Eat This — Sonoma Restaurant Week Returns

Feb 16, 2022

Eat This — Sonoma Restaurant Week Returns

For some lucky marketers, there’s a point when an annual promotion graduates to an annual tradition. To the list that boasts everything from the Macy’s Day Parade to the yearly Pliny the Younger release, we can add Sonoma Restaurant Week.

In an era with little predictability, the predictable prices of the week-long prix-fixe menu offers some solace. Lunches run $10, $15 and $25, and dinners $25, $35 and $55. There’s also a “Sweet Perk,” which I’m going to assume is, um, sweet, for $5. No tickets are required, though reservervatons are recommended; no patronizing attempts at gamifying the festivities, “passports” are played out, people—just real food for real people.

Boasting a super-navigable website—participating restaurants can be found via cuisine, price point, location and more at sonomarestaurantweek.org—and a bevy of brasseries, cafes and gastropubs, Sonoma Restaurant Week is a fine time to visit old haunts and find new faves.

What follows is an unscientifically selected sampling of restaurants enjoyed and reflected upon while gallivanting on the SoCo beat.

Bear Republic Brewing Co.

“Go big or go home” seems to be the guiding principle behind Bear Republic Brewing Comany’s menu. From skyscraping beer options to bigger burgers, everything about the Rohnert Park brewpub proclaims “size matters.”

Be forewarned, their “Just Burger” is not just a burger—it’s a commitment that’s borderline “lifestyle choice.” Wash it down with the brewery’s Spawn of Yaga brew, which weighs in with a hefty 12% alcohol by volume and is named for the Russian folktale of Old Baba Yaga and “her nefarious deeds.” These deeds may or may not include sending in an a capella group composed of older gents to serenade tables with classics from the American songbook the night I visited. Suffice it to say, a pint of Spawn, and shit gets weird.

Bear Republic Brewing Co., 5000 Roberts Lake Rd., Rohnert Park. bearrepublic.com

Brew Coffee and Beer House

I’m of that generation that thought peanut butter on toast was a pretty nifty innovation, so when the first wave of avocado-toast consciousness emerged a decade ago, I was dubious. I eventually came to understand and accept the green-hued ways of my Millennial brethren—not least of which because there’s a kid in my house with a nut allergy—and am now pleased to see avocado toast on local cafe menus. Brew Coffee and Beer House is no exception. Not only is avocado toast less lethal than toast slathered in the apparently most outre of nut butters, it’s brimming with the “good kind of fat.” So, naturally, I ordered the tater tots. Brew also offers a tantalizing array of local beers that come in serving denominations as petite as their 5-ounce option, which is about as cute as a beer can get—and, those of us as bad at math as I am can convince ourselves that four little ones is only a pint, right?

Brew Coffee and Beer House, 555 Healdsburg Ave Santa Rosa. brewcoffeeandbeer.com

Costeaux French Bakery & Cafe

Next year marks this Healdsburg institution’s centenary serving myriad baked goods and cafe entrees including sandwiches, soups and salads. Naturally, I arrived too late in the afternoon to enjoy much of the menu—the kitchen closes at 2pm, Wednesday through Saturday, and I arrived on Sunday when the kitchen closes at 1pm—however, I did indulge in the downtown landmark’s classic croissant and cafe Americano combo, which was, to quote Cole Porter, “C’est Magnifique!”

Costeaux French Bakery & Cafe, 417 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg. costeaux.com

Delicious Dish

Stand-out items include a BLT-style Lobster Roll, the Banh Mi Tuna or Tofu Poke Bowl with seasoned black rice and a creamy miso dressing, and a staggeringly vast array of fried-chicken sandwich options. To anyone seeking to activate all the pleasure centers of their brain simultaneously, I heartily recommend indulging in the Nashville option, which bathed my neurons in savory serotonin the moment its spicy pimento cheese and house-made “cowboy candy” jalapenos hit my palate. It’s heat-meets-sweet, and it demands a belt of PBR between bites, if only to get that damn smile off one’s face. Be sure to also check out Delicious Dish’s themed “Dinner & a Movie” nights on their outdoor patio, which resume next month. Family favorites and cult classic flicks from the ’70s on up are “paired” with menu items, a la Jaws with lobster rolls and Dazed & Confused with Texas BBQ. Up next? A “Stoner Double Feature” with Cheech and Chong’s Up in Smoke and Kevin Smith’s Mallrats, served with East L.A. tomatillo-braised pork shoulder tacos with cilantro, white onion and chicharrones; refried beans and rice; fruit salad with tajin; chocolate-covered pretzels and “buckets of Tecate.”

