Out and About

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Resident Tourist Guide:
Staying at Home to Play in Sonoma, Marin and Napa | 2007 Farmer’s Markets | Calistoga, San Anselmo, Petaluma | Wineries in Sonoma and Napa | Beaches in Sonoma and Napa | Day Spas in Sonoma, Marin and Napa

By Camille F. Queen

Guests are resolutely not necessary when it comes to taking a weekday afternoon off or splurging a whole Saturday on the homely pleasures of, well, home. Here are three of our favorite towns to just wander through, looking idly in shop windows, curiously picking up curios, diving into bookstores, gaping at galleries or just making one long, epic lunch last.

Calistoga: Park at the far west end of Lincoln Avenue and make that street a lifeline. First stop? Just over the bridge, as one falls thankfully into the covered outdoor patio of the Calistoga Inn (1250 Lincoln Ave.; 707.942.4101) where a restorative (nay, medicinal) hand-crafted beer from the Napa Valley Brewing Co. awaits. Those who like a little breakfast before their likker can head directly to the Cafe Sarafornia (1413 Lincoln Ave.; 707.942.0555) where such delicacies as Budapest Coffee Cake ($3) and a blintz/crepe combo ($9.95) await. Breakfast is served all day. Thus fortified, idle down the street for a browse at the Copperfield’s Books (1330 Lincoln Ave.; 707.942.1616) and make a keenly desirous stop at Sole Provider (1409 Lincoln Ave.; 707.942.9999), where deeply expensive loveliness takes the form of clothes, shoes and gorgeous oddities. We’re not much on rubdowns and nudity with strangers, so prefer to end our ramble at the Wappo Bar & Bistro (1226 Washington St., a half block north off Lincoln; 707.942.4712) where the grapevines cover the patio in the summer and eclectic flea market flatware and dishware enliven the table. The spring menu serves a bevy of palates, with Thai influences marrying Indian spicings, Brazilian preps and even such south-of-the-border influences as rellenos.

San Anselmo: Head to the south end of San Anselmo Avenue and begin your tour with a sumptuous stop at Comforts (335 San Anselmo Ave.; 415.454.9840), where the Chinese Chicken Salad is more than a meal; it’s truly a religion. Sean Penn and his wife Robin Wright Penn are regular customers, but who cares? The food is the true star here. Amiably fed, amble north to Shadows (429 San Anselmo Ave.; 415.459.0574), the perfect place to pretend that your (second) husband is a rock star. This wedding dress shop has plenty of beautiful clothes suitable for attracting a mate in the first place, plus an adorable swathe of flower girl dresses. Now fully in dreamland, continue up the avenue to two groovy consignment shops, Sax (629 San Anselmo Ave.; 415.456.6755) and the Wardrobe Exchange (621 San Anselmo Ave.; 415.459.7317), where other people’s cast-offs make good grubbing indeed. Finish the afternoon on the patio at AVA (636 San Anselmo Ave.; 415.453.3407) with a chévre and mushroom flatbread and an excellent glass of local wine.

Petaluma: Where to eat? That’s a real dilemma now as Butter and Egg City has exploded with excellent restaurants. That said, we still like the informal chaos of the Water Street Bistro (100 Petaluma Blvd. N.; 707.763.9563), where one orders at the counter, goes out to an outdoor table and trusts that the smart, beautiful women in the kitchen will eventually fit the food to the face. It generally works. Consignment is also a rage in Petaluma, with the two most reliable stores being the haute design deals at Vicki’s Secret (108 Petaluma Blvd. N.; 707.765.2807) and the land-of-the-cool finds at Zoe (108 Kentucky St.; 707.775.3239), where both women’s and children’s items change at a dizzyingly fast pace. The Heebe Jeebe General Store (46 Kentucky St.; 707.773.3222) and its sister store across the hall, Boomerang, satisfy the human need for quirk, art and nostalgic candy. End the day with the reliable American pleasures of McNear’s (23 Petaluma Blvd. N.; 707.765.2121), which has a front patio perfect for people watching as well as plenty of brews on tap and lawd knows, TV sports inside.



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Quick dining snapshots by Bohemian staffers.


Winery news and reviews.


Food-related comings and goings, openings and closings, and other essays for those who love the kitchen and what it produces.


Recipes for food that you can actually make.

Letters to the Editor

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April 25-May 1, 2007

Another view

I am thrilled that this week the United States Supreme Court upheld the partial-birth abortion ban. It sickens me to think that sucking out a child’s brains at birth was ever considered an option. I’m only 26, and the future state of society is looking black–with even my own State Assembly member Patty Berg trying to legalize something like physician-assisted suicide. I am profoundly thankful that finally somewhere human life is being valued.

Noelle Magnell, Occidental

Palm reading

As a longtime employee of Palm Drive Hospital in Sebastopol, I wish to reassure the residents of west Sonoma County that Palm Drive Hospital is open every day around the clock, and we continue to give excellent care to our patients. We are not lacking in staff or supplies. As a longtime medical/surgical nurse, I see no difference in the quality of patient care that would be attributable to our current financial difficulties.

I know many of you are concerned about the possibility of Palm Drive closing, but I assure you that is not the intention of anyone involved with the hospital. In my 17 years here, there have been many changes and a few crises. Because of the dedication and support of the staff, physicians, volunteers and residents of west Sonoma County, we have stayed open, and we will remain open. The best way to keep Palm Drive open is to use it.

