Glen Ellen Star in previews

By biteclub


Ari Weiswasser, an alum of French Laundry, Daniel and Picholine, is finalizing the menu for his forthcoming Glen Ellen restaurant, set to open this spring.

With wife Erinn (nee Benziger), the couple has staged a number of preview dinners for media Chez Papa (the Glen Ellen home of GM, grower and biodynamic pioneer Mike Benziger). The consensus from rarely-impressed food writers so far: There’s little doubt that this star is on the rise….

The meal: Wine-braised short ribs with mustard flowers, ricotta gnocchi with orange blossom honey and pine nuts, fennel with fennel pollen and aleppo chili and grilled escarole salad showcase Weiswasser’s focus on rustic, wood-fired comfort foods when the 32-seat eatery opens.

Expect to find not only Benziger wines, but produce and animals raised in the nearby vineyards (Mike was picking mustard flowers that afternoon out back) and handmade ice creams (like vanilla maple bourbon) as menu highlights…as well as some secret discoveries (like the imported Greek feta he bargains for at a local deli).

Breath bated.

Healdsburger | Healdsburg

By biteclub

Being asked how you want your hamburger cooked says everything about the hamburger you’re about to eat. Because any restaurant that can’t serve burgers still pink in the middle* might need to reconsider why they’re serving burgers at all.

And though fresh, cooked-to-order burgers may seem a lofty expectation for a rehabbed A&W drive-in, the old-is-new-again  Healdsburger (48 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg) may have finally risen above its frozen-patty past.

“How would you like that burger cooked?” is the first tip-off that the burgery is headed in the right direction.

Purchased by sports exec David Alioto in late 2011 there’s new promise in the whiffs of smoky, grilled beef that waft through the parking lot. Cheery outdoor picnic tables, freshly painted walls and some serious Cloroxing since my last visit are the next tip-off that someone cares. Channeling the retro-nostalgic, Wine Country vibe of Gott’s Roadside (aka Taylor’s Automatic Refresher) you’ll immediately recognize the aluminum serving trays and lack of service ware that’s become at Gott’s hallmark, along with an attentive, uniformed crew of under 25-ish kids snapping to attention when orders come in.

The produce is spanking fresh (not sad iceberg or pale tomatoes), real ice cream shakes whir in the blender and a manual potato cutter (similar to the ones at In-N-Out) thumps into action every few minutes.


But what’s bringing back the crowds: Off-square pricing for on-square deliciousness. As in $5.75 for a juicy, toasted sesame seed bun, Guy-would-flip-his-wig this is so divey-good, kind of burger.

That’s not to say you can’t get a $12 Wine Country creation if you’re feeling fancy. Cheese and other toppings are a la carte, so expect to pay more if you’re gussying things up. Daily Specials get creative (The Hangover has bacon, cheddar and a fried egg, along with the usual fixins), and change up frequently, but are usually about $10 with fries and a drink.

For cardiac tight-rope walkers, the 14-ounce double patty ‘Mondo’ ($7.75) offers twice the patty fun. Kids get a nod with the 3-ounce mini, hot dogs, corn dogs, and chicken strips. Fries (skin on, of course) are included with most specials.  Milk shakes are generous and creamy, but grown-ups may prefer the spike of a Chocolate Stout Float.

Healdsburger is finally the little neighborhood drive-in with burgers worthy of the discriminating palates of its hometown. And a burger just the way you ordered it.

Healdsburger: 48 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, (707) 473-9604.

*Your willingness to eat meat the way it should be cooked may vary. They’ll incinerate your burger (ie: medium/well) if that’s what you really want.

 

Joey’s Original Pizza | Santa Rosa

By biteclub


The best thing about Joey’s Pizza isn’t the pizza. It’s everything else that comes out of the ovens

Joey’s Pizza was NoshMob #1— a democratic eating society. Wanna join?

Here’s what the Mobsters had to say…

– Amy D:“The server gave my son who’s twelve a little extra attention…he was smiling. The kids loved the Cheese pizza. The Combo… It reminded me of a New York style pizza. Thin crust and greasy. Enough that my husband would comment on the grease and he’s not usually picky on this. Toppings were good, the usual put on the combo: sausage pepperoni salami and mushrooms.”- Mike “Mr. Meat” S.: I had the Italian Sub, good, not great. Italian Delight in Novato still holds the title of best sub.

