Kendall-Jackson Wine Center hosts its third annual Gumbo Smackdown from 11a.m. to 3pm on Feb. 11. Southern hospitality gets competitive as Justin Wangler (KJ), Brandon Guenther (Rocker Oysterfeller’s), Jeff Mall (Zin), Josh Silvers (Petite Syrah) and Jeff Reilly (Duck Club) take their roux head-to-head. $30-40, reservations at 571-8100. 5007 Fulton Road, Santa Rosa.
After a brief hiatus, Rosso is ramping up development of its Petaluma restaurant again. Owners had hoped to be in the downtown Theater District space last summer. Locally-made cheeses will feature prominently in the new shop. Opening dates are still soft but late spring looks promising.
Chef Rudy Mihal, who opened spoonbar at the h2hotel in July, 2010 has left the kitchen. There’s plenty of scuttlebutt about who’ll take over the menu of the popular Healdsburg hangout, and the buzz points to a well-known name in the food world. No official confirmation yet, but it looks like a March arrival.
Big, big news out of Glen Ellen, where French Laundry alum Ari Weiswasser and wife Erinn Benziger-Weiswasser are finalizing plans for a new restaurant. The Benziger family bought the space after the closing of Saffron last year. Though the final menu is still in the works, early “spring” previews give a hint at whats to come: Lots of wood-oven roasted veggies (baby sugar beets with harissa and orange oil, fava beans with burrata and preserved lemon marmalade), wood fired pizzas, a scrambled Sonoma hen egg with chanterelles and Devonshire cream (oh, yes), lamb shank with pole bean cassoulet, whole roasted “loup de mer” (sea bass), and a whole lamb (available with 48 hour notice) to serve 8-12. A dessert feature is homemade ice cream sold by the 1/2 pint with flavors like salted caramel, malted milk chocolate and vanilla maple bourbon. Stay tuned for details as preview dinners happen over the next month. 13648 Arnold Dr., Glen Ellen.
Break out of the Valentine’s Day rut. Instead of dime store candies and $3 bubbly, tell your smoochie poochiekins you love ’em with a crispy pig ear, turducken meatball gyro or even dinner delivered in bed. The day (hint: next Tuesday, Feb. 14) is your oyster, to be shucked and slurped with gusto. Here are some out-of-the-box ideas for daring dining (and drinking) throughout the week.
(Feb. 8th) American Mulefoot Pig Wine Dinner: Rustic Restaurant at Francis Ford Coppola winery features a four-course nose-to-tail dinner starring this unique heritage breed pig. On the menu: Lardo crostini, pancetta, blood sausage, crispy pig-ear salad, sausage, porchetta and chocolate, bacon and chili torte with gelato for dessert. Super sexy. $115 per person, 300 Via Archimedes, Geyserville. Reservations required. 857-1485.
(Feb. 11) Longboard Aphrodisiac Wine Dinner: Chef Matthew Paille of Healdsburg Social Club creates a very sexy dinner including a trio of oysters: grilled, raw and crispy; truffled mushroom risotto with shaved black truffle and sauteed wild mushrooms; heirloom cauliflower soup with bacon wrapped scallop; crispy skin duck breast with sour cherry glaze; candied ginger with Korean ginseng and vanilla bean creme brulee, Just in case you aren’t hot enough yet: A Mayan chocolate chile shot for good measure. $69 per person, Longboard Vineyards Surf Lounge, 5 Fitch St., 433-3473. Reservations required.
Valentine’s Day
Willi’s Wine Bar: Three wines, three nibbles. We see a theme here. Menage your trois at the Valentine’s Tasting Tuesday: featuring winemaker Dylan Sheldon of Sheldon Wines (sorry, he’s taken). $16, reservations recommended, 4404 Old Redwood Highway, Santa Rosa, 526-3096. Tuesdays 4-5:30pm.
Zazu: Nothing says love like duck fat. $79 prix fixe three course menu includes oysters with tequila granita; hoisin pork buns, turducken meatball gyro; red risotto with gorgonzola; Dungeness crab tagliatelle, grilled T-bone with duck fat fries, chocolate budino, red velvet cupcake. 523-4814. 3535 Guerneville Road, Santa Rosa.
Bistro 29: You had me at Maine Lobster Risotto with Lobster Croquette. Four courses include buckwheat blini with salmon and cavair, Coquilles St. Jacques, Filet Mignon, rack of lamb, raspberry fondant cake with lemon curd. $59. 650 Fifth St., Santa Rosa, 546-2929.