Nancy Kesselring, R.N., Graton

The other michael

(First Bite, April 18) was enjoyable. At first, I thought I’d written it. I’d just been to Rafters for the first time, had a pint of amber and the chicken pesto pizza–exactly the same as writer Michael Shapiro. And my name is Michael! But I’d like to correct a flawed statement in the other Michael’s conclusion. There’s an equally excellent Marin spot where you can “have a big plate and a pint in a comfortable room for under $20.” Check out Iron Springs Pub and Brewery in Fairfax. It never disappoints.

Michael F. MccAuley, Woodacre

Different dictionary?

termed the recent police actions “homicides” (The Byrne Report, “Killed Again,” April 18). Given that these incidents are under investigation and the facts are unknown, this wording is misleading, inflammatory and libelous. Unfortunately, this is what we’ve come to expect from Peter’s “journalism.” Perhaps a refresher course in ethics would assist him in this unfamiliar area.

Andrew Haynes, Petaluma

Homicide, n.: The killing of one human being by another human being.

Thou Shalt Not Steal

I was upset to read say that there is little morally wrong with stealing from the Tax Board or PG&E (“Not What It Seems,” April 4). I know the statement is meant to be taken lightly, but unfortunately far too many people are looking for just this type of justification for stealing. I’d like to take a moment to follow through on this scenario. PG&E does not sit by when profits fall, they raise rates. So guess what happens when others don’t pay their bills?

The big companies don’t suffer, they pass it down to those of us who do pay our bills. So just remember: When you think you are being some noble rebel, you are only stealing from your neighbors.

Kathleen Ward, Sebastopol

Dept. of Corrections

In in the recent Spring Lit issue (April 11), we made quite a bit of hay with the faktz surrounding the Word Temple poetry series recently picked up by KRCB 91.1-FM and, yes indeed, still playing live and in-person at Copperfield’s Books. While we asserted that the series had previously been monthly, organizer Katherine Hastings politely reminds that it’s a twice-monthly affair. While we asserted that all poetic lisps from the Temple series were now for your ears only, Hastings kindly directs us to our own calendar, which–for small example–has Jack and Adelle Foley reading for the slate with Jacqueline Kudler this Friday, April 27, at Copperfield’s in Montgomery Village. It does appear, however, that we spelled the words “word” and “temple” correctly, and for that we are quietly grateful. Many apologies in iambic and otherwise.

The Ed., too restless for poetry, too sleepy for prose


The Byrne Report

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April 25-May 1, 2007

In the aftermath of murderous news from Blacksburg, Va., the possibility of banning handguns has once again become a topic of heated public discussion. After all, 23-year-old Virginia Tech student Cho Seung-hui purchased his weapons of mass destruction as easily as buying packs of chewing gum. But given the clout of the National Rifle Association, rational cries for increasing domestic control of arms proliferation will continue to go unheard by federal and state legislators as they pocket campaign contributions from the gun-and-bullet crowd.

Drawing exactly the wrong lesson from Blacksburg, writer David Kopel of the Wall Street Journal proclaimed that if Virginia Tech had allowed its 26,000 students to carry concealed handguns on campus, 32 people would be alive today. Just think: millions of style-crazed teenagers carrying loaded handguns into the classroom. Goodbye, Mr. Chips. In the real world, the burning question for nonviolently-inclined residents of the North Bay is, what can we do at the local level to stop death by gun? It is axiomatic that when guns are not legally available, homicides and suicides decrease dramatically.

Gun-huggers are fond of hiding behind what they claim is their constitutional right to bear arms. For a century, the United States Supreme Court has shot down argument after argument based on that mythology. According to all reputable legal scholars, the Second Amendment protects only the right of a “well-organized militia” to bear arms; it does not extend to individuals. This from the website of the Legal Community Against Violence: “Former U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger once characterized the NRA’s interpretation of the Second Amendment as ‘one of the greatest pieces of fraud, I repeat the word fraud, on the American public by special interest groups that I have ever seen in my lifetime.'”

Gun lovers are wimps and losers. Do they really think that in some scarily near future when President Jeb Bush orders United States Northern Command troops into Sonoma County to arrest libertarian secessionists they will effectively wage armed struggle against legions of soldiers supported by fighter jets and cruise missiles and tear gas? Not likely! Most of the “Do Not Tread on Me” Second Amendment freaks will be hiding under their chicken coops pissing on their pistols or trying to join the storm troopers. The others will be hunted like rabbits.

Last year, the Superior Court, responding to an NRA lawsuit, struck down a San Francisco law that banned firearms, period. Because state law regulates guns, said the court, localities cannot ban them; only the State Legislature or a statewide ballot initiative can regulate firearms. In truth, California has some of the best gun-control laws in the country, but we still have far to go to wipe out the sanctification of guns by the news-entertainment culture and the legal system.

The NRA chants about protecting our homes, but for every homeowner who pops a burglar, dozens of teenagers shoot themselves with their parents’ bedside weapon. I would take away those guns. And I would take away the guns wielded by police, too. There is no good reason why trained law enforcers cannot do their job with nonlethal weapons, including chemical and rubber projectiles and stun machines.

The Legal Community Against Violence points out that many of California’s gun-control laws started out as local ordinances that “trickled up” to the state legislature. In an interview last week, one of the national group’s San Francisco-based attorneys, Sam Hoover, said that Sonoma County already prohibits the possession of firearms and ammunition on all county-owned property, and prohibits firearm dealers from operating in residential areas. But the county can pass laws to prohibit gun dealers from operating near schools, parks and other “sensitive” areas, and require dealers to obtain liability insurance (and thereby be held accountable for misdealing). Local governments are free to prohibit minors from entering a dealer’s store and to mandate dealer inventory inspections.

