Winner of BiteClub’s Top Sushi Spot in 2009
Chef Ken Tominaga works with fresh fish flown in from Japan (along with closer-by catches) each day, and staff know how to handle it with artistry and care. This is the real deal, when it comes to Wine Country sushi — no wacky rolls or silly sauces. The key here: Ask questions and show your enthusiasm. Your interest will be returned in kind.
101 Golf Course Drive, Rohnert Park, 707.586.0270.
This is hilarious. Apparently there’s someone impersonating our very own Foodnetwork Star, Guy Fieri during a KC Royals game. The broadcaster gets duped, but it’s clear to anyone watching this guy doesn’t have the Fieri Fire.
Guy quickly Twittered that the faux fan wasn’t in fact him. “Some cat is playin me in KC,” he told fans. That’s so NOT money, baby.
I have feelings you know.
All I do every single day is work my fingers to the bone for you. I
work and I work and no one appreciates all the things I do. Sniff. You
don’t call. You don’t even bother to clean up your rooms. No. Sorry doesn’t cut it.
Mommy needs a little Mommy Time alone. So read through this list of places you can take me for Mother’s Day. In your room Mister. And think about what you’ve done.
FRIDAY
Cocktails and Couture at Barndiva
Hip mamas know that the best way to celebrate mommy’s day is a little
pre-party with the gals. Barndiva’s turning it up with a runway show
from eco-cool Hburg dressers Arboretum, a DJ, delish cocktails and a
fashionista dinner in the Artists and Farmers Gardens. Friday, May 8,
6pm on. Studio Barndiva, 237 Center St., Healdsburg, 707.431.0100.
Continue reading “Mom’s Day Brunches”
Chef Shuffle at French Garden Restaurant
Less than a year after hiring Frenchman Didier Gerbi to head the kitchen at his Sebastopol restaurant, owner Dan Smith has replaced him. It’s the most recent in a long line of fallen toques at the restaurant. Smith continues to search for that elusive combination of a true farm-to-table West County local cuisine taking full advantage of the fruits and veggies from Dan’s 30-acre farm.
“We just weren’t there,” Smith tells BiteClub. New Chef Peter Roelant, who’s from Switzerland by way of Los Angeles, has some serious chops. He’s a protege of Freddy Giradet, a three-Michelin-star Swiss chef, and has done stints at the former Four Oaks and popular Wine Bistro (both in LA). We’re hoping that Smith has finally found his man. Where you ask? Roelant is yet another Craigslist find. The new chef starts this week, and the menu will begin to transition immediately.8050 Bodega Ave., Sebastopol, 707.824.2030.
Restaurant Eloise, $35 Dollar Recession Special
Wallet feeling a little light these days? The up-and-coming restaurant offers a three-course menu for $35 dollars and waves corkage each Wednesday night. 2295 Gravenstein Hwy South, Sebastopol, 707 823 6300
Alice’s becomes Pesto
Details are still a little sketchy on the transformation at Sebastopol’s Alice’s Restaurant, but BiteClub hears that it’s staying all in the family. The restaurant will be reinvented as “Pesto” and will be open for Mother’s Day brunch with many of the same folks involved. 101 S. Main Street Sebastopol, (707) 829-3212. Stay tuned for more.
Jackie’s Sports Bar in Healdsburg (9 Mitchell Ln., Healdsburg, (707) 433-6362, formerly Western Boot Steakhouse) has been closed while undergoing some renovations, but insiders tell BiteClub it’s about to start serving up BBQ, joining the growing ranks of ‘q-ers around the county.
Pizza on Wheels
Rosso Pizzeria and Wine Bar (53 Montgomery Dr, Santa Rosa, (707) 544-3225) been high on our radar lately, continuing to be packed on the weekends despite the sagging economy. And still churning out that incredible burrata BiteClub loves so much. Word is they’ll have a mobile pizza oven starting May 13 at the Santa Rosa Wednesday night market. We also found out that the much-loved Kashaya’s Brick Oven Pizza (another mobile pizza baker) who’s been gracing Petaluma and other West County farm markets will soon be coming to the Saturday market in Santa Rosa. Can’t Wait!
Whether you like it green and grassy or butter-churn yellow, chances are you don’t know quite as much about olive oil as you think you do. More than just a dip for bread or tasteless oil for heart-healthy sauteeing, true olive oil has as much depth, flavor and character as a fine wine. And can cost you just as much.
Sonoma County, along with nearby Marin, Mendocino and Napa, are at the heart of an artisan olive oil renaissance that goes back to the early 1990s. Inspired by the robust, peppery, fresh flavors of Tuscan olive oil, a handful of producers — among them SoCo’s own Bruce Cohn, Deborah Rogers, Ed Stolman, Ridgley Evers and Colleen McGlynn — began producing award-winning small-production oils that tasted more like Italy and less like the bland, flavorless imported oils being dumped on the American market.
