Sonoma Wine Country Food Blog
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Sonoma County - California WIne Country - Latest infromation on California Cuisine and the Sonoma County Food Sceneen-us2008 Sonoma Uncorked LLC. All Rights Reserved2017-06-09T19:23:45+01:00John Woodfood blogSonoma: Local and Seasonal? A Spring Rant
http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/sonoma-spring-rant/
<div style="margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px"><img src="images/stories/pictures/sonoma-spring-rant.jpg" border="0" align="left" /> <font face="Georgia" size="3" style="font-family: Georgia; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; letter-spacing: 0px">Ahhh, spring.Yesterday the first of my tulips--red, which is all I grow--opened...<a href="http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/sonoma-spring-rant/">more</a>Save the Sandpiper
http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/save-the-sandpiper/
<p><img border="0" align="left" width="340" src="http://www.sonomauncorked.com/images/stories/save-the-sandpiper.jpg" height="112" /> I got an email from a friend the other day telling me she had just gotten back from a great breakfast at <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.sandpiperrestaurant.com">The Sandpiper Restaurant</a> <br />Unfortunately, there’s trouble, she wrote and included this link: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.savethesandpiper.com/">Save the Sandpiper</a>.</p>
<p><br /> It seems like another beloved local business is under siege by an absentee landlord.A 15-acre parcel along Bay Flat Road sold two years ago to Richard Battaglia, an international real estate developer based in Southern California...<a href="http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/save-the-sandpiper/">more</a>Kids in the Kitchen
http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/kids-in-the-kitchen/
<p><img src="images/stories/relish.jpg" border="0" align="left" /> The kitchen is a good place for kids.Lucas loves cooking with me, though lately I confess that he has been all too eager to take on the role of guest...<a href="http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/kids-in-the-kitchen/">more</a>Cyclical Dungeness Crab Season
http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/cyclical-dungeness-crab-season/
<p><img src="images/stories/pictures/spud-point-crab-company.jpg" border="0" align="left" /> A couple of weeks ago I was conducting the final session of A Cook’s Tour of Sonoma, a class I teach, usually in the fall, for Santa Rosa Junior College.I developed the class years ago, after the publication of my first book, A Cook’s Tour of Sonoma.</p><p> One of our destinations was the <a href="http://www.spudpointcrab.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Spud Point Crab Shack</a>, where we were to meet fisherman Tony Anello, who, along with his wife Carol, owns the cafe, for a talk about local fishing followed by lunch...<a href="http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/cyclical-dungeness-crab-season/">more</a>Olio Nuovo: A Fleeting Pleasure
http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/olio-nuovo-a-fleeting-pleasure/
<div style="margin: 0px"><img src="images/stories/pictures/sonoma-olive.jpg" border="0" width="336" height="188" align="left" /> <br /></div><div style="margin: 0px"><font face="Georgia" size="3" style="font-family: Georgia; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> A couple of weeks ago, Ridgely Evers and Colleen McGlynn hosted a harvest party.This was the 15th annual fete, a time when friends and family and sometimes a few members of the press gather at the Healdsburg farm to pick olives that a few hours later become Davero Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil.</font></div><div style="margin: 0px"> </div> <div style="margin: 0px"><font face="Georgia" size="3" style="font-family: Georgia; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> Guests spend the morning picking--there’s a rule of “no pick, no eat,” though there are always a few latecomers who sneak in at the last minute--and then sit on the wraparound porch of the farm house for a luscious feast, prepared by Colleen and several friends, who just happen to be some of the best chefs around...<a href="http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/olio-nuovo-a-fleeting-pleasure/">more</a>Look Out! The Turkeys Are Taking Over.
http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/sonoma-wild-turkeys/
<img src="http://www.sonomauncorked.com/images/stories/sonoma-wild-turkey.jpg" border="1" width="200" /><div style="margin: 0px"> <div style="margin: 0px"><font face="Georgia" size="3" style="font-family: Georgia; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> As I write, there are about a dozen wild turkeys walking on the roof of the barn outside my little study in west Sebastopol. A few dozen more are on the other side of the house, nibbling herbs and what is left of the white Alpine strawberries they think of as their own.</font></div><div style="margin: 0px"> </div></div><div style="margin: 0px"><font face="Georgia" size="3" style="font-family: Georgia; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> This morning I aw</font><font face="Georgia" size="3" style="font-family: Georgia; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal">ok</font><font face="Georgia" size="3" style="font-family: Georgia; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal">e to their coos and gobbles.</font></div><div style="margin: 0px"> </div><div style="margin: 0px"><font face="Georgia" size="3" style="font-family: Georgia; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> The first wild turkey I ever saw was at <a href="http://www.davero.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Ridgely Evers farm</a> in Healdsburg.This was in the early 1990s and Ridgely was showing me his young olive trees when a huge bird rose from the brambles and vanished...<a href="http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/sonoma-wild-turkeys/">more</a>If We Are What We Eat, Shouldn’t We Prefer Happy Animals That Have Been Treated Well?