Without falling afoul of state or federal laws, North Bay counties and cities can limit handgun sales to one per person every six months. The voters or the governing bodies of these jurisdictions can require ammunition sellers to be licensed and to maintain ammunition purchaser records. They can require the reporting of lost or stolen firearms. They can prohibit the possession of large capacity ammunition magazines and 50-caliber cartridges. They can require firearms to be stored safely in the home.

And in light of the “spate” of law-enforcement slayings in the North Bay during recent weeks, the public has another important gun-control option: conditioning the funding of law-enforcement agencies upon the prohibition of peace officers carrying lethal weapons and requiring them to carry only nonlethal weapons. Attorney Hoover says that California law will support such a decision if it is made by ballot initiative or by a local government body.

Let’s do it.

or


Sweet Therapy

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Sweet Therapy

There is a kind of national stress, during war years or times of recession, and there are all kinds of personal stresses, large and small, which are powerfully lessened after just a few bites of a favorite candy.” So pronounces food historian Francine Segan, attempting to explain the recent rise in websites devoted to nostalgic candies from the ’40s, ’50s, ’60s and ’70s, and the sudden proliferation of old-fashioned candy stores like Northern California’s Powell’s Sweet Shoppe chain.

“When you are in your own kind of personal crisis,” Segan says, “and you want something to make you feel better, a single candy bar–if it’s the right candy bar–or a couple of bites of some Flicks or Mary Janes, while not solving our problems one bit, can make you a feel a tiny bit better. Sometimes, that’s enough to make a big difference in our lives.”

It’s no accident that Segan names Flicks as one of those blast-from-the-past flashpoints that can sometimes act as a kind of new-fangled candy therapy. Those conspicuously odd-shaped, foil-wrapped tubes crammed with waxy, chocolate-flavored plops of chewy brown gunk–dubbed Flicks because they first appeared at the candy counters of movie theaters in the ’60s and ’70s–are one of many candies that once cluttered the metaphorical candy counters of baby boomer childhoods, and have recently staged a nonhostile coup against our high-speed, cell-phone-battered, wartime attentions.

Along with Fizzies (those sugary tablets that turn a glass of water into soda pop) and those little multicolored dots glued in neat rows to wide strips of paper, Flicks represent a recent trend in the resurgence of old-fashioned candy, a trend that has as much to do with the current state of international uncertainty–and our need to find some quick, effective, low-cost comfort–as it has to do with our long-established national fondness for sugar.

“Sweets are cheap. They’re quick and easy, and they’re legal,” laughs Segan, a sought-after expert on the history of food and a big deal on TV these days, from The Early Show to the History Channel to the Food Network. A professor at Sarah Lawrence and a bestselling author and lecturer, her recent book, The Opera Lover’s Cookbook, has been nominated for a James Beard Award in the category of best book on entertaining.

“Sugar is a quick high,” she notes, “and that sugar rush is very appealing. We know that the senses–smell, touch, taste–bring us back very quickly to a happier time. Munching on a Mary Jane, or whatever the candy was from your childhood, is a quick and easy way to provide yourself with a sense of comfort. Not everybody can make that macaroni and cheese the way Mom made it, but a Mary Jane is always going to taste like a Mary Jane.”

That’s a major part of the whole candy trend: the stuff tastes exactly like you remember it, even if that isn’t necessarily a gourmet taste. Flicks, Idaho Spuds, Circus Peanuts–for all the warm-and-cozy wonder they impart–are actually gross. That’s a key part of the equation. In a world where people and institutions let you down, you can rely on the candies of your youth, including the disgusting ones.

According to Segan, there is a definite national trend toward more candy consumption in America, with chocolate in particular on the rise, and the resurgence of nostalgic candies is a part of the picture, with high-end, urban-centered chocolate cafes another slice of the MoonPie. From a historical perspective, sugar and candy consumption always goes up during times of war and national stress, Segan asserts; anyone remember Farrell’s ice cream parlors? That was the Vietnam-era version of today’s online retro candy sites and old-fashioned candy stores.

“More and more people are able to surf and Google,” Segan says, “and baby boomers are finding all sorts of fun things online. They’re going retro, looking for their roots, reestablishing their youth. From what I’ve seen,” she adds, “the consumption of candy, particularly nostalgic kinds, is a natural side effect of living in a world where everything is in a state of change and uncertainty.”

For evidence of this trend, look no further than downtown Petaluma. Within a five-block radius, there are at least four shops (or should we say “shoppes”?) at which nostalgic candy is proudly on display. Lombardi’s barbecue on the Putnam Plaza has racks and racks of candy where the chips and pickles used to be, and a few years ago, they established themselves as the go-to spot in Sonoma County for Harry Potter candies, from ice mice to chocolate frogs.

Across the street, at the eccentric Jungle Vibes emporium, owner Wayne Morganthaler keeps a number of high-end chocolates on display in a retro-looking glass candy case next to racks of flashback candies like Pop Rocks and Gummi Worms. Around the corner, on Western Street, inside the Winsome Lass Old Tyme Candy store, a one-time antique store that successfully jumped over to the retro-candy band wagon a couple of years ago, giant slabs of cardboard-thin taffy stand alongside jars of Mary Janes and peppermint sticks.

