Spring wines to like

By Virginie Boone

The days are longer and the light brighter, igniting the urge to get outdoors into air that’s fresh and invigorating. Easter brunch on a lovely patio might be the ticket. These wines will add to all sorts of spring dalliances.

Petite Sirah for St. Patrick’s Day

If you like:

Stags’ Leap Winery 2010 Ne Cede Malis Estate Grown Stags Leap District Petite Sirah ($80)
As brooding as a young Liam Neeson, this wine will gain layers of complexity as it ages, taking on power and nuance in equal parts. With supple, dark blueberry fruit and sensuous tannins, this is among Napa Valley’s greatest portrayals of Petite Sirah. Ne Cede Malis is Latin for “Don’t give in to misfortune.”

Then try:

Ridge 2007 Dynamite Hill California Petite Sirah ($32)
Part of Petite Sirah’s beauty is its ability to age, so getting your mitts on this 2007 vintage from Fritz Maytag’s York Creek Vineyard on Spring Mountain in Napa Valley is highly recommended. It affords a fortunate chance to get a delicious education in a red wine with softened tannins, proper white pepper and mature fruit. Pair with spring lamb.

Albariño for daylight savings time

If you like:

Marimar Estate 2012 Don Miguel Vineyard Russian River Valley Albariño ($32)
The winery’s third vintage of this iconic Spanish white (and the right go-to when there’s an extra hour of sunlight in the evening), the Don Miguel Albariño is a celebration of citrus in all its natural acidity, with pretty floral aromatics accenting the medium-bodied experience from start to finish. To pair? Think fresh fish.

Then try:

Schulz Cellars 2012 Dragone Vineyard Calaveras County Albariño ($20)
Sourced from the Sierra Foothills, this crisp Albariño offers floral scents and a taste of bright citrus and textured apple. Fresh and enjoyable, it’s a fine match at dusk with shellfish and appetizers. Sonoma-based Schulz is family-run; John Schulz doubles as the national sales director for Dutton-Goldfield in Russian River Valley.

Viognier for springs beginnings

If you like:

Freemark Abbey 2012 Napa Valley Viognier ($32)
A wine rich in tropical fruit tones and a finish of toast and vanillin oak, this is a powerhouse Viognier that’s still buoyant in acidity. It comes from a producer with a consistently good track record with the grape. Pair this wine with chicken, fish or a brunch meal built around ham and buttery eggs.

Then try:

Bonterra 2012 Mendocino County Viognier ($14)
Made from organically grown grapes, this is a delicious and easygoing Viognier with flavors of fresh apricot and lemon-lime. It’s multitalented as a porch sipper and also an accompaniment to spicy dishes and seafood.

Pinot Noir for Earth Day

If you like:

Siduri 2012 Keefer Ranch Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($52)
Siduri has made wine from the famed Keefer Ranch since 2000, one of its longest-standing sites. Gorgeously floral, this Pinot also has an earthy personality that would please John Muir. It’s exquisite as a sipper and pairs handsomely with mushroom- and herb-accented dishes.

Then try:

Siduri 2012 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($32)
Blended from multiple sites within the vast Russian River Valley, this is a tremendous wine and a tremendous deal, fruit-forward and lush in red cherry and cola flavors, with plenty of earth and herb nuances.

#NotInKansasAnymore

By John Beck
Lisa Mattson, author of “The Exes in My iPod,” at Jordan Winery in Healdsburg on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013. (Conner Jay/The Press Democrat)

Come for the “Gangnam Style,” stay for the wine. That could have been the hook when thousands of newcomers clicked on Jordan Vineyard & Winery’s “Gangnam Style” video spoof that featured CEO John Jordan on the giddyup in 2012.

But Lisa Mattson, the auteur behind the camera, was up to so much more. It was more like, stay for the French macaron cookie-making video, the vineyard time-lapse footage and the spooky night harvest horror flick, all on her “Journey of Jordan Winery” blog.

A social-media maven with cinematic flair, Mattson, 39, has single-handedly upped the ante when it comes to winery promotion on the Web.

The same creativity fuels her own pursuits. Mattson’s new novel, “The Exes in My iPod: A Playlist of the Men Who Rocked Me to Wine Country,” is a thinly veiled retelling of her former life waitressing and falling in (and out) of love in Miami in the 1990s. Published in paperback, iPod, e-book and mobile-phone editions, “Exes” follows Harley Aberle’s romantic escapades and associates them with certain songs playing on her iPod.

“It’s based on a lot of the things I went through, but at some point I decided to turn it into a novel, create a main character and change things up,” she said. “And for exes that were upset about me writing the book: You’re not Cuban anymore, you’re Puerto Rican. Nobody’s going to know.”

When Mattson first started at Jordan in 2010 (after stints directing public relations and events programs for other wine companies), all she knew about the Alexander Valley winery was that “It was this pretty chateau on the hill that makes Chardonnay and Cabernet,” she explained. “I wasn’t even sure if there were actual Jordans behind the brand. Once I figured it out, I thought it was this huge opportunity.”

For a 4-H Club girl who grew up in a small Kansas town with just one stoplight, Mattson’s come a long way.

“When we first started in 2010 (at Jordan), I’d never operated a camera,” she said. Now she’s setting up elaborate shoots just like any independent film crew.

Not surprisingly, the awards have rolled in, including Best Winery Blog at the 2012 and 2013 Wine Blog Awards, and several finalist nominations for best video in the annual Wine Spectator magazine video contest.

One of the latest Jordan viral videos is “Blurred Vines,” a Wine Country take on Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” music video (go to blog.jordanwinery.com and click on “Our most popular videos”).

“It allows people to see us as normal people who like to have fun,” Mattson said. “We get a lot of feedback in the comments or from people visiting the winery who say, ‘I saw your “Gangnam Style” video or “Blurred Vines” and I knew I had to come to this winery.’”

N.Y. vibe in Napa

By Linda Murphy
An artist’s rendering shows the restaurant and wine bar at City Winery Napa; (opposite) the entry of the 1880 Napa Valley Opera House, which will become City Winery Napa.

Napa, you are now officially cool.

City Winery, a buzzed-about New York City winemaking facility, restaurant, wine bar and concert hall, lights up its first West Coast marquee in downtown Napa in early April, adding another layer of style and sophistication to a city making an energetic recovery from dreariness.

