The news comes on the heels of the sale of the historic property that’s been home to the restaurant since it opened in 2008. Once owned by the daughter of General Mariano Vallejo, the two-story building is being purchased by Darius Anderson, owner of Kenwood Investments and the Sonoma Index-Tribune. Anderson has also recently purchased Ramekins Culinary School and Event Center, located next door, and reportedly plans to use the properties jointly. He takes over October 1, 2012.
Estate’s lease originally ran until 2013, but Bernstein and managing partner John Toulze decided to close Estate in the wake of the sale and refocus on their other restaurants, including a new Sonoma event space called Suite D. “It’s very bittersweet,” said Bernstein. There is no current plan to reopen Estate elsewhere currently, “but who knows” says Bernstein. “I don’t think we’re done with Italian,” she said.
“We appreciated the opportunity to steward the historical Sonoma property at 400 West Spain Street and know it will now transition into good hands with Darius Anderson,” said Bernstein. Exec Chef and Managing Partner John Toulze will continue working at the Fig properties and on a successful salumi program he started at Estate.
Estate will continue serving dinner Wednesday through Saturday beginning at 5pm and Sunday brunch from 10am to 3pm. 400 W. Spain St., Sonoma, 707-933-3663.
My little brain can hardly wrap itself over all the cheffy, restauranty fun to be had over the next week in San Francisco. There are $1,500 sold-out dinners, classes, tastings, schmooze sessions and on and on during SF Chefs 2012, an event that bills itself as ” The Biggest Food, Wine & Spirits Festival on the West Coast”.
Here’s a cheat sheet to some of fun.
SF Chefs 2012 is almost upon us, set to kick-off beginning July 30and running through August 5, with the Celebration of Contemporary Mexican Restaurants event on August 1 and Grand Tasting Tent events taking place August 3 – August 5 in Union Square.
A Taste of What’s to Come
The Grand Tasting Tent events, taking place August 3 through August 5, will showcase an array of different dishes from San Francisco’s favorite restaurants and chefs. Guests can indulge in a variety of exciting dishes, including: Mini marrow burgers (Luella), albacore tuna tostado “Contramar Style” chipotle mayo, avocado, crispy leaks (Tacolicious), Calamari larb, lettuce cup, pickled summer vegetables (Baker & Banker), Corn & Curry Leaf Soup and Cubes marinated & tenderized in spices, skewered & grilled, served with chile-cilantro chutney (DOSA), Bourbon banana split (Boxing Room), Carrot and Cardamon Gelee with Vegetable Confettis Crab meat and citrus salad (Fleur de Lys), Fresh-cured anchovies Nostrano (Delfina), Ex-miso white fudge lollipop, coconut ginger marshmallow pop, sesame bonbon (Morimoto Napa ), Green Curry and Coconut Rock Shrimp Ceviche (E&O), Halibut Ceviche with Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes and Serranos (Copita) and pressed watermelon, marinated cherry tomatoes, basil, stracciatella cheese (Barbacco) and many, many more choices!
The Eater Chef Challenge Teams Announced!
Nominated by the readers of Eater SF, pairs of San Francisco’s best chefs will face off as they attempt to out-cook, out-plate and out-do one another in a race against the clock. With a mystery market basket of ingredients to tackle, which team will impress the judges?
San Francisco Cake Competition
The San Francisco Chronicle’s 49 Square Miles Food Tour comes to life during the 49 Square Miles Party taking place August 2 at 6pm on the Imperial Floor in the Westin St. Francis. The festival is excited to announce the restaurants that will be expressing their feelings about San Francisco in cake – Baker & Banker, Perbacco, Foreign Cinema, Fifth Floor, and Ristobar. Guests will be the judges and the winning cake baker will take home a basket of goodies from Guittard Chocolate Company. Celebrate the culinary diversity found in each square mile of our food-obsessed town with participants including: Alioto’s Restaurant, Arizmendi Bakery, Bar Crudo, Coco 500, Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA), Pier 23 Café, Presidio Social Club, Ristobar, Yank Sing, Yvonne’s Southern Sweets, Cantina, Alcademics.com, SF Brewers Guild, Dosa, Cliff House, Gialina Pizzeria, and King of Falafel. Enjoy San Francisco brews, California wines and handcrafted cocktails from the Campari America portfolio.
Final Details on Various Classes, Demos and Events
We are pleased to announce that Chef and Culinary Consultant Joyce Goldstein will be moderating the panel What is Northern California Cuisine? on Saturday, August 4 at 11:30 AM. Also joining the panel is Chef Amaryll Schwertner (Boulette’s Larder). Chefs from a variety of culinary traditions will discuss how they view the cuisine of Northern California today and its impact on the culinary world.
