Sebastopol was once known as the “Gravenstein Apple Capital of the World.” In 1953, there were more than 15,000 acres devoted to apples and fewer than 12,000 acres to wine grapes. Today, there are less than a dozen farmers who make a living selling Gravensteins, yet winegrowing has exploded.
So what happened?
Gravenstein apples on one of the 70-year-old apple trees at Horse and Plow winery in Sebastopol.(Alvin Jornada)
It turns out the fragile Gravenstein doesn’t travel well. It ripens early and often arrives at stores bruised and overripe, compared to the much heartier Red Delicious and Granny Smith varieties. More importantly, it doesn’t yield as much money per acre as the almighty wine grape.
More than a half-century past its heyday, the Gravenstein is a novelty hand fruit and pie filler, with a local Slow Food chapter devoted to its heritage and preservation. Some local cider makers are doing their best to extend the variety’s lifespan.
Apple trees blossom in an orchard along Bodega Highway, near Holte Lane, west of Sebastopol. (Christopher Chung)
With that in mind, the annual Gravenstein Apple Fair at Sebastopol’s Ragle Ranch Regional Park celebrates a bygone era, when the Gravenstein was the crown jewel of western Sonoma agriculture.
Austin Beckman, 8, helps his family sell their apple from Walker Apple Farm during the Gravenstein Apple Fair in Sebastopol. (Conner Jay)
Consider that:
Russians brought the first Gravenstein seedlings to the U.S., to Fort Ross, in the early 1800s.
In 1883, Nathaniel Griffith planted the first commercial Gravenstein orchard on Laguna Road.
By 1887, the Hunt brothers opened the first cannery in Santa Rosa, followed by at least a dozen canneries that would process apples in Sonoma. Now, only Manzana Products, in Sebastopol, remains.
In the 1960s and ‘70s, Dutton Ranch farmed 600 acres of Gravensteins and other varieties in Sebastopol. Today, the Duttons farm just 200 acres of apples, selling them mostly for processing at Manzana or Martinelli’s in Watsonville for sparkling cider.
By 2012, only 2,195 acres of apples remained in Sonoma, dwarfed by 58,349 acres of grapes.
To experience a taste of old Sebastopol, attend the Gravenstein Apple Fair, which includes pie-, applesauce- and caramel-apple eating contests.
Gravenstein Apple Fair, Ragle Ranch Regional Park, 500 Ragle Road, Sebastopol, 707 823-7262, gravensteinapplefair.com, Save the date: August 12 & 13, 2017
ohn Simmons, age 12, right, and his sister Katherine, age 8, compete in the second round of the apple pie eating contest at the Gravenstein Apple Fair in Sebastopol. (Alvin Jornada)
It isn’t summer without a couple of intimate(ish) outdoor concert venues featuring great shows, but more importantly great food and wine. We’re smitten with Glen Ellen’s Broadway Under the Stars series, featuring favorite tunes from Broadway and beyond with actual Broadway actors. Get there early for noshes from Tips Tri-Tip, Ultra Crepes, Palooza Catering, Cookie Take a Bite (best chocolate chip cookies ever), Glen Ellen Star, Fork Catering and wine from dozens of local wineries. Tickets and details online.
A new wood-fired pizza oven will be the centerpiece of the forthcoming Vignette pizzeria in Sebastopol
So what’s the difference between Neapolitan, Sicilian, New York and California-style pizzas? Like barbecue, you’ll get a different answer depending on who you ask, but the forthcoming Vignette (6750 McKinley St., The Barlow) is definitely in the Neapolitan category.
Defined as having a very thin crust, minimal toppings (compared to meat-laden American pizzas) and cooked at a very high heat in a wood-fired pizza oven, Neapolitan ‘zas pizzas are pretty familiar in Wine Country. New York pies are a larger take on the Neapolitan, while the Sicilian version is thicker, deeper and typically square.
Now that you’re thoroughly schooled, Chef Mark Hopper’s menu at Vignette will include pizzas like The Manhattan, with San Marzano tomatoes, chopped clams, buffalo mozzarella and chili oil. Other dishes include nduja flatbread with arugula, red onion and Grana Padano cheese and fire roasted vegetables.
GM Michael Zwicklbauer (formerly of The Restaurant at Meadowood and Farmshop Marin) will run a carefully curated beer, wine and coffee list. The best news: Nothing on the menu will be over $20.
Look for a late July opening (6750 McKinley St., Sebastopol).
