Chinese food needs a good agent these days.

After years as the reigning exotic starlet of the American palate, she’s really let herself go–appearing regularly in freezer sections and mall fast food courts. She’s licensed her name to abominations like orange chicken (which tastes like neither) and spongey egg rolls and tasteless fried rice studded with frozen peas and carrots. Poor dear.

When a complex, centuries-old national cuisine is reduced to a line of microwaveable dinners, there’s cause for concern.

Unlike Thai and Vietnamese, more recent culinary newcomers which have survived the ocean-crossing fairly intact, Chinese rolled into our consciousness at a time when Velveeta was considered a modern marvel. To appeal to wary American palates in inventions like chow mein, General Tso chicken, mayonnaise-sauced walnut prawns, ketchupy sweet and sour pork and fortune cookies mixed familiar tastes with the illusion of something more exotic. Sorry if I burst any bubbles there.

With such a massive Chinese population here in the Bay Area, there’s no reason we can’t do better than Panda Express and the all-you can eat buffet at Fu Zhou (and trust me, I’ve done some serious eating at both).
What are you favorite authentic Chinese spots? We’re not talking buffets here (I’ve already done that). I want to know who has the best dumplings, dim sum (is there even any in the North Bay?), soup, moo shu and Peking duck? What are you secret guilty pleasures? Who’s got the most exotic cuisine? Who deserves a shout-out and who’s totally over-rated?

Tell me.

After a rather horrifying incident with yak butter tea a few years ago, I pretty much swore off any further experiences with Tibetan food. Yak can do that to a person.

A recent shout-out by a BiteClubber over my noticeable lack of Indian coverage, however, prompted me to take another look at Shangri-La, a Himalayan spot I’d actually been a little nervous about trying since it’s opening a couple years ago. Remember the yak tea?

Now, depending on who you ask, foods of the Himalayas are either closely related to Indian cuisine or, well, not related at all. It’s a matter of perspective and location, really. Things like momo-a Himalayan specialty made from minced meat or vegetables wrapped in dough (think Chinese dumplings) seem to have little to do with the creamy curries, raitas and paneer more familiar further south. Nepali staples like a hearty daal (lentil soup), however, feel right at home with their Indian brethren.

Regardless, at this busy Rohnert Park favorite, the cuisines pal around quite nicely. The menu includes house-made Nepali meat and vegetable momo, vegetarian lentil soups as well as sizzling Tandoori, samosa, curry, steaming naan (made fresh after you order, and some of the best I’ve had) and yes, even the Anglo-corrupted Tikka Masala.*

Carnivore or vegetarian, the mash-up of owner Meenakshi Sharma’s homeland foods and familiar Indian favorites makes for some pretty diverse eating. Many of the curries, samosa, momo and paneer are available without meat and baked salmon tandoori is a house specialty for fish-itarians. And, nearly everything is made fresh daily, so you won’t be getting yesterday’s leftover tandoori.

Forget about going carb-free, here. The pillowy-hot naan and flowery jasmine rice (they infuse the rice with a special blend of herbs) are absolute can’t-miss-sides. A point of pride at the restaurant is to keep the heat down (though you can request anything from mild to wild) so the subtle spices and unique flavors shine through.

Lunch specials are offered Monday through Friday from 11:30 to 3pm for $7.99, a nice value as prices for entrees and curries can get steep ($8.99 and up for curry, $13.99 and up for tandoori platters).

And thankfully, no yak butter tea.

Shangri-La Food From the Himalayas, 1706 East Cotati Ave. at Wolf Den Plaza, Rohnert Park, 707.793.0300. Closed Sunday.

* Yep, Tikka Masala is the chow mein of chicken of Indian food. Though its origins are sketchy, most agree that the creamy tomato curry didn’t originate in India, but rather somewhere in the UK. Sorry to burst your bubble. I actually love the stuff, too.
Read the wiki.

Napa’s long-awaited new restaurant and yoga studio, Ubuntu, officially opened last Thursday. Curious crowds packed into the restored 19th century building to get a glimpse, quickly overwhelming the kitchen. In fact, BiteClub couldn’t find a single morsel to be nibble on, leaving the opening party hungry and well-jostled.

The menu will lean heavily on the restaurant’s own biodynamic gardens, featuring lots of fruits and veggies. Flexitarians and carnivores take note, however: Ubuntu is hardly a wheat-grass shack and will offer up meat and dairy.

The vibe is redeco-yoga-chi–exposed bricks and beams commingle with Asian artifacts, sleek booths and ultra modern lighting. C’est so Napa.

The upstairs yoga studio overlooks the restaurant, but word is that the spot has been specially insulated so that cooking smells and restaurant noise won’t distract om-chanters above. Still, does anyone else find it strange to be doing yoga in a restaurant?

