707 Scout

By 707 correspondent Heather Irwin. Sign up for the BiteClub Newsletter.

Chef Jamil Peden, who’s done stints at Campo Fina (Healdsburg) and at the former Petite Syrah (Santa Rosa), will head up the kitchen of the soon-to-open ~WOODFOUR BREWING COMPANY~ located in Sebastopol’s expanding food- and wine-centric Barlow complex. Say owners Seth Wood and Olav Vier: “At Woodfour Brewing Co. we feel that food in our kitchen deserves as much respect and attention as the beer in the brewery. With that in mind, it gives us great pleasure to introduce the newest member of our team, executive chef Jamil Peden. The guy has some serious talent and style to boot.” Watch for a (fingers crossed) July opening.

Meanwhile, ~TAYLOR MAID FARMS ORGANIC COFFEE~ will be opening the doors on its new Barlow coffee bar on Monday June 17th. Visitors can watch roasting and packaging from the bar’s mezzanine level, drink espresso and hand-brewed coffees, and check out tasty treats from Santa Rosa’s Criminal Baking Co. and Howard’s Cafe. The coffee bar is located at 6790 McKinley Ave., Suite 170, Sebastopol, and will be open Mon-Thurs 6am-7pm, Fri-Sat 6am-9pm, and Sun 7am-7pm.

Yountville’s acclaimed ~REDD WOOD~ goes mobile with Redd Wood on the Road. Their custom-made Mugnaini mobile pizza oven offers up the restaurant’s signature blistered wood-fired pizzas alfresco along with seasonal salads made from locally sourced ingredients. The restaurant has also expanded their popular breakfast offerings from 8am-10am daily. The menu includes old favorites like the RW Breakfast Sandwich (with housemade sausage) and fresh donuts and fritters along with new additions such as Meyer lemon ricotta pancakes. 6755 Washington St. at Madison, Yountville, 707-299-5030.

Holy tequila! ~LA CONDESA NAPA VALLEY~ hosts a Tequila Whipserer Master Series dinner on Wednesday June 26th. The agave-based spirit takes center stage as Master Distiller Adolfo Murillo of Tequila Alquimia and Tequilero Michael Lipman guide guests through a three-course dinner featuring Snake River Farms carnitas, elote, jalapeño poppers, camarones al mojo, and tres leches cake paired with Murillo’s award-winning organic tequilas. The dinner, from 6:30-9pm, is $55 per person. 1320 Main St. at Hunt, St. Helena. Reservation details online or by calling 707-967-8111.

If you’re a fan of ~COPAIN WINES~, you’ll now need to call ahead to visit their hilltop tasting room in Healdsburg. The upside, however, is that visitors get a personalized tasting experience with top-notch pinot noir and syrah paired with small bites. The Farm Table Tasting for nonmembers happens at 11am and 2pm daily. 7800 Eastside Rd. at Ballard, Healdsburg, 707-836-8822.

By 707 correspondent Heather Irwin. Sign up for the BiteClub Newsletter.

Santa Rosa’s ~THE SPINSTER SISTERS~ starts up happy hour just in time for lazy summer afternoons (and sneaking out of work a little early) from 4pm-6pm Tuesday through Friday. Seasonal $5 cocktails include white sangria with stone fruit, the Konnichiwa (sake, matcha, and lemonade), and the Bloody Beer (Poleeko Gold with spicy tomato juice and lime). Beers and wines on tap are available for $3 and $4. On the menu: goat cheese toasts with strawberry onion jam and basil ($4), curry fries with smoked ketchup ($2), lamb meatball sliders, and grilled chicken satay ($2). 401 S. A St. at Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa, 707-528-7100.

Here in Wine Country, it’s been feeling like a long, hot summer for months, which may be good news for our cooler-climate cousins to the south. If you’re seeking a little summer swirling, ~IRON HORSE~ gives the official start of the summer a fitting welcome with the release of the new limited-edition bubbly, the 2009 Summer’s Cuvee. On Saturday June 22nd, they’ll be popping corks and serving up fresh oysters, lobster rolls, paella, and peaches and cream from 4:30pm-7:30pm at their relaxed Forestville vineyards. 9786 Ross Station Rd., Sebastopol, 707-887-1507. Tickets are $85 for nonmembers, $60 for wine club members.

Say “Happy Father’s Day” in style: If your dad’s a car nut (and really, are there many that aren’t?), ~CADE ESTATE WINERY~ hosts Tesla Motors’ meetup featuring test drives of the car awarded “best car ever tested” by Consumer Reports magazine. The event includes wine tasting, noshes, and a spectacular view of Napa Valley atop Howell Mountain. Saturday June 15th, 11am-3pm, 360 Howell Mountain Rd., $55 per person. RSVP to Shannon Meneghelli at 707-965-2746.