Two blocks south, in the new Theater Square complex, the newest in the growing Windsor-based Powell’s Sweet Shoppe chain opened to throngs of expectant candy-lovers lining up all the way down the courtyard on the store’s pre-Easter opening day. With Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory playing endlessly on a large, flat-screen TV and a display of vintage Candy Land board games hanging in evolutionary succession near the courtyard door, Powell’s does for candy what cathedrals do for God.

While Segan stands firm in her view that candies and sweets always grow in popularity during times of national stress, there is another explanation for the recent rise in weird candies from the distant past. Could it be that candy is and has always been too important to give up, no matter how hard-hit we become?

“People eat candy all the time,” assures Michael Powell, founder of the Windsor-based candy store chain, which currently boasts more than a dozen stores in three states, with many of them (Healdsburg, Petaluma, Novato) located in the North Bay. “In times of uncertainty,” he says, “people stop doing a lot of things they consider to be extravagances–but they never stop eating candy. What happens during those times of uncertainty is that people go back to their favorites, and for a lot of us in our forties, those favorites are the candies we remember eating as kids.”

The first Powell’s Sweet Shoppe opened in Windsor a mere three years ago, after Powell spent years of research into so-called recession-proof industries. As part of his studies, he discovered that while many consumable products and industries come and go, candy has pretty much always held steady. Even when the idea of candy and sugar is under attack from agencies decrying candy’s impact on childhood obesity and diabetes, or when nutritionists spread the gospel of low-carb diets, the candy industry just addresses the issue and comes out with sugar-free candies, low-carb candies–whatever it takes to keep on keeping on.

While Powell as yet makes no claim on the national rise in the number of people seeking out Mallo Cups, Chick-O-Sticks, GooGoo Clusters and Space Food Sticks, he is more than willing to take credit for some, if not all, of the recent candy craze in the Bay Area

“If there really has been a rise in candy awareness in the North Bay over the last three years,” he says, “if stores are suddenly stocking more candy–especially candies from the ’60s and ’70s–then I’d say that’s directly because of the impact of Powell’s Sweet Shoppes.”

Being that candy is, essentially, a food, Powell has been amused by a trend within the trend: that of folks buying candies merely to look at the old familiar packages.

“Honestly, I think a lot of people buy this nostalgic kind of candy without ever intending to actually eat it,” he says. “They come into the store and they say, ‘I’m just looking, I’m not really a candy person,’ and then $8 later, they’ve bought things I’m not convinced they intend to eat, things that brought back such good memories they couldn’t not buy it.”

Powell’s Sweet Shoppes are at 322 Center St., Healdsburg, 707.431.2784; 879 Grant Ave., Novato, 415.898.6160; 151 Petaluma Blvd. S., Petaluma, 707.765.9866; and 720 McClelland Drive, Windsor, 707.836.0808.



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Quick dining snapshots by Bohemian staffers.


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Morsels

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April 18-24, 2007

To move past standard Earth Day fare, try the exotic “world street food” menu paired with local wines at the first-ever Green Valley Earth Day on Sunday, April 22. It’s a dual celebration, because effective April 23, Green Valley of the Russian River Valley becomes an official wine appellation, one of the smallest in Sonoma County. Eight Green Valley wineries–De Loach Vineyards, Dutton Estate, Dutton-Goldfield, Emeritus, Hartford Court, Iron Horse, Marimar Estate and Orogeny–are hosting this wing-ding in both high and green style. “It’s the Tiffany of Earth Day celebrations,” laughs spokeswoman Dawnelise Regnery. Rather than Tiffany blue, this event is done up in environmental green, with a detailed eye for treading softly on the earth.

The food by Iron Horse chef Christopher Greenwald will be homegrown or come from within a 25-mile radius. Power will be supplied by a portable solar energy unit. Choices for transportation to the event include walking up the oak tree- and vineyard-lined property, riding in a horse-drawn wagon or being a passenger on a biodiesel van. Utensils will be biodegradable. Everything used to prepare and stage the event will be either recycled or composted. The prize in a paperless raffle will be $4,000 worth of energy from PG&E.

Net proceeds benefit Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation, National Geographic Society, Rainforest Action Network and the Leakey Foundation. Each will have informational booths at the event, and National Geographic is bringing in a team from Washington, D.C., including TV host Boyd Matson. Other honored guests include State Parks commissioner Caryl Hart, San Francisco Chronicle environmental writer Glen Martin and eco-entrepreneur John Scharffenberger, founder of Scharffen Berger Chocolates (samples served at the celebration). Eat, drink and be green, saving the world one glass at a time on Sunday, April 22, at Iron Horse Vineyards. 9786 Ross Station Road, Sebastopol. 1pm to 4pm. $50-$250. 707.887.1507. . . .

Putting the emphasis on those who make local vintages possible, Benziger Family Winery will donate 100 percent of its April 22 tasting room profits to Vineyard Workers Services, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the quality of life for local farmworkers. “Their reverence for nature and connection with the vines continue to inspire me,” Mike Benziger says of his vineyard team. 1883 London Ranch Road, Glen Ellen. 707.490.2739.

Quick dining snapshots by Bohemian staffers.

Winery news and reviews.

Food-related comings and goings, openings and closings, and other essays for those who love the kitchen and what it produces.

Recipes for food that you can actually make.

Letters to the Editor

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April 18-24, 2007

What’s ‘Ouch’ in Italian?

