Page 486 – Sonoma Magazine

Dining Out

February 2015

By Sonoma Magazine Staff

Archetype, 1429 Main St., St. Helena, 707-968-9200, archetypenapa.com. A spacious, well-designed room and glassed-in porch offer comfortable surroundings for breakfast, lunch, dinner and weekend brunch. The seasonal menu features local, organic salads and tidbits like blinis with burrata. Side dishes are as intriguing as the entrees, including Kennebec fries and curried cauliflower gratin. A wood-fire oven gives a smoky flavor to many of the entrees. $$-$$$ Reviewed 11/2/14

Bruno’s on Fourth, 1226 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, 707-569-8222, brunosonfourth.com. The “American comfort food” that chef Rick Bruno serves up is reliably prepared, nicely priced and tasty. There’s a Sunday brunch, kids eat free Tuesday through Thursday at dinner, and there’s a solid lunch menu. Crispy salads stand out, along with meaty dishes such as braised short ribs and roast pork. The short wine list is well-priced. Reviewed 1/26/14. $$-$$$

Burgers & Vine, 400 First St. E., Sonoma, 707-938-7110, burgersandvine.com. The old Sonoma Mission Creamery building is now an up-to-date bar and grill, featuring burgers, brisket, ribs, salads, sandwiches and more. House-brewed beer joins many craft beers on tap. The long bar is made of rescued old-growth redwood. Big-screen TVs shower you with sports, live bands are booked, and the grub is pretty much pub. Reviewed 3/23/14. $$

Café La Haye, 140 E. Napa St., Sonoma, 707-935-5994, cafelahaye.com. Here’s a restaurant that has its act together. Chef Jeffrey Lloyd features a different risotto and pasta dish each night, along with the best roast chicken ever. The vegetables on his plates are not given short shrift, and are cooked with intelligence and care. The appetizers are as carefully prepared as the entrees and uniformly delicious. The wine list is a tour of the region’s best wineries. Reviewed 3/30/14. $$$-$$$$

Central Market, 42 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma, 707-778-9900, centralmarketpetaluma.com. This is a genuine farm-to-table restaurant, as chef Tony Najiola raises pigs, hens and vegetables for the restaurant on his organic farm not far from town. Those pigs become some of the best charcuterie around, and the vegetables are snapping fresh and respected by the cooks. While the menu is local, the wine list is global in scope. Everything is made from scratch daily, even the breads. Reviewed 7/6/14. $$$

Cucina Paradiso, 114 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma, 707-782-1130, cucinaparadisopetaluma.com. The Italian food at Cucina Paradiso has always been good, but since the restaurant’s move to new quarters, it’s great. The style is ristorante rather than trattoria, a little more mid- to northern Italy than southern, with the high quality of the dishes built on the finest ingredients chef Dennis Hernandez can find. Classic veal dishes such as saltimbocca are beautifully prepared and the antipasti are as good as the entrees. Don’t miss the semifreddo for dessert. Reviewed 8/10/14. $$-$$$$

Dry Creek Kitchen, 317 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, 707-431-0330, charliepalmer.com. This is Healdsburg’s classiest restaurant. The cooking is international-Californian, meaning lots of fresh local ingredients handled with sophistication, such as scallops en croute with a black truffle sauce, and house-smoked Liberty duck breast with a confit of duck leg meat and pork belly joining it on the plate. The pastry chef does excellent work with intricate delicacies. There’s a list of more than 500 wines, all from Sonoma County, and there is no corkage fee if you bring a Sonoma County wine of your own. All this glamour is not inexpensive, so be prepared. Reviewed 6/1/14. $$$$

Flavor Bistro, 96 Old Courthouse Square, Santa Rosa, 707-573-9600, flavorbistro.com. In its friendly, unpretentious way, Flavor Bistro is a shining example of the area’s enviable food scene. House-made pastas and pizzas, and meats and vegetables from local organic farms are expertly prepared, and the wine list is excellent. Breakfast is served most days and lunch and dinner every day. Best of all are the modest prices on most dishes. Flavor is a go-to place for locals and wise visitors. Reviewed 12/8/13. $-$$$$

Flipside Steakhouse & Sports Bar, 138 Calistoga Road, Santa Rosa, 707-539-7700, flipsidesteakhouse.com. Two big dining rooms serve up Certified Angus beef as steaks and prime rib, plus chicken, salmon and lots of crowd-pleasing sides — all priced a la carte, steakhouse-style. There are raw oysters and good crab cakes to start and a delicious slice of chocolate cake with raspberry sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream to finish. The adjoining sports bar is two rooms full of 27 huge, flat-screen TVs. Reviewed 3/9/14. $$-$$$$

Gypsy Café, 162 N. Main St., Sebastopol, 707-861-3825, gypsy-cafe.com. The Gypsy Café occupies the spot where the Pine Cone restaurant operated for decades. Dinner is served only on Fridays, but there’s lots to choose from and the dinners are usually well-attended. Chef Martin Maigaard calls his cooking modern comfort food, and so it is, with pot roast, local salmon in season, free-range fried chicken and vegetarian pasta among the dishes. The wine list is small, but from premium local producers. Reviewed 8/3/14 $$-$$$

