Best Meal of 2011

By biteclub

What was the best meal you ate all year? Don’t think too hard about it, because the best answer is usually the one that pops into your head without much thought. Usually it has everything to do with your state of mind — good company, a happy heart and a hungry stomach. Often it sneaks up on you as a surprise: A perfectly cooked burger at a local dive or simple rustic meal at a neighborhood restaurant. Maybe you made it at home.

For me, the answer is almost impossible. I’ve eaten well over 200 great meals at restaurants this year, and nearly all of them had something I liked about them. There are also amazingly great restaurants I just didn’t happen to go to this year.

But if I had to pick one that stands out above the rest, it’s a dinner at Oenotri (1425 First St., Napa, 252-1022). From the house-made salumi plate and perfected Sicilian pizzas to unparalleled pastas (gnocchi is a standout), and perfectly seasonal antipasti (currently they’re doing persimmons and rabbit), the whole kit and kaboodle comes together without a hitch. It’s transformative eating. Sharing course after course with my son, a budding foodie, made it even more special.

Other meals that stood out this year:
– A three hour lunch with a close friend at Petite Syrah (205 5th St., Santa Rosa, 568-4002) featuring foie gras, a spec and noodle soup, pork belly and mint brownies.
– A $4 banh mi sandwich in the car, on a perfectly sunny day from Noodle Bowl (817 Russell Ave., Santa Rosa, 843-5256)
– A standout hamburger at Catelli’s Restaurant (kobe brisket and sirloin, rare) 21047 Geyserville Ave., Geyserville, 857-3471.
– Sitting on the curb, eating dim sum and agedashi during the short-lived food truck round up in downtown Santa Rosa.
– Beet salad and truffle fries at Boon Eat and Drink  (16248 Main St., Guerneville, 869-0780)
– Breakfast at Hole in the Wall (972 Gravenstein Hwy S., Sebastopol, 861-3777)

So what were some of the best meals local chefs (and several foodie folks you’ll recognize)  had this year? Many of them had the same answer (Hana Japanese is perennially a chef favorite), but some were more surprising than you might expect. Here are their answers…

Ari Rosen, Scopa (Healdsburg)
“My best meal was at Hana Japanese (101 Golf Course Drive  Rohnert Park, 586-0270), an oxtail soup that was off the hook. Every time i go there everything i eat is phenomenal. I’m always happily satisfied.”

Doug Keane, Cyrus & Healdsburg Bar and Grill (Healdsburg)
“Diavola (21021 Geyserville Ave.,  Geyserville, 814-0111). In the summer, the Sonja pizza with tomato mascarpone, proscuitto and arugula. I love his (Chef Dino Bugica) food.”

Josh Silvers, Petite Syrah & Jackson’s Bar and Oven (Santa Rosa)
“The best of the year was at Madrona Manor (1001 Westside Rd., Healdsburg, (800) 258-4003).” For father’s day, Silvers and his son, Jackson, 7, went to Madrona Manor with the caveat that Jackson be “a gentleman and try everything.” He did, and of the night, Silvers said, “I had phased out eating high-end, long dinners when Jackson was born, but going to Madrona was such a nice return to fine dining. Jesse’s food (Chef Jesse Mallgren) has gone up several magnitudes in the last year. The service was amazing.” Jackson’s favorite food of the night: The ice cream cart.

Justin Wangler, Kendall-Jackson
Brunch at Rocker Oysterfeller’s (Valley Ford Hotel, 14415 Hwy. 1, Valley Ford, 876-1983). “It’s the place where we just end up when we don’t know where to go. We just end up driving out to Valley Ford.” Raised on Southern cooking, Wangler’s particular about his fried chicken and collard greens, but gives props to Rocker’s chef Brandon Guenther saying, “It’s probably the best Southern-style soul food around.”

