Narsi’s Hof Brau fights on

By biteclub

Narsi’s Hof-Brau still fighting
If you’ve been following the ongoing saga of Coddingtown’s Narsi Samii, you’ve probably got an opinion one way or the other. If not, let me sum it up for you: The long-time mall eatery is facing eviction by new co-owners to make way for a Cheesecake Factory.

The move is in line with Simon Property Group’s attempt to modernize the outdated Coddingtown mall. The addition of a Whole Foods grocery is indicative of the kind of clientèle they’re going for.

The fight boils down to the fact that Narsi has put a significant amount of money into the restaurant over the years and claims he was told he’d have what amounts to a perpetual lease on the spot from Hugh Codding. He’s not looking to budge.A trial to decide the fate of the restaurant is set for August 22, according to Narsi.

But the question has to be asked: Why is Narsi putting up huge amounts of his own money to fight the corporate giant? Why not just move? Though Narsi claims to feed between 250 and 400 folks a day, he says business is way down due to the economy. The traditional-style buffet is a draw for many senior citizens — the sort of spot folks go for a cup of coffee and pastry in the morning or an early bird plate of roast beef, mashed potatoes and carrots. Not exactly the wheat grass smoothie or pear and endive salad crowd.

Narsi plans to fight on. He realizes that going to trial is a huge gamble, but says he’s 99.9% confident he’ll prevail. “They’re trying to force me out,” he says. What peaked BiteClub’s interest in the whole argument was what appears to be some significant action on a chef employment website for a local cook who’s been involved with several other Cheesecake Factory openings. Maybe nothing. Maybe a hint that things are heating up.

If Narsi loses the fight, he claims that the other local restaurateurs in the mall, including Fresh China and Sukura (both BiteClub faves) will face similar fights. That’s yet to be seen. What’s your take on the fight?

…Proud pop John Iverson reports that his daughter Ginevra Iverson of the soon-to-open Restaurant Eloise will be on the Food Network’s Iron Chef America this Sunday, July 24, with former boss Gabrielle Hamilton of Prune in NYC. The duo will battle Bobby Flay. Even dad, however, doesn’t know who wins.

…Santa Rosa Filipino food lovers are in luck. Trisha’s Lumpia, which I reviewed a few months ago in Petaluma, has relocated to 443 Dutton Ave. (527.0181). I have it on good authority that their fried pork belly is chef-worthy good.

(photo, Christopher Chung for the Press Democrat)

French Garden: Closed

By biteclub

If you know anything about Dan Smith, the owner of Sebastopol’s French Garden Restaurant & Brasserie, you know that local boy-turned-entrepreneur-turned-philanthropist-
turned-restauranteur
doesn’t go down without a fight. Though he’s struggled to attain his
ambitious vision of a Michelin-starred farm-to-table eatery after two
chef departures and mixed reviews of the cuisine since opening in 2006,
he’s far from throwing in the towel. In fact, he seems more excited
about the restaurant than ever.
After bidding au revoir to recent chef Christophe Bony, Smith conducted an extensive chef hunt which included “tryouts” by at least two very well known SoCo chefs. Very well-known.
Neither was a fit but BiteClub got the news this week that Smith has named Frenchman Didier Gerbi (a Craigslist find, no less) to the position. Recently arrived from the Languedoc region of southern France, Didier will be overhauling the menu to better reflect more Mediterranean influences
over the next few weeks. He’s also been tasked with better utilizing
the farm’s produce (Smith says it’s a rare chef who actually gets the
farm-to-table philosophy) and moving the price point down from
the current $23 to $30 entrees to a more approachable $20 range.
Appetizers and second courses will move into the $10 to $15 range. “We
want it to be more flexible and affordable. More of a tasting menu,”
Smith tells BiteClub.
In addition to the changes in the kitchen
(Pierre Lagourge, former owner of Chez Peyo remains on the team), Smith
also tell us he’s doing some serious work on the interior to
make it more cozy. And less like a warehouse. Aware of the
extensiveness of the former Marty’s Top ‘O the Hill space, the focus is
on making the dining room less formal and “warmer”.
The restaurant is scheduled to be closed for about five days at the end of this month but will reopen with the new menu and look in early August. Stay tuned.
French Garden Restaurant and Brasserie, 8050 Bodega Ave., Sebastopol, 707- 824-2030

Traverso’s leaving downtown Santa Rosa

By biteclub

Historic Italian deli, Traverso’s is packing up the pepperoni and pinot; the mozzarella and tortellini and leaving downtown Santa Rosa for good. After more than 30 years in its B Street location, Michael Traverso tells BiteClub that they’ve officially inked the deal and will be headed for Fountain Grove Village at the end of the year.