Dinner in Bed: Ruthy’s Real Meals deliversValentines dinner for two. Menu choices include braised pork with apple cranberry chutney, curried pumpkin soup, lemongrass chicken and several vegan options. $105-$120, with leftovers for the next night. Or the morning after. 640 Martin Ave # 4 Rohnert Park, 888-0128. Reservations required by Feb. 11 for the 14th.
Gypsy Cafe: Four Course Prix Fixe, $45 includes creamy potato fennel soup with roasted mushrooms, winter greens with citrus, beet “spaghetti” and chevre, grill mahi-mahi, smoked pork chop with green apple chutney or mushroom walnut ravioli, flourless chocolate mousse cake with ginger ice cream. Classical guitar from Esteban Bello. Seatings at 6pm and 8pm. 162 North Main Street Sebastopol, 861-3825.
Bistro Des Copains: Regular menu plus a three course prix fixe ($55) that includes Dungeness Crab and spinach on puff pastry with Hollandaise; fire-roasted rack of lamb with Yukon gold dauphinoise, mille-feuille dessert. 874-2436.
Rocker Oysterfeller’s: Prix Fixe, $55 three course dinner. Dungeness crab bisque with caviar, Tomales Bay oysters with grapefruit mignonette, Kobe Beef Chateaubriand for two; Bellwether Farms cheese spoonbread with mushrooms and spinach, passionfruit sorbet, triple chocolate cake with zinfandel soaked cherries. Jazz Noir from 6-9pm, dinner from 5-8:30pm, Feb. 14. 14415 Hwy. 1, Valley Ford, 876-1983.
Viola Pastry Boutique and Cafe: Three course prix fixe ($40) includes choice of artichoke heart with wild mushrooms, crab and citrus salad, homemade ricotta gnocchi, braised shortribs, chocolate bon bons and homemade caramel ice cream. 709 Village Court Santa Rosa, 544-8830.
DIY French Country Bistro: Chefs Christopher Greenwald and Ciara Meaney walk couples through a romantic bistro-style meal, using hands-on techniques to make a Bordelais, pate a choux dough, oyster with mignonette and more, culminating in a candlelit dinner at the end of the evening. 6pm, $96, Relish Culinary Center, 14 Matheson St., Healdsburg, 431-9999.
Petite Syrah: Indulgent to the extreme, this four course meal says, “you’re so worth it.” On the menu: oysters with Proseco mignonette, lobster bisque, risotto with 63 degree egg and black garlic, foie gras with pork belly and lentils, pan-seared dayboat scallop, pork tenderloin with brown butter Hollandaise, whiskey cremed lobster vol-au-vent, grilled New York steak, black forest cake, white chocolate and pink grapefruit bombe. $85 per person plus tax and gratuity. Optional wine pairing, $40. 205 Fifth St., Santa Rosa, 568-4002.
John Ash & Co.: Three courses, $60. Choose from Hog Island oysters, sesame salmon tartare, duo of foie gras, wild mushroom Risotto, duck breast, sea bass, glazed Kobe beef short ribs, raspberry swirl fromage blac cheesecake, Passion fruit pavlova. 4350 Barnes Road, Santa Rosa, 575-7530.
Spoonbar: Craft your own four-course for $55. Menu includes grilled prawns, Niman ranch carpaccio, roasted beet tartar, pan-roasted sea bass, Kobe beef, roasted lamb rack. 219 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, 433-7222 for reservations.
Barndiva: Go big or go home is the theme for Barndiva’s 5-course, $87 dinner. Choose from cauliflower veloute, creamy lobster risotto, Dungeness crab, filet mignon, halibut with polenta and Brussels sprouts, chocolate Bavarois with coconut sorbet, Meyer lemon tart. 231 Center Street Healdsburg, 431-0100.
Tolay at the Sheraton Sonoma County: Four course menu from Feb. 10-14, $65 per person. Select from Santa Barbara smoked salmon coronet, oysters, Lobster medallions with rock shrimp, stuffed guinea hen, mixed berry trifle.745 Baywood Dr., Petaluma, 283-2900.
Central Market: Chef Tony Najiola always inspires with fresh, local ingredients. He’s on vacation until the 7th, but promises some special surprises for V-day. 42 Petaluma Boulevard North Petaluma, 778-9900.