Ubuntu is open for dinner this week, and will serve breakfast and lunch starting Aug. 27. Stay tuned.

Ubuntu, 1140 Main St., Napa, 707.251.5656

Located in the hinterlands of south Santa Rosa Avenue, Na Thong is too good a secret not to let BiteClubbers in on. Sandwiched between a coffee/BBQ shop and a tattoo parlor in, er, a rather colorful part of town the month-old restaurant is serving up some solid Laotian and Thai cuisine to those intrepid enough to find it.

The menu has a number of familiar favorites (egg rolls, satay, tom kha gai soup, pho and pad thai), but what really got my attention were the not-so-familiar items like crispy deep fried quail ($7.95), yum talay (calamari, mussels, scallops and prawsn with lemon grass, citrus leaves, onion, mint leaves and roasted rice with smoked chili sauce, $9.95); and a tamarind-infused peanut curry (kang musmun, $8.95). Laotian-style dishes like shredded green papaya salad ($6.95) and several larb dishes (larb is the national dish of Laos, and is usually made from minced meat–duck, beef, pork or chicken–mixed with spices like lemon grass, mint, onion and chili sauce.) Plus, green, yellow and two types of red curry.

Though the spot isn’t fancy, service is attentive and gracious with attention to small details–ornate rice serving bowls, attractive dishware and little plastic flowers on each table. Not the kind of thing you usually find in this neck of the woods.

Need more incentive? Sticky rice, warm peanut sauce and Thai karaoke Thursday through Saturday nights.

Na Thong, 3446 Santa Rosa Ave., Santa Rosa, 707.206.0884

Tomatoes. Fresh peaches. Corn on the cob. Pretty much anything on the grill.

What are your favorite summer foods? You know, the stuff you dream about all winter. The stuff you buy in bulk when August hits. From insalata Caprese to peach pie and potato salad, tell BiteClub what you’re jonesin’ for. And, don’t forget to tell everyone where to get it!

Leave it to Francis Ford Coppola to set a scene.

Fade in on the director posed like a seersucker Santa waiting for Christmas. Three! Two! One! The crowd cheers and with a hearty tug, Coppola reveals the name of his new winery: Rosso & Bianco. On cue, the letters buzz to life in a red, neon glow and the satisfied Coppola walks silently off camera, stage left. And-cut.

So okay, it’s no Apocalypse Now. It is, however, a pretty enticing invitation to Frances’ new house in Geyserville, now that some of the dust has settled. BiteClub decided to take some brownies up to the new neighbors.

Though not much has changed outside, the interior has Coppola stamped all over it–from the Marie Antoinette-meets-The Godfather aesthetic (chateau chic with a side of marinara) to literally being peppered with well-wishing graffiti for the director’s recent birthday.

Wine gets the same treatment. Forget about getting any of that schwanky $120 Rubicon stuff here. They don’t sell it. Coppola’s Sonoma outpost is about easy-drinking sippers at paisan prices. At the spaghetti-and-meatballs end are his Bianco and Rosso wines, served free at the tasting bar in tumblers rather than stemware. Sophia bubblers and roses are wine crack for the donnas, all cute and pink and tulle-covered, while the Director’s Cut and funky FC Reserves make a quieter play for your attention.

But wine is only part of the show. Ever the pitchman, Coppola doesn’t miss an opportunity to sell you on his Mammarella line of pasta sauces; copies of his literary magazine, Zoetrope; tasteful goodies inspired by daughter, Sophia; movie memorabilia or his nifty line of Vinoflage clothing. Think camo for the vineyard-set. (The horror.)

Down the hallway, Coppola’s Unnamed Café is a temporary, but serviceable spot to grab a plate of fresh-cooked pasta or a panini on the deck. Plans are in the works for a full-service restaurant in the next year or so, though reviews have been somewhat unkind to his two previous Bay Area brasseries. Fingers crossed. Movie buffs shouldn’t miss Coppola’s Oscar display in the lobby, though most of the director’s film mementos (formerly housed in the Napa winery) aren’t yet on public display. Tours and tasting are offered daily.

Though it’s a bit early to say whether the new Rosso & Bianco Winery will be a SoCo hit or just another bit of Wine Country typecasting, so far it smells like victory. At least in the morning.

Rosso & Bianco Winery, 300 Via Archimedes, Geyserville, 707.857.1400

Taste of Havana?

BiteClub was recently tipped off that a Cuban restaurant is in the works in Sebastopol. Details are still sketchy, but word is that the spot will open sometime in October. I’m already getting itchy for a pressed sandwich. Stay tuned.

