Looking to spend a day by the coast but want to avoid the crowds? These seven secret spots and unique experiences are perfect for the solitary ocean aficionado. Click through the above gallery for all the details.
Hot and sunny summer days don’t have to put a damper on plans to get outside in Wine Country. You can lace up your boots and stay cool in one of Sonoma County’s many shady parks. Tree-lined paths make hiking excursions a breeze, even when the sun is blazing and temperatures soar. Click through the gallery above for details.
This summer, Northern California welcomes the return of Festival del Sole, which will be held at the Green Music Center at Sonoma State University from Aug. 1 to 4.
The event, presented in collaboration with arts entrepreneur and pianist Barrett Wissman, will feature a lineup of international musicians, wine events and an exclusive gala dinner and auction, which will welcome actor Robert Redford and his wife, multimedia environmental artist Sibylle Szaggars Redford.
Originating in the 1990s in Italy, Festival del Sole was conceived by Wissman and his wife, cellist Nina Kotova, as an event where friends could gather to make music in a welcoming atmosphere.
The couple, who were living in Italy at the time, frequented a 19th-century theater in Cortona, Tuscany, that used to screen movies one day a week on Sundays. “Back then, there were spiderwebs everywhere. We thought, wouldn’t it be great to have a festival here,” Wissman said.
The festival officially launched in Cortona in 2003, featuring concerts, art exhibitions, culinary events, wine tastings and literary gatherings. Over the next couple of years, it grew rapidly. Barrett attributed the success to the fact that the festival was dedicated to the artists themselves.
“It was the one time in the summer where they had time to come together, and it led to interesting collaborations that they normally wouldn’t be able to do,” Wissman said. “We had the best artists from across the world. From Anthony Hopkins to Sting.”
In 2006, Wissman brought Festival del Sole to Napa Valley, and the event was renamed Festival Napa Valley in 2016. However, this August will be Festival del Sole’s reincarnation.
Wissman set out to unite the purest form of collaboration and talent, from wineries to chefs, with the notion of bringing all artists together.
“The idea is to build something in Sonoma like what Ravinia is to Chicago. The highest level of performance and arts combined with food and wine,” Wissman said.
The festival kicks off on Thursday, Aug. 1, with performances by acclaimed instrumentalists Olga Kern, Nina Kotova and Viktoria Mullova. “This is the first time these musicians are coming together, they’ve never played together,” Wissman said.
On Friday, Aug. 2, celebrated violinist and violist Pinchas Zukerman will perform alongside cellist Amanda Forsyth and pianist Michael Brown. On Saturday, Aug. 3, tenor Joseph Calleja, known for his “golden-age” voice and commanding stage presence, will perform.
The festival will conclude on Sunday, Aug. 4, with a screening of “The Way of the Rain: Hope for Earth—A Symphony for Our Planet.” The film captures the October 2023 live performance at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Hall in Dallas, Texas, featuring narration by Robert Redford and music by Tim Janis. Sibylle Szaggars Redford and Robert Redford will attend the screening and gala dinner.
Buena Vista Winery and French vintner Jean-Charles Boisset will host the grand gala dinner and auction on Aug. 4. The event will benefit The Way of the Rain, a nonprofit founded by Sibylle Szaggars Redford that promotes environmental awareness through artistic performances.
Attendees can enjoy wines from Buena Vista and a special Bordeaux crafted by enologist Michel Rolland. Additionally, Vinous, a renowned wine publication, has organized a series of lunches and tastings at wineries such as Freeman Vineyard & Winery and Three Sticks Wines. One of the festival’s main draws will be the culinary and wine experiences curated by private wine club Domus Artium Reserve.
Montage Healdsburg will offer accommodations for artists and participants. The resort is located on 258 acres in Sonoma and features 130 bungalow-style guest rooms and suites and 40 private residences.
“We really want to bring the community together, something that Sonoma can be really proud of and proud to host. I really want to try to encourage anyone who wants to collaborate to be a part of it,” said Wissman.
Tickets for Festival del Sole range from $45 to $70 for music performances, $190 for lunch and wine tastings, and $500 for the gala dinner. Purchase tickets at gmc.sonoma.edu or by calling 707-664-4246. For more details on the gala and wine events, visit festivaldelsolearts.com.
The pace of the Russian River sets up a leisurely tempo of life in west Sonoma County. In this laid-back enclave of charming redwood cabins nestled into steep hillsides, you are bound to find your own rhythm in relaxed Russian River style.