http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/we-are-what-we-eat/
<p><a href="http://groups.ucanr.org/LocalMeatProd/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.sonomauncorked.com/images/stories/pictures/sonoma-county-meat-buying-club.jpg" border="0" width="203" height="120" align="left" /></a> </p><p> The ingenuity of some of the people involved in agriculture in Sonoma County amazes and pleases me.</p><p><br /> Recently, much of my amazement has been triggered by Marissa Guggiana and Sarah Domke, two young women full of not just vision and enthusiasm.They also have demonstrated the ability to bring their visions to life.</p><p><br /> The most recent inspiration is the Local Meat Bazaar, happening on Monday at the <a href="http://www.sonomadirect.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Sonoma Direct Butcher Shop</a>.</p><p><br /> The Bazaar (such a great thing, this word) is a gathering of growers and ranchers who are offering their meats for advance purchase either direct from the ranchers or through Sonoma Direct...<a href="http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/we-are-what-we-eat/">more</a>Chalk Hill Culinary Tours
http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/chalk-hill-culinary-tours/
<p><img src="http://www.sonomauncorked.com/images/stories/pictures/chalk-hill-sonoma-county.jpg" border="0" width="139" height="158" align="left" />There’s a pretty little bouquet of herbs on each of the nine chairs that ring a table overflowing with the day’s harvest, as beautiful an array of organic fruits, vegetables, herbs, seeds and eggs as you’ll find anywhere. The gardener, Brad Agerter, is offering tastes, one by one, as he explains each variety and the techniques he has used to make it flourish.<br />This is a culinary tour of Chalk Hill Estate, offered every Monday and Friday afternoon and never more engaging than when summer’s harvest is unfolding.</p><p><br />The tour begins at the winery, with a glass of refreshing Sauvignon Blanc and a quick history of the estate from a tour concierge.</p><p> <br />As you descend the stairs to the van that will take you to the garden, be sure to look up from the captivating fountain on the far side of the driveway towards the mountain that rims the eastern horizon. See the peak that tips northward? Now take another look at the winery’s logo, that same peak, rendered by an artist’s brushstroke.</p><p><img src="http://www.sonomauncorked.com/images/stories/pictures/chalk-hill-culinary-tours.jpg" border="0" width="107" height="121" align="right" /><br />You’ll spend about thirty minutes at the lush one-acre culinary garden and if you ask, Brad might tell you what he sent up to chef Didier Ageorges’s kitchen that morning...<a href="http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/chalk-hill-culinary-tours/">more</a>Slow Cooking in Sonoma
http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/slow-cooking-in-sonoma/
<p><img src="http://www.sonomauncorked.com/images/stories/pictures/sonoma-slow-cooker.jpg" border="0" width="334" height="173" align="left" />I just bought my first slow cooker, Hamilton Beach model 33966RB, on sale at Target for $39.95.<br />I don’t have a lot of appliances--I have never had a microwave--but I’ve been thinking about slow cookers a lot recently, in part because friends have been telling me about theirs and in part because of the time of year.I love braised meats in the cooler months and cooking them this way rather than in the oven seems like it might be efficient, energy-wise.<br />I also like the idea of a new frontier...<a href="http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/slow-cooking-in-sonoma/">more</a>Sonoma County Farmers Markets Have Not Ended
http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/sonoma-county-farmers-markets/
This morning a friend mentioned that people need to be reminded that farmers markets are still underway.<br />Say what?<br />“People think they end when school starts,” she explained.<br />This was news to me.<br />I guess people have gotten the wrong impression from the conclusion of the Wednesday night <a href="http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-events/annual-events/santa-rosa-downtown-market-wed-night/" target="_blank" title="Santa Rosa Downtown Market">Santa Rosa Downtown Market</a>, which ends just before Labor Day...<a href="http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/sonoma-county-farmers-markets/">more</a>The Gleaning Season
http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/the-gleaning-season/
<p><img src="http://www.sonomauncorked.com/images/stories/pictures/sonoma-quince.jpg" border="0" align="left" />I went outside today to take a closer look at my quince tree. For weeks now I have watched from a western window as the green fruit slowly turns gold and fills with water and sugar, weighing down the branches as it swells.<br />A few branches nearly touch the ground and as I reach for the fruit, it falls into my hand...<a href="http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/the-gleaning-season/">more</a>K & L Bistro Sebastopol
