Rohnert Park, 6099 Redwood Drive. Nuff said.
Hooters to open Monday
The Three Meat Dog of Doom
Special of the Moment: The Three Meat Dog
Okay, the name needs some work, but the dog doesn’t.
Imagine if you will, a Kobe beef hot dog wrapped in bacon, smothered with venison chili, topped with cheese. All on an open-faced bun. With french fries. Then clap with glee because it can be all yours.
Jeffrey’s Hillside Cafe, 2901 Fourth St., Santa Rosa.
Jacinto’s Kitchen
CLOSED
Two of Cindy Pawlcyn’s top toques have opened shop in the heart of Sonoma Vally. Yountville alums Pablo and Erasto Jacinto opened Jacinto’s “Pot of Flavors” Kitchen in Oakmont Village (a sprawling senior community near Kenwood) in mid-January, 2012.
Foodies know the hardworking duo worked their way up through the kitchens of Mustard’s and Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen over two decades, influencing many dishes and sharing credit on her cookbook, “Big Small Plates.” Pablo was most recently a chef at Silverado Resort (Napa) and C Casa in the Oxbow Market.
Now hanging their knives on the western side of the Mayacamas, word of their arrival is spreading fast. Their Oaxacan dishes have serious soul with Wine Country class. A maitre’d channeling Ricardo Montalban doesn’t hurt business either.
Top Picks:
-Sauteed Shrimp with homemade chorizo and cilantro-jalapeno broth with grilled garlic bread ($9.50). Ground pork and shrimp swim in a twinkling-bright green sauce and buttery grilled bread. Keep a mint handy for afterward. Keep your fork handy for stabbing anyone who gets to close to this slurp-worthy dish.
– Erasto’s Sweet Corn Tamale: Warm queso fresco gives a creamy richness to these tiny tamales. ($5.95)
– Chicken Mole: Chiles, corn tortillas and chocolate are the staples of Grandma Jacinto’s secret sauce. Made daily, it’s a specialty of the house, poured over roasted chicken with white beans ($12.95)
– Guajillo Braised Lamb Tostada: Tender lamb and avocado sauce tops a crispy corn tortilla. Cool shreds of cilantro and cabbage cut the heaviness of the dish and add a Wine Country touch. ($13.50)
– Jacinto’s Caesar: Pablano Caesar dressing gives the usual salad a kick ($8).
– Don’t miss a sangria to start ($6) or warming rice pudding for dessert.
And the rest of the menu? Mostly crowd-pleasing standards: Grilled hangar steak, crispy pork loin cutlets, a grilled portobello mushroom sandwich, buffalo chicken wings. We were wowed by a seasonal lasagna with Bechamel sauce, Swiss cheese and tasty bites of veggies ($12) and the burger looked promising. But one hopes the menu won’t take a wrong turn to Blandville.
Yes, it’s the elephant in the room. Why Oakmont? Taking over a lackluster Mexican eatery inside the bustling senior community makes for a solid built-in audience. It’s close to Hwy. 12’s bustling tourist trade and winemaker lunchers. It may also mean the spice-lovers among us may have to make a special request for extra heat and seasoning. Adapting to the local clientele, the kitchen has already toned down a few dishes to a simmer.
The Jacinto’s are Wine Country vets with solid cred and so far, the fledgling “pot of flavor” bubbles with promise. Here’s to keeping those flames fanned.
Jacinto’s Pot of Flavors Kitchen, 6576 Oakmont Dr., Santa Rosa, 537-8933.
* PS Sorry for the appallingly bad photos.
Canevari’s: New Blood for Old School Italian Ravioli Factory
From the window of Canevari’s Ravioli Factory and Deli, Ed Canevari has watched the history of Santa Rosa unfold over three generations.
But after decades of pounding dough and breathing flour in the ravioli room of his family business he’s ready to pass on the torch. “I need some new blood,” he said. “We want to get back to the level of energy and service we had 20 years ago.”