Jillian Dorman, Street-Eatz Mobile Kitchen
“I went to Fresh By Lisa Hemenway (5755 Mountain Hawk Way, Santa Rosa, 595-1048) a couple weeks ago. I was blown away by the atmosphere of being inside the market and eating in there. In this county, the way we care about sustainability to be sitting there with all that stuff, I just thought that was great. Loved the food.” Hard to nail down just one, she added, “Kirin Chinese. It’s the only Chinese restaurant I eat in. It’s the kind of real Chinese food I grew up with. The moo shu is just to die for.”

Clark Wolf, Restaurant Consultant
Best at home: Dungeness crab (finally!) with James Beard’s Louis dressing and a fuyu/bosc/valencia salad with Village Bakery sourdough at My friend Tammie’s. Best restaurant: Lunch at Mateo’s Cocina Latina (214 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, 433-1520) with Marcy Smothers. We ordered a second halibut ceveche and totally scarfed it!”

Ken Tominaga, Hana Japanese (Rohnert Park)
“Diavola…he makes a smoked pork belly and it came right out of the smoker. It’s all about timing. That was my best meal of the year!”

Roger Praplan, La Gare (Santa Rosa)
“Best experience was to be invited to the top of the mountain at an invite-only Kendall-Jackson picnic area where you can see Lake Sonoma and Chateau Souverain. That was the most exciting. But my favorite: Mac’s Deli (630 4th St., Santa Rosa, 545-3785) hanging out with my friends from the “German Mafia” and eating turkey noodle soup.”

What was your favorite meal of the year?

Chick-fil-A to SR?

By biteclub

Of particular interest to our Southern transplants — Chick-fil-A is eyeballing Santa Rosa. Again.

Rumors that the wildly popular Southeastern fried chicken sandwich chain might be seeking a Northbay spot surfaced earlier this week. The spot being bandied around as a likely locale: the former Burger King at 1452 Mendocino Ave. (near Santa Rosa High School and the Junior College).

Yes, we know this isn’t exactly earth-shattering news. Unless you’re from the South. Then, it might be. Because we’re told there’s one on just about every corner and they’re as popular as, well, In-N-Out are to West Coasters.

Insiders at Chick-fil-A tell BiteClub they are definitely looking at Santa Rosa as a possible location for a new store, but that any opening would be at least a year away. “We are growing our foot print on the West Coast,” said Brenda Morrow, who works in the company’s Atlanta-based public relations department. She added that the company had not identified any specific location yet. Meaning don’t get your knickers in a twist just yet.

Longtime residents may remember the Chick-fil-A at Santa Rosa Plaza years ago — we looked it up and it opened in 1982. When and why it closed remains a mystery to us more recent transplants (and it doesn’t happen to be in our newspaper archive). Do you remember?

With the first 100 customers* winning a free meal a week for a year, you can understand some of the excitement the restaurants engender among it’s indoctrinated. That, or it’s just a Southern thing.

If you’re a kale eater…not so much.

XXV takeover, Flipside on Rabbaa’s 2012 horizon

By biteclub
Nino Rabbaa
Rabbaa and his daughter at Rendez Vous
Nino Rabbaa
Rabbaa and his daughter at Rendez Vous

Downtown restaurateur Nino Rabbaa of Rendez Vous Bistro and the forthcoming Flipside Bar & Burgers has recently acquired Space XXV, in Old Courthouse Square in Santa Rosa.

The plan is to turn the hyper-designed studio into a chocolate, cheese and bubbly (as in champagne) tasting bar. And maybe caviar too. Still in the rough conceptual stages, Rabbaa said he’s planning to brighten up what was a short-lived bar and restaurant and make it a place to showcase local cheeses (along with some from his French homeland) along with chocolates and other luxury bites and sips.  No opening date is set, but it will be after the opening of…

Flipside, which is slated for opening in late January or early February after months of construction, permitting and the addition of an outdoor patio space. The haute burgery, which has been highly anticipated for more than a year, has been nearly complete for several months but waiting in part for…

A new executive chef has been hired to oversee the kitchens of Rendez Vous and Rabbaa’s other restaurant properties. The restaurant has lacked a strong culinary identity since the departure of chef de cuisine Matthew Karson in June 2011. A new chef is slated to arrive this month, though the identity of that chef remains under wraps.

