy” fast food alternative created by Andy and Rachel Berliner of frozen-food giant, Amy’s Kitchen. The menu is focused on an all-vegetarian (and vegan/gluten-free friendly) menu that includes double stack veggie burgers, chili cheese fries, milkshakes, burritos, pizza and salads that are good for the planet and a whole lot better for you than traditional fast food. 58 Golf Course Dr. West, Rohnert Park. Open daily 10a.m. to 10p.m.
After two years of development on the menu and restaurant concept, the Berliners knew they were onto something big, but not quite this big.
Andy and Rachel Berliner on opening day at Amy’s Drive Thru in Rohnert Park
Early fans of Amy’s Kitchen were families with small children scarfing down organic French fries and waving half-eaten burgers. Rachel whisked from table to table, giving children coloring pencils and paper. “You have to keep the little ones happy for a few minutes,” she said.
“It’s fun to look at people’s faces,” said Rachel. “They’re so happy. This is food that even though it’s meatless, you don’t miss the meat. You can come here with your family and whatever your dietary needs are, you can eat it,” she said.
What to eat
The most popular item, not surprisingly, is the flagship Amy Burger ($4.29 with cheese), with freshly made buns, onions, lettuce, cheddar cheese, pickles, meatless patties and Fred Jr.’s secret sauce. (Insider info: Fred Jr. and Fred Sr. are the R+D team for Amy’s Kitchen that helped to develop the Amy’s Drive Thru menu.)
The man behind the bag? Fred Jr., part of the Fred and Fred R+D team for Amy’s Drive Thru
The restaurant’s burrito ($4.69 and a great value) – beans, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and salsa wrapped in a whole wheat (or gluten-free) tortilla was a surprise favorite. “The first thing they want is the Amy Burger, but I think they’re surprised that the burrito was so good,” said Rachel.
Salad with goat cheese, beets, cranberries and walnuts with raspberry vinaigrette
Also on the BiteClub-approved menu: Regular (with dairy) and vegan milkshakes (awesome, $2.99); chili fries ($2.99), broccoli mac and cheese (made in an oven, so it gets nice and crispy, $4.69 to $4.89), giant salads (the Super Salad made with quinoa, hummus, tofu and other goodies, $7.99 is the Berliner’s favorite menu item), vegan and vegetarian pizza ($5.89 to $6.50) and homemade lemonade and sodas.
The (literally) million dollar question: Where and when will they expand? Andy confirmed that more Amy’s Drive Thru restaurants are in the works, but only expect 1-2 more in the next year or so, since much of Northern California has bans on new drive-thru restaurants (the Berliners can use existing fast food locations that shutter). Hint: They’ll be in Northern California.
And yes, there is a plan for world domination. Though Andy would never put it in exactly those words.
Amy’s Drive Thru
JUST THE FACTS
All food is non-GMO
95% of the ingredients are organic
Every menu items has a vegan or gluten-free option
Local is the priority for sourcing
Milkshakes are made with milk from pasture-based farms in Sonoma County
Pickles are locally brined at Sonoma Brinery
Sour cream and chili comes from Clover Stornetta
UPDATE: 7/23
There’s already been a chef shuffle, but owners say that they’re hoping to open in about three weeks.
Santa Rosa Seafood Raw Bar and Grill may be opening soon!
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.
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.
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.
In summer, the cool water of the Russian River at Monte Rio is always a local favorite. (Photo by Kent Porter)
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.
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.
George Webber plays Count Agoston Haraszthy for Buena Vista Winery. He is the ambassador for the winery, bringing the founder of the winery to life. (Photo by Jeff Kan Lee)
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.
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.
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. (photos by Erik Castro)
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.”
The 5-acre park, open to the public, is a project of the Sonoma Ecology Center and offers an up-close look at food in its uncooked form. There are beehives, chickens and greenhouses, overseen by a ceramic cow named Veggie Burger. Paths lined with flowers, trees and demonstration gardens make for pleasant strolls for kids and adults alike. A seasonal Saturday Harvest Market (9 a.m. to 1 p.m.) sells a wide range of organic produce grown in the park.