Cupcake Lunch: Just because you’re over the usual wine and dine V-day doesn’t mean you can’t feed your sweet tooth Moustache Bakery (381 Healdsburg Ave.) is unfurling an all-inclusive cupcake lunch date, featuring two lovely Valentine’s cupcakes with your choice of Fourbarrel coffee drinks. $20. Reservations, 395-4111.
Got more ideas? Add ’em below!
Beer is downsizing. Following the arc of small-scale artisan salumi, cheese, bread, olive oil and garagiste winemakers, now micro-batched, regionally-sourced, hand-crafted beer is the hottest thing in brewing. And the North Bay has a growing stake in the trend.
Somewhere between home-brewing and micro-brewing is nano-brewing. To illustrate the scale: Home brewers typically make about 5 gallons per batch. Nano-brewers, between one and three barrels at a time, topping out at a few hundred barrels annually. Micro-brewers like Petaluma’s Lagunitas Brewing Company may soon produce up to 600,000 barrels annually; a large “craft” brewer like Samuel Adams, 6 million barrels per year. Anheuser-Bush produces upwards of 100 million barrels per year.
But what they lack in output, a number of North Bay upstarts more than make up for in passion. Working from garages or tiny breweries, former home brewers from Novato to Healdsburg have single-minded devotion to developing best-in-category brews from IPAs to Belgian stouts. With start-up costs ranging from $50 to $250,000 and a labyrinth of city, county, state and federal licensing requirements, this brotherhood goes well beyond hobbyists.
In varying stages of development — from Healdsburg Beer Company’s established reputation to yet-to-be-completed breweries in Windsor, Novato and Petaluma — here are four Northbay nano-brewers to watch.
Old Redwood Brewing: Young Guns — With backgrounds in wine and food, the under-40 garage brewers of Old Redwood Brewing in Windsor are the most experimental of the bunch. The four collaborators, Adam Derum, Bob Anderson, Dominic Foppoli and Mike Stewart, plan to create a new small-batch beer each month using mostly Sonoma County ingredients. In fact, they’ve already got a running list that includes beers like Belgian Stout, honey Hefferveisen and pomegranate witbier. They’ve contracted with local farmers to grow hops for them in the Russian River Valley and hope to incorporate fresh spices and fruit into their beers. The partners are currently building a small brewery and tasting room off the Town Green where visitors will be able to taste through curated flights and recent brews.
“We want to educate people,” said Derum, who’s been tapped as the tasting room guy. Old Redwood is slated to open in mid-March and you’ll be able to find them at the upcoming Battle of the Brews on March 31 at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. (redwoodbrewing.com)
Healdsburg Beer Company: The Veteran
Kevin McGee (healdsburgbeerco.com), who’s been selling his nano-brewed IPA for four years, is the grizzled veteran of the bunch. A lawyer by day, he’s already navigated the licensing and beer making process, selling out all of the 20 or so barrels he produces each year before he’s even brewed it. A true garagiste, he brews twice a month in his detached Healdsburg garage (all legal, of course) and primarily sells to restaurants in town. You’ll find it on tap by its large Old English H.
“I made the logo so you could spot it 25 yards away,” he said.
The vision for the beer, according to McGee, “is like when you go traveling through Italy and find some maniacal wine producer that is so good that no one lets it out of the village. I’m that brewer in Healdsburg.”
The former home brewer got his start after kicking around the idea with his former boss, wine mogul Jess Jackson.
“I showed it to him as a joke,” McGee said, “and he said, ‘You gotta do it.’” McGee knew he was onto something after watching 95-point winemakers drinking Bud Light at holiday parties.
“There is a market for beer drinkers with a honed wine palate,” he said.
McGee acknowledges he may not be making the trendiest sorts of nano brews, but aims instead for a perfect cask-conditioned IPA.
“You have to find your niche. I’m the guy who tries to make the best damn cheeseburger out there. Not the wackiest,” he said. “I’m not going to make something better than Pliny or Blind Pig. But the recipe I’ve done is guided by the principle that if I can’t sell it, I have to drink 31 gallons of it. So it better taste good.”
Petaluma Hills Brewing: Pico Brewer
Calling himself a pico-brewer, JJ Jay of Petaluma Hills Brewing (petalumahills.com) considers his forthcoming brewery an even tinier offshoot than some of the other regional nano breweries.