But that’s only part of the story. Rabbaa’s also been heavily involved with several community projects he’s taken on throughout the month of December. Each Christmas Eve, Rabbaa closes the restaurant to host a meal for up to 600 homeless and hungry locals. This year, the event will take place from noon to 3pm on December 24 at Rendez Vous.

Stay tuned, because there’s sure to be more to this developing story.

Norwegian Toast

By biteclub
Swedish Toast Recipe
Swedish Toast Recipe
Norweigan Toast Recipe
Norweigan Toast Recipe

These reminded me so much of the old Stella Dora cookies of my childhood.

Norwegian Toast

By Peggy Melick
My mother was from Virginia, Minnesota, a small town in the Iron Ore range of Northern Minnesota. After one of her visits to Virginia, she brought this recipe back from her childhood girlfriend, Ann Foster. Mom and I prepared them on her return, and I’ve been making them ever since. They are somewhat like biscotti but not as firm.

Makes 3 Dozen

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

1 cup salted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. almond extract
1 cup sour cream
3 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp. soda

Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well. Blend in the almond extract and sour cream. Combine the flour and soda thoroughly.

Spoon 3 rows of dough onto a cookie sheet, allowing space between rows. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and with a sharp knife, cut 1-inch slices, turn on side, return to oven and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Walnut Slice Cookies | Cookie Recipe

By biteclub

These use a ton of ingredients, but make a huge pan of coconutty, shortbready cookies that will feed a crowd. We all decided the recommended lemon frosting seemed like overkill on these, but you can decide for yourself. Another holiday favorite. (And yes, this one slipped by my official photo session as well. Argh!)

Walnut Slice Cookies

Patricia Swan
“I have been making these cookies for over 40 years”

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
4 eggs
1 16oz package brown sugar
4 T flour
1/2 tsp flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 pound walnuts, chopped
1 14oz package shredded coconut

Shortbread: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cream butter and sugar. In a separate bowl, sift together flour and constrach, then add to butter and sugar mixture. Mix thoroughly. Butter a 9×13″ baking pan. Press into bottom of prepared pan. Bake 15-20 minutes until golden.

While baking shortbread, beat eggs and brown sugar together until very light in color. Add flour, baking powder and vanilla. Beat. Stir in walnuts and coconut. Pour mixture over baked shortbread crust and bake at 300 degrees for 15 to 25  minutes, then continue baking at 350 degrees for 5 more minutes. Cool.

Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 16oz package powdered sugar
1 30z. package cream cheese, softened
lemon juice

In a bowl, mix together butter, sugar, cream cheese and enough lemon juice to thin frosting. Spread over cooled cookies.

Baked Apple Oatmeal Cookies | Cookie Recipe

By biteclub

This recipe is a leading contender this year, due in part to how good they taste, but also to how good they make your house smell while you bake them. It’s a multi-step recipe, but well-worth he extra effort for a memorable cookie that’s like eating a freshly baked apple.

(OOPS! This picture is not really of these cookies. The batch I made got snapped up SO FAST I didn’t even get a picture. Seriously. But they looked pretty much like this.)

Baked Apple Oatmeal Cookies

By Rochelle Wattz

1 c. butter plus 2 tbs.
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 cup baker’s sugar (this is the finely granulated kind — you can get the same effect by pulsing regular sugar in a Cuisinart)
2 eggs
2 tsp. Vanilla
2 c toasted oats
2 c of flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
Dash of salt

Sauteed Apples
1.5 cups of apples, peeled and cored
½ cup of apple cider
¼ tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp clove
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
zest of 1 orange

1 cup Caramelized Pecans (use this recipe, it works great!)

