KQED Films at Mill, Sonoma Eats Returns, El Fuoco departs, Native Sons BBQ, Spread Makes Top 100, SMASHburgers Everywhere, PRIDE Comes Back to General’s Daughter
“Check, Please!” films at The Mill
Leslie Sbrocco’s KQED program, “Check, Please!” films Friday, June 5 at The Mill in Glen Ellen’s Jack London Village. Not knowing whom to thank, Executive Chef Dana Jaffe posted her excitement and thanks to whoever suggested The Mill be featured. It is not an easy nominating and screening process, but The Mill has happily made the cut.
Owner Sanjeev Kumar has let “regular (frequent) customers” know that they are welcome to come early for lunch and stay to watch the filming. It’s a fascinating process, as I have had the privilege of witnessing four of Guy Fieri’s episodes filmed in Sonoma Valley.
Sonoma Eats returning to Sonoma
Efrain Balmes called recently to say he hopes to reopen Sonoma Eats soon, this time in downtown Sonoma.Sonoma Eats aims to make a splash in the Fifth Street West shopping center across from Safeway.
Some people may remember Pearl’s, with great breakfasts and lunches, as well as the Shanghai Chinese restaurant next door that was recently vacated by Delicious Dish. DD will be back in action June 8, cooking at a Marin kitchen but still delivering dinners here in Sonoma.
Yes – it does seem like a restaurant version of musical chairs.
Balmes’ plans sound great, as he will be expanding his Sonoma Eats menu to include favorite items from his Parkside Eats restaurant on Montgomery Drive in Santa Rosa.
Sonoma Eats’ fans of his Boyes Hot Springs café, and others, might look forward to both Mexican and American traditional breakfasts, such as huevos rancheros, chilaquiles, burritos, and tacos, as well as eggs and bacon or chorizo with country potatoes and hearty white toast, ribeye steak and eggs, mushroom omelets, avocado toast, buttermilk pancakes, and tres leches French toast, all under $16 except for the ribeye steak ($22).
Sonoma Eats will also offer burgers, French fries, several salads, and, he said, “very good coffee,” all handy at this location with a good parking lot.
Watch for the opening sometime soon.
Rob Larman closes Il Fuoco restaurant
After some medical ups and downs (currently an “up”) Rob Larman has decided to close the retail operation of his Il Fuoco restaurant in Boyes Hot Springs. Last Sunday, May 31, was the final day of service at the Highway 12 location. A disagreement with the landlord made the decision easy.
When asked if he had plans for more fishing and boat trips with his dogs, Larman said he will be busy with several catering jobs, including a large Swedish birthday party and the Boys & Girls Clubs’ annual lobster feed at the Vadasz’ ranch.
Since he owns all of his Cochon Volant meat smoking equipment and ovens, he will take the super popular smoker trailer almost anywhere for full BBQ meals.
Native Sons Chicken BBQ June 13
This is a great fresh air meal for a good price, and all the funds go to local kids and projects. As part of Sonoma’s Bear Flag Celebration, Dean Zellers and the Native Sons of the Golden West Sonoma Parlor #111, offer a terrific chicken barbecue on Sonoma Plaza to honor the raising of the California Bear Flag.
Following the flag raising at 11 a.m., the Native Sons start serving the half chickens about 11:45 for $20. The generous and perfectly barbecued chicken is accompanied on your plate by beans, green salad, and a roll. You can even get it to take home, or bring your own container or foil to take home your leftovers. Hot dogs are also available for $7.
Lagunitas Brewing Co. is donating the beer, and Paul Giusti and Highway 12 Winery provide the wine. Of course, there is a small charge for each.
Jon Williams & Friends will play music in the Grinstead Amphitheatre from 1:30 in the afternoon.
No advance tickets. Just show up. Go with friends or family, or on your own, and sit anywhere with friendly Sonomans. While the BBQ “ends” at 4, they usually run out of chickens before that. But it’s still fun.
Sonoma Stompers food and drink
Jon Sebastiani’s Sonoma Stompers opened their baseball season last week. Coinciding with the restaurant’s fifth anniversary coming in July, Jacob’s restaurant again offers traditional ballpark favorites, such as burgers, hot dogs, chicken pesto sandwiches, garlic fries, and wood oven pizzas. Also watch for churros, mixed green salads, chicken tenders, and wines. Lagunitas Brewery provides the beer this year. Try Jacob’s for good Italian food as well. Jacob’s restaurant: 1266 Broadway, Sonoma (next to Train Town). (707) 996-4024.
Spread Kitchen makes TOP 100 and Spreads Love
Spread Kitchen recently made the San Francisco Chronicle’s Top 100 in the Bay Area list. Quite the achievement for a newish restaurant in a tiny space. Other wine country restaurants that made the Top 100 include Single Thread in Healdsburg, Cyrus, and Valley Bar & Bottle, Enclos, and El Molino in Sonoma. Congratulations to all!
Spread Owner and Executive Chef Cristina Topham started her business in a parttime rented kitchen in Napa, and personally drove her food to customers in Marin, San Francisco, Sonoma and Napa counties.
Having traveled the world as a private yacht chef, she knows hunger when she sees it. Cristina has restarted her Spread Love initiative to help hungry people get through rising costs of gas and food and possible food insecurity.
From Cristina Topham’s Facebook page: “Here’s how it works: community members purchase a meal in advance, and we put a heart up on the board. If you’re in need, come in, grab a heart, hand it to your server — and your meal is covered. No questions, no fuss, just a warm meal on us (and them).
1 heart = 1 falafel or chicken wrap & fries (or a bowl) + an iced tea or lemonade.
“And if you know a family we could send meals to, please reach out — we will make sure they are taken care of.