– John L.: “First let me say that with such strong personalities at a table, the food would have too be out of this world. Unfortunately it wasn’t. But for the price point it seemed fair. I tried a slice of the heart attack . Not bad really. Reminded me of pizza you would eat at the beach as a kid . The Italian sub & roast beef and garlic were both ok. Again for the price not bad. Over all I would say I won’t be running back for more . But iv payed more for less before.”

– Anne-Marie: “I had- The Big Tone – by the slice. chicken bacon artichoke mushroom pesto. Was a really tasty huge slice of pizza. $4 Couldn’t finish it!- The Antipasti Salad – small $5.25 A great salad w/mozzarella pepperochini’s salame (pepperoni too, but asked them to leave it off – not a big fan).

– Ty: “Not so good in my book. Caesar salad was ack. Pizza was meh … Though those pretzels were good. And the iced tea was good. I might go back to try a whole pizza and see what that’s like.”

– The Pregnant Lady: “Cheesy garlic breadsticks: These were a-m-a-z-i-n-g!” “A-dog Pizza: definitely one I’d order again.” “Meatball Sandwich: A fantastic deal for only $5.50 for a small- a nice-sized lunch for most people (who aren’t 38 weeks pregnant or sharing with a hungry lunch partner.) The melted provolone managed to get into every nook and cranny without taking over. Warm cookie sundae: This thing is a monster! It was HUGE! A giant, warm (kind of doughy) cookie covered in a whole lot of ice cream, a whole lot of chocolate sauce, a whole lot of whipped cream and some chocolate chips that were rolling down the side of this mountain as it was delivered to the table. We thought we didn’t have room to do much damage. We were wrong.”

Recently opened in the revolving restaurant space above Gary’s at the Belvedere, there’s been little buzz other than the ugly vinyl signage strung outside.  In fact, I’ve kind of avoided the spot. The specter of restaurants recently past (Blue Label and Blue Label Burgers) still knocking about felt a little chilling.

But a well-tested BiteClubber raved about Joey’s. Repeatedly. Re-peat-ed-ly. She’s pregnant, so what could I say?

Inside, not much has changed. Most of the Goodwill furniture is still there, as are the creaky, squeaky floors and hostess-free entrance (you have to kind of wind your way to the bar to find someone). But there’s also a new energy and a warm, yeasty smell that greets you at the door — rather than the cigarette smoke that used to permeate the walls. It’s immediately more comfortable somehow.

Hot, homemade pretzels — not quite soft, but not quite hard, and bathed in garlic salt — arrive at the table within a couple minutes. The place is almost always understaffed, but friendly and affable, and surprisingly prompt (though not fast).

Don’t be intimidated by the menu, which stretches for several pages, featuring pizzas that range from ho-hum (pepperoni, cheese) to hmm, okay (Joey’s Garlic supreme with garlic sauce, pepperoni, sausage, tomatoes and green onions) to wow (see the board at the bar for personal creations that mix meats, pineapple, and all manner of other toppings).

Overall, the pizza is good. It’s cheapish (prices top out at $17.99, but smalls are around $14 and plenty big for several) and you can get any sort of mix/match pie you’d like. I also love that you can get massive slices for $3.50. Lunchtime score.

But the big winner? The sandwiches. Fresh, flat rolls that are piping hot and filled with meat, cheese and veggies. The Cheesy Garlic Roast Beef (garlic, Ranch, cheese, roast beef) has made appearances in my food daydreams for weeks. At $5.50 it’s a steal, because you’ll likely take home half. Monster Meatball, Y&T Chicken and Brie are also winners.

Salads are pretty meh, but cheesy garlic sticks, fries and mozzarella sticks that actually have melted cheese in the middle make it a very kid-friendly spot.

Leave room for dessert. A warm chocolate chip cookie sundae slathered with whipped cream and vanilla ice cream ($5.95) is worth a trip alone. Warm. Chocolate Chip. Sundae. On several trips, they were out of the “Mama Joey’s ‘Labor Inducing’ Cheesecakes”, but hope springs eternal. Especially for my pregnant pal.

Joey’s Original Pizza isn’t fancy or gourmet. But it’s the kind of neighborhood spot that’s satisfying, and feels like a value for a quick lunch or a family dinner.

Joey’s Original Pizza, 727 Mendocino Ave, Santa rosa, 583-7688. Also 2700 Yulupa Ave., Santa Rosa, 542-279. Open daily for lunch and dinner.