“Like most brewery start-ups, I’m a former home brewer. I didn’t start with a plan, but over 22 years I’ve transitioned from a vast majority of my beer being store-bought to having all my friends drink my beer,” said Jay.
He’s currently working on a three-barrel production brewery in Petaluma that he hopes to have up and running in 2012.
“All of my recipes are ale. I don’t do lager or pilsners and I don’t really mess around with flavors. My beers are more traditional,” he said. “I’ve purposely avoided IPA (which is a a flagship for local brewer, Lagunitas) because everyone else does that.”
Like the other nano-brewers, he’s looking to sell to nearby local restaurants and pubs increasingly interested in offbeat, artisan brews. Unlike some others, he’s not in a particular hurry to quit his day job as a character director at Dreamworks Studios.
“My overarching goal is to have a beer that’s just good to drink,” he said.
Beltane Brewing: The Artist
“I am part artist and part scientist,” said Alan Atha, who heads up Novato’s Beltane Brewing (beltanebrewing.com).
The former painter, photographer and current personal-trainer/cycling coach plans to open a cafe and brewery in Bel Marin Keys in July, 2012.
“Brewing is really an art form,” he said. “I had to learn the science of it.” He’s planning to do an ambitious 600 barrels per year.
“I haven’t even started brewing in the brewery yet and I have hop contracts for the next three years,” he said. “You have to think that far forward to pull this off.”
The former head of the Sonoma County Beerocrats, a popular home-brewing club, he takes his beer seriously, having participated and competed in several nano-brewing competitions and gatherings like last fall’s SF Beer Week’s Nano Fest.
Alan’s current lineup of beers include “Rumplestiltskin,” a West Coast Double IPA, a chocolate ale with TCHO chocolate, a French farmhouse ale and a barrel-finished dark sour beer in limited release.
“A lot of guys dream about doing this, but pulling it off is another thing,” said Atha.
Hooters is an anachronism, wrapped in soft core exploitation, enrobed in cliches and regional stereotypes, topped with a cherry of banality. Which is exactly why so many people love it from coast to coast.
The national restaurant chain that self-deprecatingly describes itself as “Delightfully tacky, yet unrefined,”opened its Rohnert Park outpost on Jan. 30, 2012 just weeks after the San Francisco franchise shuttered. The main selling point: Busty young women in booty shorts and tight tank tops.
I mean chicken wings.
Just kidding. It’s the ladies.
Filled to capacity with good old boys in pickups, minivan grannies, gawkers, looyloos and other assorted locals, the queue started early and lasted throughout opening day. Why? Apparently resistance to clinging orange polyester is futile to large portions of the population.
So here’s your guide to the Hoot-tastic Hootiness that is Hooters Rohnert Park. Whether you go is entirely up to you.
The Ladies
Yes, the Hooters Girls are very attractive. Very. Attractive. Yes, you can take a picture with them. Yes, they have uniform inspections each day (so nothing is hanging out too far) and yes, they have to wear those tan support hose and scrunchie socks. No, there is nothing X-rated here and you’ll see far more jiggling flesh at any local nightclub or public pool. Hooters hired 85 women for the RP store (a number of which go to SSU), but there is currently at least one national calendar girl on the floor. I’d venture to guess that most of them have higher IQ’s than their customers (because a lot of people asked me that) and make more money, too. Yes, they’re flirting with you, because that’s part of the gig, not because you’re so darned irresistible. And yes, they will call a manager on you if you get too fresh, Mr. Grabhands. Want the inside story?
The Food & Drinks
The food isn’t really the main attraction, unless of course it’s the wings. They’re really good, and I have at least one other chef to back me up on that. “Hot” isn’t that hot and fried is the way to go. DO NOT LOOK AT THIS nutritional information. Really. Don’t. The tater tots covered in cheese, sour cream and bacon aren’t bad either if you can stomach eating them while looking at the pert and perfect body of the girl serving them to you. Get a side of hot sauce to dip ’em in. Don’t believe it when your Hooters Girl says, “Oh! I eat those ALL the time!” She doesn’t. They also have salads if that’s what you’re into. There are 32 beers on tap and a full cocktail menu with no prices. Flat screen TV’s are strategically located throughout the restaurant and the bar takes up a good one-third of the space. It would be a very lively place to, say, watch a major sporting event coming up.