Taking over the 134-year-old Napa Valley Opera House, City Winery Napa promises a 300-seat concert space, state-of-the-art sound system, 100-seat restaurant and wine bar. More than 400 wines will be available by the bottle and 35 by the glass, served from kegs. Among the performers scheduled to appear in the first half of 2014: Bruce Cockburn, Leo Kottke, Maria Muldaur and comic Lewis Black.

The Napa Valley Opera House in Napa. (The Press Democrat / Crista Jeremiason )
The Napa Valley Opera House in Napa. (The Press Democrat / Crista Jeremiason)

But there will be no winery at City Winery Napa. New York impresario Michael Dorf, who created City Winery in New York in 2008 and added a Chicago location in 2012, offers regular folks the opportunity to have their own wines made for them at those sites. But Dorf figures there’s enough winemaking going on in Napa Valley as it is, and will leave the hose-dragging and barrel-rolling to the established pros.

Dorf has a 10-year lease on the opera house. Built in 1880, it was shuttered from 1914 to 2003, reopening after an extensive renovation. The grand edifice on Main Street became a source of civic pride and a keystone in the transformation of downtown Napa from drab to upbeat, with new restaurants, hotels, galleries and tasting rooms opening in rapid fire.

But the Napa Valley Opera House struggled through the recession, and in 2013, its directors learned that Dorf was searching Napa Valley for a City Winery site. They proposed sharing the building with him, impressed by his ability to attract top-name acts and the profit-generation potential of continuous food and drink sales, even on dates when the concert hall is dark.

Dorf’s lease allows for 300 City Winery performance dates per year, 75 of which are reserved for the opera house’s own community-based programs. Weddings and other private parties can book the venue, and wine- and food-focused events are also in the works.

Opera house regulars will notice some design changes. The downstairs has been retooled to accommodate the restaurant, and the sloped floor of the second-story Margrit Biever Mondavi Theatre is now flat, its row seats replaced by cocktail tables and chairs so that concert-goers can eat and drink during shows.

Of course, the announcement of City Winery’s lease for the building didn’t sit well with everyone in Napa. Some feared that Dorf was installing a noisy nightclub or cabaret; others accused him of killing their opera house.

His response? “We are not about the ‘destruction of the opera house,’ as some have speculated, but rather about helping the venue do more of what it was designed to do: creating a lifelong memory of an experience involving all of the senses, and reaching as many people as possible.”

Napa will be all the hipper for it.

Something for Everyone – Oxbow Public Market

By Virginie Boone
Visitors walk between the shops at Oxbow Public Market in Napa, Calif., on Jan. 8, 2014. (Alvin Jornada / The Press Democrat)

Stop in at the Oxbow Public Market in Napa any time of day or evening and it’ll be bustling with shoppers and diners, a draw for those looking to make an epicurean connection.

Since opening in December 2007, Oxbow is widely credited as having succeeded where its higher-profile former neighbor, Copia, failed.

The 40,000-square-foot indoor marketplace is inviting to tourists and also serves locals as a community hangout. Copia, which debuted with a high-end museum concept and never found its footing, closed within a month of Oxbow’s opening. A few vendors have come and gone since Oxbow’s debut, yet today, the venue is as vital as ever.

Anyone can wander in and enjoy the market’s range of delights, which includes a chocolate shop, butcher shops, oyster bar, wine shop, seafood purveyor, bakeries, florist, local honey, organic ice cream, a coffee roaster, tea and spice shops, a micro-distillery and many worthwhile eateries, from chef Todd Humphries’ expansive Kitchen Door to Napa Valley’s revered gourmet hamburger haven, Gott’s Roadside.

Founded by Steve Carlin, who also developed the Ferry Building Marketplace in San Francisco, Oxbow draws 1 million visitors a year. With 24 merchants, it lures residents to come again and again by hosting weekly Locals’ Nights (Tuesdays) and a seasonal farmers market (Tuesdays and Saturdays, May through October).

Locals like to sit on the back patio overlooking the Napa River and enjoy a glass of wine from the Oxbow Cheese & Wine Merchant, which also serves draft beer, cheese and charcuterie. Hog Island Oyster Bar is nearby. Kara’s Cupcakes bakes new flavors throughout the day, tempting desirers of sweet treats from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Dining options include C Casa, chef/owner Catherine Bergen’s Latin cuisine mecca, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, its menu gluten-free. Newer still is Cate & Co., Bergen’s gluten-free bake shop, which opened in December.

Ca’ Momi is both a full-service restaurant and wine bar with indoor and outdoor seating; its pizzeria is Vera Pizza Napoletana-certified. Ca’ Momi is also a traditional Italian pasticceria.

Pica Pica Arepa Kitchen high-lights Venezuelan cuisine. The Fatted Calf and Five Dot Ranch ensure well-raised meat is always available, while Kanaloa Seafood is a full-service place to buy locally caught fish and shellfish, run by a Ph.D. biologist and former Scripps Institute of Oceanography researcher.

Many Napans like to start their day at Ritual Coffee Roasters for single-drip cups of carefully picked and roasted coffee. Tillerman Tea serves the same purpose for loose-leafed teas.

Tiny Napa Valley Distillery carries micro-batch spirits, shrubs, tonics, syrups and bitters from around the world, and also sells its signature Napa Vodka Vintage Reserve made from Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, barrel-aged cocktails and seasonal liqueurs.

Vessels That Beckon

By Linda Murphy

Unless you’re an aficionado, the wine aisle can be a daunting place. Columns of glass soldiers stand silently, unflinching as Buckingham Palace guards and without so much as a wink that says, “Pick me.” With hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of wines on store shelves, it’s no wonder some would-be buyers run for cover.

Marketing minds say that getting a customer to pick up a wine bottle is half the battle; once it’s touched, the chance of that bottle going into the shopping cart is high. How the bottle looks is just as important as the taste of the drink inside (there are very few “bad” wines these days), so wineries seek to create eye-catching labels and vessel shapes to impress younger wine drinkers, and the young at heart, who are unexcited by Chateau This and Domaine That. If it looks cool, it’s cool to drink.

Healdsburg’s Truett-Hurst Wines is at the forefront of producing wines with quirky, cutting-edge, evocative packaging. While most of the company’s 30 brands come in traditional glass bottles with paper labels, it has a division devoted to finding avant-garde ways to present wines in chain stores such as Safeway and Total Wine.