I just finished reading in San Francisco (News of the Food, “Italian’s Take SF,” April 11.) The article, besides being insulting to Italians, showed a complete lack of knowledge of Italian wine and culture. The man must have been inebriated on high-alcohol Zinfandel or some 15.5 percent Cabernet before he “tasted” wine at the event. Though I was not present at the Italian Wines 2007 event, I cannot believe that he “tasted” only one offering that he found acceptable.

Is Mr. Bland a real person? What experience does he have “tasting” Italian wines, or any wine for that matter? Toward the end of his anti-Italian diatribe, he describes the one wine he liked as “like a Zinfandel of softened pepper notes over a foamy sweetness of blueberry pudding.” This gives the only telling glimpse as to Mr. Bland’s “tastes.” It seems he does have a fondness for high-alcohol, overripe, fruit bombs.

I am an Italian American who has been a professional chef in Sonoma County for over 22 years. Besides cooking for Sonoma County wineries for over 10 years, I cooked in Italy for two and a half years and was the chef and owner of Santi Restaurant in Geyserville for five years. Most of the Sonoma winemakers who dine at Santi order Italian wines. I guess that they feel that they can learn something from a country with a few hundred years of winemaking history. I submit that Mr. Bland still has a lot to learn about wine. Opening his mind will do wonders for his learning process.

Franco Dunn, Healdsburg

What’s ‘Ouch’ in Hip-Hop?

Gabe Meline’s article (Critic’s Choice, April 4) exemplifies the need for the media to sever the connection between rap music and hip-hop. The editor’s ignorance of the genre demonstrates the Bohemian‘s need for informed and competent researchers. In essence, the underground hip-hop community deserves an apology for the inaccurate classification of Zion I and Grouch as hyphy. Both artists promote social consciousness through intelligent and poetic lyrics. They have worked to bring intelligence to the corporate and media-corrupted genre disguised as “hip-hop.” Their music is the antithesis of hyphy, or what some would label the “Bay Area Minstrel Show.” In actuality, hyphy endangers a movement that artists like Zion 1, Grouch, the Roots, Nas, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Aceyalone, Living Legends and others are fighting for their lives to protect and resuscitate.

Allison Frenzel, Santa Rosa

What’s ‘Ouch’ in Opera?

I disagree with David Templeton’s review of the opera Cavalleria Rusticana which was performed at the Cinnabar Theater (Critic’s Choice, “Hit and Miss,” March 14). He seems to consider the opera a waste of time and devoid of memorable music. How wrong can he be, or does he not know any better?! The chorus melodies have been dancing in my memory since I saw the performance. Also, I remember being at a double bill performance of Cavalleria and Pagliacci at the San Francisco Opera when Placido Domingo sang the title roles in both operas. The performances were outstanding.

How can anyone forget the beautiful intermezzo from Cavalleria? Of course, Mr. Templeton does not have to like all operas, but his criticisms should be valid.

Willard D. Bristol, Santa Rosa

What’s ‘Ouch’ in Social Commentary?

Peter Byrne’s views and mine generally coincide, but (The Byrne Report, “Marketing War,” April 11) jostled me some. He claims that we the people “have been psychologically conditioned to accept unpardonable acts of violence as moral imperatives.” He is implying, as I see it, that we are made of vastly impressionable emotional and intellectual plastic, and so are easily molded by a fiendishly clever media and governmental and war propaganda programs, which is why violence and war are endemic.

World history, however, suggests that the first resort of humans everywhere when confronted by social problems is the assertion of power (“I’ll teach you to talk back to me,” “Kill the infidel,” etc.). In other words, especially adroit propaganda isn’t needed. We bring a readiness to accept and employ violent acts along with us when we look at, listen to or read anything.

I wish Byrne was right, actually. Solving world violence problems by changing media programming would be so much easier than the long, daunting task of changing human nature. Contrary to the conventional wisdom, the latter is possible, but the first step in any successful modification strategy is identifying causation.

The “enemy” is still us.

Don McQueen, Constant Reader, Santa Rosa


Ask Sydney

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April 18-24, 2007

Dear Sydney, I had a falling out with my sister a couple of years ago. I think of her daily and worry about her, but I stop short of e-mailing her because she’ll demand an apology from me before resuming our relationship. I don’t feel I have anything to apologize for, but I’m sure she doesn’t think that’s the case. Even if, just to make her feel justified, I did swallow my pride and apologize, she would constantly bring up the incident that triggered our falling out and would use it to indicate proof of what she regards as my fallibility and “instability.” My life has been peaceful for the last several years without her constant haranguing and complaining, but my heart aches for her and what I know is her lonely, friendless state. I’m worried she’ll die alone and unloved, but at the same time, I don’t want the hassles having a relationship with her implies. Should you always try to reconcile with a sister just because she’s family? Sometimes I feel that just because we were born into the same family doesn’t mean I have to take her verbal abuse and that I have any responsibility for her.–Sad Sis

Dear Sis: Being related by blood doesn’t guarantee closeness or compatibility. However, the nature of your question indicates that you don’t have the sort of detachment that would justify a complete disconnection from your sister. Some feel no attachment to siblings whatsoever, in which case, why would you endure verbal abuse, stress and the misery of a dysfunctional relationship that does nothing but drag you down? But you say things like “my heart aches” and “I’m worried,” which indicates that your sister means more to you than you might want to admit.

