Page 89 – Sonoma Magazine

Sea Ranch Home with Ocean Views Listed for $1.4 Million

June 2023

By Karen Kizer

The interior of the home has been refreshed with mid-century style. (Bill Oxford Photography)

To buy a home in Sonoma County’s Sea Ranch is to purchase a piece of design history.

The coastal community, with its modernist wooden homes, was conceived in the early 1960s by a group of architecture faculty at UC Berkley, including the late Lawrence Halprin whose Sea Ranch estate sold in 2021. The goal was to design dwellings that did not detract from the natural landscape or obstruct ocean views. Typical features of suburbia and non-native plants were banned: no lawns, no palm trees and no fences were allowed.

Now, one of those iconic dwellings has hit the market: a 2,251-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bathroom home built in 1972 by Richard H. Perkins is currently listed for $1,395,000.

The home at 349 Conifer Close Road sits on 0.67 acres and aligns with the visionary Sea Ranch developers’ guiding ethos of “living lightly on the land.” The modern retreat features midcentury design details, an open great room, renovated ensuite bedrooms with heritage heart redwood paneling, and sweeping panoramic views. A staircase with a bright yellow handrail (a nod to Sea Ranch founding architect Donlyn Lyndon) leads to a downstairs seating area.

The remodeled kitchen has a backsplash with locally made tiles from Heath Ceramics in different shades of avocado green. It opens toward the dining and living areas, with modern Herman Miller lamps and a wood burning stove with a tile surround in a geometric pattern.

Click through the above gallery for a peek inside the home.

For more information about this home at 349 Conifer Close Road, contact listing agent Marianne Harder, 707 328-4434, or Hanne M. Liisberg, 707-785-3322, Liisberg & Company, Verdant View, PO Box 280 The Sea Ranch, 707-888-4337, liisbergandcompany.com

8 Gorgeous Waterfront Hotels on the Sonoma-Marin-Mendocino Coast

June 2023

By Sonoma Magazine Staff

Dreaming of a coastal getaway? Check into these gorgeous hotels along Highway 1 in Sonoma, Marin and Mendocino counties. Take a walk on the beach, go surfing, eat oysters or just relax with a tasty glass of wine and someone special by your side. Click through the gallery above for eight favorite places to stay on the coast.

Sofia Englund, Maci Martell and Sarah Stierch contributed to this article.

Healdsburg Restaurant Noted Among World’s Best

June 2023

By Heather Irwin

SingleThread restaurant in Healdsburg. (Courtesy of SingleThread)

SingleThread has done it again.

For the third consecutive year, the Healdsburg restaurant has cracked the prestigious “World’s 50 Best Restaurants” list, a curated collection of outstanding global dining experiences.

Sonoma County’s only three Michelin-starred restaurant fell from No. 50 to No. 69 in 2023, landing it on the extended 51-100 list rather than the Top 50 after peaking at No. 37 in 2021.

SingleThread also won in 2019. The awards were canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The annual list of the world’s finest restaurants, published since 2002, is a snapshot of some of the best destinations for unique culinary experiences and a barometer for global gastronomic trends, according to organizers.

A panel of more than 1,000 international restaurant industry experts — food writers and critics, chefs, restaurateurs and well-traveled gourmets — selects the restaurants for each year’s list.

The awards were announced June 20 in Valencia, Spain.

“It’s always an honor to be recognized among great restaurants around the world, many of whom we are very close with and collaborate with regularly (we just had Odette #14 here in May to cook two nights at SingleThread),” said Chef Kyle Connaughton, who runs the restaurant with his wife, Katina.

“The restaurants on the list (are) so different and unique, so we are very proud to represent Sonoma County with our focus on our agriculture and local artisans.”

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants lauded the Japanese-inspired SingleThread on its website.