Two years ago, Truett-Hurst launched a series of 10 wines at Safeway stores, each variety wrapped in wildly illustrated paper that tells a story about the wine, includes a recipe, or makes suggestions for what to serve with the wine. The wrap for Schucks White Wine, for example, has fish swimming around the bottle, suggesting that it goes with seafood.

Then came California Square wines in, yes, square-sided glass bottles reminiscent of old-time spirits and hair tonic. Ever so tongue in cheek, Truett-Hurst marketers claim that the California Square bottle is not only recyclable, it’s reusable (and thus green), and suggest using it as a vase, water carafe or olive oil container once the bottle is empty. California Square Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and a red blend ($20), appear to target the wine drinker furnishing his or her first apartment.

Late 2013 saw Truett-Hurst’s delivery of Paper Boy, which it says is the world’s first paper wine bottle. It has a recycled cardboard shell in the shape of a wine bottle, with a plastic bladder inside holding the wine (Mendocino County Chardonnay and Paso Robles red blend, each $15). At 1.5 pounds for a 750-ml “bottle,” Paper Boy is significantly lighter than a standard glass bottle (3 to 4 pounds) and is 67 percent more efficient in its production carbon footprint. All of its parts are recyclable.

Green is good, of course, and the unbreakable bottle makes Paper Boy easy to put in a backpack or tote to the beach or tailgate party. The same is true for Flasq Wine in St. Helena, which fills sleek 375-ml, brushed-aluminum cans with Chardonnay and Merlot made from California grapes. Each Flasq ($5 to $6), which holds two glasses of wine, is shatterproof, chills wine five times faster than glass, reduces carbon footprint 35 percent due to its light weight, and has the sporty look one would be proud to display on the golf course, after a hike or out on the ocean. Think of it as wine in beer clothing.

When it comes to taste, these wines won’t bowl over the critics, yet they’re well-made, easy to drink and fairly priced. They don’t just wink. They shout, “Pick me!”

Daffodils: Bundles of Sunshine

By Meg McConahey
Daffodils along River Rd. (photo by John Burgess / The Press Democrat)

On the cusp of spring they start poking their heads from the soil, arriving in jaunty clumps, cancan lines or in large conventions crowding an entire meadow or hillside.

Daffodils aren’t bashful as are many wildflowers that hide in woodlands and swales. Instead, they act as the brass band of springtime, marching into the awakening landscape often well before the rhododendrons and tulips, with trumpets of yellow, white and sometimes pink and orange.

“They’re the first sign of spring and they just jump out of nowhere,” said Merle Reuser, Sonoma County’s unofficial “Daffodil King.” For some 57 springs, Reuser has given away thousands of daffodils harvested from the ranch of his lifelong mentor, Margaret Adams, as a way of spreading cheer and honoring the memory of people beloved in the community. “They’re an instant upper.”

When Reuser was a small boy, Adams, who lived on a neighboring ranch in Cloverdale, instructed him to pluck daffodils from her property, which was overrun with bulbs planted generations earlier by pioneers. She then told him to take the blooms to town to give away to friends and strangers, in random acts of kindness.

“I would go down with all the flowers I could carry and just walk around the street and give them out,” Reuser said.

Adams died in 2000 at age 104. Reuser, 66, carries on his task of delivering bouquets of spring sunshine. Among his key recipients are students at Cloverdale High School. One day each March, he greets students flooding into the cafeteria for lunch and passes out some 200 bouquets in memory of Courtney Davis, a sunny-tempered 16-year-old who died of cancer in 2008.

Daffodils along River Road in the Russian River Valley. (photo by Chad Surmick / The Press Democrat)
Daffodils along River Road in the Russian River Valley. (photo by Chad Surmick / The Press Democrat)

Each year he digs up clumps of bulbs, separates them and replants them on a dozen different properties around the county, the Johnny Appleseed of daffodils.

The severe drought may put a damper on this year’s daffodil display. It’s a game of wait and see, though it’s likely that determined bulbs will make an appearance.

“I just don’t know how long they’re going to last without rain,” said Marde Ross, the “Daffodil Lady” who has planted approximately 200,000 bulbs on the hillsides surrounding her Glen Ellen cottage. Starting in midwinter with the slender little February golds, her daffodil show features some 15 varieties that arrive in succession through April. For determined daffodil spotters, Ross, who sells bulbs, invites folks, by appointment, to walk along her bluestone-lined path through the daffodil fields (mardeross.com).

Another good place to ogle daffodils and tulips are the gardens at Ferrari-Carano winery on Dry Creek Road in Healdsburg (garden hotline: 707-433-5349).

It was the late Saralee Kunde, head cheerleader for local agriculture, who first brought daffodils to Sonoma County in a big, splashy, public way. More than 20 years ago she dreamed up the idea of beautifying the neighborhood around her Slusser Road vineyard estate in Windsor with daffodils as a way of attracting visitors to area farms and tasting rooms during an otherwise bleak time of year.

Kunde eventually enlisted some two dozen wineries, landowners and organizations to buy and plant bulbs to help turn Highway 101 from River Road to Fulton, and River Road to Forestville and beyond, into a blazing yellow palette. Tons of daffodil bulbs went into every sorry weed patch Kunde could find.

Theft and time have diminished the show. But some daffodils remain in legacy to the diva of daffodils, who saw them as a way of ushering in a new growing season as sure as bud break in the vineyards.

They’re a symbol of hope and a sign of perseverance. That beauty prevails, is their message.

Charlie Palmer brings dinner home (w/video)

By Diane Peterson
Palmer shoots at a pheasant with chef Dustin Valette, of Dry Creek Kitchen in Healdsburg. (photo by Chris Hardy)

If you run into Charlie Palmer at the Dry Creek Kitchen in Healdsburg, chances are the tall, imposing chef will be buttoned up in a crisp chef’s jacket or white Oxford dress shirt.

But scratch the surface of this well-known hospitality entrepreneur — with 12 restaurants to his name and a growing collection of boutique hotels and wine shops across the nation — and you’ll find a country boy at heart.