Sip your way into the sunset, starting today at ~GARY FARRELL VINEYARDS & WINERY~ in the Russian River Valley. Perched high on a hilltop, the winery introduces its First Friday Sunsets series. Visitors can taste premier pinots, light hors d’oeuvres, and listen to music the first Friday of each month from 5:30pm-8:30pm. Reservations are required, $35 per person. 10701 Westside Rd., Healdsburg, 707-473-2909.

By 707 correspondent Heather Irwin. Sign up for the BiteClub Newsletter.

The forecast for this week? Plenty of sunshine and great food in all parts north. Here’s your cheat sheet on all things delicious in Wine Country.

Sunday June 2nd: ~DRAGONFLY FARM~ in Healdsburg hosts an open house from 10am-3pm with tasty bites from Ariel Ross (gluten-free Florentines), sweets from Flour Girl, Heather’s Homemade hand pies, farm market phenom the Green Grocer, as well as picnicking, family yoga, industrial art, crafts, and even life coaching. 425 Westside Road at Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg.

Thursday June 6th: Craft, kvetch, and nosh away the evening at ~CRIMINAL BAKING CO. & NOSHERY~. I’m a huge fan of Dawn Zaft’s homey cakes and pies, pour-over coffees, and scones at this cozy storefront. She’ll include tea and quiche, a comfy creative space, and plenty of community dishing with the requested $10 donation. Bring your project this Thursday or any first Thursday of the month. 463 Sebastopol Ave. at Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa.

Saturday June 8th: Pop-up dinner kings ~MULLEN & SMITH~ team up with local butcher Rian Rinn (who plans to open Sonoma County Meat Co., a custom cut-and-wrap butcher shop, in Santa Rosa this year) for Hog It Up at ~SHED~ in Healdsburg. The trio will have a live hog butchery demonstration followed by a three-course meal using the aforementioned piggy. Rinn, Ian Mullen, and Jason Smith met at SF’s Fifth Floor nearly a decade ago and have collaborated on this season-inspired menu. Tickets are $110 per person and include a glass of wine with dinner. Details and tickets available online. Can’t make that event? Aspiring fermenters (and those who love them) can check out Jennifer Harris’ kombucha, kvass, and kefir class from 1-3pm on Sunday June 16th, $25. 25 North St. at Foss, Healdsburg.

Saturday June 8th, ~SEGHESIO FAMILY VINEYARDS’~ Chef’s Summer Dinner at Passalacqua Ranch: Sip and sup among the vines of historic Sonoma County properties with a menu prepared by chef Peter Janiak, formerly of SF’s Boulevard and Presidio Social Club. The event features beef carpaccio with cherry tomatoes, grilled prawns with English pea risotto and sea urchin butter, and filet mignon with garlic potato purée and morel mushroom cream. Old-vine zinfandels will be paired with each course. The event is limited to 50 participants, $200 per person, 5-9pm. Details and reservations by calling 707-395-3609.

Sunday June 9th: It’s NOLA at the Windsor Farmers Market as ~PARISH CAFE’S~ Rob Lippincott hosts New Orleans Day. The Louisiana transplant brings his family’s French Creole recipes to life with a free chef demonstration at 11am. There will be beignets, live music with Catfish Jack, free cake, and Mardi Gras beads for all. The market itself is open 10am-1pm. 701 McClelland Dr., Windsor.

Still hungry? Check out Heather’s always updated food and dining blog at BiteClubEats.com.

By 707 correspondent Heather Irwin. Sign up for the BiteClub Newsletter.

There’s plenty of action on the coast this weekend in case any of you San Franciscans want to escape your 61-degree weather, including ~ROCKER OYSTERFELLER’S~ Oysterpalooza, beginning at 11am Sunday. The Valley Ford fest includes six bands, barbecued oysters, po’boys, brisket, Lagunitas beer, and tons of fun. Tix are $15 for entry and can be purchased at the event or online.

If you’re looking for more coastal fun, check out Jenner’s ~CAFE AQUATICA~ (10439 Hwy 1, Jenner, 707-865-2251), a quirky coffeehouse and organic eatery perched at the estuary of the Russian River just north of Bodega Bay. The coffee is roasted on-site and the chowder (especially the vegan mushroom and coconut milk version) is exceptional. If you’re heading out with Fido, check out ~DON’S DOGS~ in Rio Nido. Attached to the Quonset hut that houses the town’s theater, they serve up quarter-pound grilled dogs with all the fixings and welcome well-mannered pups on the porch (and serve Dogs for Dogs—aka hot dogs—for $1). 20396 Bohemian Hwy., Monte Rio, 707-865-4190.