Now in his 70’s, the local icon is turning over management of the historic italian-American business to Michael Coutre, a local investor who hopes breathe new life into the nearly 100-year-old businesses. His own kids, he claims, aren’t interested in the grinding work of the family factory.
Growing up in the two-bedroom house behind the Lewis Road business, Canevari had a front seat to the development of Santa Rosa — from fields to, well, strip malls and subdivisions. He spins tales of war prisoners working the hop fields off Chanate Road, spins yarns about the humble beginnings of Charlie Traverso (a friend of his dad’s) and will give you an earful about some of the city’s seamier moments (if he thinks you deserve to hear them.) Mention any local luminary of his generation, and his face is an instant read on whether they’re a paisono. Or not.
Canevari also loves to show newcomers a grainy black and white picture on the wall of he and his father. Just 18-months old, he’s dressed in a white apron and hat miming his father, Attillio. “I always liked to copy him,” said Canevari.
That kind of local history can’t be bought for any price. Which is why Coutre isn’t planning on revamping the closely-held traditions of the Canevari’s operation. “We are custodians of a legacy,” said Coutre, who was persistent in his desire to work with Canevari, despite a number of brush-offs by the septugenarian. “Ed has entrusted his lifetime of work to us. Why go in and change that?”
To help with the plan, Coutre hired two hospitality veterans — South Bay restaurant GM John Foss, and assistant Foppiano winemaker and budding pastry chef Chris Bertsche — to start learning the business from Canevari and his staff and provide extra manpower in the last several months. Moving forward, he plans to ramp up ravioli-making and get the products back in local stores (currently they are only available at the deli). Staff will also be offering more catering services and Coutre hopes to add ready-made dinner offerings and authentic Italian staples as part of the deli’s offerings.
But don’t expect the senior Canevari to fade into history. He’s retained ownership of the shop, and as keeper of the family recipes, he’s adamant that the newcomers do things the right way — his father’s way — using fresh, local ingredients. Pointing to his family name on the sign outside the factory, he said, “That’s always going to be my named on the sign up there.”
Chefs Ponder Life Without Foie Gras
(Photo copyright Heather Irwin/BiteClubeatscom)
If you want to upset some of the area’s top chefs, bring up the subject of the California foie gras ban scheduled to take effect on July 1. Then stand back and watch the fireworks.
“It’s stupid. It’s just a misguided law,” said Chef Doug Keane, of Cyrus restaurant in Healdsburg.
Others use words like “crazy”, “unfair”, “ridiculous,” and a host of less savory terms when it comes to a food many toques consider sacred.
Keane is among a handful of chefs who have toured and watched foie gras production before deciding whether or not to keep it on the menu. Few politicians, he contends, have done the same. He is also among a number of chefs who have been picketed and assaulted by protesters for serving the controversial meat, and continues to keep it on his menu.
“This is a tradition that is thousands of years old. To deny this right of passage for any chef, who spends their life in the most fruitless of industries, just isn’t going to work,” said Chef Doug Richey, currently in the planning stages for a new restaurant and former chef of Santi. Across his knuckles the words FOIE GRAS are tattooed as a permanent and very public statement about a food product he passionately defends.
At the center of this polarizing gastro-feud among animal-rights advocates, politicians, chefs and luxury-food consumers is a specific bit of offal. Prized for centuries by the French, foie gras is the fatted liver of a duck. The birds in nature gorge themselves in the fall as they prepare for long migrations, storing fuel internally for the energy they’ll need. The unctuous fat content and indescribably rich, creamy flavor makes it highly sought-after and revered by chefs.
Catherine Bartolomei, Farmhouse Inn: “I get why people have a problem with it, but I suspect they’re not talking about the kind of foie we’re using here. It’s always on our menu and people love it. It’s just the style of restaurant we are. People seem a lot more concerned about the rabbit we serve than the foie gras. If and when the time comes, we’ll stop. But until then, we’re keeping it on our menu.”
