707 Scout

By 707 correspondent Heather Irwin. On balmy spring nights, it’s not surprising to find more people outside the tiny GLEN ELLEN STAR than inside. With just eight dining tables and a handful of seats around the open galley kitchen, every inch is prime real estate. At the glowing heart…

By 707 correspondent Heather Irwin. Salon des Sens opens in Healdsburg this weekend, an art exhibit focused entirely on food. The feast for the eyes includes odes to edibles by photographers, poets, sculptors, painters, and videographers. Maggie Spicer guest curates the event at STUDIO BARNDIVA through June 12th. Chef Ryan…

By 707 correspondent, Heather Irwin. Call it a reverse evolution or maybe just a return to its roots, but RAVENOUS CAFE has reopened in its original eight-table space next to the Raven Theater after shuttering the 420 Center Street bungalow it inhabited for nearly a decade. On the menu are…

By 707 correspondent, Heather Irwin. More SF players moving north: The team behind SF’s Circa, The Cosmopolitan, and Parlor Bar plan to open THE SOCIAL CLUB in Petaluma this July. Executive chef Steven Levine will create a rustic American menu around a wood-fired oven and grill expected to include…

By 707 correspondent, Heather Irwin. Restaurants are blooming throughout the spring and summer north of the Golden Gate. THE SPINSTER SISTERS, a collaboration between Prune NYC’s Eric Anderson, wine insider Giovanni Cerrone, and chef Liza Hinman (formerly of Geyserville’s Santi) is slated for a summer opening in Santa…

By 707 correspondent, Deirdre Bourdet. What mom doesn’t love to have someone else cook for her? Most restaurants in wine country stay open on Mother’s Day for brunch, but here are a few top picks offering particularly special opportunities to spoil your mom on Sunday May 13th. LA…

By 707 correspondent, Deirdre Bourdet. Last weekend I got to peek inside the newly renovated Martini House building in downtown St. Helena for a media preview of GOOSE & GANDER. Though the garden patios were still a work in progress, the upstairs dining room and basement bar looked ready to…

By 707 correspondent, Deirdre Bourdet. SPOONBAR at the h2hotel in Healdsburg announced last week that Louis Maldonado is taking over as executive chef, replacing Rudy Mihal. With Pigs & Pinot raging this weekend, Maldonado won’t get a whole lot of time to adjust to the new digs before. He’…

By 707 correspondent, Deirdre Bourdet. FARMSTEAD restaurant in St. Helena has begun serving Sunday brunch from 11am-3pm, with a sweet little selection of breakfasty items from chef Stephen Barber, as well as some sassy drinks. Farmstead bacon bloody Mary? Don’t mind if I do. The Long Meadow Ranch market…

By 707 correspondent, Deirdre Bourdet. NAPA VALLEY BISCUITS opened Saturday March 3rd to an overwhelming wave of customers that forced them to shut down operations by mid-afternoon. According to co-owner Tara Lindley, the predicted 100-check day had seen more than a hundred people within the first two hours, and supplies…