Harvest Moon Café, 487 First St. W., Sonoma, 707-933-8160, harvestmooncafesonoma.com. The food at Nick and Jen Demarest’s cafe is innovative and always palate-pleasing — not an easy trick to pull off. The menu changes often, sometimes daily, although the rib-eye steak is a constant. Many ingredients are house-made, including the sausage for the chorizo sauté, and the marshmallow fluff for the s’mores. There’s an alfresco patio out back and an excellent wine list. $$$ Reviewed 10/26/14

Heritage Public House, 1901 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa, 707-540-0395, heritagepublichousesr.com. This is an ideal place to hang out, sample two dozen beers, ales and ciders from California, and enjoy pub grub that’s a cut above average in provenance and quality. The focus is on good ingredients, and the fare includes fish tacos, a beefy burger, salads, sandwiches, fish and chips and nightly specials. Reviewed 10/6/13. $

Hiro’s Japanese Restaurant, 107 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma, 707-763-2300, hirosrestaurant.com. Hiro’s is an exceptional Japanese restaurant. It goes beyond just fresh and lovely versions of the usual Japanese fare (although it does have them on the menu) to bring true gourmet Japanese cooking to Sonoma, including hard-to-find seafood specialties. From the arty décor to the swift and smiling service, it’s a real pleasure to dine at Hiro’s. Reviewed 8/25/13. $$-$$$

The Kenwood Restaurant, 9900 Highway 12, Kenwood, 707-833-6326, kenwoodrestaurant.com. The focus is on organic meats and vegetables from local farms used in dishes that give a Sonoma twist to sophisticated American cooking. The result is wonderfully flavored food that’s as good for you as it is delicious. The chef will buy a whole carcass and use it in many different recipes. Its farm-to-table cooking in a beautiful Sonoma Valley setting. Reviewed 3/2/14. $$$$

Kettles Vietnamese Bistro, 1202 W. Steele Lane, Santa Rosa, 707-528-3747, kettlesvietnamesebistro.com. Vietnamese restaurants used to be exotic, but this one shows how comfy the cuisine has become in America. Big portions of pretty good food, Vietnamese with some pan-Asian, and reasonable prices make for a winning formula at Kettles, which attracts a lot of families. The pho noodle soups with meat or seafood are particularly good. Reviewed 2/2/14. $-$$

LaSalette, 452 First St. E., Suite H, Sonoma, 707-938-1927, lasalette-restaurant.com. Chef Manuel Azevedo honors his Portuguese heritage by preparing classic and some innovative dishes in the Portuguese style, which means lots of flavor, spicy sausages, fruits de mer and respect for his Azores heritage. And he does it well. Dishes are perfectly cooked, many in the wood-burning oven. The wine list is loaded with Portuguese treasures and the service is snappy. It’s a real treat to dine there. Reviewed 9/7/14. $$$

Lulu’s Kitchen, 1313 Main St., Napa, 258-1313, 1313main.com. The best feature of Lulu’s Kitchen is its wine list. Offerings are not confined to California and include some of the finest wines of the world by the glass, flights and bottle. The small-plate dishes are carefully conceived and expertly prepared. The decor is sophisticated and chic, the service friendly, and the ambiance relaxing. Reviewed 1/12/14. $$-$$$

Luma, 500 First St., Petaluma, 707-658-1940, lumapetaluma.com. A real find, this unpretentious restaurant has a feel-good vibe, great service and contemporary American cooking. Nightly specials might include braised pork ribs or blackened catfish. The regular menu offers ancho- and porcini-seared filet mignon, chicken picadillo and a daily “vegetarian delight,” a tray of wonderfully prepared seasonal fruits and vegetables. The wine list is global and modestly priced. Reviewed 11/3/13. $$$

Marigold Indian Bistro, 7225 Healdsburg Ave., Sebastopol, 707-329-6965, visit on Facebook. Chef Uddab Timilsina makes Indian cuisine exciting, not just because he’s mastered the art of combining spices in intriguing ways, but also because his dishes are made with top-quality ingredients, which gives them the added appeal of freshness and purity of flavor. Along with the usual Indian dishes, he occasionally ventures into less charted territory. The lamb and apricot combination, for instance, is wonderful. $$. Reviewed 11/9/14

M.Y. China, Graton Resort and Casino, 630 Park Court, Rohnert Park, 707-703-1955, tastemychina.com. This is the second of well-known chef Martin Yan’s innovative Chinese restaurants. The restaurant better recreates the actual cuisines of China than do the chop suey and chow mein parlors found across America. Yan and executive chef Tony Wu insist on absolutely fresh vegetables and high quality in other ingredients. Reviewed 1/19/14. $$-$$$$

The Pullman Kitchen, 205 Fifth St., Santa Rosa, 707-545-4300, thepullmankitchensr.com. Executive chef Darren McRonald and chef John Trunk have worked at some of the nation’s finest restaurants, and it shows in the execution of the dishes at their venue in Santa Rosa’s Railroad Square district. The menu is full of familiar items such as fish tacos, roast chicken, cheeseburgers, meatballs and so on, but they are all just about perfect versions, including scrumptious desserts. There are unsuspected surprises as well. Reviewed 7/13/14. $$-$$$

