In the world of sweets, the Parisian macaron has been crowned the successor to the cupcake.
The sexy sandwich cookie, brought to France from Italy in the 16th century by Queen Catherine de’ Medici, tempts with a crunchy outer shell of nut flour and meringue that yields to a silky center of buttercream.
They are devilishly difficult to make, yet easily found in Wine Country’s many bake shops. At Patisserie Angelica in Sebastopol, Condra Easley prides herself on baking pastel macarons that are lighter than air. She learned her craft alongside Pierre Hermé, the “King of Macarons,” who launched the cookie to fame at the legendary Ladurée bakery in Paris in the late 1990s.
Easley makes the shells with all-natural flavorings and a cooked Italian meringue. The cookies come in a dozen flavors, including pistachio, Earl Grey, raspberry rose and the best-selling salted caramel.
The delicate cookies need to be kept cool and eaten fresh. Like a summer cloud, they tend to disappear quickly.
The star-scattered Sonoma sky is particularly captivating on a summer night, when the Milky Way twinkles high above. The viewing pleasure is free, of course, but there are also local experts eager to show others the big bowl of sky they see through their telescopes.
“Our mission is to bring the night sky to the public,” said Steve Smith, a volunteer docent at the Robert Ferguson Observatory in Kenwood’s Sugarloaf Ridge State Park. By attending one of the observatory’s nighttime Star Parties, typically held on Saturdays closest to the new moon, one can view planets, constellations, nebulae, galaxies and more, identified by docents.
Summer Star Parties, which begin at 9 p.m., start with a presentation in the observatory’s classroom, with kid-friendly topics raised early and more complicated and esoteric information provided later in the evening.
SRJC student Melanie Queiroz sees the stars through a telescope belonging to amateur astronomer Dickson Yeager during the monthly public viewing night at the Robert Ferguson Observatory in Sugarloaf Ridge State Park.
The observatory has three telescopes, two for viewing and one that photographs deep space. Parties can last into the wee hours, as long as eager stargazers remain. Approximately 300 people attend on a given night, and the price can’t be beat: free for those under age 18 and $3 for everyone else. There is also an $8 parking fee. Reservations are not taken, and guests can bring refreshments (no alcoholic beverages allowed).
Summer dates this year include July 19, July 26 and Aug. 23.
The observatory also hosts private parties. Its location adjacent to a group campground that accommodates 50 makes it an ideal destination for an overnight adventure at a reasonable price: $330 for the entire campground, the observatory and docents. A private Star Party without an overnight stay is $165.
Although the observatory is the jewel of local astronomy, there are other locations and resources for passionate stargazers.
The Sonoma County Astronomical Society hosts Astronomy Nights, when members set up telescopes in the parking lots of schools and invite folks to peer through the lenses. Society members also offer “sidewalk astronomy” at the Santa Rosa Downtown Market on Wednesday evenings, May through August.
The Santa Rosa Junior College Planetarium, which hosts public shows throughout the school year, has seating for 90; its dome is 40 feet in diameter and 27 feet high. First Friday Night Sky programs, which take place on the first Friday evening of each month of the academic year, are free, on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Rivertown Revival will be at Steamer Landing Park in Petaluma on Saturday, July 19. (photo by Kent Porter)
July 4: Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular
Singer, songwriter and influential folk-music star Judy Collins, celebrated for her recordings of the Broadway show tune “Send in the Clowns” and Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now,” joins the Santa Rosa Symphony for an evening of patriotic music in Green Music Center’s Weill Hall, with the back wall opening to outdoor seating. Expect to hear “America the Beautiful,” “This Land is Your Land” and “God Bless America.” A big fireworks display follows the 7:30 p.m. concert. Prices start at $25; half off for children 12 and younger. Sonoma State University, 1801 E. Cotati Ave., Rohnert Park, 866-955-6040, sonoma.edu
Amy Pinto and Brent Lindsay (photo by Crista Jeremiason)
July 5: The Art Is Medicine Show