Delicious Dish, 18709 Arnold Dr. Sonoma. deliciousdishsf.com

Wild Goat Bistro

Sometimes a person just has to have a meatball. Wild Goat Bistro understands this—they don’t judge, they accommodate. As part of their small-plates menu, the bistro offers “Gotta Have a Meatball”—Niman Ranch Angus beef or gluten-free meatballs with garlic and herbs, baked in tomato sauce with melted mozzarella. A favorite of mine on the large-plates menu is the short ribs, ditto the four-cheese “fig and pig” pizza—“pig” being prosciutto. More to the point, the bistro is the only restaurant of its type that’s consistently and predictably open during the week—including Mondays.

Wild Goat Bistro, 6 Petaluma Blvd. N., Suite 5A, Petaluma. wildgoatbistro.com

[side bar]

Roadside Attraction — Delicious Dish’s Lauren Cotner

One of the perks of this gig is meeting the kick-ass restaurateurs behind the bounty and brilliance that defines the local culinary scene.

One such bright light is Lauren Cotner of Sonoma’s Delicious Dish, which effortlessly blends old cuisine in with contemporary cuisine. Prior to moving to Sonoma and launching the restaurant with her husband in 2008, Cotner worked in marketing, which led to her working with the venerable San Francisco Bay Guardian—winning her instant alt-weekly cred with this reporter. “I would spend my days selling ads in the ‘adult section’ and my nights helping set up sponsorship banners at bars and clubs, and, like every great sales and event person—drinking,” she says with a laugh. What follows is a Q&A with Editor Daedalus Howell.

Bohemian: What was your inspiration for the menu, which is deliciously eclectic in some regards but also clearly curated?

Lauren Cotner: Living in San Francisco’s Mission District for 15 years spoiled us [with the] constant availability of every cuisine at our fingertips. When we cater tech lunches we’re tasked with providing a 500-person staff of different tastes with a variety and quality that entices them to stay in-office for lunch instead of venturing out. We have to be everything to everybody in one of the most eclectic food hubs in the country.

B: The shakes! OMFG! What a list! Wherefrom this passion?

LC: As a kid, we used to drive up to see my grandmother in Willits and stop at the “halfway point”— the Foster’s Freeze in Cloverdale. I can’t vouch for how Foster’s Freeze does things now, but back then everything was fresh. I would either get a fresh blackberry milkshake or a peanut butter-banana. Those are still my favorites, though my new fav is coffee-peanut butter and smoked salt.

B: Enduring the pandemic—how’s that been, and do you see the light at the end of the tunnel?

LC: I do see things looking up. The end of 2021 was brutal—personally and professionally, and we were just … stagnant. The doors in 2022 have opened up, the sun is out for at least today, we have an amazing crew who is IN IT TO WIN IT and people are coming in! We’re 1,000% hopeful.

Culture Crush — Fran Lebowitz at the Luther Burbank Center and More

Charlie Swanson

Feb 15, 2022

Culture Crush — Fran Lebowitz at the Luther Burbank Center and More

Marin City

Local Help

A new community program, called Clean Slate, will offer several services from Marin County departments to directly help residents with justice-related and health-related matters. The Public Defender’s Office, the District Attorney’s Office and the Probation Department will help those with documentation to clear records, terminate probation or dismiss convictions, and the Department of Health and Human Services will help with Medi-Cal, CalFresh food assistance, employment training and financial relief for families. Covid-19 vaccinations and booster shots will also be available. Thursday, Feb. 17, Saint Andrew Presbyterian Church, 101 Donahue St., Marin City. 4–7pm. Marincounty.org.

