Marco Echeverria, who cooks five nights a week at Café La Haye serves as the daytime chef at Creekside Café in the Springs.
Ryan lely/Sonoma Valley Sun
Here’s a recipe for a perfect urban getaway weekend:
Start your day with a casual brunch prepared by a chef from one of the top restaurants in town. Then, do a little shopping at a discount designer emporium featuring couture labels such as Prada, Dior and Marc Jacobs. Next, take in a matinee performance of the San Francisco Opera. Before heading home, wrap up the afternoon with cocktails and appetizers at a luxury hotel. Finally, congratulate yourself on avoiding freeway traffic, bridge tolls, gallons of gasoline and big-city prices.
Because you can do all this without leaving The Springs.
Creekside’s weekend brunch
Even Sonoma’s most fervent foodies may not know that Marco Echeverria, who cooks five nights a week at the renowned Café La Haye, is the daytime chef at the Creekside Café on Boyes Boulevard. (Echeverria was trained by La Haye’s former chef/owner, John McReynolds.) It should be no surprise, then, that this little spot next to the Sonoma Creek Inn turns out some of the best breakfasts and lunches in the Valley.
Weekend brunch favorites include eggs Benedict with house-made cottage fries ($10.95); a veggie Benedict made with either portobello mushrooms or artichoke hearts, tomato and spinach ($10.95); and huevos rancheros with black beans and fresh salsa ($8.75). Another popular item is the crisp sourdough cinnamon French toast ($7.50), which gets its slight crunch from a coating of crushed cornflakes. A Mimosa ($5) makes the classic brunch accompaniment.
The café uses local food products whenever possible, another reason that the Creekside is a hometown favorite.
Creekside Café, 239 Boyes Blvd.; 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Closed Monday. 707.996.8062.
Fabulous fashion at Worn Sonoma
Housed in a loft-like space on the second floor of a building on Highway 12 Worn Sonoma has a chic, urban vibe. Owner Kirsten Hampton sources couture and high-end clothing on consignment, and sells at deep discounts. Some items are gently worn, as the store’s name implies, yet others still have their original tags. You never know what you’ll find, turning each visit into a treasure hunt. The thrill lies in discovering some beautiful pieces at bargain prices.
A recent visit turned up a brand new Armani suit for $450, a Chanel silk blouse for $90 and some embroidered Fendi mules for $68.
And if it’s jeans you’re looking for, check here first. The store usually has 50 to 60 pair in stock, with an average price of $50. According to Hampton, they’d retail for about $175 to $250 new. Juicy Couture, 7 for All Mankind, Notify and Citizens for Humanity are just a few of the labels you’ll want to snap up.
Worn Sonoma, 17620 Hwy. 12 at Lichtenberg Avenue, Wed. thru Fri. noon to 5 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Other times by appointment. 707.996.9676.
Opera? In Boyes Hot Springs?
Yes, Sonoma Cinemas, the very same theater that’s showing the likes of “Horton Hears a Who!” and “Drillbit Taylor,” will be screening Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” on April 12 and 13, and Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” on April 19 and 20.
Leading baritone Mariusz Kwiecien sings the title role in Mozart’s master work. In “Madama Butterfly,” soprano Patricia Racette stars in her signature turn as the tragic heroine Cio-Cio San. San Francisco Opera Music Director Donald Runnicles conducts in both productions.
Fortunately for local opera buffs, Sonoma Cinemas’ high-quality digital sound and projection equipment make it one of the very few theaters in the entire Bay Area capable of showing these special San Francisco Opera CinemaCast performances.
Saturday showings are at noon and 7 p.m.; Sunday matinees are at 2:30 p.m. Tickets to the evening performance are $9 ($6 for seniors), and matinees are $6.
For more information on the two operas, including the casts and program notes, go to the Sonoma Cinemas Web site, www.cinemawest.com, and follow the links to the San Francisco Opera.
Sonoma Cinemas, 200 Siesta Way (in the Fiesta Plaza), 707.935.1234.
Cocktails in the lobby
The relaxing Lobby Bar at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn is the perfect place to unwind after the high drama of the opera. Try the apricot and cream martini, one of the bar’s signature drinks. The menu also features a selection of appetizers prepared by the chefs at Santé, the inn’s Four Diamond Award winning restaurant. And if you’re there between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m., you’ll find a cheese cart with selections from around the world, along with complimentary tastings of local wines.
It’s a great spot, too, for people watching, and checking out all the folks who had to travel a lot farther for their weekend getaway than you did.
The Lobby Bar at Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa, 100 Boyes Blvd., 707.938.9000.