Douglas Keane, Cyrus: “It’s hard to say what will happen. We don’t know who’ll enforce it. Hopefully someone will challenge it legally. We’ll probably serve it for a while, maybe get some fines. But I’m not sure if I need another legal battle.”
Jesse Mallgren, Madrona Manor: “I almost never order foie gras, but I figure when it’s banned I’ll have to take trips out of state to buy it for myself. It will come off the menu, but I have a couple ideas around it. I’m praying that the bill gets repealed, but that doesn’t look like it will happen. We’ll just kind of see what the backlash and fines are. But I may serve it to some of our guests off-menu.”
Doug Richey, former chef at Santi: “When the foie gras police come kick down the door with a warrant, I stop serving it. But I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around any law-enforcement agency spending any money to fine a restaurant for serving foie gras.”
Josh Silvers, Petite Syrah: “Pork belly is the new foie gras? Nothing will ever replace foie, but it’s pretty good. The bill is very poorly written, and if you took it literally it would include turkeys, because they definitely don’t look like that in the wild. I might go to Nevada to get some. I’m not sure yet.”
Dustin Valette, Dry Creek Kitchen: “Foie gras is not consistently on the Dry Creek menu currently, but does sometimes run as a special.” Valette plans to take it off the menu if SB1520 goes into effect on July 1.
Mark Stark, Stark’s Steakhouse: “This is a stepping stone. And if everyone realized that, there would be a lot more people up in arms. Why are people making these choices for us? I think people have a right to chose for themselves. I’ll take it off the menu, because leaving it on is just a street fight and longterm that isn’t the way to go.”
Taking advantage of the duck’s natural proclivity to overeat, production facilities use a controversial method of force-feeding the French called gavage. Advocates say the ducks, which lack a gag reflex, don’t mind the feedings and, in fact, come running for the extra food. Detractors point to documented injuries to foie gras ducks who have suffer ruptured organs and misery as a result of poorly performed gavage. As a result, California enacted Senate Bill 1520 in 2004, completely banning the production and sale of foie gras throughout the state beginning on July 1, 2012. The city of Chicago enacted a ban on foie gras in in 2006, but overwhelmingly overturned it two years later.
With eight years between Gov. Arnold Scharzenegger’s signing and actual enforcement, the threatened ban has been mostly static for foie gras lovers, who have continued to indulge at dozens of Bay Area restaurants that serve it without reservation. But with the deadline looming, chefs are beginning to think about what a future without legal foie gras will look like.
“I think its a shame, because the majority of people who voted for the law have never tried (foie gras) or don’t know what it is,” said Josh Silvers of Petite Syrah restaurant. “They saw a bunch of posters and pictures that, frankly, are ugly but not representative of how purveyors like Sonoma Artisan Foie Gras do things. Those ducks live a really nice life, and they have one really bad day and that’s it.”
His menu has long featured the delicacy, but come July he likely will pull it.
“In my dreams I won’t have to worry about it, but I know there won’t be a seller in California for restaurants. And there’s going to be a $1,000 fine for selling it,” he said.
Exactly who or how the law will be enforced is another question. According to the bill, a “peace officer, officer of a humane society, officer of an animal control or animal regulation department may issue a citation” and the county district attorney or city attorney may prosecute.
Already chefs and enthusiastic foie gras lovers are talking about ways around the law. In Chicago, chefs served $8 glasses of bubbly for $22 and gave a “complimentary” serving of foie gras to patrons. Underground foie gras dinners are likely to pop up, serving foie secreted across borders. In fact, some see the whole prohibition as a boon.
“Demand and production went up in Chicago during their prohibition,” said Richey. “I’m already thinking of speakeasy style communication and off-menu items. People are gonna get really creative.”
Statewide, a number of chefs are planning multi-course foie gras dinners as the end date approaches. In San Francisco, celebrity chef Chris Cosentino, well-known for his nose-to-tail philosophy, organized a meeting of chefs to discuss the ban in October. He plans to continue the fight against the ban with dinners and fundraisers. A petition to keep foie gras legal has been created by the Artisan Farmers Alliance.