Cheesy Garlic Sandwich
Cheesy Garlic Sandwich

Michael Traverso lands at Williams-Selyem

By biteclub

Former Traverso’s co-owner Michael Traverso has joined winery Williams Selyem as hospitality staff manager.

It’s a natch fit for the former Harvest Fair board president and ardent wine enthusiast whose 90-year-old family grocery shuttered last fall.  The winery’s rapid growth and stunning Estate Winery Center (which opened in 2010 with a year-long waiting list) has cemented its cult-status in the pinot world and only increased demand for tours and tastings.

Traverso is tasked with “delivering a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all visitors to the new Estate Winery. He will manage the hospitality staff that conducts tours of the winery and Estate vineyards for the by-appointment-only Tasting Salon at Williams Selyem,” according to Selyem reps.

“We are very happy to announce that our old friend and Sonoma County icon Michael Traverso has joined the team at Williams Selyem,” said the winery.

Upcoming Artisan Cheesemakers of the North Bay

By biteclub

There’s a whiff of springtime in the air. Or is it cheese?

As February turns to March and pasture babies begin weaning off mom and onto Northbay grasses, local cheese makers swing into full gear, making their curds and whey. This year, however, expect a bumper crop of goat, sheep, cow and even buffalo milk cheeses as a new (or at least semi-new) group of artisan producers bring their ripe and ready wares to market.

For many, their big debut comes over the next several months when local cheese maker Sheana Davis hosts a who’s who of the cheese world the Sonoma Valley Cheese Conference (Feb. 25-27) and the California Artisan Cheese Festival  (March 23-25) celebrates local cheeses with always-sold-out tours of local creameries, cheese-maker dinners and classes.

Here’s a sneak peek at the most buzz-worthy of this year’s producers…

A local cheese primer:
We’d be remiss in not mentioning some of the other great cheese producers who’ve put Marin and Sonoma County on the artisan cheese map.
– Achadinha Cheese Compnay: Longtime goat cheese producer, Petaluma
– Andante Cheese: Soyoung Scanlan is a biochemist and musician who’s painstakingly made cheeses grace top restaurant tables, Petaluma.
– Bellwether Farms: From cheese to yogurt, the Callahan’s are the first-family of California’s artisan cheese making movement.
– Bodega Artisan Cheese: Producing since great local boat cheeses since 1984.
– Clover Stornetta: The local brand we all know and love.
– Cowgirl Creamery: Peggy Smith and Sue Conley are cheese royalty, and their handcrafted cheeses are legendary.
– Laura Chenel’s Chevre: The company that brought goat cheese to the American table
– Marin French Cheese: Old continuously operating cheese factory in America
– Matos Cheese Factory: Inspired Portuguese-style cheeses
– Point Reyes Farmstead: If you’ve had a salad in the Bay area, chances are it had their Original Blue on it.
– Redwood Hill Farm and Creamery: Cheese, yogurt, kefir and a host of other other great goat products
– Spring Hill Cheese Co. : Best butter ever, great local cheeses
– Vella Cheese Company: Sonoma’s own, Ig Vella inspired much of the West Coast’s great cheese making.
– And in Humboldt County: Cypress Grove Chevre: Humboldt Fog, Midnight Moon. And life’s complete.

Weirauch Farm and Creamery: While cultivating their small herd of wooly East Friesian sheep to make European-style sheep’s milk cheese, Joel and Carleen Weirauch have honed their skills making swoon-worthy cow’s milk cheeses including Peau de Peche, a raw washed-rind cheese, Doubloon (a soft, spreadable crottin), Aged Tomme and Carabiner, an aged raw tome. Joel’s aged sheep’s milk cheese should hit the market this summer. Available at the Sebastopol Farm Market, weirauchfarm.com.

North Bay Curds and Whey: Alissa Shethar has been making locally-sourced raw cow’s and sheep’s milk cheeses under her own label for just about a year. Using a cooperative creamery with Ramini Mozzarella and Bleating Heart, Shethar has a strong East Bay following (where she sells at local farm markets).  Watch for fresh farm cheeses (Frisch, Picnic) as well as aged Baamonde, washed-rind Mariazell and Pavia, a mixed milk Romano-style cheese. northbaycheese.net.

