By 707 correspondent Heather Irwin. Sign up for the BiteClub Newsletter.
OXBOW PUBLIC MARKET in Napa is planning a weeklong birthday party Monday January 21st through Friday January 25th, celebrating its five-year anniversary. Daily specials, live music, nightly drawings for great prizes, and other surprises will greet market visitors throughout the week. There wil be complimentary birthday cake and ice cream from THE MODEL BAKERY and THREE TWINS ICE CREAM on Friday January 25th from 5pm-8pm. 644 First Street at Soscol Ave., Napa.
Healdsburg’s COSTEAUX FRENCH BAKERY whips up its annual batch of holiday cannoli on Monday December 24th for one day only. Karl and Nancy Seppi fill a crisp pastry shell with mascarpone, ricotta, candied fruits, and chocolate chips. The whole thing is topped, of course, with a maraschino cherry. Six for $20; advance orders recommended. 417 Healdsburg Ave. at North St., Healdsburg, 707-433-1913.
Sonoma County restaurateur Nino Rabbaa is expanding his dining empire with news that he’ll be opening two new restaurants in 2013. The biggest, which is still in concept development, will be FLIPSIDE BREWHOUSE in the former Latitude location in Rohnert Park. That restaurant closed in 2010 and the large indoor-outdoor space has been empty ever since, despite several nibbles from local restaurant owners. Rabbaa will also open FLIPSIDE STEAKHOUSE in Santa Rosa. Rabbaa’s SoCo Hospitality Group includes Rendez Vous Bistro, Flipside Bar & Burger, Space XXV Lounge (which opened in late October), Chez Vous Catering, and Lakeside Grill at Spring Lake Park in Santa Rosa.
Italian restaurant CANNETI is in its final stages of construction in Forestville and is slated for a mid-January opening. Chef Francesco Torre, formerly of Sausalito’s FISH, plans “Italian roadhouse” cuisine. Canneti joins a flurry of new restaurants along Highway 116 in Sonoma’s West County that includes BEAUDRY’S ROADHOUSE (4550 Gravenstein Hwy North, Sebastopol), TWIST EATERY (6536 Front St., Forestville), and BACKYARD (6566 Front St., Forestville).
Still need a spot to dine on Christmas in Wine Country? MADRONA MANOR INN & RESTAURANT hosts a Dickens Dinner on Christmas Day, with seatings at 1:30pm and 6:30pm. Chef Jesse Mallgren’s holiday menu features seared foie gras with quince compote, Dungeness crab with Green Goddess dressing, beef Wellington, and Christmas pudding. The five-course menu is $125 per person (all ages). Dickens carolers entertain throughout the meal. Reservations required. 1001 Westside Rd. at Westside Hwy., Healdsburg, 707-433-4231.
Also open: SANTÉ AT SONOMA MISSION INN is offering a grand buffet from 2pm-8pm. Highlights include charcuterie, salumi, antipasti, artisan cheeses, smoked and cured fish, caviar, salads, sweetbreads with black truffles, glazed ham, coq au vin, carving stations with Niman Ranch beef and roasted goose, artichoke ravioli with preserved-lemon cream sauce, breads from a wood-fired oven, and more than a dozen desserts, including English toffee, chocolate bread pudding, and bûches de noël. The cost is $99 for adults and $49.50 for kids aged 5 to 12; children 4 and under are complimentary. Beverages, tax, and gratuity are not included. Reservations recommended, 707-939-2415. 100 Boyes Blvd. at Hwy. 12, Sonoma.
Love cookbooks? Check out my favorite reads at the BiteClubEats website for 2012.