In ADVANCE
Toast oats in a large skillet until golden brown-cool. Transfer to a cookie sheet to cool.

Next, peel and core about two small apples to make 1.5 cups of apples. Cut into small cubes. Transfer to skillet and sauté in apple cider, cinnamon, clove, orange zest, and nutmeg. Your house will smell like Christmas. Cool.

Sauté pecans in butter and brown sugar until caramelized. Cool

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter, brown sugar, bakers sugar. Add eggs. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Fold flour and oats into butter mixture and mix well. Last, gentle fold in apples and pecans. Drop by spoonful onto a greased cookie sheet.

Bake in Pre-Heated Oven for 12 to 15 minutes.
Cool or heat warm with Vanilla Bean ice cream

Coco-Nutty Crunchy Cookies Recipe

By biteclub
Coco-Nutty Crunchy Cookie Recipe
Coco-Nutty Crunchy Cookie Recipe
Coco-Nutty Crunchy Cookie Recipe
Coco-Nutty Crunchy Cookie Recipe

Laurie Figone is a great local baker and cook who always impresses me with her recipes. These are no exception — and were some of the first cookies to get snapped up when I brought in cookies for the Press Democrat staff.

Coco-Nutty Crunchy Cookies

By Laurie Figone

1 cup butter, room temp.
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, room temp.
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup toasted coconut
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup (approx.) English Toffee Bits

1. Pre-heat oven to 375’. In mixing bowl cream together butter and sugars.
Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Stir in flour and baking soda. Then stir
in coconut, walnuts and chocolate chips.

2. Form dough into 1 1/2 in. balls. Press one side into English Toffee Bits,
flattening slightly. Evenly space onto baking sheet, do not over-crowd,
they will spread as they cool. Bake for approx. 10-12 minutes, until
nicely browned. Remove to cooling rack and let cool.

3. Bet you can’t eat just one…these cookies have a wonderful crunch from
the toffee bits, chewiness from the coconut, another crunch from the nuts,
add the chocolate to all of that…Let me know if you stopped at one!!!

Cherry Surprise Cookie Recipe

By biteclub
Cherry Surprise Cookie Recipe
Cherry Surprise Cookie Recipe
Cherry Surprise Cookie Recipe
Cherry Surprise Cookie Recipe

This recipe came in by phone, and sounded good enough to transcribe. Mostly because I love Maraschino cherries. Unfortunately, in saving the recipe, the name of the baker got lost in translation. So, if you were the one who called, let me know!

Cherry Surprise Cookie Recipe

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1.5 cups sifted flour
1/8  tsp salt
1 jar Maraschino cherries with juice reserved

Drain cherries so they aren’t too wet, reserve juice.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar, add flour and salt and mix thoroughly. Wrap about a teaspoon of the dough around each cherry and roll into ball. Place on parchment-lined cookie sheet about an inch apart. Press gently. Bake 12-15 minutes. Don’t overcook. They should be blonde in color.

Gently set on cooling rack and prepare frosting.

Mix 1/3 c butter and 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar with just cherry juice to get a good consistency. While cookies are still warm, drop a teaspoon atop the cookie so it melts and glazes the top.

Eggless Gingery Fruit-Nut Bars Cookie Recipe

By biteclub
Eggless Gingery Fruit Bars Recipe
Eggless Gingery Fruit Bars Recipe
Eggless Gingery Fruit Bars Recipe
Eggless Gingery Fruit Bars Recipe

These are little fruit and nut powerhouses. I could see packing a few of these bars for a hike, because they travel well and have tons good stuff inside. The lack of eggs makes them great for vegetarians or those with dietary restrictions. The recipe has some strange measurements (1/3 tsp), but I just sort of eyeballed it and the recipe worked fine.

Eggless Gingery Fruit-Nut Bars Cookie Recipe

By Cynthe Brush

“I have been making these Gingery Fruit-Nut Bars for a couple of decades or longer and cannot recall where the original inspiration came from… I’m constantly adapting cookie recipes to be egg free since my family doesn’t eat eggs or baked goods made with eggs. Usually improvise (ie. improve) the recipe as I go.

