Twice the Blomster’s

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Twice the Blomster’s

Dick Blomster’s Korean Diner, the Korean-fusion pop-up that opened two years ago inside Pat’s Diner in Guerneville, took off thanks to the cool mix of old-timey diner decor and fiery, delicious food, part American comfort, part Korean classic. Tourists and locals alike dug the dive-bar-meets-seaweed vibe, late weekend hours and the “Kentucky fried crack.”

Now, Blomster’s has a second spot in Santa Rosa, inside Omelette Express in Railroad Square. Unlike dark and hokey Pat’s, the new space is expansive and well lit, though it lacks the Guerneville location’s sense of adventure and is not as suited for after-hours fun.

The banchan ($5), little plates of kimchi, pickled mushrooms, jalapeno and garlic, are crisp and pungent as ever. The pierogies ($7.50), savory pies filled with kimchi and puréed potatoes on a puddle of plum sauce, are plumper, bigger and better than I remembered; the chilled bowl of soba noodles ($10) is served in a bigger portion too.

The whiskey knockoff filet mignon ($22.50) comes loaded with trumpet mushrooms, a side of pickled daikon and a sesame seed rice medallion, but the rice patty isn’t as crisp and sticky as it is at the original location. A crucial change has also been made to the hamburger ($15). Instead of the sturdy, crunchy roll from Forestville’s Nightingale Breads, the excellent patty, complete with Blomster’s signature add-ons of American cheese, seaweed, spicy mayo and fried pickles, rests on a slightly soggy, sweet brioche hamburger bun. As the burger goes, so does the new Blomster’s: not as good as the original. 112 Fourth St., Santa Rosa. 707.869.8006.

Report from Paris

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Report from Paris

After many years of working on climate change with a focus in Sonoma County, I traveled to Paris for the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP-21, earlier this month. I was part of a delegation from the Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability, with support from Sonoma County’s Center for Climate Protection. Our delegation calls for a cap and price on carbon, with dividends distributed equitably across the world.

The Paris climate talks culminated in an agreement in which 196 countries pledged to limit global greenhouse gases below a dangerous rise of 2 degrees Celsius, with a preferred target of 1.5 degrees. They also agreed that fossil fuels would no longer be in use in the second half of the 21st Century.

That’s pretty bold, but the actual commitments from countries add up to an estimated 3.7 degree Celsius increase in temperature by the end of the century, which would lead to several meters of sea level rise and untold misery for developing countries, low-lying areas and island nations. The real work remains to be done.

A good portion of that work will likely take place at the local, regional and state levels. Cities and regions like Sonona County were well-represented at COP-21, and they shared their success stories of transitioning from fossil fuels to cleaner energy. California was also well-represented, and Sonoma Clean Power was mentioned at several events featuring community-choice energy. My lesson for California, Sonoma County and sister jurisdictions is to keep taking leadership. The Paris Agreement will likely fail without this.

On a more somber note, the Paris climate conference was held under the shadow cast by the recent terrorist attacks. During COP-21, France’s National Front, an anti-immigrant political party, won several regional elections, while Donald Trump proposed banning Muslims from entering the country.

When a hurricane wipes out a shantytown, and the science points to the cause being extravagant lifestyles of the global North, we should not be surprised if it results in cycles of terrorism and right-wing reactionary backlash. Let’s head that off, and work together toward a peaceful, just and climate-protected world.

Mike Sandler is co-founder of the Center for Climate Protection Campaign and a former program manager at the Sonoma County Regional Climate Protection Authority.

Open Mic is a weekly feature in the ‘Bohemian.’ To have your topical essay of 350 words considered for publication, write op*****@******an.com.

Double Header

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Double Header

Though singer-songwriter David Lowery calls the East Coast home these days, he still has a soft spot for California. It’s an affinity he developed growing up in the Central Valley town of Redlands and attending college in Santa Cruz, where he formed acclaimed alternative ensemble Camper Van Beethoven in 1983 while earning a degree in math.

Also a founding member of Cracker, Lowery continues to celebrate the Golden State on the band’s latest album, 2014’s Berkeley to Bakersfield. The double album features Cracker’s original lineup, first assembled in 1991, and shows both sides of a musical coin that embraces the hard edges and garage-rock aesthetics of the East Bay, as well as the classic country Americana that populates Southern California’s inland valley.