Other Exciting Events not to be missed include:
· A Celebration of Contemporary Mexican Restaurants (August 1 at 6pm)
· Steamed, Fried and Shanghai’d: The After Party at E&O (August 3 at 10pm)
· MonoArabica Coffee Cooking with Marcus Samuelsson and Chris Cosentino (August 4 at 10am)
· The Inside Scoop with Michael Bauer (August 4 at 3:30pm)
· Discover Portugal (August 5 at 10am)
Tickets are on sale with limited availability. To get your tickets and for more information, please visit: http://sfchefsfoodwine.com/
[sh-slideshow-post id=”24542″] For nearly a generation, the building at 813 Main Street in downtown Napa stood as silent witness to a sad chapter in the town’s history. Owned since 1945 by the Fagiani family, the building was a bustling bar and popular hangout until a fateful July night in 1974 when a young woman was murdered inside. Soon after, Fagiani’s Cocktail Lounge & Liquor Store was locked tight–some say with drinks still sitting on the bar–as the decades rolled by and her killer eluded police.
The building now faces a brighter future after New York-based design/hospitality group AvroKO rehabbed 100-year-old property, opening three story restaurant and cocktail lounge called The Thomas in August 2012
“We wanted to bring back the original character and keep with the history of the building,” says Chef Brad Farmerie walking through the construction-site in July.
Farmerie is executive chef of the critically-acclaimed PUBLIC and Saxon + Parole in New York. He, along with the restaurant’s sommelier and other executive staff moved to Napa to open the restaurant and plan opening menus.
“We’d be mistaken to think that we could impose our will on this historic venue,” he said. So over the last several months, they’ve consulted with locals, area chefs, ranchers and winemakers and Facebook fans to give input on the name and feel of the restaurant as well as learning about the best way to use and feature local ingredients.
Which is refreshing.
The three-level restaurant includes a large retro-inspired bar, Fagiani’s Bar at the Thomas , and the original neon Fagiani’s sign will hang out front. The Thomas, which is what they’ll call the upstairs dining room, a reference to the building’s time as a boarding house called The Thomas, features an open-kitchen dining room and floating wine rack with about 1300 bottles. On the third floor, more dining space and an open-walled deck area that overlooks the Napa riverfront.
The menu is still in development, but Farmerie is especially excited about two things: An aged beef burger and lots of local produce. “The more I eat here realize the less I want to do with the food — the food and vegetables are insane here. The purveyors want you to try things while they are standing there. It was an epiphany just to eat an heirloom tomato,” Farmerie said. His staff have planted two small garden plots outside the former Copia, and are using the Julia’s Kitchen space to test their dishes.
The crew plans to introduce a hopping mixology program as well, with cocktails served until the wee hours.
Media preview dinners start in early August, followed by an anticipated opening soon after.
It was a nutritionist’s worst nightmare: Two picnic tables piled with dozens of fried, sugary, glutenous, meaty, fat-laden dishes who’s caloric density could propel a small army. For a month.
Six brave souls faced down the feast bravely on the opening day of the Sonoma County Fair (July 25-August 12), without health wavers or regret during the fourth annual Fair Food Scramble. The challenge? Winners secure as much food as $200 will buy (in a brisk 45 minute race), followed by a mouth-stuffing, gut-busting eat-a-thon to find the best fair food of 2012.
Photos: Kent Porter
Within two hours, the results were in…
The Team:
JJ Harris, Petaluma: Our “healthy” Scrambler, JJ was tasked with seeking out foods with some healthful nature, in addition to gluten-free foods. She is fond of the Stuffie’s Veggie Burger (without the pesto mayo) as a vegan option and loved Pepe’s Horchata.
Randy Rued: The postman with the legs of steel who took us all the way to Linwood South!
Eric and Laura Lee, Petaluma: Next Food Network Star hopeful and former Simi Chef, Eric Lee was our serious palate on the team. He took the job to heart, picking just a handful of foods that really spoke to his secret fair food fondness. His favorite food remains the corn dog. His wife, Laura, is also a chef and had plenty of great insight on the food, echoing the group’s like for the Sonora dog and fried pineapple. The couple hit many of the Shade Park eateries.
Tyffani Peters, Windsor: Having worked with chefs like John Ash and Sondra Bernstein, Tyffani knows her way around food. She was the queen of the Mexican Village, plying us with spicy mango, tacos and tamales. Her fave: Corndogs.Randy Rued. Santa Rosa: A postman by day, Randy used his powerful location skills to suss out the best foods from Lindwood North and South. His favorite: Willie Bird’s Sausage.
Tanner Moulding, Rohnert Park: The man we called “Lemonader” put his pucker to work finding the best lemonades at the fair. Favorite food: Sonora Dog.
