The goose is back, along with Mike and Kendra McCoy after a brief retirement from their Santa Rosa catering and deli operation, Pearson and Co.
They’ll be bringing back favorite recipes, along with more soups and comfort foods, roasted chickens, pans of mac and cheese, lasagna, eggplant parmesan and more. The sandwich menu has been expanded and chocolate chip pudding has returned. The couple also plan to open The Marketplace @ Pearson’s with European specialty foods, teas, candies, candles and decor.
Oh, and by the way, they’ll be taking orders for their Thanksgiving and Christmas take-away dinners including pumpkin soup, roast turkey breast, cranberry sauce and pies. Two locations: 2759 4th St., Santa Rosa, 541-3868 and 2500 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa, 570-3700.
Beer Nerds are a lot like Food Nerds in that the thrill is in the hunt for rare, new and obscure.
To whit: On the counter of JT Fenn’s BeerCraft store is a micro-produced mint chocolate stout that’s just come in. The distributor is downright giddy over finding it and the boys of BeerCraft are equally psyched. “Oh, that’ll be gone by tomorrow,” says JT, getting ready to share the score on his Facebook page — which has more than 1,500 “Likes” after just a few months in business.
The small Rohnert Park store features more than 200 kinds of craft beers, mostly refrigerated and ready for drinking, with a stock that changes up with 10-20 new beers each week. But more than just a place to buy beer, its become a hangout, meet-up and podcasting spot for many of the local Beer-rati who you’ll find wandering around the store, looking for unusual favorites. Fenn brings ’em back with his ‘Beer of the Day’ specials, 50% off specials (I got a six-pack of Brown Shugga for just $5).
Look for special seasonal ales during the holidays, including Rogue Brewing’s Pumpkin Patch Ale, Marin Brewing’s Holidaze, Midnight Sun Brewing Company’s Treat (made with pumpkin, cocoa, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg) and, well, whatever else Fenn can find. 5704 Commerce Blvd., Rohnert Park, 888-989-2337.
Between laughing hysterically at the unrelenting vitriol and feeling some sort of vindication for having our own taste buds assaulted by Tuna Tots, most of Sonoma County is letting out a collective sigh of relief over the very personal, very funny and very high profile attack penned this week.
Mostly because Pete Wells pointed out what we’ve known for years and felt uncomfortable saying too loudly about our native son: Your food is really kind of awful, bro.
Sure we’ve whispered it, we’ve hinted at it, we’ve said it to each other in hushed tones. But mostly we sort of cough nervously and look away when True Fieri Fans ask about his Sonoma County restaurants. We say things like, “Oh Guy Fieri’s restaurants? Hmmm. I don’t know that I’ve been there, but he seems like such a niiiiice guy.”
Really, what can one say? It’s like kicking a puppy. People LOVE Fieri in places like Dubuque, Iowa and Scranton, Pennsylvania. He’s this lovable lug who represents cuisine for The Rest of Us. He’s the Larry The Cable Guy of Food and its hard not to feel like a snob when you say something like, “Well, if you like Applebees, you’ll probably be really stoked about Johnny Garlic’s!”
It just seems so, well, Wine Country of us, what with our obsession about heirloom tomatoes and heritage pigs and biodynamic seasonal peas served on a bed of free range arugula.
Not to mention the fact that there’s a personal connection for many folks in Sonoma County. A lot of you helped him with his rise to stardom. A lot of you worked in his restaurants. A lot of you knew him way back when. A lot of folks have benefitted from his beneficence to local charities and causes. Personally, I’ve never seen him be anything but friendly and polite when throngs of middle-aged women crowd around him asking for an autograph. His mom is one of the most charming people I’ve ever not had a conversation with.
Yet we gnash our teeth that his food is connected in any way with Sonoma County, home of fresh, local, sustainable food. Of which Tuna Tots are not. A lot of you haven’t heard from him since he got famous or if you have, it was simply to get an autographed 4×6 which he carries with him at all times. Guy doesn’t do himself a lot of favors by walling himself into his home compound and surrounding himself with fellas who weigh 350 pounds and wear jackets that say Kulinary Krew. He doesn’t talk to local media (which at some level is understandable when any article about him results in dozens of mean-spirited comments). He hasn’t always remembered the little people who got him where he is. Trust me, I’ve heard most of the stories, and what I haven’t heard gets posted all over my Facebook page or blog if i deign to say his name.
What’s so terribly ironic about all this is that the nation is worked up about all this but guess who isn’t? Guy.
He’s mugging it up on talk shows, milking this little bit of PR gold for all its worth. I’m guessing we won’t get a quote from Guy for tomorrow’s news story about how this all is impacting him, but instead get lots of folks around him saying nothing but nice things like, “Any publicity is good publicity for a man who’s really put Sonoma County on the map.” And guess what, he has in his own way.
