If only because of strawberries, spring is one of my favorite times of year. I wouldn’t dream of picking them up anywhere but at the Watmaugh strawberry patch, where each berry is jewel-like, sticky sweet, and tooth-achingly perfect. I adore the fact that at just about the precise time I spy my first local berry, Sonoma’s culinary artisans are simultaneously cooking up dishes featuring them as well. Here is where to find them locally:
Harvest Moon Cafe: Lemon pudding cake with strawberries and whipped cream and a strawberry rhubarb crisp with creme fraiche ice cream.
Cafe La Haye: Strawberry-rhubarb crisp with “milk & honey” vanilla ice cream.
girl and the fig: Salad of the season with shredded carrot, pickled spring alliums, brioche courons, strawberry-chevre vinaigrette.
fig cafe: Buttermilk panna cotta with local strawberries and rhubarb.
Glen Ellen Star: Wood oven roasted Watmaugh strawberry cobbler with gingersnap-almond crumble and vanilla maple bourbon ice cream.
Mother’s Day Strawberry Cake
Strawberries are my mom’s berry of choice. Each year, I would make my mom a Mother’s Day cake that consisted of fluffy-soft angel food cake with the middle cut out. In that, now hollow cake, I would spoon a staggering amount of juicy, slightly sweet strawberries, followed by the cake’s original cake lid. I would then lather on a heart-stopping layer of just-whipped cream flavored generously with her precious Haitian vanilla, contraband from a trip she once took there. This was a kid-easy cake that became a sweet — if I do say so myself — annual tradition.
Foodie find: Three Twins Ice Cream
This weekend, during a wild, frenzied berry craving I found myself in the freezer section of Whole Foods desperately clawing my way through the frozen tubs, searching for the most perfect combination of strawberries, cream and sugar. I chose the Petaluma-based Three Twin’s “Strawberry Je Ne Sais Quoi.” A sublime combination of pure ingredients, smashed berries and a splash of balsamic vinegar that you wouldn’t know is there, except for that it’s just darned good. Berry, berry good.
Worth a trip: Inglenook Cellars
There is a magical spot very near here that, in an instant, whisks me from the vineyards of Napa to the grand landscape of Versailles. A magical place where crushed granite crunches under my feet, stately stone fountains shimmer golden in the late afternoon sunshine, miniature versions of luxe sailing vessels bobbing quietly on the surface. Towering, leafy plane trees shade ruby colored whicker bistro seats, intimate tables set for a romantic rendezvous, glass ashtrays adding to the Parisian feel of the place.
An imposing stone structure is hidden by climbing vines that practically obscure the 130-year-old masonry. A massive arched door of thick, golden wood is swung wide-open most days, the entrance to this little known gem seemingly a secret entree to an aristocrat’s private cellar. Once inside, eyes adjust to the dim lighting; ancient looking chandeliers hang from the soaring ceiling. A slate board boasts wines by the glass, local cheese plates perfect for nibbling while cozying up in a corner banquette during the chilly winter months or taken outside during our many perfect picnic days. A perfect, strong espresso pulled from the fancy Italian espresso machine and an anise cookie, a lovely way to prolong your stay here.
You’d be hard pressed to find a more magical spot in Wine Country then here at the historic Inglenook Winery. The movie set ambience here is no surprise, once you find out that Francis Ford Coppola and his team are behind the meticulous restoration of this amazing working winery. I yearn to spend long, wine-filled afternoons on the patio, watching the tourists come and go from the gorgeous, wood paneled tasting room as the late afternoon light turns soft. With each visit, I try to avoid the perfectly curated gift shop where each item is more covetable than the last. I truly hunger for a trip to Paris, but in the meantime, a short jaunt over the hill will do. Visit inglenook.com for more information.
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