Guerneville’s varied storefronts reflect the layers of the region’s recent history, from timber town to hippie haven to gay-friendly retreat and upscale weekend getaway. Close to the beach and with a downtown full of excellent places to eat and drink, it is a great place to kick back and soak up the sun during summer days. Click through the above gallery for a few of our favorite places in Guerneville.
As temperatures heat up inland, the coast is our cool-weather getaway through the summer. Click through the above gallery for a few of our favorite coastal restaurants in Sonoma and Marin counties.
John Beck and Dana Rebmann contributed to this article.
Travel site National Geographic recently released a list of five of the best retro motels in California. Two local motels, in Santa Rosa and Calistoga, made the cut.
Calistoga Motor Lodge & Spa, originally opened in 1946 as a roadside motel, placed third on the list for its nostalgic design and nature-inspired interiors. The retro lodge is known for its hot springs-fed geothermal pools and modern, 1880s bathhouse-inspired MoonAcre Spa with clawfoot tub mud baths.
The Calistoga Motor Lodge features 97 guest rooms and suites and the onsite Fleetwood restaurant, serving Italian and Mediterranean cuisine. Rooms from $246.
The Astro Motel in Santa Rosa, built in 1963 as part of a chain of space-themed motels, earned the fourth spot on National Geographic’s list for its modern revival and 1950s-themed interior.
After the turn of the century, The Astro fell into disrepair and became infamous for its seediness. The team behind Santa Rosa’s Spinster Sisters restaurant acquired the motel in 2017 and got to work on an ambitious remodel. The motel became a refuge for fire evacuees later that year during the 2017 wildfires in Sonoma County. The renovated motel officially opened to the public in January of 2018.
Retro decor at The Astro include “white leather banquettes, record players and signs for defunct soft drinks,” according to the National Geographic listing. The motel features 34 rooms and a guest lounge complete with a vintage sound system, a collection of board games and a daily complimentary breakfast from The Spinster Sisters pantry. Rooms from $139.
Calistoga Motor Lodge & Spa, 1880 Lincoln Ave., Calistoga, 707-737-0000, calistogamotorlodgeandspa.com; The Astro, 323 Santa Rosa Ave., Santa Rosa, 707-200-4655, theastro.com
The annual Wind to Wine Festival returns to the historic hay barn at Gambonini Family Ranch on Aug. 10 for an afternoon of sipping, sampling and discoveries.
Hosted by the Petaluma Gap Winegrowers Alliance, Wind to Wine celebrates wines from the windswept Petaluma Gap appellation. The event’s grand tasting includes selections from over 25 local producers, along with wine-friendly bites from the girl & the fig and artisan cheeses from Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company.
Named for a gap in the coastal mountain range that funnels cool wind and fog east from the Pacific Ocean through the city of Petaluma and south to San Pablo Bay, the Petaluma Gap achieved American Viticultural Area (AVA) status in 2017. The AVA is known as a top producer of Sonoma County Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah wines.
“The fog and wind from the Pacific Ocean play a crucial role in shaping the wines from grapes grown in the Petaluma Gap, giving them a distinctive blend of generous acidity and rich textures that linger on the palate,” says participating vintner Tony Lombardi, founder of Lombardi Wines in Petaluma. “The Wind to Wine Festival is a unique tasting because we’re a band of small family wine businesses, eager to connect with people by sharing our stories and wines.”
New at the festival this year is a trio of seated seminars for VIP ticket holders, hosted by local winemakers and vintners such as Garry Brooks of Brooks Note Winery in Petaluma and Randy Bennett of Sojourn Cellars in Sonoma. The immersive workshops include an exploration of the region’s cool-climate white wines, a comparison with the wines of Burgundy, and a deep dive into wines from the celebrated Gap’s Crown and Sangiacomo’s Roberts Road vineyards.
Festival tickets range from $90 for general admission to $145 for VIP tickets, which include early entry and access to one seminar.
Wind to Wine Festival, Gambonini Ranch, 7325 Old Lakeville Road No. 3, Petaluma, petalumagap.com
The idea of green eggs and ham has always struck me as something best left for Dr. Seuss after trying several well-meaning efforts from creative chefs. But a Turkish egg version with ham from Journeyman Meats, green goddess yogurt, dukkah spices, crushed pistachios and a jammy egg could easily persuade me to try it in a box, with a fox or pretty much anywhere.