Life is short. Why risk perpetuating this alienation over a little pride-swallowing? Don’t e-mail her. This mode of communication is too quick, and it’s too easy to blast comments back and forth without really giving them thought and consideration. Instead, send a letter with a thoughtful gift. Let her know that you care for her, that you’re sorry for this falling out, but that you want to start fresh, without the need for either one of you to grovel and beg forgiveness. Think of it this way: If she were to die next week, would you regret your estrangement? If the answer is no, then maybe you’re just feeling guilty out of a sense of duty, and it’s fine to let things be as they are. But if the answer is yes, consider reaching out, no matter how much of a hassle it might be.

Dear Sydney, I’m a doctor. When I began working, I failed to mention to my co-workers that neither of my children has vaccinations. What began as a small omission on my part has started to haunt me. Choosing not to vaccinate was a huge decision, made even harder by the atmosphere of being an MD, not to mention seeing every worst-case scenario possible in a hospital setting. Now that I’m becoming friends with some of my fellow doctors, it feels awkward to me that I haven’t told the truth. For one thing, I have to be privy to doctor conversations where parents who haven’t vaccinated their kids are being criticized, at which point I feel obligated to keep my mouth shut, even though I am one of those “irresponsible” parents. Is it my duty to admit to my decision in order to clear the air and then just take the flack like any other parent would have to? Or should I continue to pretend that our shots are all up to date, thereby keeping the peace and avoiding judgment?–Renegade Doc

Dear Renegade: Vaccinating your children is a personal decision, and the fact that you are a doctor does nothing to lighten the burden of this decision. You are a parent first, a doctor second. And as a parent, it’s often better to keep the vaccination decision to yourself. Why deal with other’s judgments on the matter? You’ve done your research, and it’s up to you and you alone to decide what’s best for your kids. I understand that it could be uncomfortable to listen to your doctor friends bash the anti-vaccine sector which you are secretly a part of, but because vaccines are such a personal issue, you are under no obligation to share this information. People who don’t vaccinate learn pretty quickly that this is not good cocktail party conversation. It’s better just to keep it to yourself. What your doctor friends don’t know won’t hurt them. Sleep easy. The health of your children is your only concern here, nothing more.

Dear Sydney, my mom writes a column. Unfortunately, we share a computer. This means, whenever she wants to write her column, I can’t play my computer game. I am very deeply depressed that she takes the computer away from me when I am most wanting to play, when she could work on her column later. Why does she always get first choice? Sydney, could you please answer this problem? Just because I’m 11 doesn’t mean that she should have all the rights to take the computer from me. It’s the family computer.–Mad at My Mom

Dear Mad: This dilemma sounds disturbingly familiar . . . Who gave you permission to go online? And who taught you how to Google? A parental oversight, obviously. However, I do understand your frustration. Having one computer for the family can be a pain. But by being conservative with your computer purchases and having only one in your household, you are doing good things for the future of the planet! While this may not mean much to you now, it will in about 15 years.

The reality is, parents have first dibs on just about everything except food and dessert. I know this may seem unfair to you now, but when you grow up, if you choose to have children, you will soon realize that you just can’t give them everything they want all of the time, because if you do, you will end up living in a tent on the side of the road because your kids have bankrupted and exhausted you with their demands. Your mother’s deadline takes precedence over your computer gaming (that means it’s more important). Now, if you have a report due for school, and it’s due the next day, and she has two days to finish her column, then you have a good reason to demand your turn over hers. But seeing as playing games does not pay the bills, it doesn’t count for much.

Of course, writing a column doesn’t pay the bills either, but still, it falls into the category of work, not play. The only way to resolve this situation is to stop spending all of your money as soon as you get it and start saving. Then you can buy your own computer. But remember, even if you do, your mom will still be able to tell you when to get off. That’s called parental rights. You don’t get free of those until you move out.

‘Ask Sydney’ is penned by a Sonoma County resident. There is no question too big, too small or too off-the-wall. Inquire at www.asksydney.com.

No question too big, too small or too off-the-wall.


Wine Tasting

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Even with Battlestar Rancheria looming above, the town of Geyserville retains a rural Western character. Tractors chug down Highway 128, past the men’s haberdashery and hardware store. If the local deli sells artisan truffle oil, they must be keeping it under the counter. Here, in the historic Bank of Geyserville building, you’ll find the Meeker Vineyard tasting room. Given a flexible chronology, you could easily picture Black Bart hanging out here, casing stagecoaches. In fact, it looks like Meeker has only lately traded places with green-visored clerks. To buy your wine, step up to the original teller window. Behind that is their jumbled office, and the wine, of course, is in the vault.

You might expect Meeker to be more slicked-out, what with its big-time Hollywood origins (co-owner Charlie Meeker is a former movie executive). But that’s clearly not the case. Almost seems like the work of zonked-out, hoary ex-hippies. It formerly operated out of a tipi on what is now Bella Vineyards. The quirky labels feature images of, for instance, John Lennon as a walrus playing billiards with, um, zombie Elvis from the crypt? No, it’s hound-dog Elvis. But make no mistake from these quips and nudges, we love the Meeker vineyard.

Here’s why: the tasting was free, efficient and wry. We found the 2003 Mendocino County Syrah ($28) very agreeable, vanilla cola and a bite of fresh cherries. Not much like other California Cabs, the 2002 Mendocino County Cabernet Sauvignon is light, with a hint of sweet sherry. Drier, bigger, more Cab-like, the 2004 Winemaker’s Handprint Merlot ($36) has chewy fruit and a couple of goopy handprints. The 2002 Barberian is a dry super-Tuscan style built with Barbera and Zin. There’s an inoffensive Chardonnay ($11), and the silky 2004 FroZin dessert wine ($24), which leads one’s nose into the depths of a pungent, dark wine cellar.