http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/k-and-l-bistro-sebastopol/
<p>On Saturday night, a friend stopped by and suggested we go out to dinner.I’d been feeling pretty cranky and reclusive--big deadlines, a writer's curse and blessing, have this effect--and at first I was reluctant...<a href="http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/k-and-l-bistro-sebastopol/">more</a>Sam's Mediterranean Deli
http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/sams-mediterranean-deli/
<p> I found a sweet little deli the other day, not far from the studios of KRCB Radio where I do my two shows, <a href="http://publicbroadcasting.net/krcb/.jukebox?action=viewPodcast&podcastId=4184" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Mouthful, the Wine Country’s Most Delicious Hour</a>, and <a href="http://www.krcb.org/Red-Shoes-Rodeo/Featured-Radio-Shows/Red-Shoes-Rodeo.html" rel="nofollow">Red Shoes Rodeo</a>.I can’t count the number of times I’ve been at the station wondering where to get something decent to eat nearby...<a href="http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/sams-mediterranean-deli/">more</a>Strawberries!
http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/Strawberry Stands in Sonoma County/
<p class="MsoNormal">The strawberries are here!!! The strawberry stand on Hwy.12 by Kenwood is open, as is the one on the other side of Hwy...<a href="http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/Strawberry Stands in Sonoma County/">more</a>Chronicle Food Writer Creates--and Receives--Some Negative Buzz
http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/chronicle-food-writer-creates-and-receives-some-negative-buzz/
Michael Bauer, restaurant critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, recently published his annual list of the<br /><p align="justify"><a href="http://www.sfgate.com/food/top100/2008/" target="_blank">“Top 100 Bay Area Restaurants.”</a> In it, four Sonoma County restaurants were proclaimed to be the tops in these parts.These include the <a href="http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food/restaurants/farmhouse-inn-and-restaurant/" target="_blank">Farmhouse Inn & Restaurant</a> in Forestville, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food/restaurants/cyrus/">Cyrus</a> in Healdsburg, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food/restaurants/cafe-la-haye/">Cafe La Haye</a> in Sonoma and Rosso Pizzeria and Wine Bar in Santa Rosa.<br /> </p><p align="justify">One restaurant that didn’t make the list was Stark’s Steakhouse, which is the newest venture by the husband-and-wife-team who brought us <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food/restaurants/willis-wine-bar/">Willi's Wine Bar</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food/restaurants/willis-seafood-and-raw-bar/">Willi's Seafood & Raw Bar</a>, and Monti’s Rotisserie & Grill...<a href="http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/chronicle-food-writer-creates-and-receives-some-negative-buzz/">more</a>Tom Samarati's Food Blog has Moved
http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/tom-samaratis-food-blog-has-moved/
<div align="justify">Find out what Sonoma County foodie Tom Samarati is up to<a href="http://samarati.biz/Tom_Samarati_Food_Blog_Front_Page.html"> here</a> on his new blog page.We'll keep in touch with Tom and all his adventures!</div>...<a href="http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/tom-samaratis-food-blog-has-moved/">more</a>Oh Wonderful Sonoma County meats!
http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/Sonoma-County-Bud's-Custom-Meats/
<p align="justify"><img src="http://www.sonomauncorked.com/images/stories/sonoma-beef-brisket-1.jpg" border="0" />I grew up in a typical working class, New York City Italian-American family.Food was a constant big topic of discussion...<a href="http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/Sonoma-County-Bud's-Custom-Meats/">more</a>The Sonoma County California Food Scene
http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/the-sonoma-county-california-food-scene/
<p align="justify"><img src="http://www.sonomauncorked.com/images/stories/san_francisco_solano_circa_1910_w_a_haines.jpg" border="0" alt="The Sonoma Mission" hspace="10" width="200" align="left" />People from every region of the world are proud of their local food that is different than other regions. This good natured aspect of human tribalism is a constant source of entertainment, exploration, discovery, and learning for a culinary explorer who spends the energy getting to know regional food...<a href="http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-food-blog/the-sonoma-county-california-food-scene/">more</a>