Rosso Pizzeria, 53 Montgomery Drive, Santa Rosa, 707-544-3221, rossopizzeria.com. Rosso calls itself a pizzeria, but it’s a pizzeria-plus. Plusses include antipasti from fried calamari to luscious meatballs and salumi. Salads are cracking fresh. Besides really good, wood-fire pizza, there’s piadini, an Italian flatbread topped with veggies or sweet fruits. Full plates of fried chicken and Venetian-style risotto are expertly done. The wine list is eclectic, and soccer reigns on the TV. Reviewed 6/22/14. $$-$$$

Santé at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn, 100 Boyes Blvd., Sonoma, 707-939-2415, fairmont.com/sonoma. The cuisine at this classic restaurant sets the standard for high-quality spa food anywhere in the world. The ingredients are mostly locally sourced and treated with respect so that the basic flavors shine. The chefs use techniques and carefully measured herbs and condiments to glorify the ingredients. Service is impeccable. Luxury doesn’t come cheap, but indulge yourself here. Reviewed 6/16/13. $$$$

Scopa, 109-A Plaza St., Healdsburg, 707-433-5282, scopahealdsburg.com. This red-hot restaurant has a strong influence of southern Italy and food that’s surpassingly delicious. Nonna’s Tomato-Braised Chicken with polenta keeps fans coming back. Chef Ari Rosen’s Tomasso’s Sugo Calabrese is a perfect plate of meat-sauced spaghettini. But this is not Italian-American cooking — it’s full-boat Italian. A fine list of Italian wines lets you pair this food with something from the old country. Reviewed 3/16/14. $$-$$$

Seared, 170 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma, 707-762-5997, petalumaseared.com. It’s mostly a steak house, but the menu is more varied than that, with lots of seafood and a range of good appetizers. The beef tends to be the Japanese breeds, often aged and sometimes grass-fed. The vegetables are handled with care. Chef Joe O’Donnell displays his skill by adding complexity to the food, creating a whirlwind of flavors. The restaurant knocks 25 percent off wine prices on Thursdays. Reviewed 4/6/14. $$-$$$$

Stark’s Steak & Seafood, 521 Adams St., Santa Rosa, 707-546-5100, starkrestaurants.com. Happy hour is a rip-roaring, after-work party most days, but in the quiet confines of the back dining room, the kitchen serves up the county’s best steaks — prime pieces of beef dry-aged for four weeks until they are bovine perfection. Everything is a la carte, so dining here is a pricey experience, but it’s worth it, for you’ll not find better beef and there are excellent seafood dishes. No corkage fee on your first two bottles of wine helps. The sides are hit or miss, but delicious when they hit, such as the tamarind barbecued prawns. Reviewed 2/9/14. $$$$

Swiss Hotel, 18 W. Spain St., Sonoma, 707-938-2884, swisshotelsonoma.com. Construction on the Swiss Hotel’s building was completed in 1840, but the scene here is up to date, especially at the tables bordering the Spain Street sidewalk. The food is Italian-American with straight American comfort food mixed into the menu. It’s not fancy, but it’s good. The bar hasn’t changed much since it was built more than 100 years ago. There’s a lovely patio for dining out back. Reviewed 6/8/14. $$-$$$$

Twisted 2, 29-F Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma, 707-789-9914, twisted2.net. This sweet little place from Dick and Julie Warner serves a prix fixe menu of her masterful kitchen creations with his very educated choices of wines to go with them. There’s an emphasis on very fresh Hawaiian fish such as ono and onaga. The dishes are composed with restraint, allowing the quality of the ingredients to shine. Just hope the soup of the day is Julie’s mole pozole, as rich as a stew, with pulled pork and hominy. The Meyer lemon pudding for dessert is luscious. Reviewed 12/22/13.

Walter Hansel Wine & Bistro, 3535 Guerneville Road, Santa Rosa, 707-546-6462, walterhanselbistro.com. The refurbished room serves as a wine bar for Walter Hansel Winery and a showcase for chef Philippe Colasse’s French cooking. He springs surprises, too, like Peruvian causa and seafood cebiche appetizers. But it’s the French classics that really sing — sous vide chicken with mousseline sauce, perfect Liberty duck rillettes, potato gratin Savoyard, sea bass in beurre blanc, and much more. Reviewed 2/23/14. $$$$

Pizza with a Side of Groove

February 2015

By Crissi Langwell

Tasty jazz licks will be paired with savory food bites at several Healdsburg and Geyserville restaurants in February when the Healdsburg Jazz Festival’s popular Jazz on the Menu event returns.

The festive midwinter, midweek fundraiser will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 25 at 10 restaurants, with each donating a portion of its sales proceeds to the Healdsburg Jazz Festival’s music education programs in schools, healdsburgjazzfestival.org.

“I think it’s pretty amazing what we bring to the students,” said Jessica Felix, the festival’s executive director. “We have expanded our programs in the schools, with Operation Jazz Band, Black History Month and a Children’s Choir.”

At each of the restaurants, diners order off the regular menu and enjoy the meal and drinks while being serenaded by a live jazz combo.

The event has a progressive-dinner element as well, with patrons coming together after dinner for a sweet encore.