Sebastopol

New Pairing

The winemaking families behind Jackson Family Wines sought a way to use the whole grape when they developed Vine to Bar, a premium dark chocolate made with the spent grapes, called Chardonnay Marc. This week, Master Sommelier Michael Jordan leads a chocolate-and-wine pairing featuring samples of several varieties of Vine to Bar dark chocolates matched with a range of wines, from chardonnay to pinot noir. Taste for yourself on Thursday, Feb. 17, and Saturday, Feb. 19, at the Region Wine Bar at The Barlow, 180 Morris St., Suite 170, Sebastopol. Thursday, 4pm; Sat, 2pm. $20. Drinkyourregion.com/events.

Napa

Last Time

Comedian, author, actor and podcast superstar Marc Maron was supposed to appear in the North Bay a few weeks ago, but his show in Napa was postponed. Thankfully for fans of Maron’s comedy, the stand-up show is back on, and he is scheduled to hit the stage this week. For those who don’t know, Maron has written and performed raw and honest comedy for more than two decades, and he’s currently on his “This May Be the Last Time Tour,” so check him out on Friday, Feb. 18, at Uptown Theatre, 1350 Third St., Napa. 8pm. $44–$54. Uptowntheatrenapa.com.

Petaluma

Hands On History

The Petaluma Historical Library & Museum is excited to welcome junior historians to participate in several family-friendly activities during its Junior Historians Interactive Exhibit. This limited-run exhibit invites kids to help build an archive of Petaluma’s history from their perspectives. The exhibit includes a creativity station where kids can color or draw Petaluma-themed art, an interactive map of the town and a scavenger hunt with prizes. This exhibit will take place during two weeks in February, with bonus hours on Presidents’ Day, Friday–Monday, Feb. 18–21 (and Feb. 25–27), at 20 Fourth St., Petaluma. 10am to 3:45pm each day. Petalumamuseum.com.

—Charlie Swanson

Check-in—Addicted to Pot?

Michael Giotis

Feb 15, 2022

Welcome back from “Dry January.” Now that we’ve had a couple of weeks to make good our promise to return to imbibing intoxicating substances, did our minds get clear?

Cannabis-as-medicine is the new paradigm that guides all our conversations about the plant and its uses. Let’s not take anything away from the importance of that shift. Many studies—and common sense—show that crime rates are down in communities throughout the country with cannabis legalization in place, and that as fewer people are fed into the criminal justice system on nonviolent possession charges, whole communities are less traumatized and therefore healthier.

Yet, in my years in and around this “business” since legalization and commercialization has taken off, I hear more and more about the almost magical properties of cannabis to treat stress, depression, social anxiety, sleep disorders and eating issues, not to mention cancer, but very little—and by that I mean zero—discussion of the risks of addiction and other complications from using any mind-altering substance with any regularity.

Look, I’m not trying to harsh anyone’s buzz, but the cannabis industry is just like any other industry: not to be trusted to shed light on the negative impacts of its product.

Don’t get me wrong, smoking weed in my youth—eating gummies these days—has helped me personally with the issues—like stress and social anxiety—above. On the other hand, some of my most anxious moments in a crowd have come right after toking, and I am certainly familiar with the depression that can follow a cannabis binge. At the time, we just called it “our 20s.” Now I can recognize the physiological response to withdrawal of a psychoactive chemical.

Surely, our readers sympathize in part with the occasionally negative reactions to getting high. Sometimes, even a little high is too high. Buzzing too hard to sleep, waking up cloudy and tired for work, stepping outside for the “hair of the dog that bit ya.” Some of us may even occasionally need a bump in the afternoon before our second shift. Agree or not, a week of that fits the textbook definition of addiction.

PLEASE NO SHAME if that looks familiar to you. The thing is, if we talk about the full spectrum of effects honestly, we can best see and help each other when we are in need.

The ancient Greek word for “medicine” is pharmako. The ancient Greek word for “poison” is pharmako. Get my drift?

If you think you are addicted to cannabis, “Rolling Papers” wants to hear from you. Your experience can help others. You can be helped, too. Reach out at le@****un.com.*

Hippie Hooray! Santa Rosa’s 6th Street Playhouse Lets the Sunshine In

Harry Duke

Feb 15, 2022

Hippie Hooray! Santa Rosa’s 6th Street Playhouse Lets the Sunshine In

Remember the good ol’ days when all a teenage boy had to worry about was being drafted into the military, trained to kill and shipped off to a foreign land to die defending corporate interests in the name of democracy? Well, we can relive the grand old ’60s by attending the 6th Street Playhouse production of the musical Hair, running now in Santa Rosa through March 6.