The family sold the property to developer Raj Gulati several years ago and has been looking for a new location ever since. With scant parking and an aging building, Traverso says it was any easy decision to move. “We’re super niche. We’re not a grocery store, we’re more of a specialty foods store. We really have become more of a destination location, so we need more parking and easy access.”

The new digs are close to Agilent, HP and the Fountain Grove Club and senior center, Veranna, just a few miles from downtown Santa Rosa — good news for hungry business lunchers. The space is about equal in size and all of the features that have defined the store — the deli, Italian foods, wine and spirits — will remain consistent. The Fountain Grove location will include outdoor seating.

Traverso’s downtown will remain open until December 31, 2008 and plans are to open the new store in early January 2009.

Can’t live without your meatloaf? Traverso says delivery service is a definite possibility next year.

Traverso’s 106 B St., Santa Rosa, (707) 542-2530

Donut Cafe

By biteclub

The Donut Cafe has recently opened on Montgomery Drive (near Lepe's Taqueria) to fulfill your early-morning pastry needs. These little pillows of sugary goodness are made fresh each day and they throw open the doors at 5am every day of the week, spurning eager-beaver joggers and health-nuts. Or maybe rewarding them

Happiness is a warm donut and a cup of coffee. Not every day,
mind you, but as a personal victory lap for the little hurdles in life.
Say, waking up and getting dressed or perhaps having bent down to pick
up the newspaper.

It’s easy to find a reason. Harder to find a good donut.

The
Donut Cafe has recently opened on Montgomery Drive (near Lepe’s
Taqueria) to fulfill your early-morning pastry needs. These little
pillows of sugary goodness are made fresh each day and they throw open
the doors at 5am every day of the week, spurning eager-beaver joggers
and health-nuts. Or maybe rewarding them.

BiteClub leaves it to
you to justify a nice glazed jelly or maple log. Just know the Donut
Cafe is there at the crack of dawn should you need them.

Donut Cafe, 4275 Montgomery Drive, Santa Rosa, 707.539.2416. Open daily from 5am to 6pm.

Traverso’s leaving downtown Santa Rosa

By biteclub

Historic Italian deli, Traverso's is packing up the pepperoni and pinot; the mozzarella and tortellini and leaving downtown Santa Rosa for good. After more than 30 years in its B Street location, Michael Traverso tells BiteClub that they've officially inked the deal and will be headed for Fountain Grove Village at the end of the year

Historic
Italian deli, Traverso’s is packing up the pepperoni and pinot; the
mozzarella and tortellini and leaving downtown Santa Rosa for good.
After more than 30 years in its B Street location, Michael Traverso
tells BiteClub that they’ve officially inked the deal and will be
headed for Fountain Grove Village at the end of the year.

The
family sold the property to developer Raj Gulati several years ago and
has been looking for a new location ever since. With scant parking and
an aging building, Traverso says it was any easy decision to move.
“We’re super niche. We’re not a grocery store, we’re more of a
specialty foods store. We really have become more of a destination
location, so we need more parking and easy access.”

The new digs
are close to Agilent, HP and the Fountain Grove Club and senior center,
Veranna, just a few miles from downtown Santa Rosa — good news for
hungry business lunchers. The space is about equal in size and all of
the features that have defined the store — the deli, Italian foods,
wine and spirits — will remain consistent. The Fountain Grove location
will include outdoor seating.

Traverso’s downtown will remain open until December 31, 2008 and plans are to open the new store in early January 2009.

Can’t live without your meatloaf? Traverso says delivery service is a definite possibility next year.

Traverso’s 106 B St., Santa Rosa, (707) 542-2530

Donut Cafe opens

By biteclub

Happiness is a warm donut and a cup of coffee. Not every day, mind you, but as a personal victory lap for the little hurdles in life. Say, waking up and getting dressed or perhaps having bent down to pick up the newspaper.

It’s easy to find a reason. Harder to find a good donut.

The Donut Cafe has recently opened on Montgomery Drive (near Lepe’s Taqueria) to fulfill your early-morning pastry needs. These little pillows of sugary goodness are made fresh each day and they throw open the doors at 5am every day of the week, spurning eager-beaver joggers and health-nuts. Or maybe rewarding them.

