Sonoma County (and a bit of Marin)

Last month I journeyed out to Occidental CA to stay with my eating buddy Howie of Sonoma, famed fellow-adventurer of previous LTH accounts. We did a lot of eating, and here are three interesting places that I can recommend.

Well-known chef Mark Dierkhising has left the big-time, and bought his own small cafe-cum-diner in downtown Santa Rosa. Mark is awfully happy in his tiny new kitchen



where he is busy producing such gorgeous offerings as this platefull of biscuits, eggs, and hash browns (note the perfection of the hash browns, which, for me, are the criterial item of such a breakfast):



Needless to say, there's a bunch of happy eaters at Mark's place:



There's a full lunch menu as well, with some already legendary burgers. Every town should have a place as wonderful as this.


A trip to Sonoma wouldn't be complete without some fish and chips at Bodega Bay. Howie and I have been going to the Boathouse for f & c for over 20 years. It's never, ever, disappointed. One thing, of course, is the freshness of the fish. Since they run their own party boats, there's always a fresh stock available! (Call them if you'd like to rent a boat or a seat.)



There's no ocean view, unfortunately, but still, the view out the back is down a wonderful coastal gully. The portions are generous:



I find the house tartar sauce ok but a bit sweet; and there's a nice array of bottled beers and some wine available. Surroundings are pleasant



and a tablefull of f & c is an awesome sight:




My last stop will be a bit controversial I suspect. But, if you're a Californian of a certain age (as Howie and I are), there is a soft spot in your heart for a particular kind of Italo-Californian restaurant, just post-war, with a grill, lots of room, piano bar, carpets, friendly waitresses who call you "Hon", guys hanging around with tall drinks, and Sinatra playing on the house music. Sinatra would have felt comfortable here. In fact, I didn't check, but he probably DID get comfortable here more than once.

I'm talking, of course, about Marin Joe's, the prototype for all the "Joe's" restaurants everywhere. Just a colossally good time, if you like that kind of thing. We had the grilled sweetbreads. Huge portions, perfectly grilled, great sides, wonderful saucess, cold beer. Jeez, what more could a Californian of a certain age ask for? Nothing, so far's I can see.

And I ain't apologizing to no one about this! :^)

Eat on!!

Geo


Dierk’s Parkside Cafe,
404 Santa Rosa Ave., Santa Rosa,
707.573.5955
http://www.dierksparkside.com/

http://biteclub.pressdemocrat.com/defau ... tem=370978



The Boat House
1445 Hwy. 1, Bodega Bay
707.875.3495

Marin Joe’s
1585 Casa Buena Dr
Corte Madera, CA 94925
(415) 924-2081

http://www.marinjoesrestaurant.com/


Edited once to fix URL

Geo wrote:A trip to Sonoma wouldn't be complete without some fish and chips at Bodega Bay. Howie and I have been going to the Boathouse for f & c for over 20 years. It's never, ever, disappointed. One thing, of course, is the freshness of the fish. Since they run their own party boats, there's always a fresh stock available! (Call them if you'd like to rent a boat or a seat.)

Wow - great pics. That blue sky makes the missus and I weep in fond memory of Bodega Bay.

And nothing - I mean NOTHING - says vacation like a couple of beers at lunch...

Fillay

Sonoma County, Napa’s bastard brother, is adjacent to Napa and a formidable wine-producing region, although one that some believe to be less serious. Because they are so close to each other, there are inevitable comparisons between Napa and Sonoma. Sonoma is way less crowded than Napa and, consequently, less touristy. As a result, you’re more apt to encounter signs of “real life,” such as housing developments, chain restaurants and big box stores. Having said that, in between those everyday eyesores, I thought that Sonoma was more tranquil and picturesque with steep, rolling hills, winding roads, rural landscapes, farms and roadside stands. There is a huge biking contingent here; and kudos to them, it can’t be easy to bike around the hills of Sonoma.

In all, I think Sonoma’s wine is more commercial and, I hate to say it, not as exciting as Napa’s. However, the cooler climate does mean that they are better suited than Napa to grow certain grape varieties. In the end, I was sorry I didn’t have more time in Sonoma; even if I wasn’t totally enamored of its wine, I enjoyed the slower pace and the tranquility.