From 7:30 to 10:30 p.m., the after-party gala at Costeaux French Bakery in Healdsburg will be headlined by Brazilian guitarist Ricardo Peixoto and his quintet, along with the Healdsburg High School Jazz Band. Tickets to the party are $15 and include a dessert buffet.

This year’s Jazz on the Menu event will be held at Catelli’s Restaurant and Diavola, both in Geyserville, and Agave, Baci Cafe & Wine Bar, Bear Republic Brewing Co., Café Lucia, Campo Fina, Chalkboard, Dry Creek Kitchen and Spoonbar in Healdsburg.

“It is wonderful to have so many restaurants lit up with jazz in the quieter winter months,” said Circe Sher, director of public relations and marketing for Dry Creek Kitchen and Spoonbar.

Many of the restaurants have participated in the event since it started in 2011. In 2014, Jazz on the Menu was held during the worst storm of the year, yet the restaurants still filled up. It’s wise to make reservations early.

More interested in the bands? Consider bar-hopping your way through the evening.

“Some people go around and just get a drink at every place,” Felix said. “They just want to hear the music.”

Pickle It with Bay Area Chefs at SHED

February 2015

By biteclub

Buddah's Hand preparations at Cultured Pickle in Berkeley. — Buddah’s Hand preparations at Cultured Pickle in Berkeley. Photo courtesy of Cultured Pickle.

That collective “Eeeeeeeeeee!” sound you may be hearing from food-obsessed friends may have something to do with the Feb. 21 fermentation celebration at SHED in Healdsburg.

The day’s workshop and multi-course dinner features a stunning lineup of chefs and producers, including Ali Bouzari of Pilot R&D, Kyle Connaughton of the recently-announced Single Thread Farm Restaurant, Brian Hunt of Moonlight Brewing, Nick Balla and Coutney Burns of Bar Tartine, the co-founders of Berkeley’s Cultured Pickle and Dan Felder, co-founder of Pilot R&D. They’ll be talking beer, cheese, miso, kimchee and more; later serving up a multi course communal meal with dishes like “Ice-Filtered Duck Broth with Kohlrabi and Miner’s Lettuce From Between the Vine Rows”.

You know, just something simple they whipped together.

How much would you be willing to pay for this day of fermentation and food celebrit-ay? How does $125 for the kit and caboodle grab you? See you there.

Tickets available online at . 3-10p.m., Feb. 21, 25 North St., Healdsburg.

Persona Pizza coming to Arrigoni’s space

February 2015

By biteclub

Persona Pizza will open in downtown Santa Rosa in March 2015

Downtown Santa Rosa is getting a culinary shake-up as Persona Wood Fired Pizza gets ready to take over the former Arrigoni’s Deli. In what’s quickly becoming a trend in fast-casual dining, the pizzeria offers 12-inch top-your-own pizzas that are cooked in a wood-fired oven in about 90 seconds. Created by a top pizzaiolo (someone trained in the art of making pizza, notably Neopolitan-style) and a CIA-trained chef, Persona is based in Santa Barbara with plans to open more than twenty franchised stores in the Bay Area over the next several years.

And while we have nothing against good old pepperoni and mushroom, Persona will also offer up more gourmet toppings including prosciutto, Sopressata, pine nuts, arugula, burrito and blue cheese as well as the more conventional ones. A basic pizza will run about $8, but can quickly reach double digits with added toppings. Also in the lineup: A burrata and gelato bar. Noms.

What’s notable is that Pieology, a similar DIY pizzeria, recently opened in Santa Rosa’s Safeway Shopping Center on Mendocino Ave.

And yes, it is the third pizzeria in downtown Santa Rosa. But really, can you ever have enough pizza?

Expect a March opening.

James Beard Awards 2015 Semi-Finalists for Wine Country

February 2015

By biteclub

Kathleen Weber of Della Fattoria in Petaluma was named semi-finalist for the 2015 James Beard Awards

The James Beard Award Semi-Finalists were announced today, noting the country’s food and wine professionals — from chefs and restauranteurs to wine and spirits programs.

Here are our Wine Country contenders. Winners will be announced on March 24, 2015

Outstanding baker
Edmund and Kathleen Weber, Della Fattoria, Petaluma, CA

Outstanding Restaurateur
Cindy Pawlcyn, Napa, CA (Mustards Grill and Cindy’s Back Street Kitchen)

Outstanding Wine Program
Press, St. Helena, CA
La Toque, Napa, CA

Outstanding Wine, Beer, or Spirits Professional
Ted Lemon, Littorai Wines, Sebastopol, CA
Steve Matthiasson, Matthiasson Wines, Napa, CA

See all the semi-finalists, including dozens from around the Bay Area. Congrats to everyone.

Adios Jeff and Susan Mall of Zin Restaurant

February 2015

By biteclub

jeffsusan — Jeff and Susan Mall (courtesy of their Facebook page)

Former Zin Restaurant owners Jeff and Susan Mall are heading south of the border.

The couple will be taking over food and beverage operations at Rancho Pescadero in Baja, Mexico. The resort, located south of Todos Santos, includes the Garden Restaurant. The Malls have been involved in consulting with the resort since 2010, and will bring their dedicated farm-to-table philosophy to the property.