The Significant Other
Make sure you’ve worked out rules in advance if you’re going in as a couple. Personally, I say visual hall pass. Just don’t come crying to me when you strain your neck, Sir Gawksalot. Just means you can’t see me eating all your tater tots and I have something to make you feel guilty about later. Of course, your tolerance may vary.
The Entertainment
Hula hoops come out from time to time — we hear mostly for birthdays. It’s rumored that part of the hiring process involves being able to pour a beer while hula-hooping. We also hear that the interview process to become a Hooter’s Girl is pretty short. Training takes much longer. Because it takes some finesse to deal with that leering 45-year-old contractor with hot sauce on his face and a beer belly who just pinched your buns.
The Moral Lesson
Families are welcome. The atmosphere is more wholesome than you might imagine and offers many opportunities for teachable moments.
The Bottom Line: Go or don’t. The scene is somewhere between lowbrow train wreck and titillating entertainment, depending on how often you actually get out. The wings are pretty tasty, the beer cold and the service extremely cordial. Most folks will likely find it a one and done kind of experience, but again, your tolerance may vary.
Hooters, 6099 Redwood Dr., Rohnert Park.
(more photos here)
*Feminist credentials available upon request.
The appearance of juicy Meyer lemons, limes and oranges in the dead of winter is a Northern California miracle that never fails to amaze me. How these little orbs of concentrated sunlight appear in December and January, weighing down branches and perfuming the air in the darkest of months is nothing short of wondrous.
The Players
Buddha’s hand:Buy it for the smell, if nothing else. This freakishly shaped citrus looks more like a warty octopus than a hand, but the finger-like segments are perfect for slicing and candying. And not much else. Increasingly popular with chefs, the Far East-native is being grown locally and shows up occasionally at farm markets and specialty grocers (I got one at Whole Foods). You can buy a whole bag of candied peel for about $6 from DeSanti Farm at the Santa Rosa Farmer’s Market or make your own.
Rangpur Limes: Not always easy to find, the Rangpur is a hybrid of mandarin oranges and lemons. Softer in flavor, though still plenty tart, is perfect for mixing in cocktails and a foil to the sweet buttercream.
Because in my childhood world of down parkas to your knees, months of slate-grey skies and salt-trucks de-icing the roads every morning, citrus mostly came in juice form. From exotic places like Florida.
After nearly a decade of citrus plenty (four trees grow on my property, showering us literally with lemons and oranges), my eyes have started wandering toward more exotic cousins: Buddha’s Hand and Rangpur limes.
Combining the two: A white cake studded with dried Buddha’s Hand, then slathered with a tart Rangpur lime buttercream frosting. Yes, it’s that good.
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It’s the best kept secret in West County. Sam’s Holey Cow, a small cafe usually open for hearty breakfasts (the Contractor omelette is a fave) and lunches (do NOT miss the onion rings) Thursday through Sunday is offering affordable, chef-worthy community dinners on Friday and Saturday nights from 5:30 to 9pm.
Previous menus have included Pork tenderloin with squash curry and salad with chervil-infused olive oil vinaigrette; Tenderloin Medallions with Tequila shallot caper reduction; Homemade Flour tortilla chips in layers of cheese and chili sauce with fried sweet bread; Italian sausage meat balls over penne and BLT Pizzas with Italian soup and orange pound cake for $16 per person.
20391 Highway 116, Monte Rio, 4949433 or on Facebook at Sam’s Holey Cow Diner (for details).
This weekend:
Friday January 27th
Handmade lasagna with layers of fresh local beef and Italian sausage, with mozzarella and ricotta and provolone cheeses with caramelized onions and mushrooms and our garden herb marinara, served with a sautéed vegetable medley, our salad tonight is a baby leek and caper cream vinaigrette over butter lettuce with roasted sunflower seeds, dessert is fresh baked lemon bars from a dear friends loaded lemon tree
Saturday January 28th
Fresh rock Cod lemon and thyme cream sauce and roasted carrot with a dill and mustard drizzle, a potato fennel soup, and chocolate mousse in a gram cracker cup.
The King and Queen of Pork defend their title Sunday, January 29, 2012 in Napa against chefs from around the Bay Area. Last year, the duo won top honors, competing against chefs from each of the 10 competition cities. Cochon 555 is a whole hog event featuring 5 heritage breed pigs, 5 winemakers and 5 chefs. Want to check it out? Tix are $125 and up, but you’ll leave full. 5pm, Culinary Institute of America, St. Helena.
