Sonoma Wine Country Food Blog

Sam's Mediterranean Deli

I found a sweet little deli the other day, not far from the studios of KRCB Radio where I do my two shows, Mouthful, the Wine Country’s Most Delicious Hour, and Red Shoes Rodeo. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been at the station wondering where to get something decent to eat nearby. Now I know.

A friend who has taken a new job around the corner mentioned it and so I stopped by her office and we headed off on the five minute walk through the deserted moonscape of western Rohnert Park to Sam’s Mediterranean Cafe & Deli, a colorful oasis amidst the blank whiteness and unforgiving heat of this part of the county.

Daily specials are posted on a small board on the back wall while a larger board announces the salads, sandwiches, gyros and other items available daily. A deli case holds both familiar and unfamiliar Mediterranean dishes.

On Monday there is delicious barbecued tri-tip, cooked on a grill that sits outside, near a couple of tables. Gyros, while not strictly traditional, are quite good, too. A Mediterranean plate includes hummus, classic tabbouleh, pita bread and mjadara, a yummy combination of lentils and rice topped with grilled onions. When I asked if yogurt sauce was included, Sam whipped up some on the spot.

Hummus is the test of any Mediterranean deli and Sam’s rocks it. The hummus is rich, velvety and dense, a perfect balance of flavors and textures, possibly the best I have tasted outside my own kitchen. Yum.

Sam’s Mediterranean Deli, located at 612 Martin Ave. #111, in west Rohnert Park, is open Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. There are several tables but the deli does a brisk take out business, too, including deli plates and such if you give Sam 48 hours notice. It also has an espresso bar and a big selection of beverages, including iced drinks, smoothies, beer and wine.

Strawberries!

The strawberries are here!!! The strawberry stand on Hwy. 12 by Kenwood is open, as is the one on the other side of Hwy. 12, close to Sebastopol, near Llano Rd. I live closer to the Kenwood stand, and I don’t know how many times each summer my family makes a trek along that beautiful stretch of Hwy. 12 on our quest to obtain those glorious berries. We always arrive home with only half the strawberries we bought, and with red-stained fingers. Hey, if you’ve tasted the berries from that stand, you know what I’m talking about. Once you catch a whiff, resistance is futile.

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

“Top 100 Bay Area Restaurants.” In it, four Sonoma County restaurants were proclaimed to be the tops in these parts. These include the Farmhouse Inn & Restaurant in Forestville, Cyrus in Healdsburg, Cafe La Haye in Sonoma and Rosso Pizzeria and Wine Bar in Santa Rosa.

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 Willi's Wine Bar, Willi's Seafood & Raw Bar, and Monti’s Rotisserie & Grill. It seems Mr. Bauer visited the steakhouse not long before he came out with his top 100 list. He wrote about the visit in his blog:

“Recently I went to Stark's Steakhouse in Santa Rosa, and the waiter proudly informed me that their meat was "wet aged" for 35 days."What is that?" I asked.

"It's aged in Cryovac, so that all the juices stay inside and make it moister and taste better," he said.

My father's voice came through loud and clear. A meat cutter by profession, he sold his store when all his suppliers started selling meat that was wrapped in plastic and boxed, and he couldn't get whole sides: "You can't age in Cryovac; the meat only putrefies…"

Tom Samarati's Food Blog has Moved

Find out what Sonoma County foodie Tom Samarati is up to here on his new blog page. We'll keep in touch with Tom and all his adventures!

Oh Wonderful Sonoma County meats!

I grew up in a typical working class, New York City Italian-American family. Food was a constant big topic of discussion. Grocery shopping was a family affair. Pursuing the "good stuff" at the farmer's markets, delicatessens, and supermarkets was a competitive sport. My parents would haggle with fruit vendors and fish mongers. My father would berate the butcher when the cut of pork was too thin or too fatty. It was mandatory for meat to be the meal centerpiece. My mom was an adventurous cook. Organ meats from all sorts of animals regularly made their dinner time appearance. Some of these preparations were not met with glee by my sisters & me. I won't go into vivid detail about fried lamb brains. But 95% of the time mom hit a home run with both the mundane and the exotic. Pig trotters in aspic one night, hamburger & noodle casserole the next.

The Sonoma County California Food Scene

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. Isn’t this obvious when you cruise the food & cooking section of any large bookstore? Those beautiful large format, graphics rich books that portray the farms, the towns, the seashores, & the restaurants with the salacious pictures of exotic food dishes from far flung regions literally sell like warm, soft, & comforting hot cakes. Go to one of our local bookstores, in the food & cooking section you are going to find a surprising number of books about northern California cooking.