707 Scout

By 707 correspondent Heather Irwin. Sign up for the BiteClub Newsletter. A new restaurant in Healdsburg that doesn’t have a wood-fired oven? Yes, it’s true. Channeling Mediterranean flavors of another sort, CAFÉ LUCIA has opened in the former Affronti location on Healdsburg Avenue. Tucked well back from the…

By 707 correspondent Heather Irwin. Sign up for the BiteClub Newsletter. Unlike a thousand other restaurants with twee Mason jars and artisan farminess slathered all over their menus, Forestville’s new BACKYARD RESTAURANT gets its dirt-cred authentically. Sourcing, literally, from chef-owner Daniel Kedan’s own backyard gardens and those of…

By 707 correspondent Heather Irwin. Sign up for the BiteClub Newsletter. Top chefs, winemakers, and sommeliers gather at The Culinary Institute of America through Sunday for FLAVOR! NAPA VALLEY, a celebration of wine, food, and fun. The annual event features exclusive demonstrations, tastings, and meals with chefs Christopher Kostow, Cindy…

By 707 correspondent Heather Irwin. Sign up for the BiteClub Newsletter. We’ve all gotten a bit too comfortable with the term tapas. Spanish for “cover,” it originally referred to slices of bread, meat, and cheese served atop a glass of wine or sherry to keep the flies out (or…

By 707 correspondent Heather Irwin. Sign up for the BiteClub Newsletter. What does a $15,000 Umbrian white truffle look like? Well, the brain-size fungus that’s been purchased by CYRUS isn’t the most photogenic thing you’ve ever seen. It’s sort of lumpy and dusty, and weighs…

By 707 correspondent Heather Irwin. Sign up for the BiteClub Newsletter. Pinot is keeno at the ninth annual PINOT ON THE RIVER festival on Sunday October 21st in Healdsburg. Paying homage to the noblest of grapes, the “Grand Artisanal Tasting” from noon to 4pm gathers more than 100 small-production pinot…

By 707 correspondent Heather Irwin. Sign up for the BiteClub Newsletter. Ever been to Washington Square in Yountville? If you’re scratching your head wondering where it is, it turns out you’re not alone. The 1980s-era shopping area that once housed the Napa Valley Grille (at the north end…

By 707 correspondent Heather Irwin. Sign up for the BiteClub Newsletter. “Mommy, I picked lettuce!” is the kind of gleeful exclamation you’ll hear over and over in the fields of BLOOMFIELD FARMS. Each Sunday through October, the family-operated organic farm will open its barn doors and set folks loose…

By 707 correspondent Heather Irwin. Sign up for the BiteClub Newsletter. PIZZANDO in the HOTEL HEALDSBURG opened Tuesday after several dry runs at its sister property SPOONBAR. Louis Maldonado is exec chef for both properties, and toque Ben Davies is in the kitchen with former A16 pizza whiz Liza Shaw.…

By 707 correspondent Heather Irwin. Sign up for the BiteClub Newsletter. Brunch has been added at THE THOMAS in Napa. After a month of dialing in dinner and late-night service, the newly opened AvroKO restaurant has added that most relaxing of midmorning meals. On the menu: the BLAT with smoked…