When talking about a restaurant as well-worn as Juanita, Juanita I tend to gird my loins a bit. Folks who’ve been eating there for years either come out in rousing support or, uh, start hurling rotten eggs at me for daring to mention it. (Don’t believe me? Check out my riff on Hank’s Creekside).

All of which is fine because I don’t smell that great to begin with. But after hearing locals go on and on and on about this funky little hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant, BiteClub felt compelled to at least dip a toe in the guacomole. (Not literally of course, that would be unsanitary).

Located well off the main square, it’s everything a divey little spot should be: Ramshackle, weird, a little dusty around the edges, un-air conditioned and with politely detached wait staff. The Modern Tijanuana decor equals vibrant paint, faded pinatas, neon beer signs and hand-drawn pictures covering the walls. It’s charming to the extreme–the kind of place visitors are thrilled to stumble upon for the “real” Sonoma experience. Whether locals appreciate that discovery is a whole other thing.

And though the spot is anything but upscale, don’t expect gloopy refried beans and leathery meat here. Don’t expect $3 burritos either. Supers start at $8.50 and quickly hit double-digits. Worth it? From the heft alone (my arm was aching just to hold it up), you may be able to feed a whole family with just one of these edible missiles.

Don’t miss the Garlic Garlic Burrito ($11 with meat, $13.50 with prawns) filled with avocado, black beans, cheese, fresh spinach, garlic walnut paste, sour cream and veggies. And by veggies, we mean fresh corn, tomatoes, peppers and peas (!?). No rice. It’s easily the tastiest burrito I’ve ever tackled — and I’ve tackled quite a few.

Also on the a la carte menu are tostadas, nachos, quesadillas and tacos, as well as heartier entrees like the Chanchamito (a fried burrito), enchiladas (only after 5pm), tamales, half roasted Jamaican chicken and the popular Chipotle Plate ($14.85) — a grilled chicken in chipotle cream sauce that’s muy picante.

Purists may decry some of Juanita’s creative interpretations, but the
marriage of authentic ingredients and solid cooking make for good
eating in my book.

Head to the outdoor patio to find locals digging into chips and salsa on summer nights. I’ll leave it to them to fill you in on all the ins-and-outs of Juanita, Juanita over a cerveza or two. But please, keep your rotten eggs to yourself.

Keep in mind: Juanita, Juanita doesn’t take plastic, so plan accordingly. 19114 Arnold Drive, Sonoma, 707.935.3981. Open 11am to 8p Sunday through Monday. Closed Tuesday.

Raise your forked-filled fist in the air and wave it around like you actually care. The Slow Food Nation converges on San Francisco August 29 through Sept. 1, 2008 for an inaugural gathering at the altars of Pollan, Petrini and Waters — a sort of latter day organic movement headed up by this farm-to-table triumvirate. Think Terra Madre Bay Area.

It’s not an unfamiliar refrain to those of us living in Slow Food Country — in fact, I sometimes get a little tired of the fresh-local-organic drumbeat that every chef in the Bay Area seems to have adopted (though the alternative of stale-foreign-processed doesn’t sound that appetizing). Keep in mind that Slow Food isn’t just about lettuce and apples. The movement encompasses cheeses, meats, fish and wine.

With Mother Slow, Alice Waters of Chez Panisse, just around the corner (and sourcing much of her famous restaurant’s food from Sonoma/Marin/Napa) we’ve had some time to hear the call. Most of us already get that our delicate food system depends on local farming, sustainable practices and supporting conscientious artisan producers.

But even so, many are still waking up to the idea that eating tomatoes flown half-way around the world in January might not be such a good idea.

The Labor Day weekend event featuring the gastronomic rock-star lineup of author Michael Pollan, Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini, activist Vandana Shiva and food writer Corby Kummer is all about education. The program goes introspective with a series of “Food for Thought” discussions. If you think better with your stomach, however, a trip to the bountiful Taste Pavilions might be more your speed. Designed at Fort Mason by local architects, each of the 15 pavilions will offer a flight of foods from producers around the country — from beer to chocolate.