“There’s fat and there’s flavor,” says DaVero Olive Oil’s Ridgely Evers, one of Sonoma County’s most outspoken advocates for buying fresh, local, extra- virgin olive oil. According to Evers, as well as UC Davis olive expert Paul Vossen, most of the cheap, imported olive oil on grocery shelves is old, substandard stuff dumped on the American market.
“A little rancidity is normal. But olive oil just doesn’t get better with time. You need to get it fresh to capture the essence and flavor,” Vossen said.
Those flavors include things like green apple, green beans, grass, hay, butter, nettles, green banana or green tea. They shouldn’t include flavors (or smells) like varnish, oil-based paint or old walnuts – signs of rancidity. Extra-virgin simply means the oil is of the highest grade. Look for a certification on the bottle from the California Olive Oil Council.
Want to know how to get the good stuff? Go right to the source and be prepared to pay a pretty penny – upwards of $20 -$30 a bottle. This isn’t cooking oil. Instead, use these high-quality oils for dipping, light dressings and finishing oils for meats and fish — where you can truly appreciate their flavor. Save the cheap stuff for searing, frying or sauteeing. The best time of year to get olive oil is straight from the presses in November/December (called Olio Nuovo) or after it has settled, usually around March. Store in a cool, dark place for about a year. After that, treat yourself to a new bottle.
Where to get it? BiteClub hits the hot spots…
Continue reading “Olive Oil: 10 top artisan producers in Wine Country”
Oh, a crisis of conscience on this one…heck with it. Free chicken is free chicken.
Here’s the deal: Kentucky Fried Chicken has this new grilled chicken meal. I actually went and had it this weekend, and I won’t lie to you, it was not that bad. I’m not saying you can’t get a whole lot better local, organic, free-range chicken from a Sonoma County restaurant, etc. etc.
But let’s be totally honest. The vast majority of us have hit a bucket hard at least once in our lives. And thanks to the Oprah show, you can actually get a FREE KENTUCKY GRILLED CHICKEN meal from now until 5/19 provided you can actually get in and print the coupon out.
Cyrus Restaurant Chef Douglas Keane of Healdsburg has won Best Chef: Pacific at the James Beard Awards, held Monday night in New York. The awards are considered the Oscars of the food world. The event is being Twittered live.
Other nominees from the Pacific Category (which includes California and Hawaii) included
Jeremy Fox of Napa’s Ubuntu; Loretta Keller, SF’s Coco500; David Kinch, Los Gatos’ Manresa; Daniel Patterson, SF’s Coi.
Also on the podium, Nate Appleman of A16, San Francisco, who won Rising Star Chef of the Year.
For more details on the awards, including other Bay Area chefs nominated for awards, check out the James Beard Awards page.
…Syrah Restaurant is mourning the lost of longtime server Mark “Markie Mark” McLean, 26, who died this week. He had worked at the restaurant for eight years along with his sister, assistant manager Mary McLean. “It was a tragic loss. He kind of grew up at Syrah,” says Regina Silvers. “He started as a busser when he was 18 and worked his way up. He was very loved.”
…Michael Krazny and Michael Pollan will be at the French Garden Restaurant in Sebastopol on May 3 doing a benefit for the Sebastopol Cultural Community Center. Tickets are sold out, but a few are being raffled online at seb.org.
…Emmy’s Spaghetti Shack, a popular hipster hangout in San Francisco, will open its second outpost in the town of Sonoma in early June. Sonoma native Eric Center will man the kitchen, where the focus is on affordable, hearty Italian and American classics like spaghetti, steaks and salads. Owner Emmy Kaplan, also from Sonoma, hopes to tap into the local 20-40-something demographic by using lots of recycled materials inside, featuring seasonal cocktails, electic music and urban art. The restaurant will take over the Deuce restaurant location at 691 Broadway.
…Cinco de Woo Hoo: Where are your fave spots to celebrate Cinco De Mayo? Tell me.
But ask me anything about my own wedding cake, other than the fact that I had one, and things get a little foggy. It was white and covered with flowers. I think.
But for so many blushing brides, it’s as symbolic as picking the right bridesmaids and the perfect dress — an integral part of the perfectly planned day.
Which may be why Wine Country has a booming wedding cake industry.
High-end bakeries like Auntie B’s, Michele Marie’s, Costeaux and
Patisserie Angelica can make upwards of 450 wedding cakes each year,
with August and September their busiest months. They’re not the only
ones getting into the action. Oliver’s has an in-house bakery that
makes haute wedding cakes that rival the fanciest patisseries at a
fraction of the cost. And hip brides know that a multi-tiered highrise of cupcakes are all the rage as alterna-desserts.
So here I sit alone in my kitchen with 10 bakery boxes full of wedding
cake samples, a fork and a tall glass of milk ready to dive in once
again. Just for fun. No perfectly planned day to fret over and plan. No
guest list to figure out or dress to fit into. Just the simple pleasure
of contentedly savoring slice after slice of buttercream-frosted
happiness.