The organization said: “The well-loved culinary dream team of chef Kyle Connaughton and farmer Katina Connaughton run this destination restaurant with rooms in the Sonoma wine region. Katina’s farm produce meets her husband’s unique Japanese cuisine in a kaiseki-style 11-course menu that begins with an array of small snacks and runs through dishes like Wagyu beef with shiso and potato — plus a strong wine selection, of course.

“If possible, stay in one of the luxurious rooms inspired by ancient Japanese ryokans, or inns, and enjoy a breakfast of cedar-roasted salmon, tamago, donabe rice and other delicacies.”

Only two American restaurants made the Top 50: New York’s Atomix at No. 8, followed by fellow New York legend Le Bernardin at No. 44.

SingleThread came in ahead of the only other Bay Area restaurant, Saison, ranked No. 98.

Over the five years, the list has moved away from its intense focus on Europe, America and Japan to include top-rated eateries in South America (Peru’s Central in Lima took the No. one spot in 2023), Mexico City (Pujol was No. 13) and Southeast Asia (Singapore’s Odette was No. 14 and Bangkok’s Le Du was No. 15).

To see the complete list of winners, go to theworlds50best.com.

These Sonoma County Restaurants Put the Joy Back Into Dining Out

June 2023

By Heather Irwin

At Barrel Brothers Kitchen & Cocktails, you can pour 1-ounce samples from cocktail taps or full pours from their beer taps. How much you pour is up to you. (Heather Irwin/Sonoma Magazine)

It’s been a long time since I’ve laughed out loud at the pure joy and silliness of a restaurant dessert.

With the mountain of troubles restaurants have faced since 2017’s wildfires, through COVID and beyond, there’s been a sober-mindedness about dining out.

Instead, the last six years have been about comfort, predictability and guaranteed winners like fried chicken sandwiches, mashed potatoes and carefully curated vegetable-forward dishes cooked over coal. There’s little room for silliness when restaurant margins are slim and diners fickle.

Menus certainly haven’t had the unbridled joie de vivre of, say, sparkling edible glitter sliding down a mound of melted chocolate and gooey cake or a cereal-milk panna-cotta trio topped with Cocoa Puffs and Fruity Pebbles at the newly opened 19Ten restaurant in Santa Rosa’s Railroad Square.

It also hasn’t had the little kid thrill of playing with the 39-tap self-serve wall of beer, cider and cocktails at Barrel Brothers Kitchen & Cocktails in Windsor. Just try not to snicker at taps labeled The Snozberries Taste Like Snozberries sour beer or Dad Pants Pilsner.

Sonoma County is ready to enjoy a little eater-tainment again, and 19Ten co-owner Brad Barmore thinks his twinkling Princess Cake was a fun idea worth trying. So did I.

We couldn’t stop laughing when the cake arrived at the table because, while delicious, it gave the overall impression of something a magical unicorn might have left behind on the forest floor. Our snort-worthy question: Does the glitter dissolve after you eat it, or will it reappear?

Fact: Edible glitter dissolves in the digestive system.

Classic and new

19Ten, opened in the former Jack & Tony’s, is already a Railroad Square destination. JC Adams and Barmore have expanded their portfolio (they also own KIN Windsor and KIN Smoke in Healdsburg).

The cavernous space has been opened up, lightened up and given a new chance at life. Even on the second day of service, the restaurant produced American classics with fun and flair.

The 19Ten menu is a mix of new concepts and inspirations from both their KIN restaurants. There are ideas Barmore has long wanted to try, like the glittery cake or Beet Fries with togarashi-mayonnaise dipping sauce. There’s plenty to love on the menu and nothing stuffy or plain here. It’s a celebration of food and fun.

Start with one of their craft cocktails and Smoked Brisket Elote Tacos ($18) with tender Texas-style smoked brisket, roasted corn, cotija cheese and pickled red onion. Or order the sweet-savory Eight Hour Pork Belly ($16) with gochujang honey glaze, chicharron and chile dust. The Beet Fries ($12) are divisive, with large chunks of red beet flash-fried and fairly beet-forward in taste. They’re great if you like beets, which I do.