BiteClub leaves it to you to justify a nice glazed jelly or maple log. Just know the Donut Cafe is there at the crack of dawn should you need them.

Donut Cafe, 4275 Montgomery Drive, Santa Rosa, 707.539.2416. Open daily from 5am to 6pm.

Diavola Pizzeria & Salumeria | Geyserville

By biteclub
Pizza at Diavola in Geyserville. Heather Irwin/PD
Pizza at Diavola in Geyserville. Heather Irwin/PD

Two words: Lardo pizza. Or pig-fat pizza.
Fresh slices of house-cured lardo on top of a wood-fired pizza. Toss on a few tomatoes and you’ll never look at another piece of mushroom and pepperoni quite the same way again. And it’s just one of the devilish pizzas at Dino Bugica’s pizzeria, Diavola.
Diavola Pizzeria and Salumeria a bit of destiny for the former Santi chef who’s made his name as a top salumist in the North Bay. Bugica has a passion for pig — house-curing everything from prosciutto and salumi to his own sausage and lardo right on the property. If you stroll through the back gardens, you might even trip over a pig skull or two, an homage to his porcine pals.
With Santi’s reputation for higher-end Italian secured, Bugica decided to branch out into a simpler “cucina povera” (the simplest of kitchen foods) next door — pizza, antipasti, sandwiches and an entire case of his fresh salumi’s for take-out. It’s just the sort of quick-bite spot that the northernmost end of the Alexander Valley/Dry Creek region was in desperate need of.
Located just steps from the former Santi (now Catelli’s) Diavola’s (which means devilish in Italian) menu includes a selection of
antipasti (a seafood plate with squid, shrimp, mussels and clams; house made burrata; local tomatoes with gorgonzola and a vegetable plate) along with nine wood-fired pizzas that range from a simple zucchini flower and buffalo mozzarella ‘Margherita’ to a Ligurian clam and herb pizza or caper, anchovy and hot pepper pizza. The aptly-named Diavola pizza is topped with N’duja (a spicy Calabrian salami), arugula an Stracchino cheese.
For lunch, there are also salads and pannini, along with a full wine list featuring local and Italian wines.
Prepare for a bit of sticker shock. Prices for pizzas range from $$12.50 to a hefty $17 for the clam pizza — and we’re not talking 16-inchers here. Antipasti, like the house-cured prosciutto and seafood are priced between $12.75 and $14.75. It’s steep for an average pizzeria, but not out of line for the kind of quality and expertise that Bugica should be bringing to the table. I’ve long been a fan of his salumi, and frankly, for lardo pizza, BiteClub would be willing to pay, well, at least $14.
Diavola Pizzeria and Salumeria, 21021 Geyserville Ave., Geyserville, 707.814.0111. Open for lunch and dinner, 11:30am to 9pm Wednesday through Monday. Closed Tuesday.

Stir opens

By biteclub

Ready for a Hot Lips Cosmo? The revamped downtown cocktail club, Stir, thinks maybe you are. Located in the former Barcode space (404 Mendocino Ave.,), the new owners have come up with a list of specialty cocktails and a remodeled design for their July 3 opening.

The vibe, according to the new ower, will remain upscale cocktail chic, but with more seating, new lighting and a less stark color palette. So, what’s on the menu? They’ve come up with a handful of signature drinks for opening including the Hot Lips (a Cosmpolitan with a kick of chili); The Naked Lady (a vodka, mint and vanilla-flavored drink); Plum Crazy (a vodka and plum-flavored martini) and the Irish Cosmo (a Cosmo aimed toward the gents). Stir will also feature a wine list with small production wineries both local and outside the region. Stir, 404 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa

.… In other news, BiteClub has confirmed that Chef Preston Dishman is “transitioning” away from his post at The General’s Daughter in Sonoma. Dishman is a much-lauded chef who brought new life to the restaurant with his Wine Country meets Southern cookin’ style. UPDATE: Dishman says he’s hoping to stay local and has a few offers already. He’ll be at the General’s Daughter through July. His wife, who manages the restaurant’s front-of-the-house operations is also leaving. Does anyone smell a possible love match for John Ash, where Chef Madura recently departed?

…BiteClub’s got a bit of egg on her face after lauding the return of Chef Randy Lewis to Sonoma County. The former 707 and Popina chef was at Occidental’s Bistro des Copains for about six weeks before, well, leaving. Turns out the restaurant was taken a bit off-guard as well and will be naming a new chef shortly. Randy, who is apparently moving back to his old stomping grounds in New Orleans, will be continuing on as consulting chef and his menu and recipes will remain for the time being. Check out my gushing review online. Just ignore the parts about Randy.