Whether fly-fishing on Colorado’s Laramie River or stalking the scrappy pheasant in Sonoma with Dry Creek Kitchen executive chef Dustin Valette, Palmer likes to relax in the colorful costume of the avid outdoorsman: jeans, red cap and camouflage jacket.

Thanks to the locavore movement, people increasingly want to know how their food is grown and raised. More and more hunters are motivated by the promise of high-flavor meat than they are by the sport alone.

But not everyone knows the best way to cook partridge and rabbit, venison and elk. And from a chef’s point of view, that’s a problem.

Charlie's dog, Bob, returning a downed pheasant. (photo by Chris Hardy)
Charlie’s dog, Bob, returning a downed pheasant. (photo by Chris Hardy)

“You’ve got all these people who are into hunting and fishing, but they don’t know what to do with the stuff they catch,” Palmer said. “If you kill it, you eat it.”

So when the gun-manufacturing company Remington Arms went looking for a chef to collaborate on a new cookbook, it didn’t take long to flush Palmer out of his home in the forested hills above Healdsburg.

After all, the project spoke to Palmer’s two greatest passions: the primal pleasure of eating in the outdoors, and the sourcing of the very best ingredients from around the world.

“Eating in nature, from nature, means eating mindfully within seasonal harvests, using simple dishes enhanced by vivid flavors,” Palmer said.

This ain’t your grandma’s recipe box, and it’s not your average celebrity chef cookbook, either.

Illustrated with rustic photographs and paintings from the archives and art collection at Remington Arms, “Remington Camp Cooking” by Charlie Palmer has the luxurious feel of a family keepsake, with a soft leather cover and flexible spine.

Yet it’s rustic enough to throw in the back of a pickup truck with the guns and ammo.

Chef Charlie Palmer deglases his cooked pheasant at his house with Dustin Valette, chef at Dry Creek Kitchen. (photo by Chris Hardy)
Chef Charlie Palmer deglases his cooked pheasant at his house with Dustin Valette, chef at Dry Creek Kitchen. (photo by Chris Hardy)

“The more you get oil on it, the better the book is going to feel,” Palmer said. “It’s not aimed at our restaurant clientele, but at the outdoorsman.”

With the help of Valette, also a lifelong outdoors enthusiast, Palmer developed a mouthwatering array of recipes to appeal to anyone who believes food tastes better when enjoyed in the great outdoors.

“There’s not a lot out there about cooking in the outdoors … at least, not a lot that’s usable,” Palmer said. “Most of it is Uncle Joe’s recipe, and you soak it in Coca-Cola.”

From a Duck Meatball Banh Mi to Trout in Foil with Lemon-Sage Butter, the recipes marry the elegant with the accessible. They can be made by anyone with access to a grill, campfire or Dutch oven.

“The recipes could be done anywhere,” Palmer said. “But the focus is how to be a more successful outdoor cook, whether you’re cooking over a fire pit, grilling or tailgating.”

Palmer, who grew up in upstate New York and trained at the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, N.Y., has been hunting and fishing, cooking and camping, all his life. Most of the practical wisdom he imparts in the book has become second nature to him.

“I got my first shotgun when I was 12,” he said. “My brother would take me trap and skeet shooting with clay pigeons.”

While attending culinary school, he went pheasant hunting with one of his roommates from South Dakota.

“There’s acres and acres of harvest corn just loaded with pheasant,” he said. “It’s a perfect habitat for them.”

Charlie Palmer's pan roasted pheasant. (photo by Chris Hardy)
Charlie Palmer’s pan roasted pheasant. (photo by Chris Hardy)

Before he was married, he also fell in love with deep-sea fishing, chasing the storied blue marlin from the Bahamas to the coast of Venezuela.

And years ago, before A&E’s “Duck Dynasty” TV show was a glint in the eye of its creator, Palmer was invited to Louisiana’s bayou to shoot a hunting show with Eli Haydel, a famous maker of duck calls.

“We took the ducks back and cooked them,” Palmer said. “There was a guy named Big John who was drinking moonshine whiskey, and he had water moccasin scars all over his arm.”

These days, Palmer likes to cook wild game on a fire pit he built outside his house. During the season, he enjoys morning pheasant and chukar (partridge) hunts at a local sport-hunting club in Sonoma County.

“It’s like a preserve,” Palmer said of the rustic club. “It’s amazing that that piece of land is there still, and you can hunt with a dog.”

Valette, who grew up in Geyserville, learned about hunting and fishing from his dad, Robert “Pops” Valette, an air tanker pilot for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

“We didn’t have TV, so we were always doing something hands-on and outdoosy,” Valette said. “I learned about guns on Ridge Ranch at the Geysers, which is owned by family friends.”

Valette started out with a Red Ryder BB gun, then received an old shotgun from his grandfather. He started quail hunting at 6 and shot his first buck at Mount Lassen when he was 9.

Photo gallery: Charlie Palmer: The Rest of the Story

In the winter, Valette likes to go to the Baxter Ranch at Lake Sonoma to hunt wild boar, then grinds the meat into luscious sausage, following his father’s recipe.

“It’s more natural,” Valette said of range-to-table cooking. “Because the animal is not in captivity, it has a more natural life.”

This spring, Dry Creek Kitchen plans to launch a new 24-seat outdoor annex, the White Oak Grill, with a simple menu inspired by Valette’s oak-wood grilling experience at Baxter Ranch.

“It will add another dimension to the restaurant, with a casual feel to it,” Palmer explained. “We’ll do a simple, grilled menu.”

Like most outdoorsmen, both Valette and Palmer are passionate about taking care of the land, not only for themselves, but for future generations.

“Outdoorsmen, hunters, fishermen and campers — those are the people who are most concerned about the outdoors,” Palmer said. “They understand they have to take care of it … or it won’t be there.”

Topsy’s Kitchen, Petaluma

By biteclub

[sh-slideshow-post id=”28438″]

I’ve been hearing all sorts of great things about Topsy’s Kitchen, a new breakfast/brunch/lunch spot in Petaluma. With a focus on Southern comfort food, making a beeline to P-Town became a hot priority.

The former Punjabi Burrito on Kentucky St. has been remodeled completely, with a warm, whitewashed interior, crisp tablecloths and an eye-catching pass-out and window into the kitchen. Fresh pies sit temptingly in a nearby windowed case, and the menu is, well, stellar.