For the last few years, Lowery has also shown his love for the state with an annual holiday West Coast tour that combines both projects into one massive convoy. The tradition continues this year when Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven split the marquee in Petaluma next week for a night that sees Lowery pulling double duty onstage, backed by a cavalcade of close musical friends.

Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven perform Wednesday, Dec. 30, at McNear’s Mystic Theatre, 21 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma. 8:30pm. $26–$28. 707.765.2121.

Auld Fizz Wine

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Auld Fizz Wine

Everybody knows that Champagne and sparkling wine add atmosphere to a holiday gathering. Generally speaking, about five atmospheres—the technical measurement of pressure inside a bottle of sparkling wine.

But if your fancy tends toward an elevated yet pleasantly quaffable level of unpredictability for your festive occasions, step away from the wine aisle for a moment and consider options not offered in the refrigerated section adjacent to the microbrews in your local supermarket.

This year, I once again succeeded in cajoling

Bohemian staffers away from their desks to drink sparkling wines on a late Friday afternoon. Some of these were made by local giants of the giggle juice; others, by mom-and-pop outfits where winery cats wander in and out as they please. The best way to obtain them is to make a special trip to the producer.

As in my previous roundups, wines are ranked by preference of Bohemian tasters, stars (one to five) given by me, with adjustments of not more than one-half after retasting.

Breathless Sonoma County Brut Rosé ($32) Even before the fun, retro label was revealed, Bohemians knew this wine was meant to party. With blood orange, red fruit and watermelon-candy flavors over a hint of creaminess, this is not sophisticated but it’s fun, and the most successful of the Breathless line, a family project run by three sisters in Healdsburg.

Gloria Ferrer 2011 Carneros Brut Rosé ($47) Here’s a brut rosé with just a frosting of light pink on it, to please fizz fans who feel that more than a little is too much. A sweet hint of strawberry tart flirts with crème fraîche, finishing on a sharp, scoury note.

Woodenhead 2010 Naturale Russian River Valley Brut ($42) You might not give this blanc de blancs–inspired sparkler a chance if I told you at the outset that it’s made from long-unfashionable French Colombard—whoops, I said it—instead of Chardonnay, but this wine, from a “rescue vineyard” down the road from the tasting room, is a surprise hit. Richly perfumed with yeast and shortbread cookie, spiced with marzipan, this lean wine may finish on the super tart side, but its ever-changing character commands intrigue.

Gloria Ferrer 2006 Xtra Brut Carneros ($47) If you know Gloria’s rich Royal Cuvée, this is like a thinking man’s Royal Cuvée. Lean, with a toasty yeast note riding a razor-thin line of citrus down the palate, while a fine mousse keeps the tempo with a steady beat of tiny bubbles.

VML Russian River Valley Blanc de Noir ($50) Red fruits from
74 percent Pinot Noir here; notes of licorice, fennel and Rainier cherry too. It’s lightly tinted pink, creamy and broad, but not big with all Bohemian tasters.

Patz & Hall 2012 North Coast Brut ($45) Folks, this is sparkling wine made from some marquee vineyards, like Hyde and Gap’s Crown, and and the dosage is so light—.54 percent / 5.4 grams per liter; that it qualifies as an ultra-brut. Lean and austere, the wine lays down tart, grapey acidity without apology, offering a dash of toasted yeast in recompense.

Breathless North Coast Brut ($25) On the sweetish side of brut, pale pink, with dusty raspberry and a tangy finish, this is a great New Year’s toasting wine: fun label, big bubbles, no hard thought required.

Iron Horse 2011 Winter’s Cuvée Green Valley of Russian River Valley ($58) From what I read about this wine—just 300 cases of which are available to wine club members or tasting room visitors—I expected Bohemians to be over the moon for it. Small fractions are a reserve wine from 1980, plus a brandy from 1987! Alas, the dosage is a mere 11 grams per liter, hardly a sweetie—but very Iron Horse. I’d love this moussy, tart red fruit candy flavored wine with Dungeness crab cakes, on whatever winter’s night that again becomes possible.

Iron Horse LD 2000 Green Valley of Russian River Valley Brut ($110) First of all, don’t delay if this sounds already like a desirable wine—only 58 cases were produced. Bohemians complained of a note of “dirty laundry,” which loosely translates for confirmed Champagne connoisseurs as “Now you’re talking, baby.” I’d prefer cashew nut and béarnaise sauce, with a dusting of hoary yeast, the fruit being wholly subsumed by the aging process. Might be awesome with smashed potatoes (the au courant term for mashed potatoes) and breaded fish.