Meanwhile, his restaurants will continue to be financially successful. He’ll continue to assault our tastebuds with things like Bloody Mary Tri-Tip and Cheeseburger Sausage at Costco, have “cookbooks” on the best-seller list and charm his way into the hearts of millions whose only question is, “So where was that restaurant of Guy Fieri’s I’ve been hearing so much about?”
PS. I think calling him “Sphincter Mouth is a lot meaner than anything Pete Wells wrote..
Butcher Berry Salinas and an evolving lineup of chef-friends are hosting an ephemeral Fried Chicken and Pie Cafe called Butcher and Cook Sunday evenings through February 3, 2013.
The dinners feature fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, collard greens, coleslaw, “mile high” biscuits and granny-good pies at Don Taylor’s Omelette Express (112 4th Street Santa Rosa) from 4:30 to 8p.m.
Dinners are available in two sizes, a full supper for four (8 pieces of chicken, 3 sides, 4 biscuits and a half pie) for $58 or a half supper for two, $35. Reservations highly recommended for take-out or sit down at butcherandcook.com or by calling 695-2169.
2013 is shaping up to be the year of large-scale artisan markets opening (for reals!) in Sonoma County.
Here’s a look at The Barlow in Sebastopol and SHED in Healdsburg. No doubt you’ll be hearing lots more as opening dates come into sharper focus, but here’s a heads-up on what you need to know.
The Barlow, Sebastopl
THE BARLOW: Estimated opening Jan 2013 (in Phases)
The Concept: An 222,000 square-foot artisan marketplace and production facility
The Pitch: “The Barlow will also incorporate a carefully chosen selection of restaurants to create a comfortable, fun atmosphere where the community can come together and enjoy, art, wine and time with one another.”
Cost: $23.5 million
The Developer: Barney Aldridge, real estate developer
Major Tenants: Kosta Browne, Taylor Maid, Community Market
The Barlow, named after an old apple plant that once stood on the site, has been plugging away since announcing its intentions in 2010. After a number of delays (including a fire) construction is near completion and tenant improvement permitting began in earnest in October. Most recently Noah and Mirjam Bolmer of Occidental’s Barley and Hops started tenant-improvements for their micro-brewery project, Warped Brewing along with Taylor Maid Farms, who are beginning interior construction on a coffee bar and roasting facility.
Last week, John Stewart and Duskie Estes of Zazu announced their intention to lease space at the Barlow which would include a space for production of their Black Pig Meat Company.
Other tenants who’ve announced their intention to be involved include Wind Gap wines, Guayaki Yerba Mate, Spirt Works Distilery, Woodfour Brewing, MacPhail Family Wines, Village Bakery, FEED Exchange, Marimar Estate Winery, La Follette Wines, Whole Spice and SubZero Ice Cream and Yogurt.
The Buzz: There’s been plenty of press about tenants who’ve planned to move in, then changed their minds. That’s not too surprising, since many paid nominal fees early on to “reserve” a spot. Most folks are curious to see whether the mix of production and retail will be a big enough draw to casual shoppers, but there’s a lot of excitement in Sebastopol about this massive project — BiteClub included.
SHED in Healdsburg
SHED: Estimated opening February 2013.
The idea: “A Modern Grange”
The Pitch: “We propose to tranform the property at 25 North Street into our vision of a contemporary grange, where we bring people together to share food, stories, knowledge and information.”
Cost: Privately funded
The Developer: Cindy Daniel and Doug Lipton
Major Tenants: Will feature products and foods from local farms
The Look: Ultra-modern two story design in downtown Healdsburg will feature a Mercantile, Cafe and Meeting Space.
Architects: Jensen Architects
Cindy Daniel and Doug Lipton are familiar faces in Healdsburg. Daniel ran a local yoga studio and Lipton is the founder of Lipton Environmental Group in addition to serving on the boards of the Sonoma Land Trust and Healdsburg Jazz Festival in addition to tending the family’s 15-acre farm. The couple have privately funded SHED, which is being built next to Foss Creek in downtown Healdsburg. The exact plans for the space are still a bit vague, but include plans for a mercantile, cafe and meeting space inside the 9,000+ square-foot center. The couple have strong interests to the emerging grain movement in Mendocino, along with Slow Food’s Arc of Taste and promoting artisan, heirloom produce.
This week, it was announced the Kenny Rochford will be SHED’s General Manager and Niki Ford with be Culinary Director. Rochford is most recently GM of Medlock Ames and Ford is a Chez Panisse alum.