Others have a more resigned public stance. “Foie gras has been a mainstay of classical cuisine for centuries and is one of the most popular menu items at our restaurants,” said Dustin Valette, executive chef at Dry Creek Kitchen in Healdsburg. “Although earlier methods may have been primitive, there have been mindful modifications in the way foie gras is produced and we have always been conscious of sourcing from these humane vendors.
“With that said, rules are rules and when SB1520, forbidding the production and sale of foie gras in California, takes effect in July we will abide.”
The big question for many locals, however, is whether Sonoma-Artisan, which produces foie gras in Sonoma County, will remain in Sonoma County. Though the owner did not return calls, an employee of the business said that they are still investigating the possibility of legal solutions for continuing their business from California. Precluding that, however, they will relocate.
Not all chefs are foie gras supporters. Chicago Chef Charlie Trotter banned it from his kitchens in 2005 and L.A.’s Wolfgang Puck eliminated it from his menus in 2007. The expensive, luxury nature of foie gras, along with its sky-high fat and caloric content, aren’t helping its cause in a nation suffering from economic doldrums and epidemic levels of obesity. Animal-rights activists see all the posturing as futile.
“This is a rather embarrassing temper tantrum on the part of these chefs; the bill will take effect whether they like it or not,” said Lindsay Rajt, an associate director with the group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, in a recent interview.
EDUCATE YOURSELF
PRO
– Chris Cosentino’s “Shock and Foie”
– Serious Eats: Why Foie is not Unethical
– Dan Barber on a “humane” foie gras production in Spain
NEUTRAL(ISH)
– Chef’s Directory: Video of duck production at Fortnum and Mason, a foie gras producer
CON
– Humane Society page on force-fed animals
– PETA’s “delicacy of Despair”
– Farm Sanctuary: No Foie Gras
Ozzie’s Coming Back to Life?
Ozzie’s Grill in Rincon Valley may soon come back to life.
Two former fans, Scott Diaz and Andrew Simontacchi, purchased the grill in the Montecito Center from former owner Jeff Gonsalves with plans to reopen the restaurant mid-February, 2012. They’ve taken the last few months to rehab the 30-year-old space — in need of a new drainage line — with new flooring, furniture, a power cleaning and a other updates. But the vibe, said Diaz, and the name will remain.
“The place is going to look good. We’re keeping the tradition and the menu, but adding a few new specialties.”
Gonsalves, the second owner of the restaurant, closed it in Nov. 2011.
(Thanks BiteClubbers, for the tip!!)
Starks buy Ravenous
Chef Mark Stark and his wife, Terri of Stark Reality Restaurants, are in the process of purchasing The Ravenous Cafe in Healdsburg.
“It wasn’t planned,” said restaurateur Mark Stark, who’s company now owns five restaurants in Sonoma County including Stark’s Steakhouse, Monti’s Rotisserie and Willi’s Winebar in Santa Rosa and Willi’s Seafood in Headlsburg. “The owners wanted to go back and do something smaller. It came across our plate and…you just can’t help but walk into that building and say ‘Wow, this is so cool’.”
The restaurant is continuing operations as Ravenous currently, but the Starks plan to rename and revamp the menu as traditional Spanish/Greek tapas by spring. “When Terri and I went to Spain last year, we just fell in love with that way of eating, with everyone sharing and having really cool food. It just creates a kind of party atmosphere.
The signature orange walls and back patio are staying, along with much of the small cafe’s funky personality. “It reminds us a lot of Willi’s,” said Stark.
It’s rumored that the cafe owners plan to put their energy into the tiny Ravenette Cafe on North Street, which shuttered in 2009.