Inman 2012 Russian River Valley Blanc de Noir ($68) Platinum blonde, with a vigorous mousse, this wine offers a toot of Eureka lemon-cake frosting and sourdough bread, and fills the mouth with effervescent texture. It’s hard to believe it’s made from all Pinot Noir. For those who eschew big fruit.

Good Behavior

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Good Behavior

Last month, Sonoma County secured
$40 million from the state to fund the lion’s share of a proposed $48 million, 104-bed facility for a growing population of mentally ill and substance-addicted offenders.

The county got the award thanks in large part to Carter Goble Associates (CGL). The firm was paid $336,450 to complete an outside review of the county jail system and submit the application to the state for the
$40 million, a $120,000 contractual add-on approved by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors this summer.

In its final report, released Dec. 8, CGL unsurprisingly recommended that the county close the security-challenged North County Detention Facility, a “major liability.” And it recommended that the county build a new behavioral health facility. The major through-lines of the audit highlighted significant deficiencies in the way mental-health services are delivered at the Main Adult Detention Center, many related to the design of the facility itself. CGL noted that 17 percent of inmates at the MADF have serious mental-health issues. The report also described failures in transitional housing programs for homeless inmates and identified a huge gap in available substance-abuse services between men and women at the Main Adult Detention Center. In short, there’s no drug-counseling programming for the men.

And the report notably criticized the jail’s intake-assessment system, which is split between county behavioral health workers and contract staff with the California Forensic Medical Group. County clinicians provide mental health services; CFMG is the medical provider.

“This approach results in fragmentation of the assessment process,” CGL reported. “Combining the efforts of these two programs and having a single entity managing and performing assessments, case management and treatment placement for eligible offenders would result in greater efficiency and consistency in directing offenders to treatment resources.”

The for-profit CFMG has contracts with 27 facilities around the state and has come under intense scrutiny in recent years for the services it provides to county lockups. There were three deaths over three weeks at the Sonoma County jail in late 2014, occurring against a backdrop of grand jury and media investigations from around the state that laid bare CFMG’s checkered record.

In January, the Sacramento Bee found that “[i]n a 10-year period ending in May 2014, 92 people died of suicide or a drug overdose while in the custody of a jail served by CFMG,” which the paper reported was “about 50 percent higher than in other county jails.”

One inmate died in a so-called mental-health module at the Sonoma County lockup; another died in a cell while withdrawing from drugs. The county maintained that the deaths were unrelated.

The county told the Bohemian in August that CFMG would continue to be the medical-health provider for inmates. The company would work, as needed, in the new facility—at least through the end of its contract, which expires in August 2019.

The county expects to break ground on the behavioral-health unit in January of that year, and hopes to have it open by 2020.

They can’t get it built fast enough. Sonoma’s new facility is catching up with the realities wrought by “realignment” in the state penal system, the diversion of low-level offenders from state prisons into county lockups, and the bleak acknowledgment that jails are often the only available mental-health services.

Sonoma County is not alone in the state in over-utilizing solitary confinement to house the mentally ill, a disturbing trend highlighted in a federal class action lawsuit filed last month in Santa Clara by the Berkeley-based Prison Law Office. The inmate advocacy group told TheIntercept.com earlier this month that after it was done in Santa Clara it would immediately file suit in another California county.

In the midst of a growing county-level jail crisis, the state Legislature voted to approve $500 million for new facility construction last year (it has sent $2.2 billion in jail-construction money to counties and cities since 2007) to leverage a court-ordered depopulation of state prisons. Sonoma County had already been turned down under two previous jail-construction bills, but Mary Booher, administrative analyst with the Sonoma County, says that this time around, “the programming that we described in our new facility, the higher level of mental health [services], was very appealing.”

The county voted to expand its contract with CGL in July to complete the funding application for construction funds made available under SB 863. The new facility will be split between a 72-bed behavioral-health unit designed for “competency restoration for mentally ill offenders awaiting trial,” and another 32 beds for treating seriously mentally ill inmates.

Who is going to design and build it? Remains to be seen. Bids are due by Jan. 22.

Making Eyes

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Making Eyes

The title of Patricia Highsmith’s 1952 novel
The Price of Salt contains a dead idiom—the price of salt was something people supposedly chatted about when they weren’t talking seriously. Girl talk, as they once said.