Plus: Thanks to Mike Stewart (our Vet), Greg Retsinas (the Bossman) and Jason Stanbrough (the crepe man and pack mule).
Best Overall: Sonora Dog, $6
A newcomer to the fair, Lisa Thompson and her sister, Debra White, both of Santa Rosa, won the judges hearts with a hot dog wrapped in bacon, topped with pinto beans, grilled onions, mustard and mayo. The kicker is a sweet Mexican roll specially made by Santa Rosa’s La Reyna Bakery. “It’s a hot dog on steroids,” said Thompson. Sonoran Hot Dog Stand, Magnolia. Judges loved it so much, we also named it Best Meat Dish at the Fair. Scrambler Tyffani Peters of Windsor said,” Classic fair food with a nice Mexican twist and fusion of flavors.”
Best Fried: Fried Pineapple, $7
County fairs have become ground zero for putting anything not tied down into the fryer. From pickles to Coca-Cola, there’s not much that hasn’t been tried. Pineapple, however, is a new one for us, and a hands-down winner (the judges were split on whether this should actually be Best Overall). Big chunks of juicy, ripe pineapple get batter-dipped and golden, for a sweet, crunchy combo. Cardinali Grill, Linwood South. A fried loser? Fried watermelon (also from Cardinali), $6. “Watermelon doesn’t take well to cooking,” said 2012 Scrambler JJ Harris, of Petaluma.
Best Lemonade: Phil’s Fresh Squeezed Lemonade, $4
This year, we took our drinking seriously at the Scramble. Most of the lemonades faired, well, fair, without much real lemon flavor. Phil’s tart-sweet fresh-squeezed taste won us over. Phil’s (the giant lemon) in the Shade Park. Other interesting drinks to check out: Horchata, (Pepe’s, Mexican Vilalge), Mango Cup (Michoacan Natural Ice Cream, Mexican Village), and Sarsaparilla (Rincon Valley Christian School, Shade Park).
Best Pasta: Pasta King Pesto, ($7.25)
Do we even have to say it? Art Ibleto is a legend, and all of the food is made onsite in the permanent Pasta King building on the fairgrounds. The pasta don oversees most of the operations from the air-conditioned back room throughout the fair. The pesto is just a Sonoma County Fair classic that you gotta get every year at least once. Pasta King Spaghetti Palace, Shade Park.
Best Newcomer: Crab Rarebit, $12
Though most of the group didn’t dive into this sharp melted cheese and crab concoction on toast points until it was, well, cold, those of us who got our fingers in early knew this was something special. Yes, it’s a bit pricey, but in line with the more upscale dishes served at Sliders Gastro Pub and Sports Bar in front of the Racing Grandstands. “I could really taste the crab,” said Laura Lee. A second dish, “Gastro Nachos” (also from Sliders) with cantaloupe and guacamole wasn’t as big of a hit with the group. “Unripe melon, pickled jalapenos and nachos was the worst idea ever,” said Lee.
Photo: Kent Porter
Best Classic: Munch-a-Bunch Corndog
“For me, fair food is corndogs. It’s nostalgic and as long as a food triggers that, it’s a winner,” said Chef Eric Lee. The Next Food Network contender was a fan of the Munch-a-Bunch dog ($4), but after the Scramble, continued his search. “I’m having at least two more,” Lee said. Munch-a-Bunch, Linwood South.
Best Dessert: Brown Sugar Cinnamon Crepe
San Francisco Crepe Company (previously known to locals as Cafe Martin at the Roxy) won the judges’ coveted dessert vote for its sheer simplicity. A folded crepe with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon stood out among the frosted, fried, canned strawberry-topped desserts. Not that we didn’t love them all, but sometimes less is more. Other faves: Homemade cannoli’s from Cardinali. Look for the rehabbed cable car on Poplar.
Best Healthy: Pasta King Polenta, ($8.50)
Almost every year, we give this marinara smothered polenta a “best of” award. It’s rich, filling and just plain good without making you feel like you’ve swallowed an elephant. Plus, it’s vegetarian, making it approachable for different dietary needs. Shade Park.
A few other favorites: Baklava (Sleek Greek, Shade Park), fried artichokes (Jeanne’s Artichokes, Linwood North) and the Cajun Sausage Sandwich (WIllie Bird’s BBQ, Linwood North). We compared several carne asada tacos, as well, including the returning Soft Tacos (Linwood North). Our favorite of the bunch: Rose’s Mexican Food (Mexican Village, $4).
The Second Annual Pacific Islander Festival happens in Rohnert Park on Saturday, July 28 from 10am to 8pm at 500 City Center Drive (City Center Plaza). The event features a lineup of homestyle Polynesian, Filipino and Hawaiian foods including lumpia, Kalua pork, Spam Musubi, barbecue, lupulu and adobo. Plus, Willie Bird’s Turkey, shave ice, cotton candy and more.