Don’t get your hankies out just yet, though. The couple will be splitting their time between Mexico and Sonoma County, with plans to return north during the hot summer months.

Both Jeff and Susan have always had a deep love for Mexico. Jeff grew up on a ranch in California’s Central Valley, enjoying good Mexican food almost from the day he was born. He began visiting Mexico in the early 1980s when his family would take annual vacations to the tip of Baja, staying in towns like Mulegé, La Paz, Loreto, and a much sleepier-than-it-is-now Cabo San Lucas.

Jeff earned his degree in Hospitality Management at the University of San Francisco and then went on to graduate from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Jeff moved back to Northern California and worked with a number of chefs and mentors including Jeremiah Tower, Bradley Ogden and Anne Gingrass.

Susan grew up in San Diego and her summers were spent in Ensenada, a seaport town about an hour south of the border. Her early culinary memories include warm bolillos, turkey tortas and carne asada in Tijuana. Classically trained, she worked at such culinary institutions as Zuni Café and Campton Place Hotel, both in San Francisco, and the Border Grill in Los Angeles. Susan has also taught classes, done restaurant consulting and run her own catering company.

Dinner will be served seven nights a week and Chefs Jeff and Susan Mall’s new menus will celebrate the bounty of Baja and traditional Mexican flavors, made light and bright with locally grown ingredients. Menu items will include Posole de Pescado y Mariscos, Crispy Sopes with Smoked Marlin Salpicon, and Local Goat Cheese and Mushroom Chile Rellenos with Salsa Colorado.

In addition, Jeff and Susan will offer cooking classes, local food tours, and plan to institute a robust guest chef program, hosting top international talent for culinary weekends and events several times a year.

Sonoma County’s loss is certainly Rancho Pescadero’s gain. We will miss the couple’s great enthusiasm for local products, incredible warmth and generosity, and rich culinary talents greatly. The good news is now BiteClub can go visit them in sunny Mexico.

Band of Brothers

February 2015

By Sonoma Magazine Staff

The Brothers Comatose’s Ben Morrison, left, Alex Morrison and Josh Rabie perform during the 2014 EarleFest at the Earle Baum Center of the Blind in Santa Rosa. (photos by Alvin Jornada)

When brothers Ben and Alex Morrison were growing up in Petaluma, they’d spend their days at St. Vincent’s High School and then come home to another field of study: the school of rock (and folk and blues and bluegrass).

“Our mom was in a folk quartet when we were kids,” Ben Morrison said. “And as we got older, they would have these music parties and all their musician friends would come over and everybody would get to play on all the songs. It was just a big living room jam.”

Ben Morrison adds his voice to the band’s vocal mix.

So it made sense that the Morrison boys (Ben is 34, Alex 32) would eventually start a band with other guys from school. In 2008, Ben came up with the name Brothers Comatose to describe the faded look on Alex’s face when he rips into a banjo solo.

“In the beginning, we just called it ‘a rowdy string band,’” he said. With an upright bass, fiddle, banjo and plenty of harmonizing, Brothers Comatose definitely had the bluegrass end covered. But there’s also plenty of folk and rock to mix things up. Early shows took shape at the Lagunitas Tap Room in Petaluma, “where the stage is so small, only three out of five of us could actually fit on the stage at one time,” Ben said.

As word got out and a loyal fan base grew, bigger shows beckoned as the Brothers were invited to the 2012 South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas, and toured with The Devil Makes Three and Yonder Mountain String Band. This past summer, they played the Outside Lands music festival in San Francisco and followed that with a cross-country national tour. Ben even recorded a duet with indie darling Nicki Bluhm.

These days, no matter where they roam or choose to live (most of the band members relocated to San Francisco), “We always consider Petaluma our hometown,” Ben said. “And every time we get back there, it’s like a homecoming.”

To check out their music and upcoming tour dates, visit thebrotherscomatose.com.

The Brothers Comatose — Alex Morrison, left, Ben Morrison, Ryan Avellone, Josh Rabie and Ryan Lukas — warm up backstage before their performance at the 2014 EarleFest.

Molten Magic – Glassblower

February 2015

By Carole Kelleher

Alex Leader, a glassblower from Sonoma, uses fire as his inspiration for his glass art. (photos by Connor Jay)

Master glassblower Alex Leader squints into a furnace that holds a crucible of 2,000-degree molten glass as blankets of heat escape into the already sticky-hot studio. He scoops out a glowing mass of the melted silica, soda and lime, and with a long blowpipe and torch, uses his breath to create beauty.

Vases, stemware and light fixtures transform people’s homes and are the hallmark of his artistry at Leaderglass, the company Leader founded in Sonoma with a calling card that meshes his name and his profession. It also reflects his restraint, as he resisted the temptation to add the tagline, “the leader in glass.”

“I like to think I’m a little more humble than that,” said Leader, whose latest spin in his glassblowing career is giving others the opportunity to experience his craft. “It’s something different to do in Wine Country,” he said of the classes he holds at Leaderglass as an alternative to wine tasting. Since 2011, more than 600 people, many of them tourists, have taken a class. Some have had private, two-hour sessions with Leader ($150); others pay $50 for one hour and help from the master in producing their own paperweight.