…And even more chef shuffling. BiteClub has also confirmed that Chef Michael Ellis of Dry Creek Kitchen has resigned from his post. His replacement has not yet been named.

Bistro des Copains | Occidental

By biteclub


Bistro Des Copains
The tiny Bistro des Copains in Occidental is tops for Provencal bistro fare — rabbit terrine, buckwheat crepes, roasted duck, braised beef in red wine. Think classic French meets olives and tomatoes.
The menu involves a bit of trust for those of us who’ve gotten used to gushing California cuisine menus that explain every carrot and piece of lettuce in painstaking detail. Descriptions like “beef braised in red wine with garlic, onions, olive and carrots” don’t exactly tease the senses. Keep the faith, however.
A simple butter lettuce salad with tarragon mustard vinaigrette looks dull, but bursts with clean, sharp flavor. Assiette de Charcuterie ($12) is a wooden cutting board with a rustic rabbit terrine, seeded mustard, fresh bread and creamy jar of chicken liver mousse that prompted an outburst of such foodie ecstasy that McNibs got a momentary look of panic.
 
Bistro Des CopainsIt’s ever so thoughtful when neighboring tables get their entrees before you order. A glimpse of the Boeuf en Daube a la Provencale ($22) sealed the deal. The braised beef in its own cast iron pot falls to pieces when you all but look at it, having  spent hours chumming it up with red wine, garlic, onions and olives. The surprise co-star is a dish of mashed potatoes perfumed with herbes de Provence (lavender, rosemary, basil, thyme). A half-roasted Liberty duck ($24) doesn’t sound particularly exciting, but sitting in pool of buttery carrot sauce it’s finger-lickin’ good.
Treat yourself to a cone of pommes frites ($5.25) that come with their own tiny jar of aioli. You’ll be fighting over the mayo dip within seconds.
 
Dessert was the only let-down of the night. An apple tart with caramel sauce was pretty as a picture, but didn’t quite live up to expectations. The apples weren’t tart enough. The crust wasn’t quite buttery enough. The caramel — well, not quite caramel-y enough. It was good, just not great. Other desserts include a lavender creme brulee, chocolate pot de creme, and fresh berries.

Bistro Des Copains
Beef at Bistro Des Copains

The wine list is priced in line with the menu, featuring plenty of local wines and a $5 corking discount for Sonoma County wines. Skip right to the by-the-glass menu that offers great bistro-style wines from France and California in 3 and 6-ounce pours in glass carafes. With the noise level inside the crowded bistro sometimes reaching ear-splitting levels, it helps dull the hoots and cackles of annoying neighbors.
Heading out to Occidental can be a bit of a commitment, especially if you’re planning to have a glass of wine, but this inconspicuous cafe’s cooking makes any inconvenience well worth the trouble. Especially with a take-out box of chicken liver mousse to look forward to tomorrow.
Bistro des Copains, 3782 Bohemian Hwy, Occidental, 707.874.2436. Dinner Sunday-Thursday 5pm to 9pm, Friday and Saturday until 10pm. It can be hard to get through for reservations outside of dinner hours, so be patient. Same-day seating is usually possible, even on weekends. There’s a small deck for patio dining when nights warm up and Tuesday is Locals’ Night, with free corkage on Sonoma County wines.

John Ash chef leaving

By biteclub

…After 20 years at John Ash and Co., Executive Chef Jeffrey Madura is leaving the restaurant that once defined California cuisine.

According to the restaurant’s owners, Madura’s departure was prompted by health issues in his family and has no immediate plans to move to another kitchen. In his place, Tom Schmidt, a former Californian chef who most recently ran a restaurant in Bremen, Germany. Madura’s last day will be July 31.

Already there’s plenty of rumbling in the foodie community as to what this might mean for the restaurant’s long-term prospects as well as it’s relationship with namesake chef, John Ash. Time will tell. Stay tuned.

…In other news, if you’re a Cafe Japan fan (the jewel-box sushi spot in downtown Santa Rosa), you’ve got through Thurday, June 26 to get your fix. According to co-owner Jennifer Bessette, the restaurant will close for good this week. She and husband Yosuke Saito — both musicians and new parents — are moving on after their lease expires at the end of the month. Bessette told BiteClub the numbers just weren’t working out financially to support their family. The two hope to have another food-related business in the future, but don’t have any concrete plans at the moment.