Director Aja Gianola-Norris has assembled a beautifully diverse cast to tell the story of a group of politically-active hippies living a bohemian life in the tumultuous ’60s. As the audience was seated, the troupe wandered the stage, banged on bongos, swayed in the air and blew soap bubbles into the house. As my seatmate noted, that may not be the best choice in the age of Covid.

The show officially began with a robust delivery of “The Age of Aquarius” led by Serena Elize Flores. As the music faded and the audience settled in, the characters introduced themselves via songs that made it clear this would not be a Disney musical.

Berger (Ezra Hernandez) pines for a 16-year-old virgin in the song “Donna.” The tribe sings of a variety of drugs with the song “Hashish.” Woof (Noah Sternhill) croons about “Sodomy.” Hud (Jourdán Olivier-Verdé) defiantly delivers a series of ugly racial epithets with “Colored Spade.” But don’t worry folks, you’ll hear “Good Morning, Starshine” and “Let the Sunshine In” by show’s end.

The music is draped around a bare-bones story about tribe leader Clyde (Jamin Jollo) struggling to decide whether to report for the draft or dodge it. The other hot-button issues of the time—including sexual freedom, environmentalism and racism—are all addressed. Interesting to note how little some things have changed.

Sam Transleau has designed a very functional set on a raked stage with the zodiac at its center. Costume Designer Mae Haegerty Matos had a field day dressing the cast, as did Hair/Wig Designer Roxie Johnson. Lucas Sherman assuredly guided a six-piece orchestra through the raucous score.

Sound continues to be an Achilles heel at 6th Street. A sound designer is rarely credited and often needed. The artists and audiences deserve better.

Hair is a well-performed, good-looking and definitely adult show, with mature themes and content, including nudity. Exclamations of “Oh!” and “Jeez!” could be heard from the audience throughout.

But no one left at intermission.

‘Hair’ runs through March 6 in the GK Hardt Theatre at 6th Street Playhouse, 52 W. Sixth Street, Santa Rosa. Thur, Fri & Sat, 7:30pm; Sat & Sun, 2pm. $22–$38. Proof of vaccination and masks are required to attend. 707.523.4185. 6thstreeetplayhouse.com.

Cheap Eats—My Successful Search for North Bay Low-Budget Goodness

Mark Fernquest

Feb 15, 2022

Cheap Eats—My Successful Search for North Bay Low-Budget Goodness

Wherever I live, I always line up a few cheap local eats that help me establish a culinary budget baseline. Why? Because I like to eat out, and that can be expensive. In a different time and place—say, Santa Cruz in 1990—five dollars would have purchased me a legit cheap meal. In today’s North Bay, 15 dollars is a more realistic figure.

Today’s tour starts in Sebtown’s Barlow District at Blue Ridge Kitchen (brkitchen.com), with its high-quality $9.75 Barlow Burger and $3 add-on fries. Show a little restraint and this meal stretches into lunch and dinner. Also in Sebtown: Namaste Kitchen (www.namastekitchen.com), my favorite Sonoma County Indo-Nepalese/Tibetan restaurant, offers not-to-be-missed pakoras and momos on its starter menu for $5.99–$8.99.

Moving east to Sebastopol Road in Santa Rosa, we encounter Delicias Elenita Taco Truck (www.deliciaselenita.com) and its highly-rated $2 street tacos. My favorite? El pastor, of course. A two-taco lunch leaves me actively drooling, while three have me twitching for one more. Four, and I’m picking my teeth.

Onward now, to Criminal Baking Co. (www.criminalbaking.com), located a few blocks north of Railroad Square, on Donahue Street. The Bacon Apple Scone pairs perfectly with a medium latte, both of which easily fit inside our $15 budget, leaving room for a monster tip.

But with all this drool, let’s not forget downtown Santa Rosa’s Mac’s Deli & Cafe (macsdeliandcafe.com), located on Fourth Street, where a large menu of delightfully old-school sandwiches—averaging around $8 each—beckons. My favorite? No. 28, the tuna and egg salad on sliced sourdough.