Every summer since 2009, the Imaginists Theatre Collective in Santa Rosa’s A Street arts district has mounted an original, bilingual show to perform at community parks all over Santa Rosa. Just to keep it all green, the troupe tours by bicycle. Last year, backed by a national grant, the program grew to two shows. The company’s efforts have attracted international notice, with its leaders, Amy Pinto and Brent Lindsay, traveling to Eastern Europe last year to represent the theater in Budapest and Moscow. Free. 707-528-7554, theimaginists.org
July 12-26: Mendocino Music Festival
In a huge tent on the Mendocino Headlands overlooking the sea, and at other venues in the town of Mendocino, discerning music lovers can gather to hear two weeks’ worth of live performances of classical and chamber music, as well as country, bluegrass, jazz and rock. Attendees can also enjoy good food, craft beer and wine. $12-$51. 45035 Main St., Mendocino, 707-937-2044, mendocinomusic.org
July 13: Chris Isaak
Bring a hat for an afternoon in the sun, and a sweater if you plan to linger into the evening, when rocker and actor Chris Isaak makes his outdoor concert appearance at 5 p.m. as part of the annual Rodney Strong Vineyards Summer Concert Series. This year’s series, which began in June, also includes singer/saxophonist Mindi Abair (July 26), smooth-jazz trumpeter Chris Botti (Aug. 16) and horn-powered rock and soul band Tower of Power (Aug. 31). Most tickets run from $50 to $85. Check out the outdoor pizza oven on the winery’s newly expanded patio. Rodney Strong Vineyards, 11455 Old Redwood Highway, Healdsburg, 707-431-1533, rodneystrong.com
July 16: Pinchas Zukerman
Napa Valley’s annual Festival del Sole presents 10 days of music at various venues, including the famed violinist Pinchas Zukerman. He’ll perform under the stars with cellist Amanda Forsythe and pianist Angela Cheng in the courtyard at Castello di Amorosa winery’s impressive castle, authentically recreated in the 13th-century Tuscan style. $75-$95. 4045 St. Helena Highway, Calistoga, 707-346-5052, festivaldelsole.org
July 18: Dave Koz and Friends
This will be the 45th summer the Robert Mondavi winery in Oakville hosts its lovely outdoor concert series. Sway to the smooth-jazz sounds of Dave Koz and Friends, including songs from their Grammy-nominated album, “Summer Horns.” The show is the fourth of five in the popular series. Doors open at 5 p.m.; show begins at 7. General admission $75, but try for a reserve patio ($90) or reserve lawn ($105) spot. Robert Mondavi Winery, Oakville, 888-769-5299, robertmondaviwinery.com
July 19: The Rivertown Revival
Where else can you see a race including boats made of everything from bicycle parts to an old couch? This race on the Petaluma River is accompanied by live music, art, acrobatics, family activities, 19th-century costumes, food and drink. Folks can get legally married for just $5, but must reserve the wedding garden in advance. $10 admission. Steamer Landing Park, D Street at the Petaluma River, rivertownrevival.com
July 19-20: Catalan Festival
Flamenco dancing, classical guitar, Spanish cuisine and sparkling wine add up to one of Wine Country’s most distinctive annual events. Celebrate the culture of the once-separate Mediterranean kingdom of Catalonia and its best-known city, Barcelona, now part of Spain. The festival runs from noon to 4 p.m. both days at Gloria Ferrer winery in Sonoma. $55, includes two wine tickets, food samples, live entertainment and a logo wine glass. Gloria Ferrer, 23555 Arnold Drive, Sonoma, 707-996-7256, gloriaferrer.com
Sonoma County Fair (photo by Kent Porter)
July 24-August 10: Sonoma County Fair
Now in its 78th year, this homespun salute to the county’s agricultural heritage and traditions has a 1960s theme, “Peace, Love and Fair.” The popular Hall of Flowers show is entitled — what else? — “Flower Power.” Running daily except Mondays for two and a half weeks, the fair features live concerts by pop, country and rock ‘n’ roll musicians, carnival rides and a whole lot of cotton candy and corn dogs on the midway. Fair admission is $8 until July 23, $11 at the gate. Concert admission is $20-$60. Sonoma County Fairgrounds, 1350 Bennett Valley Road, 707-545-4200, sonomacountyfair.com
July 31: Santa Rosa Symphony
Enjoy orchestral music with a Latin flavor when the orchestra, led by pops series conductor Michael Berkowitz, teams up with Mariachi Sol De Mexico de Jose Hernandez. The free show starts at 7 p.m. in Green Music Center’s Weill Hall, with seating extended to its back lawn. You’ll hear classic, pop, jazz, swing and Broadway tunes. Sonoma State University, 1801 E. Cotati Ave., Rohnert Park, 707-546-8742, santarosasymphony.com.
