Are vegetables, the new bacon? Living here in Sonoma, you’d never think about vegetables as being something trendy or fashionable. We’re so spoiled to have access to an amazing array of fresh-from-the-farmer’s market vegetables no matter what time of the year. For us Sonomans, vegetables are passé while it seems the vegetable craze is just now sweeping the nation – from west to east. Being a vegetarian is all the rage, shopping with the seasons is the cool thing to do and vegetable-centric, farm-to-table restaurants and tasting menus are très chic. Vegetables as art, as a lifestyle, as an obsession? Here are two local sources.

A restaurant years ahead of the vegetable trend has been Ubuntu, Napa’s Michelin starred, all-vegetable hotspot. Since 2007 this very popular, upscale restaurant and yoga studio – I know, bizarre combination?! – has wowed diners…even the skeptical ones. The dining room is enchanting and cozy, housed in a historic stone building with super high ceilings and exposed rock, generous amounts of flickering candlelight. You’ll feel very Zen while sipping on a sustainable, naturally farmed Pinot Noir. This is no Tofurky, quinoa and green tea sort of place. It may be a vegetarian restaurant, but I believe it’s more a restaurant that just so happens doesn’t serve meat of any kind. Nothing but locally sourced, lovingly raised products are tolerated here. A majority of which comes from their own biodynamic farms, full-time gardeners, bees for honey, chickens for eggs and all. Cows, yes, but only for their fertilizer. The twenty percent of the ingredients they’re unable to grow on their own are sourced from local, sustainable farms such as Hudson Ranch. Unlike what you might assume, lettuce rarely makes an appearance here, while pasta and grains are incognito, hidden amongst the – you guessed it – vegetables. My most recent meal here left my head spinning from the dizzying parade of spectacularly concocted, modern veggie dishes plated in avant-garde fashion. Allow the professional, well-schooled staff to guide you through the menu. Between the obscure, heirloom varieties of produce to the molecular garnishes and the esoteric culinary references it’s more than likely that you won’t comprehend much written there and that’s all right. Simply have faith that each dish is inspired and executed with haute cuisine precision by wunderkind chef, Aaron London. You might not know what it is, but you’ll know it’s delicious. Proof that vegetables are the hot, new thing? It’s on your plate. Not convinced? There’s a steakhouse next door! Ubuntu is open for lunch Saturdays and Sundays and dinner daily. 1140 Main Street, downtown Napa. Reservations can be made by calling 251.5656. ubuntunapa.com

I’m sort of a farmer groupie. I will never tire of ogling a dew-covered eggplant or row of Lilliputian lettuce poking from just above the dirt’s surface and I never miss a farm tour. So, trust me when I tell you that I have never been on a more utterly flawless piece of land than that of Stone Edge Farm. This amazing property and working farm in western Sonoma Valley is the private utopia and part time residence of Mac and Leslie McQuown. The couple’s shared vision and passion for design led to the creation of the organic vineyard, olive orchards and extensive organic gardens, where stunning architecture blends seamlessly into the landscape. The truly amiable and talented chef John McReynolds, of Café la Haye fame, happily oversees much of the culinary goings on here. Along with head gardener, Lena Hahn-Schuman, the team supplies a selection of Sonoma restaurants including the Hot Box, Harvest Moon and Café la Haye with seasonal, organic and often times, heirloom produce. You just wouldn’t believe the beauty of these gardens and the bounty they produce. Planted in artistic, curved rows scattered around the grounds and alongside spectacular, hand-built stone walls and paths are perfect, dainty arugula, massive peppers, rainbow chard, gourds and even endive. I mean, endive?! Gourds hang from a lovely trellis through which you enter a small orchard of apple, pear and fig. Chickens roam free and scratch at the earth for insects under ancient looking olive trees heavy with healthy fruit. If this is farm living…it’s the life for me! Visit stoneedgefarm.com for information on the estate’s splendid olive oils and wine. Visitors are welcome by appointment only by calling 935.6520 or emailing Johnm@stoneedgefarm.com.

On the Menu: Cochon Volant morphs from barbecue to bistro with an autumnal French dinner at Sebastiani Winery on Friday, Oct. 29. Rob will be serving a rich and hearty Beef Bourguignon, garlic mashed potatoes and a lovely salade verte beginning at 5:30 p.m. while live music from Sonoma favorite, EZ Kewl begins at 6:30 p.m. • Speaking of Cochon Volant, keep your eye out for a French feast of Cassoulet, à la La Poste, at the Valley Wine Shack sometime in November! For more information or to book Cochon Volant for your holiday gatherings visit their website at cochonvolantbbq.com. • Tiddle E. Winks, Sonoma’s go-to source for goofy gifts and old-school candies has a great selection right now of outrageously fun Halloween candy. From wax fangs, a candy blood bag – ah! – boxes o’ boogers and gummy eye balls to name a few, these are not your run of the mill, boring old Kit Kat candy bars. Tiddle E. Winks is located at 115 East Napa Street on the Plaza. • This Saturday, Oct. 30, I couldn’t think of a better reason to get out of town than to attend Soul Food Farm’s a Day of Artisan Butchery Dinner and Demonstration in Vacaville. Beginning at 2 p.m. Dave the Butcher from Avedano’s in the City will be featured in a live butchery demonstration, followed by an al fresco dinner prepared by serious Bay Area culinary heavyweights David Tanis, Paul Canales and Tia Harrison with music by Aza Azul. For more information or to make your reservations, go to slowfoodsolano.org. • Mark your calendars for this event next month you won’t want to miss. On Nov. 11 at 5:30 p.m. Marcia Gagliardi, of Tabblehopper fame, will be at Domaine Carneros discussing her newish book, The Tablehopper’s Guide to Drinking and Eating in San Francisco. There will be a reception with bubbles and hors d’oeuvres – prepared by Janine Falvo of the Carneros Bistro – followed by a discussion of the book, Q&A and signing. $25, RSVP not necessary, for more information see Marcia’s website at tablehopper.com.

Ubuntu’s Cauliflower in a Cast Iron Pan

Recipe inspired by Jeremy Fox
Serves 4

2 medium heads (about 3 pounds) cauliflower
4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 tsp. curry powder
Best quality salt
8 Tbsp. (1 stick) butter
1 cup whole milk
20 thin slices baguette (preferably a day old)
1 tsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 350°. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add shallots and cook until caramelized, about 20 minutes. Add curry powder and toast until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute, then remove from heat.

Cut each cauliflower into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Season 1/4 of the cauliflower with olive oil and sea salt to taste and roast in oven until slightly charred and tender, about 25 minutes. Put butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Allow butter to melt, become foamy and turn golden brown. Remove from heat and add curry mixture and let sit for an hour.

Add all but 1/4 of the remaining raw cauliflower to a pot. Add milk and just enough water (no more than 1 cup) to almost cover cauliflower. Add 1 teaspoon sea salt and cook on low-medium heat until cauliflower is completely soft. Remove from heat, then puree in a food processor; strain through a fine sieve.

Brush baguette slices lightly with curry butter; arrange on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 5 to 6 minutes.

Season remaining raw cauliflower with a touch of curry butter, parsley and sea salt. Layer 4 mini cast-iron pots (or a shallow casserole) with roasted cauliflower and pureed cauliflower until filled. Top each with raw cauliflower. Serve each with slices of baguette on the side.