Fancy Food 2012: What’s Hot
If ever there was a year where food predictions seemed unclear, 2012 is it. We’re coming off the bacon, cupcake and pork belly wagon
clearly seeking something a bit more sober. Then again, at this year’s Fancy Food Show in San Francisco — the annual arbiter of where
consumer food trends are heading held over three gut-busting days — Hudson Valley Foie Gras was one of the most popular booths. Gluten-free, meat-free, dairy-free, fat-free and all manner of ancient and alternative foodstuffs are gaining momentum. But then again, so
are cupcake pops and ice cream.
Maybe the trend is that right now, we’re all a little unsure where things are headed. We’re halfway between here and there. Which seems kind of appropriate in this election year.
Wandering through the mist of culinary confusion, a few standouts definitely do appear each year as food writers, chefs, retailers and gourmands wander the acres of stalls at the Moscone Center featuring everything from cheese and olive oil to salts, meats and more exotic fare. Here are a few of this year’s stand-outs…
Vegan Soul Food: A cuisine whose patron saint is the pig and its holy water bacon fat gets a new school makeover with meatless ingredients. Souley Vegan in Oakland cooks up barbecue tofu, sweet yams, black eyed peas, mustard greens, cornbread and a guiltless mac and cheese so slap yo’ mamma good you won’t miss what’s missing. The gals are working on a packaged version for freezers, but meanwhile, you can get your fix take out or dine in at 301 Broadway, Oakland.
c4c flour: Gluten-free flour from Thomas Keller, a chef known for his picky ways. That means French Laundry-alum and food scientist Lena
Kwak worked directly with Keller to create a gf-flour worthy of Bouchon Brioche. It’s made with a mixture of rice flour, cornstarch, tapioca, potato starches and milk powder and can be swapped cup-for-cup (hence the name) into recipes. About $20 for 3 lbs, through Williams-Sonoma.
Rose Chai: Pre-sweetened chai teas kind of miss the point of this spicy Indian brew. The Chai Cart, based in San Francisco, offers up a Rose Chai, flavored with spices and rose water and no additional sugar. Add your own honey, sugar or just drink it straight. thechaicart.com.
Ghost Pepper Salt: Move over Morton’s. Chefs have long been fans of fancy finishing salts, but the trend is exploding with artisan fleurs de sel from Mallorca (hand-harvested blooms of sea salt) to flavor-infused versions that range from alarmingly hot ghost-pepper (Hepp’s Salt Barrel, heppssalt.com) to rose-petal (Flor de Sal D’es Trenc, flordesaldestrenc.com).
Almond Water: Unknown in the US, almond-infused water is a popular French refresher. Victoria’s Kitchen (victoriaskitchenrecipes.com) is a ready-to-drink sipper with a light almond flavor.
Bacon Beer: Craft-brews are having their shining moment, as beer eclipses the beverage world this year. Look for infused drinks with a dose of bacon or lemon-grass, nano-brews from the beer world’s version of the garagiste. Uncommon Brewers’ Bacon Brown Ale.
Coconut Oil Sticks: The newest go-to for baking, coconut oil is being hailed as a new superfood. Though nutritionists are still a bit split
on its benefits (remember the whole fracas about coconut oil in movie theater popcorn?), its advocates say its saturated fats are better than butter. There’s no doubt, however, that it adds a big bump of tropical flavor to foods. Now available in easy-measure sticks (kelapo.com).
Olive Oil more precious than Drakkar Noir: Haute olive oil is nothing new, but packaging it in luxe perfume-like bottles? Five Olive Oil is
Greek olive oil packaged in bling-tastic bottles, complete with sparkles. We saw plenty of tiny luxe bottles of these oils throughout the show, leading us to wonder: Do you put this stuff behind your ears? Cause it seems far to precious for much else. fiveoliveoil.com.
Ticklemore Cheese: The Brits have always had a handle on great cheesemaking, but a Renaissance of artisan cheesemaking includes a
handful of Bath-born winners including this hard goat’s milk cheese and Lord of the Hundreds, an unpasteurized sheep’s milk cheese. Plus, we just like the sound of them. Imported by Fine Cheese Co. (finecheese.co.uk).