Chef Beryl Adler, the owner of Acorn Cafe in Healdsburg, is spilling the tea on forthcoming dishes on his breakfast, brunch and lunch menu. The cafe, located in the 124 Matheson St. building that housed Oakville Grocery for 25 years, is slated to open in late summer (fingers crossed for August, Adler said).
Also on the menu are tiramisu French toast with brioche from Santa Rosa’s Goguette Bread, mascarpone sabayon (a rich cream sauce) and a scoop of Black Oak coffee ice cream; a bacon Benedict with brown butter Hollandaise; a fried chicken sandwich with housemade teriyaki sauce and pickled vegetables; as well as lemon pancakes and an acai bowl. The restaurant will also bake scones and muffins daily.
The interior of the former Oakville Grocery has been completely remodeled, with more windows and expansive indoor seating, in addition to the much-loved patio seats with a view of the plaza.
“The whole purpose of me wanting to open this cafe is to create a space where my wife can come after dropping my daughter at school and grab a beverage with friends,” Adler said.
Keeping with the family theme, the green eggs and ham dish is a nod to his 3-year-old, the chef said, though the ingredients are decidedly not nursery school fare.
“There’s nowhere really on the plaza for breakfast,” he said, noting that, while there are bakeries and coffee shops, a dedicated sit-down cafe has long been lacking.
After Acorn Cafe closes at 5 p.m., Adler hopes to create a community space inside the building for pop-up restaurants.
“It’s for entrepreneurs who dream of opening a restaurant, so rather than committing to a lease, they can test the waters here,” he said. (Healdsburg has long been a prime spot for new restaurant concepts, with places like Molti Amici, Maison Healdsburg Wine Bar and other tasting rooms serving as launchpads for entrepreneurial chefs.)
Adler previously worked at the W Hotel in Seminyak, Bali, and Ritz-Carlton locations in Half Moon Bay and Grand Cayman in the Caribbean. While coming up with the concept for Acorn Cafe, he created the in-house menu at Black Oak Coffee Roasters in Healdsburg (324 Center St.). The Ukiah-based coffee company, however, is not part of the Acorn ownership team.
“This little acorn fell from their family tree,” he said of his time working for Black Oak owner Jon Frech.
In addition to serving Black Oak coffee, Acorn Cafe will have beer and rosé on tap.
Stay tuned for opening details.
Recently, I reached out to readers asking for their restaurant recommendations and questions. You didn’t disappoint.
In fact, I got so much great feedback, I started adding a reader question to my Bite Club column. (Bite Club is published in The Press Democrat on Sundays and on sonomamag.com weekly.)
Bite Club reader Marie S. asks, “What’s going on at Monti’s in Montgomery Village?”
Mark and Terri Stark’s longtime Santa Rosa restaurant closed in late March for a remodel and menu update. The refreshed interior will include a new kitchen, as well as new flooring, furniture, bar tops, bathrooms and expanded patios. Watch for lots of Mediterranean blue and yellow, with rattan finishes.
The menu will focus on contemporary Mediterranean dishes and keep fan favorites like the lamb burger, pizzas and rosemary fries, but it will also add some homemade pasta and grilled fish. Monti’s staff are working at the Starks’ other restaurants during the renovation. The 20-year-old restaurant is slated to reopen in late July.
Meadowood Napa Valley, the Michelin-recognized resort in St. Helena, has announced the appointment of Alejandro Ayala as executive chef.
The longtime kitchen staffer, who rose from dishwasher to top toque, will oversee Meadowood’s Forum restaurant and Terrace cafe. Forum, open to the public, is a relaxed breakfast, lunch, dinner and weekend brunch eatery serving California-inspired dishes with Mexican influences. The Terrace is a seasonal outdoor cafe only open to Meadowood guests.
But what happened to chef Christopher Kostow, who led The Restaurant at Meadowood to three Michelin stars before it was destroyed in the 2020 Glass Fire? While the fine dining restaurant is being reimagined and rebuilt, Kostow has opened The Charter Oak in St. Helena, reopened Ciccio in Yountville and created a casual Jewish deli, Loveski, at the Oxbow Market.
Kostow has confirmed he will remain on the team as The Restaurant at Meadowood is rebuilt, though there is currently no timeline for reopening.