“To everyone who has contributed a heart: thank you for making Spread Kitchen more than just a place to eat.”
Spread features Lebanese-inspired bright colored vegetables, Dip Plates such as Beiruti hummus, baba ganoush, and Labneh, grilled meats including chicken, beef sirloin, and lamb, local farm specials from Oak Hill Farm, and their za’atar fries, which can also come as dirty fries or vegan dirty fries. Loads of grain bowls and lavash wraps, chips, pita bread, walnut-pistachio baklava, tahini brownies, or cardamom rice pudding.
Fresh off Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Food Fight on The Food Network, Cristina explained to me on my KSVY radio show that the sirloin beef she uses now costs more than lamb, thanks to current food price increases. Open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. 18375 Hwy. 12, Boyes Hot Springs. (707) 721-1256.
Smash burger wars?
Not really. But Ari Weiswasser, of Glen Ellen Star and Stella, has opened Smash in the Taub Family Outpost at First Street West and West Napa Street, and Valley Swim Club has started to serve smash burgers as well. The a la carte choices at Smash and the inclusive selections at Valley Swim Club add up to about the same price, although extras vary, as does the amount of beef in your burger.
Meanwhile, Mary’s Pizza Shack in Boyes serves a “double patty smash burger” with salad or fries, and Layla at MacArthur Place has been serving $10 smash burgers on Monday nights since last year.
The General’s Daughter welcomes Pride fun
Gary Saperstein, of Out in the Vineyard, joyfully announced that Sonoma Valley Pride will proudly return to The General’s Daughter on Saturday, June 13 for their Pride Dance as part of international Pride Month.
It all sounds like a blast, with internationally-known Sonoma native DJ Marylouise of Posso, an aggressive woman DJ business and record label back home in Sonoma to DJ the Pride dance. Pangloss Cellars and Sixteen 600 will offer wine and Costa’s Tacos will make their tacos available
Built by Mariano Vallejo for his daughter, the Victorian, called “Big Pink,” was long occupied by the Ted and Cedora Scheiblich family of nine kids, meaning Melania Mahoney and her eight brothers. The Scheiblichs sold Big Pink to Bob Cannard, who was not allowed to open a winery tasting room there and eventually sold to Suzanne Brangham. She turned it into a restaurant and built the rammed-earth Ramekins next door.
The website of newest owners, Tidewater Capital, seems to emphasize conversion of Bay Area buildings into apartments with little emphasis on historic preservation – something to watch.
Melania Scheiblich Mahoney said in an email that Suzanne Brangham and Sondra Bernstein both gave her “bannister sliding privileges” in Big Pink and that she hopes the new owners will do the same.
Gary Saperstein helped Sondra Bernstein create her Estate restaurant there. Eventually, Ramekins and The General’s Daughter were acquired by Sarah and Darius Anderson, who eventually sold them and Cornerstone to Ken Mattson.
Many of us remember when Ramekins staff hung Pride flags from the parking lot entrance to the facility and on the front of The General’s Daughter. Soon after, Ken Mattson called in most of Ramekins’ top staff and fired them – out the door now.
Saperstein and many other Sonomans are very excited that the newest owners have welcomed Pride celebrations back to The General’s Daughter, and hope that is a good sign for the future of both it and Ramekins. Pride Dance: $30. 7 to 10 p.m. June 13. 400 West Spain Street, Sonoma. Tickets at sonomavalleypride.com.
Sonoma Mission Inn starts music and food truck
Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn has launched its summer Friday music series on the front lawn with a new menu from their Californio airstream trailer “food truck.”
The menu includes lemon pepper calamari, nacho fries with ground beef or Impossible meat, Watmaugh strawberry salad, a falafel bowl, Ahi poke nachos, a green goddess veggie crunch sandwich, or a shaved New York steak and Vella Daisy Cheddar sandwich.
Sam’s General Store opens
Sam’s General Store, a St. Helena coffee shop, has opened a branch on Broadway next to Delhi Belly, where an indoor plant shop was the most recent tenant. Watch for coffees, pastries, bottled drinks, sandwiches and salads. The owners (no contact number) show their official address as on East Napa as part of Melissa Detert’s Sonoma Court Shops. Some of us still miss Friberg’s Drug Store and lunch counter there.
This gives Sonoma its second Napa coffee shop. Derek Bromley’s Ohm Coffee has worked hard to build a loyal local following with their carefully roasted coffees and pastries on East Napa Street.
Women in food and wine gather at DeLoach
Last week, more than 70 people enthusiastically joined with Les Dames d’Escoffier, Wine Women, and Women for WineSense in the Kathleen Thompson Hill Kitchen Memories Collection at Jean-Charles Boisset’s DeLoach Winery in Santa Rosa. This was the first ever gathering of the three groups together, now calling themselves “The Sisterhood,” with plans to collaborate and help women working in or wanting to get involved in the food and wine fields.
The DeLoach wines were fabulous, as were the abundant charcuterie and cheese platters donated by Boisset’s Oakville Grocery. He also owns and has restored Buena Vista Winery in Sonoma.
Glassy-winged sharpshooters caution
It appears that some grapevine plants shipped from Burchell Nursery in Oakdale to many northern California Costco stores come with the dreaded glassy-winged sharpshooter that spreads a bacteria that causes Pierce’s disease, a fatal grapevine disease. According to Phil Barber of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, pertinent plants were delivered to Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Novato, and Napa Costco warehouse stores.
If you got one of these grape plants, DO NOT PLANT. Sonoma Mission Gardens recommends putting it in two plastic garbage bags and sealing the bags. Do not throw away. Call the Sonoma County Ag Commissioner at (707) 565-2371 for instructions.
Be First to Comment