The event is a fundraiser for Rohnert Park Youth Warriors Football and Cheer. Free admission.
Featuring the Grammy award winning Beausoleil Quartet avec Michael Doucet,the most esteemed Canjun group in music and the hot roots sound of Tom Rigney and Flambeau. Bring your family and friends for great BBQ, dancing and music on the lawn. Gates open a 3pm, music starts at 4pm, $20
Quivira: Summer Farm-to-Table Dinner Saturday, July 28th , 5pm – 9pm $125 per person / $105 Queue members
Guests get an in-depth look at Quivira’s Biodynamic farming practices and winemaking, complete with a multi-course wine and food experience prepared by local Diavola Chef, Ciara Meaney, using produce from the winery’s 1-acre garden. Meet Farm Manager Andrew Beedy, visit Ruby the resident feral pig and learn about biodynamic winegrowing philosophies from Winemaker Hugh Chappelle.
Making a Chicken Last: Butchering Techniques with Marissa Guggiana Ramekins Culinary School, 40 West Spain St., Sonoma
Sunday, July 29th, 2012
11:00am-2:00pm, $80 Details
Butchery was nearly a dead art, until a recent renaissance turned progressive meat cutters into culinary cult idols. Inspired by a locally driven, nose-to-tail approach to butchery, this new wave of meat mania is redefining the way we buy and cook our meat. The momentum of this wave has created a frenzy, pulling a new generation of home cooks straight into the kitchen. At the fore- front of this new trend is Marissa Guggiana who not only authored Primal Cuts, Cooking with America’s Best Butchers but who also co-founded The Butcher’s Guild, a fraternity of meat professionals dedicated to the art, craft and education of butchery. Please join Marissa and Ramekins as she tackles the chicken and makes it shine.
Hands On: Eight Easy Pieces (The Classic Fryer Chicken)
Demo: Breaking It Down: Three Ways To Butcher A Chicken : Brick Style, Half-Boneless and Chicken Galantine
*All items will be Served with Roasted Potatoes and Vegetables
The Epicurean Connection will host a Bread & Baked Goods tasting withGuest Baker Wil Seppi, Costeaux Bakery from Healdsburg. The Epicurean Connection serves Costeaux Ciabatta, Whole Wheat Sour Dough and an assortment of fresh baked goods. Taste a variety of fresh baked, family owned, Sonoma County breads. Costeaux has won many awards at The Sonoma County Harvest Fair.
Wednesday July 25, 2012 from 4:00-6:00, Trade tasting 3:00-4:00 for chefs and retailers.
Chef Josh Silvers will close Petite Syrah (formerly known as Syrah) for good this fall. And at least part of the decision is based on Silvers’ own recent 40 pound weight loss.
” I decided Petite Syrah had run its course and it was time for a complete change. I used to love cooking and eating foie gras and pork belly and very rich foods, but I put on a lot of weight and I got high blood pressure,” said Silvers. He’s among a number of local chefs who’ve lost a significant amount of weight recently (Mark Stark and Sondra Bernstein among them) in order to improve their health.
“Last year, I started working out and eating healthier food; granted I still indulge in rich food but with a lot more moderation. My whole lifestyle changed and is more balanced. I am very happy and much healthier. High end food takes a lot of time and is expensive. I eat much healthier now, and I want to share with the public how much better we all can feel by eating better and spending less,” said Silvers.
Silvers opened Syrah in Railroad Square 1999, becoming the go-to for Wine Country classics like foie gras, Liberty Duck and Dungeness Crab Cakes. Two years ago, after opening nearby Jackson’s (a more casual eatery focused on pizzas, burgers and cocktails), Silvers re-invented the restaurant as Petite Syrah. The tweezer-perfect small plates that included 63 degree eggs, pork belly and spec ravioli garnered critical approval, but failed to gain the kind of widespread audience of Syrah.
After several changes, Silvers has decided to close the Syrah chapter. But isn’t done with the location.
“At this time and in this country, I think our health and our budgets are extremely important to us. I want to open a place where I can take my family and have everyday delicious comfort food. My lifestyle has changed radically this last year, and I want to reflect that in my restaurant. I have a family and I think Santa Rosa could use a restaurant where you can take your family and have everyday delicious comfort food with some options for special occasions (what I call my “cheat days),” said Silvers.
He’s mum on exactly what the new concept will entail or when it will open, but knowing Silvers, something’s definitely in the works. Until the closure, he’ll be featuring a number of “best of” menus. The final winemaker dinner, with J Winery, happens Aug. 2.