Also in the lineup are hands-on workshops, hikes, Bay Area journeys, an outdoor music festival (featuring Gnarls Barkley and Ozomatli) and the special Slow Dinners around the region. A little something for every palate.

Locals on tap (which seem suspiciously hard to find, but email me if you’re among them) include Joel Baecker of Pizza Politana, Saint Benoit Yogurt, June Taylor preserves, Marshall’s Farm Honey, Laloo Goat Milk Ice Cream, Straus, McEvoy Ranch, Ecco Caffe Coffee Roasters, Sonoma Direct, Medlock Ames and others.

Slow Food Nation ’08, Aug 20-Sept 1, slowfoodnation.org

Another juicy bit of gossip just came my way regarding The General’s
Daughter in Sonoma. I recently lamented the departure of Chef Preston
Dishman, but it turns out that he’s not the only one headed out. The
current owners have leased the restaurant to the Girl of The Girl and
the Fig, Sondra Bernstein. She tells BiteClub that the historic home of
General Vallejo will be transformed into a casual “regional Italian”
dining spot focused on small plates, housemade salumi, family-style
entrees and some signature cocktails called Estate. It’s a match made in heaven for
the recently renovated patio and outdoor fireplace that seemed an odd
fit for the upscale dining vibe of the General’s Daughter. And a
welcome solution to what BiteClub feared would be the end of the
revitalized restaurant.

Not one to be too confined by any one cuisine, she says the menu
will definitely have other Mediterranean influences (hint: remember The
Girl & The Gaucho?), but the Italian connection seemed the most
approachable as a starting point. Plans are to keep the restaurant
approachable for locals but also continue to offer up a destination and
event location for visitors.

At the helm, at least at opening, will be managing partner John
Toulze (who is also an Steel Chef contender at this year’s Sonoma Wine
Country Weekend). After a mini-makeover, Bernstein hopes to open the
restaurant in mid-September. She and Toulze head to Spain this week for
a little recon and menu planning. Still no word on Dishman’s plans,
though word on the street is that he’s looking for a place of his own.

Also on the Fig front, the nearby Fig Pantry remains shuttered after a motorist crashed into it a few months ago.

BiteClub is sad to pass along the news that Gohan chef and co-owner Steve Tam died on Sunday, August 3, 2008 from a cerebral hemorrhage. Tam was a fixture at the popular Petaluma sushi spot and several BiteClubbers have emailed me with the news of his death.

I talked to his wife, Linh, at the restaurant about his legacy and what’s next. “He envisioned this whole restaurant. He made his dream come true. The restaurant was his love. He was a good boss and a friend to all of his employees.” The restaurant will remain open for now, and Linh says, “They are doing what he taught them to do and they want to make him happy. Everyone has been really strong and keeping the restaurant open would make him proud.”

The restaurant will be closed part of the day on Saturday, Aug. 9 and all day on Sunday in honor of Steve. A private service will be held on Thursday and Linh says a public memorial will take place on Aug. 17, though details are not yet final.

“It was all so sudden. I still can’t even believe this is true,” she said.

Our thoughts are with the Lihn and the Gohan staff.

Roasted bone marrow. Sweetbreads. Head cheese charcuterie. You’re either following along with a dribble of drool or I’ve lost you altogether. Hey, you’re either a fan of Fergus or you’re not.

I’m talking about nose-to-tail eating, the waste-not, want-not food movement recently popularized by Fergus Henderson and adopted by a new generation of chefs (and eaters) savoring the wobbly, wiggly organ meats our penny-pinching great-grandmothers once coveted. It’s challenge food for even the most experienced eaters, but once you go offal, you never go back.

Showing their passion for oft-overlooked cuts (as well as more everyday eats) into their French-Mediterranean menu, young husband-and-wife chefs Eric Korsh and Ginevra Iverson have created a comforting mix of old-meets-new school dishes at the recently opened Restaurant Eloise in Sebastopol.