August 1-24: Music in the Vineyards
Chamber music aficionados flock to this intimate festival in Napa Valley, held at various wineries, including Clos Pegase in Calistoga and the Hess Collection in Napa, with its impressive art displays. The centerpiece of the 20th anniversary celebration is the new work by composer Maria Schneider, created for famed soprano Dawn Upshaw. $100 for Upshaw, $55 for all other concerts. 707-258-5559, musicinthevineyards.org
Farm to Table Dinner (photo by Eric Castro)
August 16: Farm to Table Dinner
One of the most sought-after dining experiences in Healdsburg starts with a glass of wine and a tour of Quivira Vineyards and Winery’s estate. The featured chef is Mark Stark of Stark’s Steakhouse and Willi’s Wine Bar fame, and he will prepare a five-course meal that incorporates produce from the winery’s Biodynamic garden. Quivira winemaker Hugh Chappelle will pair wines with the meal and dine with guests. 4-8 p.m. $125.
4900 West Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg, 707-431-8333, quivirawine.com
You know a restaurant’s under-the-radar when you can’t find it, even with Google Maps.
But four miles west of Petaluma, where goats scamper in fields and signs for “lost family pig” aren’t at all unusual, is The Secret Kitchen.
Tucked behind an unassuming convenience store, Brenda Anderson, Janice Clement and their tiny staff of friends and neighbors are running a walk-up, take-out kitchen with dishes like Korean BBQ chicken rice bowls with kim chee, “Hog in a Blanket” (pork brat with Lagunitas IPA mustard, cheddar cheese sauce and caramelized onions), caramel rum cake and fresh peach strawberry galettes.
“These are just dishes I’ve pickup up from around the world. Everything is just something I love,” says Anderson, whose Asian/Latin/American dishes harken from cooking gigs in Thailand, teaching at the Culinary Institute of America and running a restaurant at Google.
The secret’s already leaked out to locals, who line up at the split door to order and often grab a seat at one of the wooden picnic benches near the parking lot. But this is only the opening act for the Secret Kitchen gals, who weren’t really planning to be a restaurant at all.
Their commercial kitchen accidentally became a walk-up when a batch of tamales sold out with just a homemade sign out from. A truck (the original idea) is still in the works, but for now, the team is operating at full capacity.
Best bets include the bahn mi with slow roasted pork, pickled carrots and daikon, peanuts and secret sauce ($9); Korean BBQ tacos ($3), Korean BBQ chicken rice bowls with kimchee and pickled onions ($9), The American Hog in a Blanket ($9), Khao Soi (a Thai curried noodle bowl, $9.50) and desserts of the day. Just keep our little secret, okay?
Open 11a.m. to 7:30p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, 4701 Bodega Ave., Petaluma (707) 787-8243.
Bob Kramer, the legendary knife creator, will be at Sur La Table in Santa Rosa on June 22, 2014
Bob Kramer, the legendary knife creator, will be at Sur La Table in Santa Rosa on June 22, 2014
Having the legendary bladesmith Bob Kramer teach a knife skills class at Sur La Table in Santa Rosa is sort of like having Meryl Streep teach a beginning acting class in your backyard.
The Olympia-based master bladesmith is so revered by chefs that his hand-forged knives command up to $10,000 a piece, with a waiting list more than three years long. But there’s still hope for the home chef.
Kramer has partnered with German knife-company Zwilling J.A. Henckels and Sur La Table to create a more-affordable line of stainless and carbon steel knives costing between $130 and $250 a pop, depending on the quality and size. Which may sounds like a lot to the average Joe, but knife junkies know its a steal for some serious steel. Without the wait.
Bob Kramer Knife Essentials, noon to 2:30p.m., June 22, 2014 Sur La Table, 2323 Magowan Dr., Santa Rosa, (707) 566-9823. Registration required, $69 per person.
Five Dot Ranch will open a restaurant at the Oxbow market in June 2014
Five Dot Ranch will open a restaurant at the Oxbow market in June 2014
Five Dot Ranch Cookhouse will open at the Oxbow Public Market in Napa this June, making it one of a dozen food stalls and restaurants in the ever-expanding space.