The adaptation of the book by Todd Haynes, his first feature film in eight years, is called Carol. This single-gender romance, which almost hypnotizes, emulates the 1950s Hollywood melodrama of throbbing hearts, stiff jaws and immaculate wardrobes. But it’s missing something. Salt?

Carol (Cate Blanchett) is a fur-coated, upper-class housewife from New Jersey who meets the woman who will change her life across the counter at Frankenberg’s department store. Therese (Rooney Mara) is a lonely, shy and self-effacing shopgirl with a taste for photography. The two have a lunch that leads to deeper things.

One of the problems facing this liaison is that Carol isn’t quite single—she’s in the middle of divorce and custody hearings with her husband, Harge (Kyle Chandler). His name is short for Hargess, but it also works as a combination of “harsh” and “large.” Harge’s own side of the triangle doesn’t add tension; he’s a pushy, sullen WASP, a life-ruiner who wants to grab Carol’s daughter, Rindy.

When the ladies makes a decision to flee for a time—to just get in the car and drive—it precipitates both the slow-simmering affair and the crisis that endangers it. Blanchett, cast in a mad-housewife role that Joan Crawford might have played—is so scarlet-lipped, so full of force and stride, that she breaks the frame. It’s hard to believe this intimidating lady as a woman who can be shamed. Mara is her opposite, meek and mousey.

You want to treat a movie this well-intentioned with respect, and love it for how thick it is with romantic cigarette smoke and simmering flirtation. It has moments that get you in the throat, as when, after a troubled date, Therese weeps to herself on the train, doubled by her reflection on the dark window. But it’s a cold fish of a film, beautiful but taxing.

‘Carol’ opens Dec. 24 at Summerfield Cinemas, 551 Summerfield Road,
Santa Rosa. 707.525.8909.

Letters to the Editor: December 23, 2015

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Letters to the Editor: December 23, 2015

Mike’s Garden

Like he did every year, Mikey decorated a rosemary bush for the holidays in the tiny gardens he tended on the Sebastopol Plaza. He raked up the leaves and picked up the carelessly discarded cigarette butts left there by nightly drunks, unaware that Mikey lovingly watered the gardens. Like most of us who meet there, he loved reading the daily papers, drinking coffee and the Warriors. I loved talking to him about their amazing run or the latest news each time I saw him.

Mikey usually slept in the field behind the feed store, but he was at a friend’s house the night he suddenly passed away. I never heard him complain about his lot in life, even though I knew sometimes all was not well with him. His superior knowledge, cloaked beneath a roguish exterior that comes from being a longtime “street person,” gave him a unique spirit that will be missed by all who knew him.

Yet Mikey’s Garden will live on. Leaves are still being raked, people are leaving flowers, candles and decorations for Mikey’s “Christmas” tree, making sure the lights have fresh batteries. A hand-crafted sign that will proclaim “Mikey’s Garden” is already in the works. So as you celebrate with loved ones this holiday season, please remember, no matter where we live, no matter what we do, that we all have the opportunity to leave the world a little better than we found it, like Mikey did.

—Anna Kealoha

Sebastopol

Arms Control Starts at Home

Given that the United States is the largest exporter of arms (including hundreds of thousands of assault rifles), the Dec. 5 New York Times editorial, “End the Gun Epidemic in America,” is like a drug pusher saying he won’t tolerate drug use in his home. If the United States wants to control assault weapons in our country, perhaps we should stop arming other countries with the same.

—Michael A. Carnacchi

Sebastopol

Sharing Is the Answer

I am pushing 80 now, and I have been reading and writing since I was nine years old. What I have to share is that there is only one major solution to the terrorist threats. Let us agree that the pen is mightier than the sword, and the solution is not being part of the problem. The solution is a spiritual solution—not just for rabbis, ministers or men and women of the cloth; the solution is for all of us.

How many frozen and starving babies does it take to make a change in Turkey? How many Syrian mothers have to endure standing in their own urine waiting for help to feed themselves and their babies?

We should all be grateful that we can eat our warm gravy and leftovers. No one should be lost in the mountains of Asia Minor, let alone starving to death. One way to get a handle on this is to see the wisdom in sharing. When sharing becomes contagious, you will see a big change come over you and your daily persona. The solution is spiritual, and we best not forget it.

—Michael Bobier

Santa Rosa

Write to us at le*****@******an.com.

