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Opening week will be hard to top for Top That, a new yogurt shop with a self-service twist at 531 Broadway. The new venture for Lori and Eric Solis got off to a great start on Thursday – “We opened the minute the city inspector signed the permit,” she said – and went nuts (chopped, chocolate covered or mixed) from there.
“It’s been non-stop since the 4th of July,” said the 30-year Valley resident. “I couldn’t believe how much we went through. The machines could barely keep up.”
The four soft-serve yogurt machines offer two flavors each. Factor in more than 70 toppings, and the combinations are endless. And the best part is, it’s all up to you. Like a dreamy salad bar at Willy Wonka’s, it’s a pay-by-the-ounce affair. Grab a cup and add your choice of yogurt flavors – that’s the easy part. Then tour the wall of toppings (nuts, M&Ms, Lucky Charms cereal), check out the sprinkles and syrups, then hit the fridge (chopped candy bars, chocolate chips, fruits). “Everybody gets to be in control of what and how much,” Solis said.
To pick the toppings, she “got the kids and their friends to sit down and make a big list. Our goal is 100 different kinds.”
She and her husband, a painting contractor, saw the concept at a friend’s store in Davis and thought it might fly in Sonoma. “I was driving down the street, saw this location and thought, wow, this could really work.” The lease was signed in April. “My husband brought his crew in and turned it from a landscape architect’s office into this in 10 days, working day and night.”
The storefront is four doors down from the Plaza. So far, foot traffic has been strong. “I’m pleasantly, very pleasantly, surprised,” she admitted. And busy. She is a bookkeeper with a home office in Glen Ellen, but the new business has her on the run, stocking supplies and hiring new employees. Luckily, her daughter Talia Gutierrez, up from Benicia on a school break, is helping out.
The two shared a laugh about two kids who have come in several days in a row (“regulars!”) and paid with extremely small change, ”like they got it from a piggy bank or out of their mom’s purse,” Gutierrez said. “Not that I ever did that!”
Top That yogurt is open Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday till 11 p.m.
Second home
The second generation is moving out on its own. Brendan, Mara and Carrie Roche are taking their family-run winery in a new direction – to downtown Sonoma – as Roche Winery and Vineyards opens a tasting room at 122 West Spain Street. Fingers are crossed for an opening next week in the distinctive craftsman style house, vintage 1942, as the family celebrates its 20th year of producing Sonoma Valley wines.
The homey setting, complete with porch and tree-shaded patio, offers a relaxed, casual atmosphere. “We want to make it an intimate experience,” said Brendan Roche, general manager. “It continues the down-to-earth, unpretentious wine tasting experience our family and staff have always enjoyed offering our customers.”
The landscaping in the front yard has been scaled back, opening up the space and creating room for more, comfortable seating. “A patio setting like this is priceless,” Roche said.
The scene is quite different from the Roche’s hilltop tasting room near Infineon Raceway. Winery founders Drs. Joseph and Genevieve Roche sold that property, and it will close as the home of Roche wines when the downtown Sonoma location opens. The Roche siblings’ long-term plan is to build (starting in 2011) a new winery on the family’s 500-acre estate – across the street from the hilltop location – where they farm 120 acres of vineyard.
Short-term, “we needed a home, and this location was perfect,” Roche said. The winery is a direct-to-consumer retailer – you won’t find the wines in stores – and has a growing database of more than 10,000 customers and club members. “We’re a destination for our customers,” said Roche. “We intend to cater to both locals and tourists alike.”
Carrie Roche will manage the tasting room, and Mara Roche will be the hospitality manager. Guests can taste wines, or buy a bottle and enjoy it along with the view and energy of Sonoma Plaza.
The tasting room will offer 11-14 varietals, with five different types of Chardonnay including un-oaked and late harvest versions. Pinot Noir is prominent as well. “What can I say?” Brendan Roche wondered. “We’re Carneros.” But look also for winemaker Michael Carr’s Merlot, Syrah and Muscat Canelli.
Roche Winery Tasting Room will initially be open 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, and 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
A growing concern
The Sunflower Caffé has branched up and out, adding a unique outdoor wine bar to its garden patio at 421 First Street West. “Business at the wine bar is going really well,” said owner James Hahn. “We see a lot of locals and that’s always been our focus, although we embrace tourists as well.”
James Hahn and Mila Chaname-Hahn bought the Caffé two years ago, making gradual improvements along the way. For the wine bar, he said he wanted something “Sonomaesque” in design and feel.
The distinct area is defined by a bright yellow canvas awning, custom built to shade the area while keeping the overall space light and airy. The bar itself sits atop four wine barrels, with additional small tables and seating beneath market umbrellas. The patio feel is enhanced by lush, colorful landscaping.
“Above all, we want the wine bar to be approachable, unpretentious and casual,” said Bridget Donahue, wine bar manager and sommelier in training. “We want people to enjoy themselves and learn about wine in an environment that is fun, not intimidating. So far, it seems to be working.”
The wine bar opened June 26 and the current menu offers 42 choices. Most are local, but several imports are available. Starting prices are a very reasonable $5-$6 per glass. Special nights with local vintners pouring their own wines are planned, Hahn has said.
The wine bar has its own outdoor grill, which on weekends will offer a special menu. At other times guests can order from the Caffe’s menu. The sommelier will likely recommend something from the specials menu, said Manager Terry Faris, which is more likely to complement – both in size and flavor – the wine experience.
Hahn shared a little secret that he’d like locals to know about. To beat what is sometimes a long line inside the restaurant, “you can order and pay for food and drinks right at the wine bar. It has a separate system, and it’s always staffed from 11 to 8.”