Breakfast is a well-curated mix of sweet and savory that includes beignets with jam ($5), buttermilk biscuit sandwiches with pimento cheese, buttermilk berry pancakes ($6) and healthier fare of organic quinoa with seasonal veggies ($7.50).

Lunch includes their journey-worthy buttermilk fried chicken in both sandwich  ($11) and chicken ‘n waffles, along with shrimp and grits ($14) and a grassfed burger ($12.50). Watch for daily specials of gumbo and brisket.

The only misstep was the much-anticipated sweet potato biscuit, which was hard and cold, though honey butter improved things. I also missed out on the bacon in my cheesy grits, but hey, no one’s perfect.

Two can’t miss items: Lucy’s chicken-fried deviled eggs (yup, deviled eggs smashed back together, dipped in batter and fried, $9.50) and streusel topped caramel apple pie (drenched in salted caramel ($6) that fed two with a hearty chunk left over for a midnight snack.

Topsy’s Kitchen: 131 Kentucky St., Petaluma, (773-4743).

James Beard Semi-Finalists for 2014 include Bay Area Noms

By biteclub

beard

The James Beard Foundation has announced the Semi-Finalists for 2014. The list includes a number of Bay Area chefs and restaurateurs, though there are few big surprises here. Winners will be announced on May 2 and 5, 2014 in New York.

Best New Restaurant
The 404 Kitchen, Nashville
Aragona, Seattle
Ardent, Milwaukee
Asta, Boston
Bar Sajor, Seattle
Betony, NYC
Brindille, Chicago
Carbone, NYC
Casa Rubia, Dallas
The Cavalier, San Francisco
Chi Spacca, Los Angeles
Connie and Ted’s, West Hollywood, CA
Coqueta, San Francisco
The Elm, Brooklyn, NY
Estela, NYC
Fish & Game, Hudson, NY
Izanami at Ten Thousand Waves, Santa Fe
Laurel, Philadelphia
MilkWood, Louisville, KY
MW, Honolulu
Nico Osteria, Chicago
Pêche, New Orleans
Pinewood Social, Nashville
Ribelle, Brookline, MA
Rose’s Luxury, Washington, D.C.
Serpico, Philadelphia
Tosca Cafe, San Francisco
Trois Mec, Los Angeles
Uncle Boons, NYC
Virtù, Scottsdale, AZ

 

Outstanding Bar Program
Anvil Bar & Refuge, Houston
Arnaud’s French 75 Bar, New Orleans
Bar Agricole, San Francisco
The Bar at the NoMad Hotel, NYC
The Broken Shaker, Miami Beach, FL
Butcher and the Rye, Pittsburgh
Canon, Seattle
Clyde Common, Portland, OR
Columbia Room inside the Passenger, Washington, D.C.
Cure, New Orleans
The Dead Rabbit, NYC
The Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co., Philadelphia
Hard Water, San Francisco
The Hawthorne, Boston
Kimball House, Decatur, GA
Maison Premiere, Brooklyn, NY
Marvel Bar, Minneapolis
The Porter Beer Bar, Atlanta
Rivera, Los Angeles
Rogue 24, Washington, D.C.
Taste, St. Louis
Trick Dog, San Francisco
The Varnish, Los Angeles
The Violet Hour, Chicago
Williams & Graham, Denver

 

Outstanding Chef
Michael Anthony, Gramercy Tavern, NYC
Isaac Becker, 112 Eatery, Minneapolis
Sean Brock, McCrady’s, Charleston, SC
Andrew Carmellini, Locanda Verde, NYC
Gary Danko, Restaurant Gary Danko, San Francisco
Suzanne Goin, Lucques, West Hollywood, CA
Gabrielle Hamilton, Prune, NYC
David Kinch, Manresa, Los Gatos, CA
Donald Link, Herbsaint, New Orleans
Carrie Nahabedian, Naha, Chicago
Nancy Oakes, Boulevard, San Francisco
Maricel Presilla, Cucharamama, Hoboken, NJ
Anne Quatrano, Bacchanalia, Atlanta
Michael Schwartz, Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink, Miami
Julian Serrano, Picasso at Bellagio, Las Vegas
Nancy Silverton, Pizzeria Mozza, Los Angeles
Ana Sortun, Oleana, Cambridge, MA
John Sundstrom, Lark, Seattle
Michael Tusk, Quince, San Francisco
Marc Vetri, Vetri, Philadelphia

 

Outstanding Pastry Chef
Dominique Ansel, Dominique Ansel Bakery, NYC
Melissa Chou, Aziza, San Francisco
Dana Cree, Blackbird, Chicago
Steve Horton, Rustica Bakery, Minneapolis
Kate Jacoby, Vedge, Philadelphia
Michelle Karr-Ueoka, MW, Honolulu
Maura Kilpatrick, Oleana, Cambridge, MA
Phoebe Lawless, Scratch, Durham, NC
Belinda Leong, b. patisserie, San Francisco
Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, Baked, Brooklyn, NY
Yasmin Lozada-Hissom, Spuntino, Denver
Tiffany MacIsaac, Birch & Barley, Washington, D.C.
Dolester Miles, Highlands Bar and Grill, Birmingham, AL
Dahlia Narvaez, Osteria Mozza, Los Angeles
Neil Robertson, Crumble & Flake, Seattle
Philip Speer, Uchi, Austin and Houston
Jonathan Stevens and Cheryl Maffei, Hungry Ghost, Northampton, MA
Christina Tosi, Momofuku, NYC
Nick Wesemann, The American Restaurant, Kansas City, MO
Jennifer Yee, Lafayette, NYC

 

Outstanding Restaurant
Bern’s Steak House, Tampa, FL
Canlis, Seattle
The Fearrington House Restaurant, Pittsboro, NC
Fore Street, Portland, ME
Foreign Cinema, San Francisco
Fork, Philadelphia
Greens, San Francisco
Hamersley’s Bistro, Boston
Hearth, NYC
Highlands Bar and Grill, Birmingham, AL
Jaleo, Washington, D.C.
Mélisse, Santa Monica, CA
Pearl Oyster Bar, NYC
Pizzeria Bianco, Phoenix
Primo, Rockland, ME
The Slanted Door, San Francisco
Spiaggia, Chicago
Terra, St. Helena, CA
Vidalia, Washington, D.C.
wd~50, NYC