Heading north to Windsor, we encounter BurtoNZ Bakery (www.burtonzbakery.com) and authentic New Zealand pies. I’ve been to New Zealand, and these pies are as legit as they are delicious. At about $8 a piece, two stretch our budget, as well as our waistline. The smart move: buy two now and regret it later.

We end this tour 55 miles south at Venice Gourmet, on Bridgeway in sunny Sausalito, which offers an array of very tasty sandwiches. My favorite, the San Francisco Club—built of top round roast beef, cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato and red onion—is a bargain at $10.95.

I’m so hungry, now that I wrote this. How much money is in my pocket? Fifteen dollars? Oh, yeah.

Mark Fernquest is a veritable word rustler.

Letters to the Editor

Bohemian Staff and Contributors

Feb 15, 2022

SMART Cancer

As you know, a cancer continues its proliferation until it overwhelms one or more organs. The various medical treatments either remove the cancer cells entirely through surgery or kill them by various means. I don’t ever recall learning about a physician saying to ignore the cancer—or worse, to feed it. However, that seems to be precisely the “strategy” followed by the entities approving SMART expansion and their operating management.

First, there was the ridiculous approval of the entire initial project. Evidently there were exaggerated projections as to passenger loads which supported the funding of the train. SMART acquired a freight line without proper financial analysis; it is projected to lose several hundred thousand dollars a year. So that will be another drain on taxpayer dollars, with no “turnaround” strategy.

Space does not permit elaboration on the 2-sided issue of hazardous materials storage or the decision to burden the company by outsourcing management—which should have been analyzed pre-purchase. The current plan is to extend the line to Solano County. Given the historical track record, should we expect this section of the line to be profitable? These “strategic” moves do nothing to improve SMART and simply allow this financial cancer to grow. We need to destroy the cancer. Shut down SMART, by whatever means necessary.

Richard Peterson

San Rafael

Credit Due

About the (Bohemian) Cover Local Art, National Impact (Feb. 2); in the credits and the story, credit is given to the photographers and no mention given for the title and artist of the painting. Such a shame to offer a view of an artwork and leave that important recognition out. Please offer this important information in future stories. Thank you.

T Barnett

Sonoma

Editor’s Note: The painting on the cover was done by Gallery 300 owner Jennifer Hirshfield.

Sonoma Mask Mandate Set to End Wednesday

News & Features

Will Carruthers

Feb 15, 2022

Sonoma Mask Mandate Set to End Wednesday

With Covid case counts dropping from their all-time highs in January, and Gov. Gavin Newsom pushing an “endemic” approach to the pandemic, a new Bay Area-wide health order will allow vaccinated individuals to go mask-less indoors in most circumstances starting Wednesday, Feb. 16.

The previous Thursday, Feb. 10, Sonoma County allowed an order preventing large indoor and outdoor gatherings during the Omicron surge to expire as well, citing a drop in cases and hospitalizations.

Under the most recent order, vaccinated individuals will still be required to wear masks “in public transportation; health care settings; congregate settings like correctional facilities and homeless shelters; long-term care facilities; and in K-12 schools and childcare settings,” according to a County announcement on Feb. 9.

The same day, Newsom announced in a press conference that the state would begin pursuing an “endemic strategy,” downgrading lifestyle restrictions and health protections. While Newsom did reinstitute paid Covid sick-leave policy, the new phase of the pandemic will leave individuals making decisions for themselves about what feels safe and what does not, likely burdening more medically vulnerable people.

“As we make this shift toward encouraging everyone to assess their own individual risk, I strongly recommend people who face the greatest risk of illness—our seniors, essential workers and people with underlying health conditions—and the people who care about them to continue to wear their masks indoors in public settings,” Sonoma County Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase said in a Feb. 9 statement. “While wearing a mask indoors is no longer mandatory for people who are vaccinated, it remains a smart and simple way to protect yourself and the people around you.”

While business leaders criticized the impact of Mase’s choice to ban large gatherings amid the Omicron surge, some health care professionals are unhappy with the County’s latest decision to do away with most masking.

“Keeping the mask mandate for 3–4 more weeks gives time for the high case rates (they are STILL at an all time high!) to come down, improved access to high quality masks and rapid tests, and to create a strong messaging campaign to empower all of us to take needed precautions when indicated,” Sonoma County Health Professionals for Equality and Community Empowerment wrote in an Instagram post on Friday, Feb. 11.