Gospel Truth

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Gospel Truth

‘Mahalia Jackson has been a part of my life as long as I can remember,” says singer and playwright Sharon E. Scott, speaking of the legendary New Orleans gospel singer and civil rights activist.

“My grandmother was a pastor’s wife, and we could only listen to sacred music. She was a maid, cooking dinner every Sunday starting at 5am. I remember her in the kitchen, singing along with Mahalia’s records as she cooked.

“So growing up,” Scott says, “Mahalia’s music was always wrapped up with all of those delicious smells.”

Scott, originally from Florida, has performed her acclaimed tribute to Mahalia Jackson all over the country. This January, she brings it to Petaluma’s Cinnabar Theater. The play—in which Jackson tells her story to a radio DJ—is especially important to Scott, as it was something she worked closely on with her late husband, who died in August 2014.

“We got married April 29, 2000,” she says, “and on our honeymoon, our last port of call was New Orleans. As a singer, I’d done a Mahalia piece once or twice, so when we got there, my husband suggested we make our visit a kind of Find Mahalia Day. We searched all through the city, and we finally found where she was interred.”

That’s when the idea for Mahalia Jackson: Just As I Am was born.

“It was Mark, Mahalia and me for our entire marriage,” Scott says. “He listened to every story. He found articles for me. We learned that Mahalia wrote a cookbook, but it was hard to find and very expensive. One day, Mark came in with this little package, and it was the cookbook! And then we had to laugh so hard, because those were some of the worst recipes I’ve ever seen in my life. I actually doubt those were Mahalia’s actual recipes, because she was known as an excellent cook.”

According to Scott, her husband’s support of the show, in all of its various incarnations, became as much a part of the piece as Mahalia herself.

“When he passed,” she says, “the only thing that could reach me, the only thing I could concentrate on, the only thing that could make me feel, was this little play. It saved me. It was my lifeline. What I’ve learned from Mark, and from Mahalia,” she adds, “is that if you work together, you can create great things.”

Debriefer: December 23, 2015

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Debriefer: December 23, 2015

TREES

So what’s the story with the big redwoods at Courthouse Square? Is the city of Santa Rosa going to tear the trees down to make way for a business-friendly block of new parking spaces as it re-unifies the square by closing off Mendocino Avenue between Third and Fourth streets and rendering it a pedestrian thruway?

Debriefer talked to a couple of Santa Rosa officials last week to get the latest on tree-related news, and while there’s no doubt that some trees are going to be removed, the city assured Debriefer that it is doing everything it can to limit the feared micro-deforestation. It has enlisted the public and the square’s designer to come up with possible work-arounds in the service of saving trees (they might even plant some new ones)—especially a group of “legacy” redwoods that are older than dirt and are really quite majestic.

Tree-loving critics have thrown shade on the city for allegedly selling out the trees for more parking, and contributing to the destruction of the planet in the process. Jason Nutt, Transportation and Public Works Director for Santa Rosa, describes the business-led push for additional parking as a “key feature” of the plans—though he stresses that the demands for parking are not necessarily a priority for the city—as the reunification gambit enters a key phase.

A couple of dates to keep in mind as the plan moves forward toward a final design and construction decision. Jan. 9 is the tentative next public meeting in Santa Rosa and follows on earlier meetings where Santa Rosans demanded a redwood-friendlier project. The meeting will feature updated designs for public review. The Santa Rosa City Council will then meet on Jan. 26 to take up the various alternatives. After a final design is chosen, the city will issue a request for proposals around the end of February. Santa Rosa officials hope to see the project completed in time for next year’s holiday tree lighting, which means that there will be at least one tree left in the reunified square by this time next year. And lots more, in all likelihood.

CRABS

Debriefer has been studying state-issued domoic acid charts on Dungeness and rock crabs like they’re some kind of lost book of the Bible, as a state shutdown of the fisheries enters its second month with no sign that they’ll be reopened anytime soon. Levels of domoic acid, a ghastly gastrointestinal distresser, remain too high in too many places along the coast for state health officials to begin any kind of countdown toward a season opener.

So stop thinking about your blown Christmas Eve menu and start thinking about what’s possibly next for the hundreds of crabbers around the region and state who’ve been negatively impacted by this disaster. U.S. Rep Jared Huffman and other California lawmakers have already sent a letter to Gov. Jerry Brown that asks him to declare a disaster in the event that the season is outright canceled (which hasn’t happened). That declaration would help local lawmakers like Huffman direct federal financial relief to out-of-luck crabbers, many of whom say they’d rather get back to work hauling crab pots than accept a handout.