Five Dot Ranch’s butcher shop has been a mainstay at the market, but the new Cookhouse restaurant (along with a smokehouse and to-go menu) will give non-local visitors a chance to experience Five Dot’s sustainable beef on-site. Coming soon: Breakfast rib sandwiches on a pecan waffle, corned beef hash, Reuben sandwiches with house made pastrami or corned beef, tri-tip sandwiches with tomato salsa, a “you pick it, we grill it” steak with bone marrow butter, burgers, barbecue..and the list goes on.
The Cookhouse will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.
Naked Pig owners Dalia Martinez and Jason Sockach will open Flour and Bone in summer 2016 (heather irwin)
Whiskey Caramel Waffles at The Naked Pig and Santa Rosa
BiteClub got a first bite of The Naked Pig’s opening menu, and was an unabashed oinker in polishing just about everything on the plate.
There are just three tables inside (plus several more outside), making the experience quite intimate (you can also get take out).
Here’s what to get: Tip-top billing goes to the cheddar, chive and ham savory bread pudding ($12) a super-collider smash-up of flavors worthy of a Nobel prize ($12). We’re also huge fans of the green onion biscuit with honey, poached eggs, perfectly cooked bacon and tartly-dressed salad ($13).
Artisanal whisky caramel waffles ($11) are fluffy and moist with a boozy punch ($11). Lunch sandwiches are takes on lunchbox favorites like meatloaf ($13)and egg salad ($11), but with gourmet twists like Raymond bakery ciabatta, pastured eggs and homemade pickles and ketchup.
We won’t deny a bit of sticker shock on a few items, but foodists will appreciate owner Jason and Dalia’s curated list of purveyors that include small sustainable farmers and bakers. We’re always willing to pay a little more to support our friends.
Open 8a.m. to 3p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, 435 Santa Rosa Ave., Santa Rosa.
Trevor Kunk of Blue Hill Farm New York has been hired as new exec chef at St. Helena’s Press
PressSt. Helena steakhouse and restaurant (587 St. Helena Hwy, St. Helean, 967-0550)has named Chef Trevor Kunk as its new exec chef.
What’s especially notable about the appointment? Kunk hails most recently from Blue Hill New York, one of the top restaurants in NYC, sourcing directly from Dan Barber’s legendary Blue Hill Farm in the Hudson Valley.
So, uh, he’ll be pretty familiar with the whole farm-to-table thing we do out here. Welcome to Wine Country.
With all the recent bad news about local meat processing, its heartening to know that a new generation of local butchers and processors are coming up the ranks. Sonoma County Meat Co., which opened in late May, 2014 (35 Sebastopol Ave., Santa Rosa) is a small USDA and state-approved processor, butcher shop and meat CSA run by meat and culinary rock stars Rian Rinn and Jenine Alexander.
Unlike most commercial butcher shops, the couple can take in beef, chicken, rabbit, goat, lamb, pork and game for processing as well as cut-and-wrap (breaking down USDA-approved animals slaughtered at places like Marin Sun Farms) and package it for sale at their store or for farmer’s markets and commercial sales.
Suffice to say, it’s a pretty big deal. They will also offer a meat CSA.
While most of us were watching the former John and Zeke’s bar in Healdsburg for some signs of life from new owner Sam Young (Scout was supposed to open in March), he quietly opened Kozy Kar Bar in Santa Rosa. Now, that was a surprise. If you haven’t been to the sibling Kozy Kar Bar in SF, you’re in for a, well, new experience.
It’s a 70s and early 80s-themed nightclub, complete with waterbeds, shag rugs, bad lighting, pinball machines, 8-tracks and Penthouse pinup “wallpaper” from that freewheeling, all-natural era.
BiteClub hasn’t been inside the new North Bay Kozy Kar, but folks who have say it’s got more than a few adults-only features (we’ll leave it to your imagination).
The SF version has been both cheered and chided for its tastelessness.
We’ll see what Santa Rosa thinks.
Located in the former Epic, 404 Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa.
The sexy sandwich cookie, brought to France from Italy in the 16th century by Queen Catherine de’ Medici, tempts with a crunchy outer shell of nut flour and meringue that yields to a silky center of buttercream.