The former Italian Affair will undergo a complete redesign and upgrade before becoming The Bird & The Bottle
The former Italian Affair will undergo a complete redesign and upgrade before becoming The Bird & The Bottle
A few weeks ago, Sonoma Restaurateurs Mark and Terri Stark (of Monti’s, Bravas, etc.) announced that they would be opening a new restaurant at the former Italian Affair in Santa Rosa. More details about the space are emerging, including the fact that (not big surprise) the menu will have a strong focus on poultry.
“We’re bringing chicken back,” said Terri Stark. “We’re moving on from all pig, all the time,” she added, which is a departure from the pig-centric bent of many a Wine Country chef over the last five years.
Not that a little pork and beef won’t show up on the American comfort food menu, but expect crispy chicken skin instead of pork rinds and fried pork ears (featured at Willi’s Wine Bar). The feel will be “modern tavern style” said Stark of the decor, more homey and less minimal. The good news for al fresco diners: The restaurant will feature 48 seats on the front deck for warm-weather dining.
The Starks are aiming to open by the end of the year.
The new tasting room at Charles Krug Winery in Napa.
The new tasting room at Charles Krug Winery in Napa.
Cucina di Rosa Italian Trattoria opens Friday, July 18th at St. Helena’s Charles Krugwinery. Part of the $9.5 million restoration of the winery’s Redwood Cellar Building. Inspired by the winery’s matriarch, Rosa Mondavi, the menu will feature rustic panini sandwiches with basil pesto and tomatoes from the Culinary Institute of America Greystone’s Student Farm at the winery (the CIA is just across the street), a mufaletta, roasted tri-tip sandwich and antipasta and salads made to pair with Charles Krug wines.
The menu was designed by Napa chef Richard Haake (Cakebread Cellars, Robert Mondavi Winery). The winery will be open Friday through Sunday from 10:30am to 4pm. 2800 Main St., St. Helena, (707) 967-2200.
There are a handful of “dude” moments in a Wine Country food writers’ annual lineup of must-attend events. As in “Dude, you have to go to this.” West of the West Wine Festival Friday August 1st through Sunday August 3rd is one of them.
It’s an all-star lineup of the Sonoma Coast’s best top vintners (Charles Heintz, DuMol, Failla, Flowers, LIOCO, Littori, MacPhail, and the list just goes on) along with incredible food throughout the weekend, culminating with a Grand Banquet featuring chefs from Statebird Provisions, Rich Table and Bar Tartineat the North Bay artisan food mecca, The Barlow.
Tickets to this whirlwind three days of hob-knobbing with wine connoisseurs, chefs, sommeliers and vintners range from $125 for the Grand Tasting to $475 for all-access weekend tickets. Details online.
Frances Mayes’ latest book, “Under Magnolia,” was the featured work at a “Dining with Writers” dinner at Spinster Sisters in Santa Rosa in April. (photography by Erik Castro)
The predictable story line of the book talk — author stands at podium, clears throat, reads excerpts, then takes earnest questions from the audience — has been given a delicious new twist in Wine Country.
From brewpubs to restaurants, groups of literati are gathering with their favorite authors over an inspiring glass of wine and a multicourse meal themed to the book at hand.
Frances Mayes chats with dinner guests.
“It’s more intimate than going to a store,” said Book Passage events director Karen West, who schedules more than a thousand author events each year across the North Bay, “It’s a warmer experience.”
This spring, the Spinster Sisters restaurant teamed up with Book Passage of Corte Madera to launch a new “Dining with Writers” series at the Santa Rosa dining spot. “Under Magnolia” author Frances Mayes premiered the series with a dinner in April; a lunch followed in May with Ruth Reichl, author of “Delicious!”
“It’s different to put together an entire meal,” said Giovanni Cerrone, manager at the Spinster Sisters. “You’re creating a journey that parallels the story-telling of the author.”
The “Dining with Writers” events cost approximately $95, including meal, tax, tip and dessert. Authors generally speak for 20 minutes, then break bread with about 50 guests. Between courses, they talk some more, then sign their books.
“With the vineyards (in Sonoma), it’s a natural tie-in to food and wine books,” West said. “But in the fall, we hope to open it up to a novelist or a poet.”
For more information or to reserve a spot, call 415-927-0960 or visit bookpassage.com.
From ho-hum to delicious
Australian novelist Hannah Kent’s first novel, “Burial Rites,” was part of the Copperfield’s Books “Debut Brews” series, featuring rising young authors at HopMonk Tavern’s beer garden in Sebastopol.