TRAINS

It was a last-minute nail-biter and U.S. Reps. Nancy Pelosi and Paul Ryan had to eat some steaks in private to get there, but last week Congress passed a $1.1 trillion spending bill that included $20 million for the Sonoma-Marin Rail Transit system to extend its line from San Rafael to the Larkspur Ferry Terminal. The commuter rail is expected to begin “Phase 1” service by next December, between the airport in Santa Rosa to the Larkspur terminus in Marin County. Still to be funded is a
Phase 2 build-out to Cloverdale.

Party All Night

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Party All Night

Twenty fifteen is nearly in the rearview mirror, and while chestnuts are still roasting on fires this week, we’ve already got our eyes fixed on next week’s New Year’s Eve activities. From family-friendly outings to prix fixe meals and rock concerts galore, we’ve got an assortment of ways for you to ring in the New Year with your party hat on.

SONOMA COUNTY

Happy New Year, Charlie Brown!

Kids love New Year’s Eve as much as the rest of us, but staying up late is not their strong suit. Instead, take them to the Charles M. Schulz Museum for a fun afternoon of crafts and games, with a big balloon drop and root beer toasts at noon and 3pm. Hey, it’s New Year’s somewhere. 2301 Hardies Lane, Santa Rosa. 10am to 4pm. 707.579.4452.

Hollywood Glam New Year’s Party

Spoonbar chef Louis Maldonado loves to get into the holidays, from his Italian-inspired Feast of Seven Fishes to his exclusive Christmas Day menu. For New Year’s, Maldonado and his crew are offering another luxurious and glamorous night of food and entertainment, this one with a Hollywood theme. Caviar and Champagne are just the beginning of this multi-course menu. After you dine, walk the red carpet and get to the dancing with DJs and a photo booth. 219 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg. Dining begins at 5pm. $155. 707.433.7222.

New Year’s Eve Dinner & Dancing at Rossi’s 1906

We recently dished on how Rossi’s 1906 got an upgraded menu last month thanks to help from Ari Weiswasser, chef and co-owner of the Glen Ellen Star. His Texas barbeque in a California context is on display this New Year’s Eve, with a Southern-style three-course meal that goes perfectly with Rossi’s eclectic music lineup. During dinner, Acoustic Soul will provide a blues rock soundtrack as the North Bay duo of Jackie and Fred Holzhauer bring a full band with them. After dinner, DJ Isak and Sonoma throwback indie-rock trio 1955 keep the dance party going until the wee hours of the new year. 401 Grove St., Sonoma. doors at 6pm.
$20–$65. 707.343.0044.

Mischief Masquerade

Sonoma County’s most lovable rabblerousers, the North Bay Cabaret, once again take over Santa Rosa’s Whiskey Tip for a night of exciting performances and DJs spinning jams late into the night. As always, the Cabaret takes on a theme for the New Year’s Eve celebration, this time presenting a mischievous masquerade ball that will feature burlesque, belly dancing, standup, sideshow acts and more. Don your favorite masquerade mask and your best formal blacks or come in a crazy costume, and be ready for some wild fun. 1910 Sebastopol Road, Santa Rosa. 7pm. $12–$15. 707.843.5535.

NYE Dinner & Dance at French Garden

The Sebastopol restaurant and bistro prepares a five-course prix fixe menu produced largely with ingredients from the bistro’s farm, harvested daily by chef Arturo Guzman and his staff. The food boasts a bit of a surf-and-turf vibe, with French Garden butternut squash risotto, pan-seared California halibut, seafood bisque and steak. After dinner, the popular Susan Comstock Swingtet will count down the night with their blend of jazz and blues. 8050 Bodega Ave., Sebastopol. Dinner starts at 5pm; dance party, at 9pm. $30–$100. 707.824.2030.

New Year’s
Seafood Feast

Famed San Francisco chef Mike Selvera’s Seaside Metal oyster bar and restaurant in downtown Guerneville has been warmly welcomed by the community for its locally sourced menu and casual yet elegant dining experience. And that’s how Selvera likes it. For New Year’s Eve, Seaside Metal is keeping it casual with a family-style affair that features fresh-from-the-sea
food and Sonoma County beer and wine. 16222 Main St., Guerneville. 707.604.7250.