“I haven’t turned anyone into a glassblower,” Leader said, “but they come in and have fun and experience something new. Watching an expert glassblower makes it look very easy, but by the time people are done with the class, they know it’s really difficult.”

Leader has to help people finish their pieces, but everyone realizes it’s not something to be learned in a day. He does have a few students taking a series of classes. They can be team-building exercises or corporate events, and he’s taught small groups from Google and Genentech. Dinner parties have even been held in his hot shop, as it’s called, while he blows glass as the entertainment.

Stepping out of the sweltering studio into the dim office he calls his cave, Leader said that 17 years ago he and his wife, Lillian, came to Sonoma from New Jersey with their young son, Che, following a glassblowing job offer and the clichéd California dream. They fell in love with the Valley of the Moon and decided it was the place to raise their family, which now includes a 10-year-old daughter, Raven.

“I was a kid with a whim,” said Leader, 41, of his passion to become a glassblower. An excellent student in high school in New Jersey, he entered Franklin Pierce College in New Hampshire with a leaning toward history and no real notion of what he wanted to do with his life. It was there he was exposed to glassblowing, and Leader eventually left college and took a job as an assistant to a glassblower, which is the centuries-old tradition for learning the trade.

While selling handmade glass he helped create for Belle Mead Hot Glass at a wholesale show in Philadelphia, he met Sonoma glassblower Frank Cavaz, owner of Bacchus Glass, and took him up on his job offer. Although Leader now has his own company, he continues to share space and furnaces with Cavaz.

Leader likes to make art objects that homeowners will use and enjoy. He sells ornate, signed, stemmed wineglasses for $50 each, and hopes people drink from them rather than simply displaying them on a shelf.

“We commissioned him because he was great to work with and extraordinarily gifted,” said Sonoma homeowner Chip Romer, who has an elaborate dining room chandelier and four sconces in his living room that were made by Leader. “He got the colors right and the shape was exactly what we wanted. He was happy to collaborate with my creative vision, which is really gratifying when working with an artist.”

Leader makes special orders, and is proud that the trophies presented to the winners at NASCAR races at Sonoma Raceway are his creations. Recently he was commissioned by Sonoma Valley Hospital to produce large oak leaves of blown glass, which will be part of a permanent art installation in the hospital’s new emergency center. He also made small commemorative oak leaves as gifts for major donors to the hospital’s new building.

As beautiful as his works are, there are hazards in producing them.

“I burn and cut myself all the time,” Leader said, although never seriously, and after 23 years he has no permanent scars. He loves that there is a 2,000-year history to glassblowing, an art most famous in Italy with its acclaimed Venetian glass. “In the last 50 years, it’s been artist to artist,” he said, explaining how one learns. “I’ve never taken a glassblowing class. No formal training, only on the job.”

Leader is a huge admirer of Seattle’s Dale Chihuly, who started the studio art glass movement in the 1970s and whom he credits with reviving glassblowing in the United States.

“From Colonial times up until World War II, glassmaking was a huge business here,” he said, mentioning Libbey Glass and the makers of Carnival glass, who largely relocated production overseas. “And then came plastic, and glass seemed impractical when you had this new material that didn’t break. We joke that Tupperware killed the glass industry.”

A new niche Leader is creating is making decanters and wineglasses out of wine bottles, a very difficult and specialized technique.

“Glass hardens very quickly, and glass re-melted from a bottle hardens even faster, making it even more difficult to work with,” he said of the glasses that will be sold in the tasting rooms of several wineries, including Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards and Roche Winery, both in Sonoma.

“I live in the Wine Country and I make glasses. Glassmaking and winemaking, they are totally connected,” Leader said of his creative life lived surrounded by vineyards, a lifestyle he never intends to leave.

Welcome to Straus Home Ranch

February 2015

By Sonoma Magazine Staff

Every detail of the restoration at Straus Home Ranch was designed to honor the integrity and spirit of the original 1864 structure.(photos by Rebecca Chotkowski)

Wake up just after sunrise to a melody of birds and soft light splashing across glistening hardwood floors. The air is crisp and fragrant, with subtle scents of the sea. Step outside and stroll the woods and pastures, and along the Tomales Bay shoreline. Take deep, invigorating breaths.

Back inside, brew a cup of espresso or organic tea, nestle deep into luxe linens and flip on the 50-inch flat-screen TV. Tickle the ivories on the Steinway, peruse the library of cookbooks and games, and plan a dinner menu to be prepared in the well-stocked kitchen or on the grill outside. Or call a private chef to take care of the meal.

Sound like paradise? Then the Straus Home Ranch, long a private West Marin residence recently renovated as a vacation rental, is the place for you. It’s a 19th-century farmhouse, but one that has been polished to a beautiful sheen.

The property has been in the Straus family since 1941, when Bill and Ellen Straus purchased 160 acres next to Tomales Bay in the tiny hamlet of Marshall. At the time, there were several buildings on the property, including the main house, built in 1864 by Jeremiah Ladd Blake, a colorful character who was a farmer, artist, saddle maker and poet.

The large, red hay barn is part of the rustic beauty of the Straus property, which is still a working ranch.