Thai Coconut Curry Ice Cream: Salted caramel ice cream is so 2011. This year, watch for increasingly flavorful concoctions like the
wildly imaginative flavors of spiced curry and coconut, Chinese red bean and cheesecake, buttered popcorn or maple bacon from Burbank’s Fox and Swan Ice Cream Company (foxandswan.com). Also amazing, Jenni’s Splendid Ice Creams from Ohio, with limited edition flavors that include cumin and butterscotch, frankincense and almond cake, smoked tea and plum pudding or whiskey pecan (jennisicecreams.com).
Pickles: IFC’s Portlandia recently spoofed the whole pickling craze with the catch-phrase, “We can pickle it!” showing two manic cooks stuffing everything from eggs to jewel cases into a jar. Like bacon, a great pickle is always going to be an everyday favorite, but the whole artisan pickling thing may be hitting its crest. Pickles to check out: Seattle’s Boat Street Pickles preserve fruit including French plums, apricots and figs (boastreetpickles.com). Sonoma Brinery (formerly Alexander Valley Pickles), gets a new look and name with the same great pickles locals local. We’re also huge fans of Brooklyn-Detroit picklers, McClure’s, who are soon to release a line of dill pickle potato chips (mcclurespickles.com).
Rangpur Lime Marmalade: San Rafael’s Robert Lambert is a darling of the food world, creating small-batch syrups, marmalades, preserved fruits and limited-edition white fruit cakes. Tapping into exotic citrus oils and zests, his Rangpur Lime Marmalade takes your taste buds a tart-sweet ramble to distant lands. Also exceptional: Hot Ginger Caramel Sauce. Available at robertlambert.com. On a similar tip, we’re super excited about Banana Vinegar from Rancho Gordo, made with fermented plantains in Mexico( ranchogordo.com) and Elderberry Shrub (a sort of syrupy vinegar) from forager Connie Green of Napa (thewildtable.net).
Kale is the New Bacon
After five years of culinary one-upmanship in the categories of butter, bacon, salumi, artisan pork rinds, and pretty-much anything you can tie-down and shove into a deep-fat fryer, it seems eaters are ready for a little food sobriety.
Look no further the flood of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks released in 2011, the rise of campaigns like Meatless Mondays and the fact that a recent Harris Poll concluded that about 33% of the U.S. population have at least one meatless meal per week to conclude that vegetables, rice and grains are starting to push out their meaty plate-mates. Oh yeah, and the foie gras ban that will go into effect in June.
Hold on, though. Most of us aren’t about to eschew eggs, chicken, cheese and the occasional In-N-Out burger altogether. Maybe flexitarian is more your speed — adhering (at least for the early months of the New Year) to the new USDA MyPlate guidelines that relegate “protein” to a quarter of your diet. And veggies, fruits and grains to the remaining three-quarters. Call it moderation, not misery.
So how can you embrace a little food responsibility without, well, giving up the whole hog? We’ve at least a few answers…
There’s An App for That
That new tablet everyone got for Christmas can do more than play Angry Birds (really!) Cooking at home is a great way to get a handle on exactly what you’re eating, learn new techniques and expand your edible repertoire. But cookbooks can be hit or miss with complicated techniques and unclear instructions.
That’s why our absolute must-haves are Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian and How to Cook Everything apps. The New York Times food columnist has created fool-proof recipes accompanied by illustrated guides on everything from dicing carrots and forming veggie burgers to making pasta by hand. The recipes are well-tested and include variations to add pizzazz to standards. $9.99 each, but include weekly recipe updates.
Whole Foods also has a solid recipe app (free) that includes many of the recipes from their own cookbooks, shopping list functionality and the ability to search by “diet” including dairy-free, gluten-free, low-fat, low sodium and sugar-conscious recipes.
Want to know what’s in season at the farmer’s market? Try the Locavore App (free) that shows what’s coming into the market this week and where to find it.