Scallop Crudo ($16) is a great plate to share, with thin slices of fresh scallops marinated in a tart-spicy chile-oil vinaigrette.

Entrees are harder to choose. Here you’ll want to invest in hearty dishes like the Beef Duo ($40) with a hangar steak and beef cheeks or the Smoked Baby Back Ribs covered in a bourbon Dijon glaze. Our favorite was the simple 19Ten Burger ($19) with a crisp Parmesan skirt around two burger patties. Ten-inch brick-oven pizzas are nicely cooked, but we learned too late that Clam Pizza ($22) isn’t a personal favorite because clams on pizza are weird unless you’re from Connecticut.

Do save some room for the Princess Cake. 19Ten is at 115 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, 707-791-7494, 19Ten.com.

Barrel Brothers

Barrel Brothers Kitchen & Cocktails is equally amusing, if for no other reason than you can pour 1-ounce samples from cocktail taps or full pours from their beer taps. How much you pour is up to you.

The food is equally playful, with simple but well-executed nibbles, bowls, skewers and baskets. The Moroccan Spiced Lamb skewer ($5) is perfectly seasoned and served with a pool of tart tzatziki. The Grilled Halloumi skewer ($5), or “stick” as it’s called on the menu, has squeaky grilled Greek cheese with layers of naan and an Indian-inspired spinach sauce.

Ceviche ($15) was less impressive, with more vegetables than fish. But the absolute winners of the day were pupusas ($14) filled with roasted pork, cheese, black beans and potatoes. It’s a shareable dish with richness from the fried El Salvadoran griddle cakes and freshness from the pile of cabbage salad and salsa on top. Southern Fried Chicken ($17) is also excellent, served with sweet pickles and a creamy ranch dip.

The outdoor patio is a top spot for people-watching, and don’t miss the Sasquatch wallpaper in the bathroom.

And remember to have some fun. Barrel Brothers Brewing Kitchen and Cocktails is at 9238 Old Redwood Highway, Suite 128, Windsor, barrelbrothersbrewing.com.

Oysters Worth a Trip to This Bodega Bay Restaurant

June 2023

By Heather Irwin

Raw oysters and a crab sandwich with kale slaw at Fishetarian Fish Market in Bodega Bay. (Heather Irwin / The Press Democrat)

I’ve always been a proponent for confidently traveling alone and sitting at a table for one. There’s something so satisfying about eating what you want, taking the necessary time to contemplate each bite, talking to others (or not) and focusing on the meal. You don’t get that kind of solitude with an entourage.

Recently, I took a solo trip to Bodega Bay, bound for the headlands and a soul-cleansing trip to the ocean. Alone. I was craving a crab sandwich and some oysters, and Fishetarian Fish Market (599 Highway 1, Bodega Bay, 707-875-9092, fishetarianfishmarket.com) fit the bill.

I’ve long been a fan of the sandos at Spud Point Crab Co., Fisherman’s Cove and Ginochio’s Kitchen (all on Westshore Road), which all have slightly different variations on the same themes.

But huge props to Fishetarian for its large, plump raw oysters and mignonette served on a bed of ice. A plate of six is $19.99, and when eaten alone, a moment unto itself. Suck ’em down, pour the sour mignonette on top, slurp as loudly as you want and savor the experience without anyone ruining it by pointing out the dribble of lemon running down your chin.

The crab sandwich wasn’t as impressive. June is the bitter end of Dungeness crab season in Northern California, so it’s not always the ripest time to get huge sweet chunks of crab stuffed between slices of bread. But my $21.99 crab sandwich at Fishetarian had too much bread, cheese and veggies and not enough crab to really satisfy my craving. Maybe it’s my fault for eating Dungeness in late June.

The Boston chowder, local rock cod fish and chips or grilled fish tacos are better choices. There are also great kid-friendly options (grilled cheese or PB&J) and fun souvenirs, T-shirts and other goodies to bring home from your trip.