Bill and Ellen bought the property from the Blake family, and a few years later added a second parcel less than

a mile away. They started a small dairy, with 32 cows, on the original land and moved it to the newer property in 1950. For the next several decades, the Strauses raised their four children and tended their dairy in the pristine countryside, now protected by the Marin Agricultural Land Trust, which Ellen co-founded.

In certain ways, the rest is familiar history: Straus Family Creamery, founded by the couple’s son, Albert, in 1994, is widely known for its premium organic dairy products, including milk, cream, yogurt, sour cream, butter and ice cream.

With the opening of the home ranch to visitors, another part of the land’s story can be told.

When their parents died in the early 2000s, the Straus siblings divided the holdings, with Albert keeping the dairy and creamery. His siblings, Miriam, Vivien and Michael, kept the home ranch. For a decade or so, the family home was rented to long-term tenants. In 2012, the siblings decided to turn it into a vacation rental, welcoming their first guests in 2014: Japanese visitors who came to study organic and sustainable farming.

“We had to race to get it done in time for their visit,” Michael Straus said of the restoration that took place during the first half of 2014.

Henry and Irene Haupt of Petaluma did the restoration, working on the exterior and interior. “It was pretty run-down when we started,” Irene said, “and we had to remove old wallpaper and paint inside and out.”

The Haupts also added a railing to the downstairs porch. The upstairs wraparound porch already had a railing, so Henry crafted a matching one, using old redwood. The downstairs railing matches the upstairs railing so perfectly that it looks as if it had always been there. Whenever anything needed to be replaced, Henry would match the wood, produce the piece in his Petaluma workshop, and install it in a way that honored the integrity of the original structure.

Vivien Straus, who lives in Petaluma, chose a palette that is soft and muted, with cream-colored walls and off-white trim. At certain times of the day, the house takes on a warm, buttery glow.

Darrel DeBoer, a family friend and architect who also builds furniture, used local wood to craft a dining table and bench, kitchen island, picnic table and more.

In the barn, he found pieces of redwood and used them to make the spectacular table for the dining room. He used California bay from his own land in El Sobrante in Contra Costa County for the bench.

Bay does not grow straight, but rather twists and turns in response to its environment. It is typically dismissed for furniture, yet if it’s milled and the pieces clamped together, it dries straight and becomes a gorgeous piece of wood. DeBoer also embraces other local hardwoods, including cedar, madrone and live oak.

A dead cedar tree from El Cerrito, with beautiful knots and a soft yellow hue, became a two-tiered island in the fully renovated kitchen, the only room to undergo structural changes. For a picnic table, DeBoer used lumber discards, Douglas fir that is typically used for framing houses. Six-foot lengths, unsuitable for framing, are perfect for tables. The trick was in the finish.

“Think about it like a boat if you want it to last,” he said. “If you don’t, it won’t have a long life. If you do, it will last a very long time.”

DeBoer was particularly inspired by a piece of redwood he found on the Straus ranch, a long, 2-foot-wide board.

“Finding 2-foot-wide redwood is impossible today,” he said. “Cows had been walking on this for a hundred years and all I had to do was hang it on the wall, step back and stare at it.” Now it’s a desk in an upstairs bedroom.

Stacy Lauer, who lives in another house on the property, shaped the interior design of the 4-bedroom, 2-bath home.

“I wanted to honor the history and spirit of the house,” she explained, “and focus on comfort, function and simplicity. It’s not really vintage, but it’s not modern.” She, too, worked with a muted palette, with white, off-white, soft cream, beautiful grays and rich, earthy browns. With a limited budget, she indulged where it mattered most.

“I went very high-end with bed linens,” she said, “and because we had to stay with white, I used a lot of textures.”

The sunset view across Tomales Bay is a memory maker.

Decor came from Crate & Barrel and Ikea on the low end, and Matteo Linens of Los Angeles on the high end.

Lauer is a pastry chef and caterer by trade and will provide chef services by advance arrangement for guests at the home ranch.

Not much was needed to enhance the landscaping, as there is so much natural beauty on the property. Some of the acreage is leased to ranchers for grazing heifers and for organic silage production. There’s a large hay barn painted red, a rental home and several other small farm buildings.

Another Straus family friend, landscaper Daphne Edwards of Berkeley, added some lush yet drought-tolerant plants that blend beautifully with the natural environment.

One of Michael Straus’ more vivid memories of his childhood at the ranch are the magical winters, when he loved playing outside in the rain. “And sometimes I’d just sit on a big rock on the tiny beach near the front of the house and watch the bay and the amazing sunsets,” he said.

Now that the Straus family welcomes guests to the old farmhouse, others can make their own winter memories there. Watch the bay and the sunset, or let the occasional storm make staying inside all the cozier and more comforting.

11 Valentine Eats for Romantics (and Not-So-Romantics)

February 2015

By biteclub

Cupid-hating Disclaimer: Valentine’s Day is probably my least favorite holiday of the year. All that romance and love and insanely crowded restaurants. Ba humbug. But here’s the thing: You can’t deny that there are some amazing opportunities to wow your Valentine with food this V-day. So instead of the usual listing of restaurants (trust me, your favorite restaurant will be offering special dinners throughout the weekend), I’ve hand-picked a few gems that even a jaded professional food writer would venture out for—on the busiest restaurant holiday of the year. #shudder.