 Best Chef: West
Matthew Accarrino, SPQR, San Francisco
Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski, State Bird Provisions, San Francisco
Josef Centeno, Bäco Mercat, Los Angeles
Michael Chiarello, Bottega, Yountville, CA
Michael Cimarusti, Providence, Los Angeles
Justin Cogley, Aubergine at L’Auberge Carmel, Carmel, CA
Mitsuo Endo, Aburiya Raku, Las Vegas
Tyler Florence, Wayfare Tavern, San Francisco
Ed Kenney, Town, Honolulu
Mourad Lahlou, Aziza, San Francisco
Corey Lee, Benu, San Francisco
Ludo Lefebvre, Trois Mec, Los Angeles
David LeFevre, MB Post, Manhattan Beach, CA
Niki Nakayama, n/naka, Los Angeles
Daniel Patterson, Coi, San Francisco
John Rivera Sedlar, Rivera, Los Angeles
Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, Animal, Los Angeles
Joshua Skenes, Saison, San Francisco
James Syhabout, Commis, Oakland, CA
Ricardo Zarate, Picca, Los Angeles

Outstanding Restaurateur
Ashok Bajaj, Knightsbridge Restaurant Group, Washington, D.C. (The Bombay Club, The Oval Room, Rasika, and others)
Giorgios Bakatsias, Giorgios Hospitality Group, Durham, NC (Kipos, Parizäde, Village Burgers, and others)
Frank Bonanno, Bonanno Concepts, Denver (Mizuna, Osteria Marco, Bones, and others)
JoAnn Clevenger, Upperline, New Orleans
George Formaro, Des Moines, IA (Centro, Django, South Union Bread Café, and others)
Sam Fox, Fox Restaurant Concepts, Phoenix (Olive & Ivy, True Food, Little Cleo’s Seafood Legend, and others)
Ford Fry, Ford Fry Restaurant Company, Atlanta (The Optimist, JCT Kitchen, No. 246, and others)
Garrett Harker, Boston (Eastern Standard, Island Creek Oyster Bar, The Hawthorne, and others)
Mike Klank and Eddie Hernandez, Taqueria del Sol, Atlanta
Barbara Lynch, Barbara Lynch Gruppo, Boston (No. 9 Park, Menton, B&G Oysters, and others)
Donnie Madia, One Off Hospitality Group, Chicago (Blackbird, Avec, The Publican, and others)
Larry Mindel, Poggio and Copita, Sausalito, CA
Cindy Pawlcyn, Napa Valley, CA (Mustards Grill, Cindy’s Back Street Kitchen, and Cindy Pawlcyn’s Wood Grill & Wine Bar)
Nick Pihakis, Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q, Birmingham, AL
Stephen Starr, Starr Restaurants, Philadelphia (The Dandelion, Talula’s Garden, Serpico, and others)
Caroline Styne, West Hollywood, CA (Lucques, A.O.C., Tavern, and others)
Phil Suarez, Suarez Restaurant Group, NYC (ABC Kitchen, Jean-Georges, wd~50, and others)
Andrew Tarlow, NYC (Diner, Marlow & Sons, Reynard, and others)
Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran, Philadelphia (Little Nonna’s, Jamonera, Barbuzzo, and others)
Rick and Ann Yoder, Wild Ginger, Seattle

 

Outstanding Service
Abacus, Dallas
Bacchanalia, Atlanta
Blue Hill, NYC
Brigtsen’s, New Orleans
Cafe Juanita, Kirkland, WA
L’Espalier, Boston
Komi, Washington, D.C.
L2O, Chicago
Lucques, West Hollywood, CA
Mansion Restaurant at Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, Dallas
Marcel’s, Washington, D.C.
McCrady’s, Charleston, SC
One Flew South, Atlanta
Persimmon, Bristol, RI
Providence, Los Angeles
Quince, San Francisco
Restaurant Alma, Minneapolis
The Restaurant at Meadowood, St. Helena, CA
Topolobampo, Chicago
Vetri, Philadelphia

 

Outstanding Wine Program
5 & 10, Athens, GA
A16, San Francisco
Addison at the Grand Del Mar, San Diego
Archie’s Waeside, Le Mars, IA
Bar Boulud, NYC
The Barn at Blackberry Farm, Walland, TN
Café on the Green at Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas, Irving, TX
CityZen at Mandarin Oriental, Washington, D.C.
FIG, Charleston, SC
The Grill Room at Windsor Court Hotel, New Orleans
The Little Nell, Aspen, CO
Marcel’s, Washington, D.C.
Momofuku Ssäm Bar, NYC
Picasso at Bellagio, Las Vegas
Press, St. Helena, CA
Rouge Tomate, NYC
Sepia, Chicago
Spago, Beverly Hills, CA
Troquet, Boston
Yono’s Restaurant, Albany, NY

 

Outstanding Wine, Spirits, or Beer Professional
Sam Calagione, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE
Ron Cooper, Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal, Ranchos de Taos, NM
Don Feinberg and Wendy Littlefield, Vanberg & DeWulf, Cooperstown, NY
Mike Floyd, Nick Floyd, and Simon Floyd, Three Floyds Brewing, Munster, IN
Ted Lemon, Littorai Wines, Sebastopol, CA
Steve Matthiasson, Matthiasson Wine, Napa, CA
Stephen McCarthy, Clear Creek Distillery, Portland, OR
Garrett Oliver, Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn, NY
Luca Paschina, Barboursville Vineyards, Barboursville, VA
David Perkins, High West Distillery & Saloon, Park City, UT
Tom Peters, Monk’s Cafe, Philadelphia
Joey Redner, Cigar City Brewing, Tampa, FL
Jörg Rupf, St. George Spirits, Alameda, CA
Eric Seed, Haus Alpenz, Edina, MN
Rob Tod, Allagash Brewing Company, Portland, ME
Ann Tuennerman, Tales of the Cocktail, New Orleans
Harlen Wheatley, Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, KY
Burt Williams, founder of Williams Selyem Winery, Healdsburg, CA
David Wondrich, spirits educator, Brooklyn, NY
Stephen M. Wood, Farnum Hill Cider, Lebanon, NH

 