The real treat was actually one of the starters, a wine so gorgeous it’s hard to believe it’s that cheap and easy (it’s topped with a screw cap). To echo the tasting sheet, the liquid energy of the 2003 “Rack ‘n’ Roll” Zinfandel ($14) swirls in the glass like revelers in a rock-concert crowd. On acid. Whether it’s phenolic acid or volatile phenols that wildly broadcast heady aromas of jammy fruit, I couldn’t tell you. Call a fermentation scientist. The point is, untamed by oxyphobic squares, these are the seductive vinous scents that flirt with misadventure while promising paradise, and give you that million-kilowatt smile. You can take that to the bank.

(The walrus wasn’t Paul) at the Meeker Vineyard, 21035 Geyserville Ave., Geyserville. Open 10:30am to 6:00pm, Monday-Saturday; noon to 5pm, Sunday. 707.431.2148.



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Season Greetings

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Season Greetings

the arts | stage |

Short shakes: The Marin Shakespeare Fest kicks off with the Bard ‘(abridged)’ this July.

By David Templeton

For those of us who feel their pulses quicken whenever someone asks them to turn off their cell phones and consider becoming a subscriber, spring is one of the most exciting times of the year.

This is the time of year when we theater lovers can begin to dream of plays to come, to anticipate and make educated guesses about those rare dramas and old musicals and fresh comedies that will be launched before us next year. This is when many North Bay theater companies make their final decisions, take deep breaths and publicly release the lineup of shows for the upcoming season, in this case, the 2007-2008 season. The fact that most theater companies don’t begin their seasons until the fall does not curb the enthusiastic uproar we feel when theater folk begin to announce their future plans in April and May.

In the 2007-2008 season, Santa Rosa’s ever-evolving Sixth Street Playhouse will finally drop its dual identities as Actors Theatre and the Santa Rosa Players and just be the plain old Sixth Street Playhouse. The recently announced schedule of plays looks to be another somewhat safe balance of new and old musicals, original plays and fresh spins on old classics.

That said, Sixth Street has also announced something unexpected: a brand-new second venue, a smallish studio theater, to be constructed in the adjacent dance center. The studio will be devoted to the kind of small experimental shows that Actors Theatre (can we still say that name?) originally made its reputation with.

Next, executive director Beth Craven will chase the ghost of Tom Joad in John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath, and in a co-production with the Sonoma County Repertory Theater, Ken Sonkin will direct Jason Robert Brown’s super-popular two-person musical The Last Five Years (which the Rep will also stage as part of its current season). The rest of the main-stage lineup includes Ashman and Menken’s Little Shop of Horrors, David Mamet’s seldom-seen, turn-of-the-century lesbian drama Boston Marriage, the classic Depression-era musical 42nd Street and the relatively new comedy Leading Ladies by Ken Ludwig (author of Lend Me Tenor, Moon Over Buffalo and Shakespeare in Hollywood).

In the intimate, new black-boxish studio theater, Sixth Street will offer a separate “studio series” of plays, including Becky Mode’s one-person comedy Fully Committed, Robert Reich’s political comedy Public Exposure and two other works yet to be announced, one of which is expected to be another David Mamet piece.

Now in the hands of new artistic director Jasson Minadakis, the Marin Theater Company has been tinkering with its 2007-2008 schedule, but at last report, Minadakis’ first season as the guy who chooses the plays will begin with John Kolvenbach’s offbeat romantic comedy Love Song. The year continues with John Strand’s cross-dressing swashbuckler Lovers and Executioners, the West Coast premiere of Kenneth Lin’s philosophical drama . . . ,” said Saïd, a mounting of Tennessee Williams’ Streetcar Named Desire and with two other plays yet to be decided.

“Yet to be Decided” describes some of the plucky Ross Valley Players upcoming schedule, which opens May 11 with Steve Martin’s adaptation of a German play, The Underpants. In another example of inter-theater talent sharing, Sixth Street’s Argo Thompson will commute to Ross to direct Fully Committed, opening July 13, before bringing the same show to his house.

Porchlight Theatre Company launches Enchanted April June 22 at the Marin Art & Garden Center and the Marin Shakespeare Festival blasts off this July with the always-popular Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged). (Note: this show opens on the same day as the Sonoma County Repertory Theatre’s outdoor production of The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged).) The rest of the festival is filled out (in so many ways) by simultaneous productions of Shakespeare’s Henry IV parts one and two, featuring Stephen Reynolds as the rotund con man Sir John Falstaff.

Talking of Shakespeare, the eccentric and innovative Shakespeare at Stinson Beach, is being forced from Stinson Beach after 14 years due to a disagreement with the town regarding portable toilets, or something. SAS director Jeffrey Trotter recently announced that the company will be moving to the outdoor amphitheatre in Novato’s refurbished Hamilton Air Force base; beginning mid-August, the only show to be announced so far, will be Twelfth Night, fitting enough given that Shakespeare’s funniest comedy is all about being displaced.