This recipe is really easy to put together. The dried fruit & nut prep and dicing the candied ginger being the only involved prep, which can be done while watching a good NetFlix movie or having a conversation. Dried fruits and nuts may be varied to your taste or made from what you have in the pantry. Tart fruits are best as they contrast with the molasses and complement the ginger.

These are not fancy-looking cookie bars, but they WILL catch your fancy and that of most anyone who enjoys (brownie-texture) chewy molasses-y gingery fruited confections. Guaranteed to please! And they’re a yummy change from all the chocolate recipes we see every Christmas season.”

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups all-purpose flour or light whole wheat flour (King Arthur’s is great)
2/3 tsp baking soda
1/3 tsp salt (an odd amount due to adapting the recipe fit a large Pyrex pan)
1   1/2 tsp each, ground Ginger & Allspice (freshly purchased & organic is best)

2/3 cup Butter, softened
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup light Molasses
1/3 cup honey (use a mild local Sonoma county honey)
1/3 cup buttermilk (replaces 1 egg)

1/2 cup diced Candied Ginger
1  1/3 cups chopped Walnuts
1  1/3 cups diced tart dried fruits (apricots, orange-flavored cranberries, dried tart cherries)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Sift the first 5 ingredients together, set aside. Cream the butter and brown sugar together until fluffy.
Add molasses and buttermilk, beat until well blended. Add sifted dry ingredients to creamed mixture, mix well. Add the ginger, walnuts, and dried fruits, mix completely.

Spread batter in a greased 10” x 15” x 2” Pyrex baking pan. Bake in a preheated 350F oven 25-30 minutes, until springy to the touch. Place on wire rack to cool completely. Cut with a sharp knife. Store in airtight containers.

Yield: 5-6 dozen wonderfully chewy *addictive* bars!

Sweet Potato Squares Cookie Recipe

By biteclub
Sweet Potato Squares Recipe
Sweet Potato Squares Recipe
Sweet Potato Squares Recipe
Sweet Potato Squares Recipe

These are like little squares of sweet potato pie, but better. Tell the kids its pumpkin.

Sweet Potato Squares Cookie Recipe

By Kathleen Hardy

“One evening I had served mashed sweet potatoes as a side with dinner. My husband said “You know what would be good? Sweet potato squares. They would be like lemon bars, only with sweet potatoes.” I thought that was a great idea, and developed this recipe. I really like the note of savory that the rosemary adds to the topping, but if you don’t care for savory notes in desserts, just leave it out.

Crust
¾ cup all purpose flour
¾ cup whole wheat flour
¾ cup unsalted butter (softened)
3/8 cup powered sugar

Topping
2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 ¼ pounds)
½ stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
¾ cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 7.5 oz container creme fraiche (sour cream also works)
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon very finely chopped fresh rosemary (optional)
1 tablespoon dark rum
1 tablespoon all purpose flour

Prick the sweet potatoes with a fork and roast them on a shallow pan in the middle of the oven until very tender, about 1 ¼ hours. Cool to room temperature. (You can do this up to one day ahead.)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Mix all crust ingredients and press over the bottom and up sides of a 9” x 13” baking pan. Bake until just set, about 20 minutes. Cool the crust while you prepare the topping. Don’t overcook.

While crust is baking, scoop the flesh from the sweet potatoes into a bowl and discard the skins. Mash the sweet potatoes with a fork until smooth. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and stir in the sugar. Add the melted butter mixture to the sweet potatoes with the creme fraiche and the eggs and beat with a whisk until smooth. Whisk in the remaining ingredients (the topping will be quite liquid).

Pour the filling over the crust and spread evenly. Raise temperature of over to 400 degrees.Bake in the middle of the oven until the filling is just set, about 40 minutes (check after about 30). Cool and cut into squares to serve.