Rising Star Chef of the Year
Jimmy Bannos Jr., The Purple Pig, Chicago
Katie Button, Cúrate, Asheville, NC
Daniel Delaney, Delaney Barbecue, Brooklyn, NY
Chris Kajioka, Vintage Cave, Honolulu
Christopher Kearse, Will, Philadelphia
Matthew Kirkley, L2O, Chicago
Casey Lane, Tasting Kitchen, Venice, CA
Jessica Largey, Manresa, Los Gatos
Andrew Le, The Pig and the Lady, Honolulu
Rick Lewis, Quincy Street Bistro, St. Louis
Malcolm Livingston II, wd~50, NYC
Tim Maslow, Ribelle, Brookline, MA
Matt McNamara and Teague Moriarty, Sons & Daughters, San Francisco
Marjorie Meek-Bradley, Ripple, Washington, D.C.
Ben Nerenhausen, Mistral, Princeton, NJ
Jorel Pierce, Euclid Hall, Denver
David Posey, Blackbird, Chicago
Ben Puchowitz, CHeU Noodle Bar, Philadelphia
Eduardo Ruiz, Corazón y Miel, Bell, CA
Cara Stadler, Tao Yuan, Brunswick, ME
Eli Sussman, Mile End, Brooklyn, NY
Ari Taymor, Alma, Los Angeles
Michael Toscano, Perla, NYC
Chris Weber, The Herbfarm, Woodinville, WA
Blaine Wetzel, The Willows Inn on Lummi Island, Lummi Island, WA

 

Best Chef: Great Lakes
Myles Anton, Trattoria Stella, Traverse City, MI
Dave Beran, Next, Chicago
Neal Brown, The Libertine Liquor Bar, Indianapolis
Abraham Conlon and Adrienne Lo, Fat Rice, Chicago
Curtis Duffy, Grace, Chicago
Paul Fehribach, Big Jones, Chicago
Phillip Foss, EL Ideas, Chicago
Greg Hardesty, Recess, Indianapolis
Douglas Katz, Fire Food & Drink, Cleveland
Anne Kearney, Rue Dumaine, Dayton, OH
Ryan McCaskey, Acadia, Chicago
Regina Mehallick, R Bistro, Indianapolis
Brian Polcyn, Forest Grill, Birmingham, MI
Iliana Regan, Elizabeth, Chicago
Jonathon Sawyer, The Greenhouse Tavern, Cleveland
David Tallent, Restaurant Tallent, Bloomington, IN
Jason Vincent, Nightwood, Chicago
Paul Virant, Vie Restaurant, Western Springs, IL
Erling Wu-Bower, Nico Osteria, Chicago
Andrew Zimmerman, Sepia, Chicago

 

Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic
Scott Anderson, Elements, Princeton, NJ
Cathal Armstrong, Restaurant Eve, Alexandria, VA
Joey Baldino, Zeppoli, Collingswood, NJ
Pierre Calmels, Bibou, Philadelphia
Anthony Chittum, Iron Gate, Washington, D.C.
Joe Cicala, Le Virtù, Philadelphia
Spike Gjerde, Woodberry Kitchen, Baltimore
Lee Gregory, The Roosevelt, Richmond, VA
Haidar Karoum, Proof, Washington, D.C.
Tarver King, The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm, Lovettsville, VA
Rich Landau, Vedge, Philadelphia
Lucas Manteca, The Red Store, Cape May Point, NJ
Cedric Maupillier, Mintwood Place, Washington, D.C.
Justin Severino, Cure, Pittsburgh
Bryan Sikora, La Fia, Wilmington, DE
Brad Spence, Amis, Philadelphia
Lee Styer, Fond, Philadelphia
Vikram Sunderam, Rasika, Washington, D.C.
Angelo Vangelopoulos, The Ivy Inn Restaurant, Charlottesville, VA
Cindy Wolf, Charleston, Baltimore

 

Best Chef: Midwest
Justin Aprahamian, Sanford, Milwaukee
Paul Berglund, The Bachelor Farmer, Minneapolis
Steven Brown, Tilia, Minneapolis
Clayton Chapman, The Grey Plume, Omaha, NE
Gerard Craft, Niche, Clayton, MO
Doug Flicker, Piccolo, Minneapolis
Josh Galliano, The Libertine, Clayton, MO
Michelle Gayer, Salty Tart, Minneapolis
Ted Habiger, Room 39, Kansas City, MO
Howard Hanna, The Rieger Hotel Grill & Exchange, Kansas City, MO
Jamie Malone, Sea Change, Minneapolis
Kevin Nashan, Sidney Street Cafe, St. Louis
Ryan Nitschke and Nick Weinhandl, HoDo Restaurant at the Hotel Donaldson, Fargo, ND
Ben Poremba, Elaia, St. Louis
Lenny Russo, Heartland Restaurant & Farm Direct Market, St. Paul, MN
Phil Shires, Cafe di Scala, Des Moines, IA
David Swanson, Braise, Milwaukee
Jim Webster, Wild Rice, Bayfield, WI
Kevin Willmann, Farmhaus, St. Louis
Sean Wilson, Proof, Des Moines, IA

 

Best Chef: Northeast
Tyler Anderson, Millwright’s, Simsbury, CT
Jamie Bissonnette, Coppa, Boston
Joanne Chang, Flour Bakery + Cafe, Boston
Eric Gabrynowicz, Restaurant North, Armonk, NY
Wesley Genovart, SoLo Farm & Table, South Londonderry, VT
Gerry Hayden, The North Fork Table & Inn, Southold, NY
Evan Hennessey, Stages at One Washington, Dover, NH
Brian Hill, Francine Bistro, Camden, ME
Dano Hutnik, Dano’s Heuriger on Seneca, Lodi, NY
Matt Jennings, Farmstead Inc., Providence, RI
Michael Leviton, Lumière, Newton, MA
Barry Maiden, Hungry Mother, Cambridge, MA
Evan Mallett, Black Trumpet Bistro, Portsmouth, NH
Masa Miyake, Miyake, Portland, ME
Ravin Nakjaroen, Long Grain, Camden, ME
Guy Reuge, Mirabelle, Stony Brook, NY
Champe Speidel, Persimmon, Bristol, RI
Benjamin Sukle, Birch, Providence, RI
Joel Viehland, Community Table, Washington, CT
Eric Warnstedt, Hen of the Wood, Burlington and Waterbury, VT

 