Our first Sonoma winery visit was to BR Cohn:
BR Cohn -- http://www.brcohn.com/
15000 Sonoma Higway, Glen Ellen, CA
(800) 330-4064

This winery was originated by Bruce R. Cohn, the longtime manager of the Doobie Brothers. As such, you’ll see a lot of Doobie Brothers paraphernalia around the winery. While the wines were fine, nothing special, this is one place that seems a little stuck in a timewarp. The pourers there the day I visited all seemed like former hippies/Doobie Brother devotees and, frankly, so it seemed with most of its clientele. As the youngest people there by a good 20 years, we were not treated as seriously as other patrons. Our pourer was distracted; too busy talking up other customers. Oh well, one somewhat dud in the bunch isn’t bad. They also produce olive oil on the estate that, I think, is available for tasting.


BR Cohn’s beautiful estate



St. Francis -- http://www.stfranciswine.com/
100 Pythian Road at Highway 12, Santa Rosa, CA
(888) 675-WINE

St. Francis was a fun tasting. Pourers are younger, energetic, and generous with their pours. Tasting notes: Overall, solid reds, but very commercial and two-note in character. Very good, high-end drugstore/pharmacy wines to me. Believe it or not, I enjoyed a well-priced Rosé, which I purchased for drinking that weekend. As a result of the purchase, the pourer waived the price of both tastings, even though technically, only the cost of one of the tastings should have been refunded. A fun, laid-back tasting.


St. Francis Tasting Room


View of St. Francis winery



We also visited Martinelli, Hop Kiln, Dry Creek, Ridge and Hanna. I'll post back later regaring those places.

Sonoma Howie and I found a *really* great Vietnamese resto in Santa Rosa, Simply Vietnam, where they feature "Traditional Vietnamese Food." Well. I love Viet food, and have eaten it all over the place, including some absolutely first rate phô in Montréal. But I'm here to tell you that Simply Vietnam's food is up there at the top of my ratings.

We started, of course, with spring rolls, but, for a change, went with bbq pork instead of the usual shrimp version. Gobs of tender, very tasty pork, sticky rice, everything fresh as can be. Good dipping sauce too, crunchy.


spring-rolls by galeg_1, on Flickr

For our main, we went with a combo meat bun. It was perfectly cooked, with a wonderful, sweet but quite smoky sauce. The pork strips were absolutely perfectly cooked, glazed brightly all round. And there was one new one on me: tiny beef rouladen rolled around a very crunchy chunk of onion. Great taste+texture combo.


Bun by galeg_1, on Flickr

We liked things so well, that we went back two days later. (This is unusual for Howie and me when we're eating our way through a place!) Howie had been having serious joneses for wonton soup since the night before, and sure enough, there it was on the menu! But it wasn't your ordinary wonton soup, Chinese-style. First off, the broth was thick and rich, not transparently clear. Secondly, it had some heat, a really nice touch. Then, it had all sorts of great Viet veggies and condiments throughout. Finally, there were the wontons: sort of Lion's Head style, but dense, chewy, crunchy, with great pork flavor. These were some of the best wontons I've *ever* had.


wonton-soup by galeg_1, on Flickr

The aforementioned wonton in all its glory:


wonton by galeg_1, on Flickr

For my main I had the combo meat chow fun stir fry. This was our least among the best: better than most stir-fries, but not an A+ --too many carrots! However, the sauce was rich and satisfying, the shrimp were perfectly cooked, and the noodles themselves were worth the price of admission.


chow-fun by galeg_1, on Flickr

There's no doubt but that Howie and I will be back again to Simply Vietnam.

Geo

edited once to add link

Your pictures of Simply Vietnam's dishes made my mouth water, Geo. Thanks for the virtual lunch, but now I have to head down to Olive Market to grab the evening's dinner ingredients!

Was out in San Francisco for a bit and had planned to do a couple nights in Sonoma but our reservation got botched. This was both a blessing and a curse. San Fran is an amazing food/drink city so we were happy to go back a day early to do more eating and drinking but at the same time we loved the night we spent in Sonoma County. So much so we already know we'll be back to further explore the area, having a voucher for the hotel in Healdsburg all but assures this.
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El Molino Central


Boyes Hot Springs, CA

First stop up is a place that we'll most certainly return too. Where's theres vineyards, there's Mexican restaurants. Those working the fields need to eat. Whether in the form of taco trucks or a more modern approach with local ingredients, Sonoma County has all the options. El Molino Central isn't far from downtown Sonoma and it's the perfect place to start your day. You can fill your stomach up with modern takes on Mexican street classics or wake up with a cup of Blue Bottle coffee. The star of the show here is the stone-ground in-house corn they use for the tortillas and the tamales. A molino is a Mexican mill where back in Mexico the entire town takes its dried corn to turn it into masa. Not on this day but sometimes you can see them using theirs in-house.