I’m a fan of the locally owned Fishetarian Fish Market overall, and my solo dining experience fueled my hike up the headland bluffs and back. I’m still dreaming of eating those fat oysters on a sunny picnic table for one.

Winery Family’s Sonoma Home Listed for Record $15 Million. Here’s a Peek Inside

June 2023

By Karen Kizer

Don and Nancy Sebastiani’s home at 175 Fourth St. E. is currently on the market for $15 million. (Provided by Caroline Sebastiani of Sotheby’s International Realty)

The prices in a recently record-breaking Wine Country real estate market may have reached a new peak. An iconic home west of Sonoma has been listed for $15 million. If it sells at asking price, it will be the most expensive home sale on record in the city of Sonoma.

The 11,892-square-foot “Fleur de Lys Estate” is the home of Don and Nancy Sebastiani whose family has deep roots in Sonoma. Don’s grandfather, Samuele, founded Sebastiani Vineyards in 1904, just eight years after immigrating from Italy. (After overseeing the winery for several generations, the Sebastiani family sold it in 2008.)

The four-bedroom, 10-bathroom home, which is down the road from the historic Sebastiani Winery, was built in 2012 in a grand, old-world style with balustrades, arched coffered ceilings and lots of highly variegated marbles. The classic look blends well with a few modern elements: clean lines, rustic stained wood trims and many contemporary if not whimsical lighting fixtures.

Show-stopping design elements on the home’s main level include 13th-century Fleur de Lis cabochons in the entryway and rare Breccia Medicea marble in the kitchen, with a red-purplish veining that contrasts with black and white checkerboard floor tiles. A two-story library wall is a dramatic backdrop for the living room, which is decorated with traditional furniture and textiles, as well as modern “ghost” coffee tables. On this floor is also a game and media room, two powder rooms, a guest bedroom with en suite bath, a den with a fireplace and en suite full bath.

On the second level, there are three additional bedrooms, with mountain and vineyard views. The main bedroom has two en suite bathrooms and there is also a small gym on this level. The basement houses a tasting room, office and a partial kitchen.

The home’s 4.5 acres of grounds feature manicured lawns, ornamental hedges, historic oak trees and winding stone paths. A large pool and terrace are framed by lush plantings.

Click through the above gallery for a peek inside the home, located at 175 Fourth St. E. in Sonoma.

For more information about this property, contact listing agent Carol Sebastiani, 415-290-3123, or Kristie Eddy, 949-577-1717, Sotheby’s International Realty – Wine Country – Sonoma Brokerage, 793 Broadway, Sonoma, sotheybysrealty.com, carolsebastiani.com

Modern Cabin in the Sonoma Redwoods Listed for $820,000

June 2023

By Karen Kizer

The home is cleanly modern yet super cozy thanks to redwood views and sharp design choices. (Brian McCloud Photography)

Sleek contemporary style doesn’t always evoke a sense of comfort. But a 1950s Cazadero home, which just hit the market for $820,000, strikes design gold by being both modern and cozy.

Redwood views and sharp design choices make this three-bedroom, two-bathroom home a perfect setting for “away-from-it-all” living. (Fortunately, the Russian River and the coast are just a short drive away, so the home is actually close to a lot of good spots.)

The forest ferns and towering redwoods that surround the home are viewable from the inside through floor-to-ceiling windows and several skylights. A vertical paneling warms the home which takes its design cues from an alpine chalet.

Updated floors and cabinetry add grainy, woodsy warmth, and the whole look is brightened with tile in pretty but subtle hues, peach in the great room and green in the bathroom.

A detached building with plenty of windows could function as an office or yoga studio. A guest suite with a separate entrance has its own kitchenette and bathroom.

Just outside the home are plenty of paved spots to take in the setting: seating areas, a picnic bench and a hot tub. The dwelling sits on an acre of woods. Click through the above gallery for a peek inside this home.

For more information about this listing at 1455 Cazadero Highway, contact listing agent Noel Flores, Continuum Real Estate, 415-730-0554, continuumrealestate.com