Headed for Healdsburg? On Saturday, the much loved ~DRY CREEK PEACH & PRODUCE~ brings its first-of-the-season goodies to the Healdsburg Farmers Market. Portuguese-inspired ~CAFÉ LUCIA~ has begun brunch service from 10am to 3pm with malassadinhas (mini donuts), eggs Benedict, arroz a la valenciana, and tasting plates of serrano ham, baby octopus, and sardine pâté. 235 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, 707-431-1113.

In Napa, ~FREEMARK ABBEY WINERY~ (3022 St. Helena Hwy, St. Helena) hosts the Gourmet Food Truck Frenzy on Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 3pm, pairing up wine and on-the-go-eats from Awful Falafel, Marks the Spot, and Phat Salads and Wraps. Admission is free and a flight of five wines is available for $25. Must be 21 to attend.

The season opener for luxe North Bay wine events is always ~AUCTION NAPA VALLEY~, which kicks off next Thursday night with vintner parties throughout the valley. Biteclub’s favorite event is always the Friday marketplace, where chefs like Thomas Keller, Christopher Kostow, and Cindy Pawlcyn hobnob with the high rollers. Watch for plenty of glam and glitz at #ANV13 on Instagram and Twitter.

Chefs have looked to liquid nitrogen as a culinary party trick for years. Its ability to freeze food almost instantly, not to mention the swirls of white gas, make for gasps of awe in the dining room. But this laboratory staple has found staying power with ice cream makers who use it for nifty à la minute desserts. In Santa Rosa, two former social workers are opening the ~NITROKARMA~ pop-up ice cream shop at Dave’s Market and Deli (320 W. Third St., Santa Rosa) this weekend, stirring up “happy scoops of delicious and delectably darn good delights.” Find NitroKarma from 3 to 9pm Friday through Sunday, and watch for their ice cream trailer to debut in June.

A friend and I were recently lamenting how much we missed some of the old menu items at the restaurant Syrah. The crab cakes for one. And the duck breast with cherry sauce. Be careful what you wish for, because chef Josh Silvers of ~THREE SQUARES CAFE~ is bringing back some of his Syrah classics with a new summer menu. Reenergized after three months of recovering from shoulder surgery, the longtime Railroad Square toque has put a hearty pan-roasted chicken with fava beans and goat cheese on the new menu along with sautéed king salmon, mashed Yukon Golds, and his signature crab cakes. Also on the dinner menu are grilled lamb sirloin with fried artichokes, rib-eye steak, pork chops, and portobello fries with truffle aioli. No word yet on the duck. 205 Fifth St., Santa Rosa, 707-545-4300.

By 707 correspondent Heather Irwin. Sign up for the BiteClub Newsletter.

Over the next few months, the inevitable comparisons between Cyrus and the space’s new iteration, ~CHALKBOARD~, will appear in endless food blogs, Yelp reviews, and “critical reviews” of the new Les Mars/Bill Foley restaurant. As devotees of the much-lamented Michelin-starred restaurant, we can’t help ourselves.

Ignore the blather and simply head north. Change is good, and here it’s also visually and culinarily stunning.

Sure, the ghost of Cyrus hangs heavy, as do the devotions of its diners. Chef Doug Keane’s kitchen sanctuary has been thrown open in a striking visual leveling of kitchen and dining room. A wide communal table commands the center of the space. White tablecloths have been banished. The caviar cart was literally kicked to the curb (snatched up by a former employee, we hear).

But this ain’t Chalkboard chef Shane McAnelly’s first rodeo. The small plates menu is exceptional. A mix of high- and lowbrow dishes, it includes a “snack” of warm, housemade soft pretzels with Mornay sauce, stone-ground mustard, and tomato chutney ($6). Buttermilk biscuits with maple-glazed pork belly, pickled onions, and chipotle mayo ($8) are finally given the proper execution I’ve sought for so long. Kampachi crudo with grapefruit, avocado purée, and slices of jalapeño ($12) are small summer jewels. A tiny shot of chilled English pea soup with Dungeness crab ($3) is like sipping spring. I nearly got misty over a deconstructed dish of fresh radishes with butter and rye crumbs and pickled carrots.

Dishes get more substantial as you move down the menu. Roasted baby carrots with caraway yogurt and sesame seed brittle ($6); a hearty pasta with duck confit and mascarpone ($12); and seared scallops with risotto cake, uni sauce, and grapefruit was so good we ordered it twice ($16)—and then fought over the second order.

Meatier fare includes a delicate buttermilk fried quail with fava beans, nasturtium, and fennel salad ($15), and the entrée of the evening, crispy pork belly with triangles of fried grits, a poached egg, melted leeks, and sweet pepper purée ($12). Baskets of produce procured from restaurant owner Bill Foley’s Chalk Hill Farms makes each dish all the better.