Specialty Menus
Many restaurants offer low-fat, vegetarian or gluten-free options on their menus. But too often they’re bland afterthoughts rather than meals to look forward to. Want something healthy and tasty? The Flamingo Hotel (2777 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, 545-8530) recently created a diabetic-friendly menu. Though the name sounds snooze-worthy, the dishes are anything but: Chai crusted ahi tuna with cilantro lil, fresh spinach, brown rice and organic baby vegetables; Caramelized Salmon (they use ‘Splenda’) salmon with balsamic glaze, mango salsa and citrus asparagus; chicken and goat cheese panini on ciabatta bread or an Asian chicken salad with cashews, mandarins, fried udon noodles, watermelon radishes and spicy Thai dressing and sugar-free lmeon cake with fat-free whipped cream and sugar-free chocolate sauce. The menu also offers a variety of McDougall-approved dishes including lasagna with tofu ricotta, whole grain penne pasta and a tofu burger with oven baked fries.
And speaking of our resident diet doc, John McDougall, the starch-friendly diet guru releases a new book this spring “The Starch Solution: Eat the Foods You Love, Regain Your Health and Lose the Weight for Good.” Perhaps just saying it a few times will burn off some calories.
Another option for eating out: Peter Lowell’s macro-bowl (385 Healdsburg Ave., Sebastopol., (707) 829-1077); want to go a bit more upscale? How about table-made tofu at Cyrus, where diners get a personalized ramekin of soy milk that turns into fresh tofu before your eyes. (29 North St., Healdsburg, (707) 433-3311.
An Herbal Boost
Steep yourself in the power of healing herbs during a discussion by Lily Mazzarella, Clinical Herbalist and Educator. No, those those herbs. Mazzarella will talk about herbal tinctures using mushrooms, licorice, ginger and many other immune-boosting herbs on Wednesday, January 18 from 6 to 7:30pm at the Ceres Community Project (7351 Bodega Ave., Sebastopol, 829-5833 or ceresproject.org for registration). Can’t make the talk? Check out Farmacopia (95 Montgomery Dr., Santa Rosa, 528-4372) to get a custom-blended herbal extract or herbal/nutritional consultation from their trained staff.
Lydia’s Kitchen opens in Petaluma
Fans of all things vegan, raw, organic, gluten-free and generally non-toxic to your body are celebrating the opening of The Sunflower Center, serving Lydia’s Lovin’ Foods in Petaluma. It’s a combination restaurant and gathering spot where you can have your vegan cheez cake and eat it too — possibly while watching a music workshop, yoga group, or checking out some wellness literature.
Housed in the ground floor of an office park, it’s a bit of a head-scratcher of a location, but seems to have taken over the better part of a corporate cafeteria. It’s the second brick-and-mortar location for Lydia’s, which also has a cafe in Fairfax (31 Bolinas Rd., Fairfax) and frequently serves up their raw soups and vegan burgers at summer festivals.
Bright windows and fresh flowers, along with a family-friendly corner make it the perfect spot to try a vegan buckwheat mushroom crepe, “pizzaz” raw pizza with pesto or alkalizing green soup.
Best bets: Cashew “kreem”, banana and chocolate crepe; coconut almond hummus with blinis or pizza-esque pizzaz with marinated vegetables. First-timers to this cuisine may can dip a toe in with fresh ginger lemonade and Lydia’s Famous Greek salad with walnut dressing.
The center also has take out and a small selection of refrigerated Lydia’s Lovin’ Foods salads and spreads.
Grand opening of the Cafe with live music, yoga and family fun happens from 8am to 11pm, Jan. 28, 2011.
We’ll let you decide if you’re ready to handle the Green Powerball, a dessert filled with srpouted almonds, dates, raisins and Green Power Powder.
Sunflower Center serving Lydia’s Kitchen Organic Food; 1435 N. McDowell Blvd., Petaluma, 792-5300.