Mark and Terri Stark of Stark Reality Restaurants have announced that Willi’s Wine Bar will re-open in late spring and Grossman’s Noshery will open in late summer at the Hotel La Rose in Santa Rosa.
The flurry of news comes after a public liquor license notice was posted in the window of the former Josef’s restaurant in Santa Rosa’s Railroad Square this week for the forthcoming “Jew-ish” deli, that pays homage to Terri Stark’s Jewish heritage with a Wine Country twist. Whispers about Grossman’s were confirmed by the Starks in late summer of last year, though no official word on the location or plans were released until today.
The Willi’s Wine Bar announcement was made in conjunction with news about Grossman’s.
It’s been a long road for the Starks since their flagship restaurant, Willi’s Wine Bar was destroyed in the 2017 wildfires. The restaurateurs decided not to rebuild the wine bar at the same site in Larkfield, renovating instead at the former Carmen’s Burger Bar in the Town and Country shopping center on Terrace Way.
According to Terri Stark, the new 80-seat Willi’s Wine Bar will open in late spring of this year, with a similar small plates menu, including their signature Tunisian Roasted Carrots, Moroccan-style BBQ Lamb Chops and Ahi Tuna Tartare. It will also have a covered patio and extensive wine pairings. Many of Willi’s dishes have been guest-hosted on the menus of their other five restaurants (Monti’s, Bird & Bottle, Willi’s Seafood, Stark Steak & Seafood, Bravas). Staff from Willi’s have also been retained at other restaurants during the closure and will return as well. Chef de Cuisine will be Matt Weinberger, a longtime Stark’s chef.
The restaurant space at the Hotel La Rose has stood empty for several years, but according to the Stark’s renovations are underway and will include a large bakery area for authentic bagels and breads for the deli.
The Starks recently returned from a fact-finding trip to New York and Brooklyn to investigate dozens of delis in the region. Expect to see some favorites appear on the Grossman’s menu.
The news comes on the heels of the impending opening of Sweet T’s in Windsor. The Fountaingrove BBQ spot also perished in the 2017 fires and the re-opening has been much-anticipated on March 7.