Copperfield’s Books, with stores in seven North Bay cities, has served as a pioneer in reinventing the book event from ho-hum lecture to moveable feast.
“What we’re trying to do is take the food-and-wine focus of our region and build it into our events,” said Vicki DeArmon, Copperfield’s marketing and events director.
One of the biggest hits is “Dinners to Die For,” a fall series that brings in murder-mystery authors such as Elizabeth George and Michael Connelly. The big-name authors attract up to 150 guests to a three-course dinner and talk at Equus at the Fountaingrove Inn in Santa Rosa.
During a scaled-back “Dinners to Die For” series this summer, Copperfield’s in Montgomery Village in Santa Rosa has invited mystery authors to talk at the store, preceded by an optional dinner at Monti’s Rotisserie. Jeff Abbott, author of “Inside Man,” can be your dinner date on July 15, followed by a free talk at the store at 7 p.m.
Hannah Kent talks with attendees, from left, Terra Emerson, Joanna Robinson and Trish Collins with her infant son, Justin.
The Equus events cost $75, including dinner and a book; guests must purchase a book and pay for their dinner at Monti’s.
Copperfield’s monthly “Debut Brews” series highlights rising young authors in the beer garden at HopMonk Tavern in Sebastopol. Pale ale and book lovers can enjoy a cold one with Edan Lepucki, author of “California,” on July 29.
There’s something so satisfying about having a handsome young man come to the table bearing a sword of sizzling meat, a large chef’s knife and a chef’s jacket that’s seen some serious kitchen action, and say, “Hello, I’m your gaucho for this evening.”
Biteclub’s been slow on the take for the opening of Brasa, a Brazilian churrascaria and brewpub that recently opened in downtown Santa Rosa, but the World Cup sparked an interest in celebrating all that is Brazilian. Meaning lots of meat, strong caipirinhas and pao de Queijo—a dreamy cheese bread.
For the uninitiated, churrascaria roughly translated from Portuguese describes meat, fish or produce cooked on a skewer over a hot grill. Think steakhouse meets a hot spit.
What you’re there for is the never-ending meat parade, or rodizio. For $40 (per person), you’ll get a salad, vegetable, rice, cheese bread, beans, fried plantains and yucca, and all the steak, pork loin, bacon-wrapped chicken you can eat. Just in case you missed that: All you can eat meat.
Gauchos come by the table every 5 minutes or so with more sharp implements than Edward Scissorhands, and slice or slide off a fresh batch of sizzling, crispy deliciousness. Unless, of course, you flip your coaster-sized sign to red. Then they’ll hold off while you stuff down the growing pile of carnivorousness before you. Flip it back to green, and the gauchos will continue to feed you. Until you cry for mercy. And you will.
The secret to effective churrascaria-eating is to come hungry, not power-nosh the pre-meat courses (you’ll want to, but be strong) and pace yourself. The rodizio at Brasa includes top sirloin, garlic-marinated sirloin, bacon-wrapped chicken breast, garlic chicken thighs, chicken and pork sausages, pork loin with Parmesan cheese, grilled pineapple and New York strip steak. Let me again say, go slow.
For my money, best bets are the pork loin, garlic sirloin, steak and pineapple. Oh, the pineapple. Smokey, a bit charred and infused with tasty meat drippins’. Chew on that for a minute, then un-invite your vegetarian friends.
An important note here: You cannot take any leftovers from the rodizio home. It’s not explained on the menu and Biteclub got burned after hoarding a few bites of each of the meats to sample again the next day. And the next. Sadly it was all whisked away, headed for (sob) the trash. Super bummer.
Leave room for one of the best desserts ever dreamed up: Chocolate and Brazilian carmel covered strawberries ($8). It’s like the best bon-bon you’ve ever eaten and worth every penny.
There’s a full bar, expansive outdoor seating and a lovely lounge area with comfy seats and low tables for eating a nibble or two with your cocktail.
As a side note: All the meats ($7-$8), fried yucca ($6), and cheese bread ($5) are also available a la carte, once you’ve really narrowed in on what you like best. Skip the salads (yawn) and vegetable dishes (double yawn). You’re here for meat, after all. There are also pizzas (a killer oven was left over from the last occupant), but honestly, you’re here for the meat. And your own, personal, gaucho.