Best Chef: Northwest
Chris Ainsworth, Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen, Walla Walla, WA
Andy Blanton, Cafe Kandahar, Whitefish, MT
Greg Denton & Gabrielle Quiñónez Denton, Ox, Portland, OR
Eric Donnelly, RockCreek, Seattle
Renee Erickson, The Whale Wins, Seattle
Jason Franey, Canlis, Seattle
James Honaker, Bistro Enzo, Billings, MT
Joe Kim, 5 Fusion and Sushi Bar, Bend, OR
Richard Langston, Café Vicino, Boise, ID
Nathan Lockwood, Altura, Seattle
Brendan McGill, Hitchcock, Bainbridge Island, WA
Trent Pierce, Roe, Portland, OR
Naomi Pomeroy, Beast, Portland, OR
Dustin Ronspies, Art of the Table, Seattle
Adam Sappington, The Country Cat, Portland, OR
Ethan Stowell, Staple & Fancy, Seattle
Jason Stratton, Spinasse, Seattle
Cathy Whims, Nostrana, Portland, OR
Justin Woodward, Castagna, Portland, OR
Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi, Joule, Seattle

 

Best Chef: NYC
Jonathan Benno, Lincoln Ristorante
Fredrik Berselius, Aska
April Bloomfield, The Spotted Pig
Paul Carmichael, Má Pêche
Amanda Cohen, Dirt Candy
Dan Kluger, ABC Kitchen
Mark Ladner, Del Posto
Paul Liebrandt, The Elm
Anita Lo, Annisa
Carlo Mirarchi, Roberta’s
Seamus Mullen, Tertulia
Joe Ng, RedFarm
Alex Raij and Eder Montero, Txikito
César Ramirez, Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare
Masato Shimizu, 15 East
Justin Smillie, Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria
Alex Stupak, Empellón Cocina
Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone, Carbone
Jonathan Waxman, Barbuto
Michael White, Marea

 

Best Chef: South
Greg Baker, The Refinery, Tampa, FL
Vishwesh Bhatt, Snackbar, Oxford, MS
Justin Devillier, La Petite Grocery, New Orleans
Derek Emerson, Walker’s Drive-In, Jackson, MS
José Enrique, José Enrique, San Juan, PR
Justin Girouard, The French Press, Lafayette, LA
Chad Johnson, SideBern’s, Tampa, FL
Matthew McClure, The Hive, Bentonville, AR
Rob McDaniel, SpringHouse, Alexander City, AL
Jose Mendin, Pubbelly, Miami Beach, FL
James and Julie Petrakis, The Ravenous Pig, Winter Park, FL
Steve Phelps, Indigenous, Sarasota, FL
Ryan Prewitt, Pêche Seafood Grill, New Orleans
Hari Pulapaka, Cress, DeLand, FL
Horacio Rivadero, The District Miami
Henry Salgado, Spanish River Grill, New Smyrna Beach, FL
Alon Shaya, Domenica, New Orleans
Michael Stoltzfus, Coquette, New Orleans
Isaac Toups, Toups’ Meatery, New Orleans
Sue Zemanick, Gautreau’s, New Orleans

 

Best Chef: Southeast
Billy Allin, Cakes & Ale, Decatur, GA
Jeremiah Bacon, The Macintosh, Charleston, SC
Colin Bedford, The Fearrington House Restaurant, Pittsboro, NC
Kathy Cary, Lilly’s, Louisville, KY
Ashley Christensen, Poole’s Downtown Diner, Raleigh, NC
Scott Crawford, Herons at the Umstead Hotel and Spa, Cary, NC
Todd Ginsberg, The General Muir, Atlanta
Damian Heath, Lot 12 Public House, Berkeley Springs, WV
Vivian Howard, Chef & the Farmer, Kinston, NC
Scott Howell, Nana’s, Durham, NC
Meherwan Irani, Chai Pani, Asheville, NC
Kevin Johnson, The Grocery, Charleston, SC
Josh Keeler, Two Boroughs Larder, Charleston, SC
Matt Kelly, Mateo, Durham, NC
Edward Lee, 610 Magnolia, Louisville, KY
Daniel Lindley, St John’s Restaurant, Chattanooga, TN
Steven Satterfield, Miller Union, Atlanta
Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman, Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen, Memphis
Aaron Vandemark, Panciuto, Hillsborough, NC
Tandy Wilson, City House, Nashville

 

Best Chef: Southwest
Charleen Badman, FnB, Scottsdale, AZ
Kevin Binkley, Binkley’s, Cave Creek, AZ
Bowman Brown, Forage, Salt Lake City
David Bull, Congress, Austin
James Campbell Caruso, La Boca, Santa Fe
Rob Connoley, The Curious Kumquat, Silver City, NM
Bryce Gilmore, Barley Swine, Austin
Jennifer James, Jennifer James 101, Albuquerque, NM
Matt McCallister, FT33, Dallas
Frederick Muller, El Meze, Taos, NM
Hugo Ortega, Hugo’s, Houston
Jeff Osaka, Twelve, Denver
Jonathan Perno, La Merienda at Los Poblanos Inn, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, NM
Martín Rios, Restaurant Martín, Santa Fe
Silvana Salcido, Barrio Café, Phoenix
Alex Seidel, Fruition, Denver
Chris Shepherd, Underbelly, Houston
John Tesar, Spoon Bar & Kitchen, Dallas
David Uygur, Lucia, Dallas
Justin Yu, Oxheart, Houston

 

 

New Rosso Restaurant: Rosticceria

By biteclub
rosticceriaA Biteclubber spotted some action at the former Sassafrass on Dutton Road in Santa Rosa, and it turns out the space will be a third Rosso restaurant concept, an Italian-style Rosticceria.
The forthcoming eatery will be open for breakfast, lunch and happy hour, featuring house baked pastries, breads, Roman pizzas, sliced meats, oysters, porchetta, espresso and a variety of sandwiches and appetizers. “It’s slow food fast,” said co-owner Kevin Cronin, who was inspired by the famous Peck in Milan and childhood memories of San Francisco’s Liguria Bakery.
Final details are still in the works, but expect a super casual walk-up bar, a small but well-curated wine and beer list (and lemonade bar) and a lively patio for after-work gatherings. So far, no dinner service is expected, and the space will be shared with Rosso’s expanding catering business. Opening this spring.