Barinaga Ranch: Marcia Barinaga’s Basque shepherding ancestors inspired her to leave her former life as a scientist and make farmstead sheep’s milk cheese instead. Recently featured in the cheese-lover’s magazine, Culture, her raw-milk Baserri is an aged Spanish-style cheese that deserved it’s lush centerfold spread in the winter issue. Txiki is a smaller-sized version of Baserri, which ages more quickly and has a slightly different center-to-rind quality. barningaranch.com

Bleating Heart: The current darling of the local cheese scene, owners and Sean Doughty and Dave Dalton make both cow and sheep’s milk cheeses. Because sheep’s lactation cycles are seasonal, their Fat Bottom Girl and Sheperdista sheep’s milk cheeses are available only about six months a year — beginning in the spring. To keep year-round cheese production, they also produce Sonoma Toma, a jersey cow milk cheese. Hungry to try it? The first batch of 2012 Fat Bottom Girl went into production on Feb. 5 and should be in stores soon, and they’re planning a blue version of Fat Bottom for this year.  bleatingheart.com.

Two Rock Valley Goat Cheese: Though dairy family Don and Bonnie DeBernardi manage a large herd of Jersey cows, their cheese making got its start after the couple inherited several goats and didn’t know what to do with the milk. Inspired by his Swiss-Italian family roots, Don makes both aged and fresh goat’s milk cheeses, 762-6182.

Valley Ford Cheese Company: Estero Gold, an Italian farmstead cow’s milk cheese, is an award-winner inspired by Asiago. It’s a light, nutty aged cheese made by fourth and fifth generation dairy farmers. valleyfordcheeseco.com.

Bohemian Creamery: Lisa Gottreich and Miriam Block use cow, goat and sheeps’ milk in their lineup of some of the most sought-after cheeses in Sonoma County. Only available seasonally, Bo Poisse is a sheep’s milk Epoisse style cheese that’s as stinky as it is delicious. Cowabunga is a soft, spreadable cow’s milk cheese with goat milk caramel and the tangy Caproncino, a semi-hard goat pressed into small wheels. bohemiancreamery.com.

Upcoming Cheeses
Ramini Mozzarella: One of the most anticipated cheese debuts is Craig Ramini’s water buffalo mozzarella, set to hit shelves this year. Yes, water buffalo. The former software exec has spent the last several years growing a small herd of water buffalo in Tomales as well as a creamery. Highly prized in Europe, water buffalo mozzarella has a rich, creamy tang that sets it above it’s cow’s milk sibling. Expect to see it on the shelves this year. raminimozzarella.com.

Toluma Farms: This Tomales goat ranch has long been a milk supplier for Redwood Hill Farm in Sebastopol. Owners David Jablons and Tamara Hicks are currently building their own creamery and cheesemaking facility, Tomales Farmstead Creamery, with planned goat cheese production starting this year. tolumafarms.com.

Where to buy: Small, artisan cheeses can be hard to come by, though less so in the spring and summer months when production is at its highest. If you’re jonesing to taste these, your best bets are at the Sonoma Winter Artisan Cheese Fair (Feb. 27, 1-4p.m., MacArthur Place, $40, theepicureanconnection.com) or Sunday Marketplace at the Artisan Cheese Festival (March 25, noon-4p.m., Sheraton Sonoma County-Petaluma, $45, artisancheesefestival.com). You can also find some local artisan cheeses at Oliver’s, The Epicurean Connection (122 West Napa St.,  Sonoma), The Cheese Shop in Healdsburg (423 Center St., Healdsburg) and local farm markets.

Donut Cafe | Santa Rosa

By biteclub


Frank makes the donuts while you sleep.

Just past midnight, 82-year-old Frank Whigham and his wife, Champa, head to their Bennett Valley bakery, The Donut Cafe, to cook up hundreds of donuts, fritters, Danish and (best of all) cinnamon twists for the next morning.

It’s grueling work — the shop opens at 5am and the couple usually work until around 4pm, getting in a few hours sleep before starting the whole process again the next day. The payoff: Donuts so good even local cardiologists are known to come in for a few.

“We have a lot of doctors,” said Whigham, grinning. Along with early morning laborers, construction workers, then school children, the mid-morning business folks and coffee-sipping crowd and the later lunchtime nibblers, there’s a steady stream of folks walking out with pink boxes or just sitting around the tables having coffee and donuts.

Suffice to say Whigham’s built up a loyal following in the four years since opening in Santa Rosa. But fans know to come early, because his popular twists tend to run out early.