Brasa Churrascaria and Brew Pub, open Tuesday through Sunday, 5:30p.m. to 10:30p.m. for dinner (later for cocktails and lounge). Throughout the World Cup, they’ll also be offering an abbreviated lunch menu from 12 to 3.m. on match days when the games start after noon. 505 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa, (707) 623-9382, thebrasa.com.
Prepare your pucker and put your licker on alert, because it’s ice cream season in Wine Country. Whether you prefer your scoops in a cup, cone or piled high in a sundae, we’ve rounded up the tastiest frozen treats around.
Bravas Bar de Tapas: Jimmies and sour worms on your soft serve are so plebeian. The Stark’s (Willi’s Wine Bar, Stark’s Steak and Seafood, etc) take a simple bowl of vanilla Straus Creamery soft serve and elevate it to dessert art with a variety of toppings including tangerine oil and sea salt, Pedro Ximenez chocolate, goat’s milk caramel, strawberry honey, almond Poppycock and jamon migas (fried breadcrumbs with ham). 420 Center St., Healdsburg, 433-7700.
Pullman Kitchen: Homemade ice creams change up regularly, but flavors like double chocolate, cookie dough, caramel, apricot honey and even trusty old vanilla taste like what I remember licking off the paddles each summer at grandma’s house. Creamy, lush and insanely decadent. Add a couple of sugar or lemon cookies and summer is served. 205 Fifth St., Santa Rosa, 545-4300.
Shed: Small batch ice creams in exotic seasonal flavors like chai, Meyer lemon and chocolate at the coffee bar. Take a taste of each, which will make choosing even harder, but your final decision even sweeter. That, or order one of each. We don’t judge. Find them at the coffee bar near the pastries. Calories be damned. 25 North St., Healdsburg, 431-7433.
Noble Folk: Cornflake maple ice cream, passionfruit with dehydrated raspberries, Black sesame and coconut, cardamom, blackberry rosemary, Japanese purple yam and juniper honey. Ridiculously fun flavors change up frequently at this newly opened ice cream and pie shop from the owners of Moustache Baked Goods in Healdsburg. We’re a little in love. Okay, a lot in love. 116 Matheson St., Healdsburg, 529-2162
Sift: Sundae becomes Fundae with two scoops of Three Twins ice cream (salted caramel, brownie, cookies and cream, vanilla), delicious raspberry or chocolate sauce, whipped cream, a cherry and the addition of a Sift treat like a macaroon, cookie, cruffle, blondie or cupcake. Three Sonoma County locations (Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park and Petaluma).
Bravas Bar De Tapas soft serve ice cream with jamas bread crumbs
Glen Ellen Star: Scoops are nice, but even better are take-out half-pints of house-churned ice cream in flavors like malted milk chocolate, maple vanilla bourbon, salted peanut butter, dulce de leche and mandarin sorbet from former French Laundry Chef Ari Weiswasser. 13648 Arnold Drive, Glen Ellen.
Nieve: Ice cream affectionados swear by this out-of-the-way paleteria is unrivaled. There are fewer choices than some Mexican ice cream shops, but the flavors are carefully perfected. Among the scoops are cheese, Nutella (a Biteclub fave), walnut, mamey (a Central American fruit), cajeta (like dulce de leche), platano (plantain) with chocolate chips. 390 Windsor Road, Windsor, 837-5584.
Frozen Art Ice Cream: Here’s a little secret: Owner Jorge Alcazar is the secret behind many of the ice creams you eat throughout the county. And for good reason. Jorge and his father are masters of the legendary Michoacana-style frozen treats from Mexico’s ice cream-capital, Tocumbo and frequently make up to 40 flavors (from chocolate chip and rose petal to tequila, Mexican cheese, avocado and vanilla chai tea). With a state-of-the-art ice cream making process, local chefs and restaurant owners often give him their unique recipes to be spun in his Sebastopol Road shop. 500 Sebastopol Road, Santa Rosa, 331-2899.
Zazu: “If you can’t make good vanilla, you can’t make good gelato,” says John Stewart, part of the duo behind Zazu Kitchen and Farm. With a flair for Italian, John and wife, Duskie Estes, are committed to doing gelato authentically. Starting with Clover milk, they don’t use a pre-made base like many others, but create the dense flavors with just cream, sugar, seasonal fruits, chocolate or other flavorings (including local wines like pinot noir). on their oft-changing dessert menu. What is gelato? This soft, creamy Italian version of ice cream is actually made with less butterfat than normal American ice cream, but less air — giving it a richer quality. 6770 McKinley St., Suit 150, Sebastopol, 523-4814.
Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream: In Santa Rosa, two former social workers have opened a pop-up ice cream shop called NitroKarm at Dave’s Market and Deli (320 W. Third St., Santa Rosa) stirring up “happy scoops of delicious and delectably darn good delights.” Pick from various add-ins to create a stellar personal creation in seconds.
Also, SubZero Ice Cream (6760 McKinley St., Sebastopol) lets you choose your base (like yogurt, custard or non-dairy) a flavoring and a mix-ins including bubblegum, mints, gummy bears or chocolate candies.
Wanna make your own? On a hot summer day, it’s one of the most satisfying things you can do. Lindsay Clendaniel has written “Scoop Adventures: The Best Ice Cream of the 50 States” (Page Street Publishing, $19.99), with recipes for regionally inspired ice creams from around the country. Choose from Key Lime pie, Pennsylvania Dutch chocolate covered pretzel, mimosa, brown sugar sour cream, mint julep and rosemary honey (among others).
PS: Lots of folks asking about Screaming Mimi’s, which does have some of our very very favorite ice creams, but BiteClub was looking for a few newer and off-beats entrants for this shout out.
Green Grocer is one of dozens of local producers at Sonoma County Farm Markets.
After a recent trip to New York, I’m even more appreciative of the bounty of our county. Nowhere better is that represented, than in the growing number of farm markets throughout the region. BiteClub’s found several new(ish) markets you’ll want to explore as well as a list of established markets throughout the week. In the summer months, you can grab some fresh produce, prepared meals, bread, food trucks, cheese, honey and at least a hundred other reasons to love our county every single day. Except Monday. Because we all need a day off.
Worth a look: One of the newest markets is the fledgling Tuesday Evening Community Market at the Santa Rosa Veteran’s Building. Founded by the owners of the Red Rose Cafe, proceeds benefit the non-profit Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow. Among the participants, Fish On Chips, Willie Bird’s Dad and Son’s Barbeque, California Funnel Cake and Red Rose Cafe. Keep in mind that some of these markets are seasonal, and only run through the summer and fall, so check ahead.
BiteClub is also a huge fan of the West End Market, now in its second year, but a bit of a neighborhood secret. The Sunday morning market has been an incubator for young farmers and aspiring chefs, giving it a special energy.
Also in its second year is the Thursday Night Street Fair at Sebastopol’s Barlow. The event combines food vendors (BBQ to Indian), crafts and music in the still-growing Barlow Center, host to Zazu Kitchen, Village Bakery, Woodfour Brewing and many other tasty restaurants.
Here are a variety of other markets-from Tuesday through Sunday-to give a try.
Tuesday: Tuesday Evening Community Market (5-8:30p.m., Santa Rosa Veteran’s Memorial parking lot); Valley of the Moon Farm Market (Sonoma Plaza, 5:30p.m. to dusk); Forestville Farm Market (4-7p.m., Russian River Vineyards)
Wednesday: Wednesday Night Market 5 to 8:30p.m., downtown Santa Rosa); Santa Rosa Community Farmers’ Market, (8:30a.m. to 1p.m., Veteran’s Building), Santa Rosa Original Certified Market (8:30a.m. to noon, Wells Fargo Center); Healdsburg Farm Market, (3:30p.m. to 6p.m., North and Vine St.), Petaluma Farmer’s Market (2 to 5:30p.m., Theater District)
Thursday: The Barlow Street Fair (4 to 8p.m.,6770 McKinley St., Sebastopol); Windsor Market (10:30a.m. to 1p.m., Windsor Town Green).
Friday: Rohnert Park, City Center Plaza (5-8p.m.); Occidental (4p.m. to dusk); Cloverdale (5:30p.m. to dusk, North Cloverdale Blvd.)
Saturday: Healdsburg Farm Market, (9a.m. to noon, North and Vine St.); Santa Rosa Community Farmers’ Market, 8:30a.m. to 1p.m., Veteran’s Building); Santa Rosa Original Certified Market (8:30a.m. to noon, Wells Fargo Center); Petaluma Farmer’s Market (2:30 to 5:30p.m., Theater District).
Sunday: Windsor Market (10:30a.m. to 1p.m., Windsor Town Green); West End Market (9:30a.m. to 2p.m., Donahue St., Santa Rosa), Sebastopol Farm Market (10a.m. to 1:30p.m.), Oakmont (Oakmont Dr., 9a.m. to noon).
