A retired librarian and an accomplished chef walk into a bar. On a whim, they decide to take over the space. There’s no punchline — that’s just how Sonoma County came to have the new Trillium, a lovely little cafe and wine lounge in downtown Guerneville.
The shoebox-size spot is the work of Genevieve Payne, who began studying wine at Santa Rosa Junior College and traveled around Europe after leaving her career as a bibliophile. The co-owner and chef is Greg Barnes, who has worked with legends such as Jeremiah Tower, Traci Des Jardins, and Duskie Estes, and who has known Payne for a decade.
The long-vacant space the team took over, right near the landmark Rainbow Cattle Company bar, came with some kitchen challenges, namely a lack of space for equipment to work with grills and live fire. So Barnes developed a sophisticated menu around a raw bar and selections from a giant convection oven and cooktop. The raw bar offers the oysters, poke, crudo and ceviche that have become Trillium’s signature.
There’s sumptuous seafood chowder and a sensational New England-style crab roll ($32), on a toasted, house-baked brioche split roll with a side of tangy house pickles, a sandwich that won a gold medal at last fall’s Sonoma County Harvest Fair. The seafood chowder is a standout, too, with a rich white-wine-and-cream base with chopped mussels, prawns, red potatoes, and hickory-smoked sous vide bacon over a base of heavy cream and white wine, with fresh thyme, Old Bay seasoning, and a splash of Louisiana Crystal hot sauce to make it sing.
The wine list is extensive and interesting, focusing on natural wines, including a dry, citrusy Colliano Sparkling Ribolla Gialla from Slovenia and the certified organic, gently tropical Folk Machine Potter Valley Sauvignon Blanc. There are also craft beers and ciders on tap, nonalcoholic cocktails and wine flights. Tiny Trillium, in tiny Guerneville, is setting the bar high.
16222 Main St., Guerneville. 707-604-5750, trillium.bar
This story was originally published in The Press Democrat. Read the full story here.