707’s Randy Lewis returns(ish)
It’s an understatement to say that Santa Rosa never quite embraced the forward-thinking (and admittedly often pricey) ideas of Chef Randy Lewis. As chef and co-owner of Popina and 707, this former “Best Chef of 2001” and K-J culinary wunderkind tried and failed, then tried and failed again to make a go of it in Sonoma County. Lewis has had the last laugh, winning three stars for his cuisine at SF’s Mecca restaurant and now turning his sights on Mendocino. Lewis will be consulting chef at the secluded Stevenswood Spa Resort (see a dinner menu), which has long had a reputation for top-notch dining. Lewis is also reportedly working on several other dining projects, ahem, none of which are around here. Yeah.

Closures
The Cheesemaker’s Daughter, the Sonoma cheese shop owned by Ditty Vella has closed, as has Zare Restaurant, a high-profile Mediterranean eatery in Napa.

Daily grind
I’m obsessed with peppermills. Yeah, it’s crazy, but addictive…
– First I wanted one of Pinky Martin’s. (Cha right).
-Then I was content with 19-layers of exotic hardwood. (Hint, my birthday is coming up.)
– Then I got really stoked about Vic Firth’s Mario Batali signature mill. Hey, it’s orange.
– This weekend, however, I found the ultimate. A little Pylones babushka peppermill (see right). Worth every cent of $40. They also have little wind-up birds that roll across the table, delivering salt and pepper. Awwwww. You can find many of the Pylones kitchen cuties at The Kitchen Gallery in Lakeport (707.262.0422) or through Pylones-usa.

UPDATE 6/18/2008: With regard to some twittering
I’ve been hearing about Sky Lounge at the Sonoma County Airport, here’s
the scoop straight from owner Jim Goff. He tells BiteClub that Ed
Metcalfe (of Shisho in Sonoma) who had a hand in the opening has not
been part of the restaurant since early on. In addition, Goff says
there are no plans to change or modify the current restaurant citing
his 15-year long-term lease. So, there you have it.

After months of anticipation Sky Lounge has opened for business in the Sonoma County Airport.

The second area restaurant for Shiso’s Ed Metcalfe (who runs a popular sushi-centric spot in Sonoma) the in-terminal eatery is primed to nab both hungry travelers and nearby office park workers starved for a decent lunch-break spot.

Jammed to capacity just a few hours after opening, Sky Lounge could easily become the next Jonesy’s–the Napa Airport’s popular steakhouse/meet-up spot. That’s the good news.

The bad news: At today’s liftoff the kitchen had yet to earn its wings.

Knowing Metcalfe’s passion for seafood, my instinct was to head straight for the shellfish. My instinct was wrong. Hold out for the sushi chef who arrives next week. Three of the six oysters I ordered off-menu were barely big enough to slip onto a fork and their $13 price tag wasn’t the only thing that left an unpleasant aftertaste in my mouth. I also made incorrect assumption that I’d be getting big, plump, local Hog Island oysters, but got a bill for Fanny Bays (which usually hail from the Pacific Northwest). Either way, disappointing.

The Soft Shell Crab BLT ($15) also sounded enticing with applewood smoked bacon, fried soft shell crab and wasabi mayonnaise on toasted brioche. It too left me cold and searching between the slices of bread, lettuce and tomato for the tiny bits of crab that ended up tasting bitter and fishy. The flavors just didn’t meld and the burned bits of toast clearly didn’t help.

Passing burgers looked solid, though they were as unimpressively plated as my own sandwich (white plate, no garnish) and with equally bland stacks of diner-worthy fries. I’ll accept that at $7. But not at $12 to $15, especially from someone like Metcalfe who clearly knows better. One bright spot was a beautiful dish of salmon (the day’s special) that passed by on the way to a lucky guest who’d ordered better than I had.

I also didn’t try the large plates of rib-eye, filet mignon, hangar steak and porterhouse. Prime cuts will run you between $24 and $32 with sides that include the aforementioned fries, mashed or roasted potatoes; creamed spinach, Brussels sprouts or carrots. That’s a heavy chunk of change for lunch and the sides seem deadly dull. I get the retro-chic of a blue cheese lettuce wedge. Brussels sprouts lack that clever irony.

But the news isn’t all bad. Even on the first day, wait staff were eager to please and well organized despite understandable opening snafus. I’m hopeful that the arrival of a sushi chef and the daily influx of more fresh seafood (there’s little on the opening menu) will bolster oceanic offerings and presentation will improve as the kitchen gets more comfortable with the menu.

In the end, I’d recommend giving Sky Lounge a little more time for some pre-flight checks. If you go, stick with the basics and enjoy the view–never mind a little engine spluttering.

Sky Lounge, Sonoma County Airport, 2200 airport blvd, suite 143, Santa Rosa, 707-542-9400