Guacamole

The love doesn't stop at the tortillas. Guacamole is sold by the avocado (1,2,3 etc) and it isn't made until your order has been placed, the chips go into the fryer at the same time and are ready when your guac is made. No seats inside but there's a few shaded tables in the back. We split a couple plates and choosing which one was more preferred is like deciding between a Lamborghini or a Bugatti. I'm more than happy with either or but would rather just have them both.


Bohemia Beer Battered Fish Tacos on their famous corn tortillas

First up the fish tacos. There may be fish tacos out there that are equally as good as these but there aren't any that are better. The beer battered fish was giving off the same crunch sounds of the chips and inside of it was perfectly flaky fish that was bursting with steam having come fresh from the fryer. Cabbage adds even more crunch while the salsa de arbol adds heat that the avocado lime mayo cools down. You know the tortillas are trump tight. Same story for the tamales. Not only was the masa the perfect texture but the meat to masa ratio was also on point. The lady that owns the place became famous selling her tamales at the San Francisco farmers market and it was easy to understand why.


Niman Ranch Red Chile Pork Tamales with pickled cabbage relish
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Matanzas Creek Winery


Was rec'd this spot in Santa Rosa by my boys girlfriend from the area. Sensational views and some good white wines, one of which I sent a case home. Aside from liquid grapes they also had alot of lavender based items including some grill sticks I bought for home.
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Lazzini's Market


Santa Rosa, CA

Quick pitstop before heading onto the next winery. This is the locals spot for sandwiches. Packed house on this Sunday visit around noon. Specialty of the House is the Godfather sandwich which featured beef tri-tip, bbq sauce, mayo, red onion, and pepperoncini. Little too much going on but the meat itself was nice. I'd skip the sauces or ask for a smear of some horseradish sauce if I was a regular.


Godfather Sandwich
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Iron Horse Vineyards


Sebastopol, CA

Neither of us are huge wine enthusiasts though she drinks it when its around and there are no craft cocktails in sight. Especially the bubbly. So I made sure to do a little search for a sparkling winery and all results pointed to this place. The ride there was out of a postcard and so was the vineyard itself. We couldn't ask for a better day to do a tasting in one of the more scenic wineries in the county. It's up a mountain and the tasting bar sits on top outside. Double bonus because it was oyster day which meant a pair of sisters well known for their appearances all over the county were shucking here. Good wines, great vibes, and an amazing location.


Fresh Shucked Tomales Bay Oysters from the Oyster Girls Roving Rawbar. 2 Raw. 2 Grilled.


The view from the benches
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Canneti Roadhouse Italiana


Forestville, CA

Heard positive things about this modern Italian kitchen being led by a chef from the Tuscan coastal town of Massa. The menu looked money so this was lunch. Loved the layout of the place as it was a small cozy spot with spaces indoors near the open air kitchen and also outside in the well tended garden patio. It was in a small little town and it felt that way. Had a little bit of a feel of the old country. The Sunday tratorria rustica menu is different than the other days and has some large bowls of pasta listed, all of which are made in house. I'd describe both as simple but perfectly executed and that's exactly what was needed at that day and time.


Chickpea Tagliatelle with Manila Clams and Pink Bay Shrimps


Pennette Pasta with Pork Sausage Sugo and Pecorino Cheese
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Dry Creek Vineyard


Another formidable spot in Healdsburg. This one with a huge outdoor space for parties to enjoy. All these places let you taste at leisure and you're more than welcome to shoot some bean bags or just read a book in one of the chairs. They also had a scenic walk thru part of the property.
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Barndiva


Healdsburg, CA

The tiny little town of Healdsburg might as well be the location for a romance movie. It's beautiful and very much coming of age. It's got all the stuff you find in these tourism driven towns. Boutique Clothing stores as well as hotels, Farm to Table eating establishments, Art Galleries and much more. Including the radiant restaurant that is Barndiva. Built from the inside out in an old barn this was a beautiful setup. Reason they popped onto my radar were the cocktails. The important stuff.