Farmer’s Guild Boot Stompin’ Ball: Cowboy boots and a whole-hog roast? Now that’s a Valentine’s event we can get behind. The young farmers, food advocates and ranchers of the Farmer’s Guild makes a day of farming, field and forks with a “guild-raising” event from 1:30-6p.m. at the Petaluma Veteran’s Building, followed by a knee-slappin, boot-stompin’ ball with a whole hog, organic goodies right from the farm, a kissing booth, auctions, games, beer and wine. We can assure you this will be one of the most fun, best eating, family-friendly, cost-conscious (entry is $5, food is for purchase, or you can get admission, dinner and a drink for $20) nights of the month. And that’s pretty darn romantic in our minds. Tickets available at farmersguild.org.

Valentine’s Goodies for Two: Snuggle up for an intimate dessert with your honey from one of our favorite bakeries, Petaluma’s Della Fattoria. Best bet: Pugs Leap Chevre Cheesecake cakette ($15) or chocolate mousse heart ($12). Pre-orders only, before Feb. 11 and pick up by 3p.m. Feb. 14. Order form at dellafattoria.com.

Rosso’s Ramini Fundraisers: Do good and eat good at one of three pre-Valentine events at the three Rosso locations. Benefitting the legacy of Craig Ramini and his water buffalo mozzarella, co-owners John Franchetti and Kevin Cronin have organized a Mozzarealla Making Class at 5:30p.m. on Thursday at Rosso Rosticceria + Eventi (1229 N. Dutton Ave., Santa Rosa, 526-1229) $20, reservations required; a cheese and wine pairing event with local food-lebrities Colette Hatch (Madame Fromage) and Ziggy the Wine Gal from 4-close at Rosso Pizzeria and Wine Bar (53 Montgomery Dr., Santa Rosa) and another mozzarella making class at 4p.m. at Rosso Pizzeria and Mozzarella Bar (151 Petaluma Blvd., Petaluma, $20, reservations required) along with a raffled for a full sized print from Rosso’s favorite artist, Sheryl Chapman and two $100 Stark Restaurant certificates.

Foie at Spinster Sisters: Gild the lily much? V-day is for going overboard on luxury calories we can burn off the other 364 days of the year. Spinster Sisters (401 S. A St., Santa Rosa) has an especially ritzy menu with foie gras torchon and pear butter, Miyagi oysters with finger lime mignonette, lamb with roasted carrots and Saba (a sweet, unaged balsamic vinegar) and plenty of chocolate for dessert. A la carte menu with cocktails, wine and beer. Two seatings, reservations required, 528-7100.

Get Spicy at Mateos: If any menu I’ve seen screams, “sexy”, its the menu for two at Mateo’s Cocina Latina (214 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg). I dare you not to purr at this lineup: Steelhead tartar with J Cuvee brut, Hog Island oysters with trout roe, asparagus with preserved Meyer lemon, Dungeness crab stuffed rock cod, goat with ancho chile sauce (there’s no animal randier!) and Candy Cap ice cream with honey and mezcal. $45 per person without wine pairings, $70 per person with pairings. Reservations required, 433-1520.

An Italian Affair: A well-kept Wine Country secret, Forestville’s Canneti Roadhouse features some of the region’s most authentic Italian dishes. Treat your Valentine to an off-beat evening in front of the fireplace with a Bay shrimp souffle, Smoked spring trout ziti with spinach fondue and chestnut pasta with slow-braised Tuscan hunter meat sauce, sausage-stuffed roast chicken and cherry panna cotta with chocolate sauce. $65 per person, $90 with Tuscan wine pairing, 6675 Front St., Forestville. Reservations recommended, 887-2232.

Cafe Society: Mark Dierkheising’s Parkside and Midtown Cafes are go-tos for breakfast, brunch and lunch, but on Friday, Feb. 13 he’ll be featuring special dinners at both spots with no corkage. At the Midtown, enjoy butter poached lobster, beef filet with potatoes pave and Bearnaise, salmon with lentils or seared duck breast with fig chutney, along with chocolate bouchon with creme Anglaise. $130 per couple, reservations required. 1422 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, 545-2233.

Ales for Autism Masquerade Black and White Beer Ball: Inspired by the recent release of 50 Shades of Grey? Here’s your chance to play Christian and Ana wearing a sultry mask and your cocktail finest. A benefit for local autism services, attendees saunter through beer tasting from more than 25 breweries, sexy sushi, music by The Crux (love them!), and pole acrobatics (inspirational!) for an evening of hoppy romance. Friday, Feb. 13, Friedman Events Center, 8-11p.m. Tickets $50 for general admission, $65 VIP. Details at aleas4autism.org.

Que and You: What says love more than a face covered with barbecue sauce? Make it a casual Valentine’s Day at BBQ Smokehouse Bistro

(6811) Laguna Park Way, Sebastopol, 575-3277) featuring stuffed cheesy potatoes, Andouille sausage and smoked chicken wings, “drunk and stoned” shrimp salad, baby back ribs and blueberry cobbler, $49.50.

Have a favorite I missed? Let me know at heather@biteclubeats.com.

Still hungry? Check out Heather’s food and dining blog at BiteClubEats.com.