Best bets for Sonoma County wedding cakes…
Patisserie Angelica: Simple to exotic flavors made from some of the
best stuff on earth. White cake with Sharffen Berger chocolate;
Tahitian vanilla bean cake with French buttercream; coconut cake with
passion fruit curd; lemon zest cake with organic Meyer lemon crud or
tiramisu cake with ground hazelnuts, espresso, Kahlua and brandy with
whipped mascarpone filling. Truly haute, European-inspired cakes that
taste as good as they look. 6821 Laguna Park Way, Sebastopol,
707.827.7998.
Michelle Marie’s Patisserie: A favorite of many Wine Country brides,
this Santa Rosa bakery consistently makes some of the best-tasting
cakes around. Although it may look cute, skip the fondant and go for
flavor with their decadent buttercream frosted buttermilk cream cake
filled with raspberries, strawberries and blueberries. Or a French
Vanilla fudge cake with raspberry preserves and whipped ganache. 2404
Magowan Drive, Santa Rosa, (707) 575-1214.
Oliver’s Market: This ain’t no grocery store cake. Using real butter,
cream and fruit, this local market has a stellar in-house bakery that
can customize any of their dozen-or-so flavored cakes (carrot, white
chocolate raspberry mousse, passion fruit or German chocolate) into a
wedding-worthy dessert. Affordable without looking (or tasting) cheap.
560 Montecito Center, Santa Rosa, 537.7123; 461 Stony Point Road, Santa
Rosa, 284-3530; 546 East Cotati Ave., Cotati, 795-9501.
Costeaux French Bakery: Elegant, classic cakes that can be customized
all kinds of ways to match your taste. Standouts include Grand Marnier
cream cheese frosting on a poppy seed rum cake (with raspberry conserve
and fresh raspberries); Swiss buttercream chiffon; whipped cream
topped vanilla cake stuffed with strawberries or chocolate truffle —
just to start. 417 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, 707.433.1913.
Fleur de Lisa: A small, intimate bakery with creativity to spare. Lisa
Marie Kincaid’s cakes are stunning to look at, but inside are
tastebud-popping flavors like Victorian vanilla cake layered with white
chocolate cream cheese and raspberry puree; lemon poppy seed cake with
cream cheese and lemon curd; dark chocolate devil’s food cake with
espresso buttercream and chocolate mousse; ginger spice cake with
cinnamon cream cheese filling or white cake layered with coconut
pineapple filling. Lisa’s also a whiz with themed groom cakes. 463
Sebastopol Avenue, Santa Rosa, (707) 544-5581. By appointment only.
Auntie B’s: Yes, there really is an Auntie B and she’s been baking
bridal cakes for nearly two decades. Light, fluffy chiffon cake filled
with everything from champagne custard to lemon curd, raspberry mousse
, and Italian rum custard. 3279 Dutton Ave., Santa Rosa, 707-584-4269.
Sift Cupcakery: Personalized little cupcakes in all kinds of funky
flavors — red velvet, key lime, raspberry champagne, chocolate and a
whole bunch of others. Cupcakes can be served individually or placed on
a multi-tiered stand to mimic a more traditional wedding cake. The
bakery can customize colors, flavors, and themes — including doing some
saucier cupcakes for bridal showers or groom cakes. Just plain fun.
7582 Commerce Blvd., Cotati, 707-792-1681 and now in Napa, 1000 Main
St., Napa, 707.240.4004.
Penelope Jane: Napa wedding cakes as cute as the name. Owner Penelope Jane Orsini is known throughout the valley for her tasty tarts, cupcakes and and cakes, which sell at Sunshine Foods and Dean & Deluca in St. Helena — a good way to test the merchandise. (707) 292-2282, penelopejane.com.
Sweetie Pies: It’s one thing for a wedding cake to look good, but making these elaborate creations taste good is truly an art. The pastry chefs as this popular downtown Napa bake shop spend plenty of time making everything from brownies and mini cakes to breakfast pastries, cookies and whoopie pies, so when it comes to special event cakes, there’s no shortage of flavor. 520 Main St., Napa, (707) 257-8817.
Perfect Endings: A baker to the stars, this Napa bakery is a personal favorite of Oprah Winfrey. A specialty are “vintage” flavors including coconut, banana, Devil’s food and of course, red velvet. (707) 259-0500, perfectendings.com.
Pair with: Champagne or sparkling wine is the traditional accompaniment
to wedding cake. Gloria Ferrer in Sonoma has recently released a new
ultra cuvee called Va De Vi that’s a great match for the sweetness of
cake.
Looking for a wedding consultant? Thanks to Robbin Montero of A Dream
Wedding for her insight into local wedding cake vendors! 707-579-5886