Cocktail Menu

Popped in right around opening for an early eating/drinking session and plopped down right at the bar where the tenders were there to greet us with smiles and satisfactory customer service that all places should strive to match. Loved the drinks, and enjoyed the food. Already plotting my return ... ♫ back to Cali ♫


"frisèe lardon" crispy pork belly - poached quail egg, baby lettuces, bacon


dungeness crab ravioli - artichoke, red wine vinaigrette
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El Molino Central
11 Central Ave
Sonoma, CA 95476
(707) 939-1010

Matanzas Creek Winery
6097 Bennett Valley Rd
Santa Rosa, CA 95404
(707) 528-6464

Lazzini's Market
3449 Bennett Valley Rd
Santa Rosa, CA 95404
(707) 575-3888

Iron Horse Vineyards
9786 Ross Station Rd
Sebastopol, CA 95472
(707) 887-1507

Canneti Roadhouse Italiana
6675 Front St
Forestville, CA 95436
(707) 887-2232

Dry Creek Vineyard
3770 Lambert Bridge Rd
Healdsburg, CA 95448
(707) 433-1000

Barndiva
231 Center St
Healdsburg, CA 95448
(707) 431-0100

Sitting here with a depressing office lunch, reading Da Beef's post, and wondering where my life went wrong.

Well done, Beef! I'll be back with Howie in Occidental in August, we'll probably give one or two of these places a try.

Geo

Thanks for the list, DaBeef!

I'm gonna be up that way next weekend, a friend is getting married saturday in Calistoga.

I'm flying into SFO thursday afternoon and driving up to Santa Rosa right after I get in. My thursday night and all of friday are free, don't really have any plans but I was thinking of anything from breweries (Lagunitas and then Cowgirl Creamery since it's in Petaluma, Russian River thursday night?) to wineries (how to pick? there are so many!) to a short hike in redwoods (Armstrong Redwoods SP seems among the closer places for that).

I'll be traveling solo those two days, so if anyone has any other recommendations (dinner rec for Santa Rosa thursday and/or friday?), whether food or wine-related or anything else (even just where to wander around driving), I'd love to hear them!

One of the most interesting Thai restaurants we've experienced is in Santa Rosa*. Sea Thai Bistro marries the best of California's bounties from sea and land to creative Thai flavors. Our most recent visit to Sonoma County was last April. We dined in at Sea Thai twice and once brought take out (and a chilled bottle of wine) to a picnic table near Spring Lake / Annadel Parks to feast and watch sunset. Take a look at STB's menu and be aware that they also offer nightly chef's creations, which were our choices this trip. However one of our frequently ordered favorites is 'English Cucumber and Avocado Salad' - it more than satisfies our longing for fresh greens when we are traveling and limited to eating restaurant food.

We also thought Kettles Vietnamese Bistro was quite good, in that the broth in our lunch Pho was well balanced and light. Open less that one year, KVB is located very near the Charles M. Schultz Museum (of 'Peanuts' cartoon fame), which was a fun trip back in time.

The trip to Ferrari-Carano offers both a very pretty, short drive from SR and a spectacular setting. Dry Creek Road on a weekday is a lazy coast thru low hills and broad vineyards (on weekends it's a racetrack). The grounds are Italian design with a stately garden (do not miss) and impressive estate that holds a large and welcoming visitor center where a tasting bar backs to panoramic windows overlooking miles of vines.

A little further (half mile?) up the road is Lake Sonoma. At the base of the dam sits a large park with picnic tables sheltered by broad shade trees. Take a minute to drive to the top of the overlook and view the level of the lake - shocking to one who last saw it when it was near full.


http://seathaibistro.com/
(check their address - they advertise that they are planning a move to a larger space around the corner)

http://www.ferrari-carano.com

http://www.kettlesvietnamesebistro.com

http://schulzmuseum.org

Word of warning. Snail-paced traffic caused by construction on Hwy 101-N between Novato and Petaluma added 75 minutes to our drive from SFO to SR on a Wednesday afternoon. Check Google Map/Traffic. Construction was due to be completed by now, but best to check if only to avoid surprise. Unfortunately, there is no viable alternative route.

*Full Disclosure: We've been to Thailand only once, only to Chiang Mai, and only for a week, and due to our tender palates, found most of our meals excruciatingly hot. In as much as we could eat and enjoy the food at STB it most certainly classifies as 'adapted', rather than authentic.