Housed in the revamped Bistro V space on Gravenstein Highway, the former Brooklynites (both ex-Prune staffers) aren’t mincing around with the foods they’re passionate about. In their first weeks, Eric bought 50 pounds of bone marrow despite the fact that he wasn’t totally sure the dish would sell. It has, in spades. On a busy Tuesday night, plates of sizzling bone, toasted dark bread and parsley salad were one of the hottest tickets in Sebastopol. Really.

And why not? The warm, creamy marrow ($13) topped with a sprinkle of salt flakes is butter’s evil twin. Sharing the spotlight are crispy sweetbreads and pickled vegetables with raisin-mustard vinaigrette ($14). Rolled in panko breadcrumbs, they’re light and fluffy rather than, uh, dare I say, Burger King chicken-nugget-esque. Sweetbread fans know what I’m talking about. Other openers include fresh puntarelle (a lettuce grown out back) with chopped egg and candied bacon ($12), marinated sardines, octopus and white anchovy salad ($13) and, from the bar menu spicy boiled crawfish with butter ($10). BiteClub sadly missed out on the charcuterie plate of veal tongue, head cheese and foie gras ($6-$15).

Second courses are a bit pricier, but in line with the level of execution and commitment to local products. It’s a tough call for chefs to use pricier regional artisan foods rather than rock-bottom suppliers because patrons don’t always appreciate the difference, or the price. Eloise’s menu doesn’t gush on about local ingredients, but GM Brian Howe (who works the room like a champ) will talk you through the pedigrees with confidence.

BiteClub Senior (aka my mom) described the milk-poached dayboat halibut with a dreamy butter sauce, greenbeans and onions ($26) saying, “Honey, there’s fish and there’s this.” She kind of melted into a reverie after that. Having recently returned from a food tour of France, I took it to mean the halibut approached her exacting standards. Also solid is the pan-roasted veal chop stuffed with Pecorino cheese, a side of spinach and crispy potato galette ($31). BiteClub ordered it medium rare and the cheese was still hard inside — a quick whisk away and it returned soft, fragrant and with the chef’s personal apology. Nice touch. Also on the menu: Ricotta gnocchi with swiss chard and King trumpet mushrooms, sanddabs ($25) with artichokes and brown butter, rack of lamb and a whole Maine lobster with tarragon butter (a steal at $36). A daily special of Porterhouse steak for two appeases the pickiest of meat-and-potatoes eaters.

Dessert, which is often either an afterthought or overambitious, is brilliantly basic. Baba rum ($9) is rum-soaked brioche laden with Chantilly cream. Even better are warm sugared doughnuts in a puddle of raspberry jam (more sauce than jam – $9).

The compact wine list nods to SoCo, Anderson Valley and Napa with plenty of by-the-glass pours. Pull up a craft-brew and deviled eggs at the cozy bar, or simply order a first course or two. With impeccable service, a comfy location and a talented tag-team in the kitchen odds are on Restaurant Eloise as a new Wine Country classic. Whether you’re a fan or Fergus or not.

Restaurant Eloise, 2295 Gravenstein Hwy South, Sebastopol, 707.823.6300. Open Monday through Saturday at 5:30pm, closed Sunday.

BiteClub’s been hearing news of West County Grill’s demise for a few weeks now (a few employees have been buzzing around saying the restaurant was about to be shuttered), but I’ve gotten final confirmation that the restaurant is, in fact, kaput.

It’s been a hard road for what many of us hoped would be a sort of Chez Panisse of Sonoma — based on its celeb chef, Jonathan Waxman. That never panned out and the criticism soon started rolling in: Inattentive staff, less than stellar food, Waxman’s disappearance and worst of all, pissing off a lot of locals.

BiteClub’s never glad to see a restaurant go, especially one with potential. We hope that someone else can take over the space. Farewell West County Grill.

Check out my original review, and the recent “What’s Up?” piece about Waxman going MIA.