With no announcements as yet from Sonoma County’s only Equity company, the Pacific Alliance Stage Company holding forth at the Spreckels Performing Arts Center, likewise for the mighty Cinnabar Theatre in Petaluma (about to open its own version of Enchanted April), we jump back to the Sonoma County Rep, one of two North Bay companies that follows a January-to-December season instead of the traditional fall to summer approach. After this summer’s Shakespeare Festival in Ives Park (pairing the reduced Bible show with the enduring let’s-go-be-hippies-in-the-forest comedy As You Like It), the Rep will rip into a Northern California premiere, the new stage adaptation of Mitch Albom’s bestselling Tuesdays with Morrie.

The North Bay’s other January-August company is Napa’s Dreamweavers Theatre, getting ready to give us Edward Albee’s fantastical Seascape beginning in June, followed by yet another production of David Auburn’s overburdened Proof (Monte Rio’s Pegasus Theatre opens the same play this weekend). Rounding out the season is Ivan Menchell’s Cemetery Club and the little seen Answers by On Golden Pond‘s Ernest Thompson.



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Museums and gallery notes.


Reviews of new book releases.


Reviews and previews of new plays, operas and symphony performances.


Reviews and previews of new dance performances and events.

News of the Food

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April 18-24, 2007

We’ve all seen the boring admonition a thousand times: “Instead of sour cream, substitute yogurt for a low-cal alternative.” But yogurt, that low-fat diet standby, that sugared-up supermarket slurry, is also vulnerable to the advancing forces of gourmet artisanship. Yogurt has another side. A richer, woollier side.

Bellwether Farms, Sonoma County’s family-run sheep-milk creamery, is poised to release a sheep-milk yogurt. That’s likely to pique interest, at the least because sheep are cute and woolly. And, as it turns out, there’s more than novelty to sheep dairy products.

For all the reasons that goat has long been touted as the alternative milk, sheep milk is even better. It’s higher in nutrients, protein and other solids. Although 50 percent higher in fat, the fat globules are smaller, almost “naturally homogenized,” as Bellwether’s co-owner and cheese maker Liam Callahan puts it. Sheep’s milk may be tolerated by some people who can’t digest other milk. And it’s mild tasting, an incentive to those for whom fine goat products are just too . . . goatee.

For this to be available in our own backyard is rare, indeed. There are a handful of sheep dairies in the United States, mainly in the east. Bellwether has no samples yet on hand, but a cup of New York’s Old Chatham Sheepherding Co. yogurt, found tucked away in a Whole Foods dairy case, proved to be rich indeed, with a distinct tanginess. It’s said to be something like a Greek-style yogurt. Bellwether will make plain and vanilla, as well as natural fruit flavors with strawberry, blueberry, and blackberry preserves sourced from Oregon.

Look for Bellwether Farms yogurt some time later this month or in May. Because of the vagaries of nature, the Callahan’s 200 ewes didn’t lamb for three months, thus had no milk, so they are now busy restocking their San Andreas and Pupate aged sheep cheeses. www.bellwethercheese.com.

Quick dining snapshots by Bohemian staffers.

Winery news and reviews.

Food-related comings and goings, openings and closings, and other essays for those who love the kitchen and what it produces.

Recipes for food that you can actually make.

Out and About

Resident Tourist Guide: Staying at Home to Play in Sonoma, Marin and Napa | 2007 Farmer's Markets | Calistoga, San Anselmo, Petaluma | Wineries in Sonoma and Napa |...
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Letters to the Editor

April 25-May 1, 2007Another viewI am thrilled that this week the United States Supreme Court upheld the partial-birth abortion ban. It sickens me to think that sucking out a child's brains at birth was ever considered an option. I'm only 26, and the future state of society is looking black--with even my own State Assembly member Patty Berg trying...
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The Byrne Report

April 25-May 1, 2007In the aftermath of murderous news from Blacksburg, Va., the possibility of banning handguns has once again become a topic of heated public discussion. After all, 23-year-old Virginia Tech student Cho Seung-hui purchased his weapons of mass destruction as easily as buying packs of chewing gum. But given the clout of the National Rifle Association, rational...
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Sweet Therapy

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Morsels

April 18-24, 2007 To move past standard Earth Day fare, try the exotic "world street food" menu paired with local wines at the first-ever Green Valley Earth Day on Sunday, April 22. It's a dual celebration, because effective April 23, Green Valley of the Russian River Valley becomes an official wine appellation, one of the smallest in Sonoma County. Eight...
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Letters to the Editor

April 18-24, 2007What's 'Ouch' in Italian?I just finished reading in San Francisco (News of the Food, "Italian's Take SF," April 11.) The article, besides being insulting to Italians, showed a complete lack of knowledge of Italian wine and culture. The man must have been inebriated on high-alcohol Zinfandel or some 15.5 percent Cabernet before he "tasted" wine at...
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Ask Sydney

April 18-24, 2007 Dear Sydney, I had a falling out with my sister a couple of years ago. I think of her daily and worry about her, but I stop short of e-mailing her because she'll demand an apology from me before resuming our relationship. I don't feel I have anything to apologize for, but I'm sure she doesn't think...
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Wine Tasting

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Season Greetings

the arts | stage | Short shakes: The Marin...
Read more

News of the Food

April 18-24, 2007 We've all seen the boring admonition a thousand times: "Instead of sour cream, substitute yogurt for a low-cal alternative." But yogurt, that low-fat diet standby, that sugared-up supermarket slurry, is also vulnerable to the advancing forces of gourmet artisanship. Yogurt has another side. A richer, woollier side.Bellwether Farms, Sonoma County's family-run sheep-milk creamery, is poised to release...
Read more
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