“We do everything the old fashioned way,” said Whigham, who’s a stickler for details like using real pastry cream, jellies and from-scratch ingredients. Including real cinnamon for his crispy twists.

Whigham’s been in the biz since he was 9, learning the trade in his uncle’s Georgia bakery. “I also learned to drive in Georgia,” he says with just a hint of his southern twang, “My uncles were moonshiners.” In San Francisco, he joined the baker’s union (illegally) at 15, was busted and sent back to school, and eventually ended up with 5 bakeries in Daly City. If you get him going, he’ll gladly tell you about a lifetime of adventures — from playing with Confederate dollars as a kid to teaching donut making in Saudi Arabia.

And in a place and time where sugary, glutenous, calorie-laden treats have almost become verboten, it’s refreshing to find a little corner of the world where old-fashioned morning pastries are still made — and accepted — with love. “I never get tired of donuts. I still eat five or six a day,” said the octogenarian.

Maybe there’s something to enjoying a little sweetness in life — in moderation of course. You can ask the doctors walking out with a bear claw or jelly donut the next time you’re there.

Donut Cafe: 4275 Montgomery Drive, Santa Rosa, 539-2416.

Underground Southern Dinner

By biteclub

Just in time for Mardi Gras season, the secret chefs of Guerrilla Cuisine are hosting a southern-inspired dinner on the down-low, happening this Saturday, 2/18/2012 in Healdsburg.

Undercover organizers are calling it “a culinary revival with Southern Soul”, featuring chefs, a featured artist and a winemaker who are all transplants from the land of Dixie. Five courses are served with wine, but BYOB (to share with friends) is always encouraged.

“Guerrilla Cuisine is not for everyone.  It’s not a sit at a restaurant and order from a big menu kind of event.  It’s an intimate evening with strangers and getting closer to the people that grow, raise and produce your food,” say organizers.

That’s about all the info you’ll get beforehand, including the exact location (given out just before the event and only to ticketholders). But past dinners have been sell-out events and this one will likely be the same.

Wanna go? Me, too.

Guerilla Cuisine Wine Country, $50 per person, 6pm.
Order tickets online at https://gcsoco.eventbrite.com/

Ben hands out the rosé. Meaning the wine.

By biteclub


Missed out on getting a rose from Bachelor Ben?
How about a rosé instead.

Bachelor Ben Flanjnik pours his first release of Envolve rosé at Pink Out on May 8, 2012. The celebration of perfectly pink wines (and those who love them) happens at Butterfly restaurant in San Francisco and features more than 40 still and sparkling roses along with appetizers and music.

Also rumored to be at the event?? A certain local Disney/Pixar bigwig who publicly launched his own winery last year. In case you’re still wondering, it’s John Lasseter, who has his own Rose blend, Enjoue, inspired by dry French roses.

Ike’s Place to open in March

By biteclub


Just when we all thought hope was lost, Ike’s Place Santa Rosa is on the fast track toward opening. At least according to owner Ike Shehadeh.

The popular SF sandwichery best known for their “dirty sauce”, and ,uh, creatively-named sandwiches (the Lizzy’s Lips, Spiffy Tiffy, Fat Bastard, Pizzle) has been “coming soon” to Santa Rosa since sometime in 201o. It’s also one of the most frequently asked questions BiteClub gets: “So when is Ike’s coming?”

Unfortunately, not much happened at the gated-off S&S Market spot at 1780 Mendocino Ave. where the vinyl sign teased the “coming soon” for more than a year. Until last week.

Thanks to BiteClubber, this little piece of happiness came my way:

A quick call to Ike confirmed the news.

“We’re actually looking for a place to live right now,” said Shehadeh over the phone today. “We finally go the use permit in January and started the build out on Monday.”

The restaurant is slated to open in March. Of 2012. We hope.

Ike’s opening comes on the heels of a flurry of activity in the JC neighborhood. Chick-fil-A is scoping out the former Burger King on Mendocino, Panera Bread opened just last month. In-N-Out and 5 Guys opened last year, along with the recent opening of locally-owned crepery, Crepe Daze, and the heralded opening of the new culinary center at Santa Rosa Junior college. BJ’s Brewhouse will open later this year at Coddingtown Mall. And we have this kind of hopeful feeling that Chipotle, which has long been rumored to be looking for a space in Sonoma County, might take over the now-shuttered Baja Fresh.