Pastry chef Bill Woodward showers each of his desserts with sweet surprises: a donut semifreddo (frozen creaminess) with white coffee foam and mocha-glazed donut holes ($8); a towering multilayer brownie with caramel and ganache flanked by milk chocolate that’s been cooked sous vide ($8). Hold out for the warm vanilla bean cake with strawberries and crème fraîche sherbet baked to order ($8).

The bar still serves up creative libations along with regional beers. The wine list features (not surprisingly) many of Foley’s bottles along with other local superstars as well as some well-crafted white and red flights (all less than $20).

Le roi est morte, vive le roi. 29 North St. at Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, 707-473-8030.

If you’ve got a hankering to pinch some soft, pillowy buns, BiteClub’s got the hookup. Mobile foodist Jeff Tyler (from the North Bay’s Chicago-Style Hot Dogs and Palooza Catering) has launched The Bun Slinger, a bright yellow truck serving up pork belly, steak, chicken, and tofu wrapped in Chinese steamed buns. Taking a cue from popular SF trucks like Chairman Bao, Tyler does a tasty fusion of grilled meats, spicy aioli, and veggies on the handheld sammies along with kimchi or togarishi (a sort of sweet, salty, spicy rub) fries. For $12, you get three buns and a side of fries. Look for the Bun Slinger at O’Reilly Media in Sebastopol on Thursdays and at the Sonic.net headquarters in Roseland on Wednesdays. You can find his exact schedule and routes online.

Raise a glass to the final days of American Craft Beer Week by heading to one of Sonoma County’s newest gastropubs: ~BELLY LEFT COAST KITCHEN & TAPROOM~ (523 Fourth St. at Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa) or ~HERITAGE PUBLIC HOUSE~ (1901 Mendocino Ave. at Steele Lane, Santa Rosa, 707-540-0395). The food’s been getting better and better with each visit to Belly (one of the original chefs has been replaced) with happy-belly dishes like pulled pork sliders, crispy pork belly, Two Hog Mac and cheese (with twice the chorizo) along with crab cakes and a killer buffalo chicken pizza with Humboldt Fog blue cheese. The kitchen’s open until 1:30am and oh, did we mention the beers? My craft brew loving friends gave big props to the craft brew list.

We’re also loving the brotastic rumpus room vibe of Heritage Public House, which recently opened in the former Video Droid (1901 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa). The renovated space (with a pool table and plenty of big screens) features a California microbrew lineup of 24 taps (rotating weekly) and more than 30 bottled selections. Chef Andrew Oldfield is ramping up the menu to include lots of gastropub faves including burgers, fish and chips, lettuce wraps, and fried chicken sandwiches. Oldfield is promising some fun additions from the smoker soon.

Finally, the insanely popular ~BEERCRAFT~ now offers public beer tastings each Thursday from 6 to 8pm. Recently featured: 101 North Brewing’s Stigmata Red Rye Ale and Heroine IPA, and Auburn Alehouse. 5704 Commerce Blvd., Rohnert Park.

Missed BottleRock last week? Check out the pics of what you didn’t eat here.

By 707 correspondent Heather Irwin. Sign up for the BiteClub Newsletter.

There’s good news and there’s, well, pretty good news about the opening of ~DIERK’S MIDTOWN CAFE~ (the offshoot of the brunch-tacular Dierk’s Parkside): The veggie stack is back. If you time it right you can get still-warm pie, and if you time it wrong there’s still really good cold pie—or maybe cake. For fans of Mark Dierkhising’s original Santa Rosa eatery, the recently opened Midtown Cafe is familiar territory, with additions like a spicy Asian soba salad with harissa dressing, an exotic red rice salad with ginger-soy dressing that’s healthy and refreshing, the produce-friendly Talbot sandwich with vegetarian sausage, and the much-loved grilled vegetable stack (which I have been dreaming of for days) with a tower of eggplant, tomatoes, spinach, and onions bathed in saffron tomato sauce. With a blob of goat cheese ever so slowly melting on top. There are, of course, plenty of bacony, chicken-fried-steaky bits as well. With both naughty and nice dishes served all day (from 7am to 3pm) you can have your cake and five servings of veggies too.1422 Fourth St. at St. Helena, Santa Rosa, 707-545-2233.

The open sign is on: ~CHALKBOARD~ started serving dinner this week at the former Cyrus space in Healdsburg. BiteClub is headed up this weekend for a full report, but early diners have given a thumbs-up on the food. 29 North St. at Healdsburg, Healdsburg, 707-473-8030.

In Napa, ~EMPIRE RESTAURANT~ is slated to open on May 18. The Andaz Hotel restaurant will focus on small plates, bourbon cocktails, and late-night eats. 1400 First St. at Franklin, Napa.

Also slated to open soon is ~NAPA VALLEY BISTRO~, which replaces Neela’s Indian restaurant. The venture is a collaboration of former Silverado Brewing Company and Market St. Helena chefs. 975 Clinton Ave. at Main, Napa.