The Buzz: There seems to be some major money and major passion attached to this project, according to folks we’ve talked to. Daniel and Lipton are active and respected in the local food and environmental circles, and are reaching out to highly credible players while (we hope) providing exposure for small artisan producers. We think this will resonate strongly with tourists looking for an adorable “farmy” experience while providing locals with an outlet to sell their goods and a space to meet and discuss important issues.
Through Dec. 21, Sonoma’s best locally-grown wheat (yes, really!), corn meal, beans, duck eggs, mushrooms, goat milk natilla, sustainable meat, hand-collected kelp and seaweed, chicken pot pies, jams, immunity broth and small-batch olive oils can grace your table via the FEED Sonoma and Spiral Foods Co-Op Holiday Purchasing Program. It’s a carefully curated — and ever expanding — collection of artisan produce, oils, soaps and grains made available via their virtual storefront and available for pickup each Tuesday at the Sebastopol Grange. It’s a convenient way to get some of your farm market favorites along with exclusive buys (like the wheat and Ceres goodies) in one convenient box. Plus, you’re doing good: 80 cents of each dollar go back to the farmers. Go to goodeggs.com/feedsonoma for details on ordering.
Shige Sushi in Cotati features authentic Japanese Cuisine
Shige Sushi in Cotati is a bento-box sized sushi bar with just 22 seats, including the bar.
But the Japanese owners have cracked the code on affordable, yet luxe Japanese favorites with authentic karaage (fried chicken), spicy poke salad,top-notch nigiri and sashimi and a laundry list of rolls (including plenty of gaijin-style mayonnaise/fried rolls).
For the price, its the best sushi I’ve had in years. Clearly others agree, because it a popular neighborhood gathering spot where chatting with the table next to you is not only polite, but expected.
Open for lunch and dinner, but not all entrees are available for lunch and the sushi bar can sometimes be out of specialty products like tamago or uni. For dessert, matcha mousse is anything but mousse-like, but its firm consistency and earthy green tea flavor make it worth ordering.
Open Tuesday through Friday, closed Monday. 8235 Old Redwood Hwy, Cotati, shige-sushi.com.
Bloomfield Organics Farms in Sonoma County offers CSA boxes, tours and farm market produce. Photo: Heather Irwin.
A box of veggies harvested on Sunday
There are a lot of restaurants that pay lip service to “farm-to-table” menus, but you’ll find precious few toques with “dirt cred” — actually getting their feet in the fields.
Bloomfield Farms in Valley Ford is inviting 20 chefs to take part their pilot year of Chef’s Passport, a three-month program of farm visits, one-on-one discussions about sustainable farming, specialized produce offerings and participation in the “farm to table” ethos and experience. Details at bloomfieldfarmsorganics.com.
Find out the secrets to a perfect pie crust (hint: it’s lard), how to impess guests this holiday season, the difference between all-butter and all-Crisco and taste through some finished products on Wednesday, Nov. 7.
Chef John Lyle hosts this rousing Square Belly Food Theater production at the Arlene Francis Center (99 Sixth St., Santa Rosa) at 6:30p.m.
Estes was one of four chefs to pre-compete in a series of webisodes for the coveted tenth spot on this season’s competition, which brings back returning chefs who’ve lost in previous seasons. Estes competed in Season 3, but lost her bid for glory after four several episodes.
BiteClub caught up with Estes to see how she’s faring…
Q: So you’re on your way back to becoming an Iron Chef, what’s the hardest part of the Road to Redemption?
A. It is the same this time as last; being away from my family and businesses and farm for so long is hard. Being judged meanly to make good TV is hard to stand up to. Being good at what you do in your restaurant is irrelevant. You are not in charge of the challenge, the ingredients (which are utmost to me), or the time.
Q: Which chef are you most worried about competing against?
A. I think Elizabeth (Falkner) deserved it last time. She is fierce. But you cant really think about them. You just have to put your head down and cook.
Q: You made no bones about your kerfuffle with Alton Brown the first time round. How’s it going this time?
A: Alton and I definitely continue to jab at each other. I think he likes it. It’s the same banter in kitchens during service. But he does know how to get under my skin.
Q. What’s the funniest thing about competing/backstage that you can tell your fans? What’s an inside scoop we might not know about on the set?
A. Each episode takes at least 3 long days to shoot. There is a lot of down time hanging out and no good food. The best part of it for me is the relationships you make with the other chefs.
Q. What will you do differently this time around?
A. Plate to the judges sensibility rather than my own and not worry about seasonality, which is a driving force behind my food style. They don’t care about seasonality at all. I was stubborn last time to hold onto my style. They want to see certain things. I will try to walk the line of being myself and giving the judges what they want.
The goose is back, along with Mike and Kendra McCoy after a brief retirement from their Santa Rosa catering and deli operation, Pearson and Co.