Sally Tomatoes’ New Year’s Extravaganza

Longtime North Bay comic and emcee Tony Sparks this year hosts the third annual party at Sally Tomatoes. He welcomes headlining Bay Area standups Adam Pearlstein and Casey Williams. There’s also a dinner and cascading Champagne, and after the laughs, the dancing shoes come on as the Honeydippers rock out until the midnight toast. 1100 Valley House Drive, Rohnert Park. 7pm. $25–$75. 707.665.9472.

New Year’s Eve Cabaret

The Big Easy, Petaluma’s underground jazz club, gets into the New Orleans swing for the new year with a dressed-to-the-nines dinner and show featuring Gypsy soul band Royal Jelly Jive. Led by the powerful and elegant voice of Lauren Michelle Bjelde and the smooth squeezebox of Jesse Lemme Adams, the North Bay band has spent the last part of 2015 raising funds to go on a national tour in 2016. Joining Jive is Sonoma County creative cooperative the Butterfly Ship, who are as theatrical as they are musical. 128 American Alley, Petaluma. Dinner stars at 6:30pm; concert, at 9pm. $40. 707.776.4631.

McNear’s New Year’s Eve Bash

Just a few blocks over in downtown Petaluma, McNear’s Mystic Theatre is throwing its own party with San Francisco country rockers Brothers Comatose. First emerging on the scene back in 2008 and led by brothers Alex and Ben Morrison, the harmonious five-piece string band includes a few North Bay natives and has been gaining momentum at a rapid pace in the last few years, hitting major festivals like BottleRock and selling out clubs in the city. Opening for the Brothers are Santa Rosa stompers Frankie Boots & the County Line, whose folk-rock gospel is a popular staple at outdoor shows like last year’s Railroad Square Music Fest. 23 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma. 9pm. $36. 707.765.2121.

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NAPA COUNTY

New Year’s Eve at Ninebark

We’ve already fawned over Michelin-star chef Matthew Lightner and his buzz-worthy work at Napa’s Ninebark. For New Year’s, Lightner outdoes himself in preparing an innovative and flavorful seven-course menu with optional and exceptional Champagne pairing. An amuse-bouche of oysters and pickles leads into plates of golden Ossetra caviar and choices between dumplings, pasta, steak and sole. 813 Main St., Napa. 5pm. $65; $135 Champagne pairing. 707.226.7821.

New Year’s Eve at
Ca’ Momi Osteria

When Italian native Valentina Guolo-Migotto first opened her Ca’ Momi Enoteca in Napa’s Oxbow Market five years ago, it was meant to be an Italian wine shop and market first and eatery second, yet the popular pizzas and plates soon caught on. Last October, Guolo-Migotto expanded into a new Napa restaurant location, Ca’ Momi Osteria, and this New Year’s Eve, she shares her love of Italian cooking with a festive party. Seven courses of Old World cuisine, sparkling wine, late-night dancing to the sounds of DJs Bulby York and AdamBomb and a Bigne’ Bar with traditional Italian pastries and party favors await. 1141 First St., Napa. Seating begins at 5pm. 707.224.6664.

Napa Valley Wine Train’s New Year’s Eve

For New Year’s Eve, the Wine Train offers sparkling wine and scenic views. This year, a vintage circus spectacular will provide whimsical entertainment and carnival games. Enjoy a reception with hors d’oeuvres at the station before a three-hour train ride and gourmet dinner whisks you around the Napa Valley. There’s also an after-party with DJs and a wine toast at midnight. 1275 McKinstry St., Napa. 5pm. $75–$340. 800.427.4124.

New Year’s Eve Red Tie Affair

Dress in your red-tie best for a two-part party package that will ring in the new year with dining and delight in Napa’s Westin Verasa hotel. First, chef Ken Frank prepares a sumptuous meal at his landmark restaurant La Toque. Champagne and small bites precede the dinner, and after dessert, live music and cocktails will be available at the adjacent Bank Cafe & Bar. Nor Cal Sound spins the turntables, with sweet treats and sparkling wine passed around when the big ball drops.
1314 McKinstry St., Napa. 7pm. $40 and up. 707.257.5157.

1313 Main’s Big Band New Year’s Eve

The secret word this year at 1313 Main Restaurant & Wine Bar is “vintage.” From the swinging sounds of the 1920s and ’30s to the classic dinner menu, this is the best place to party like it’s 1929. The six-course menu features throwback delights like oysters Rockefeller, beef Wellington and a baked Alaska for dessert. There’s also an open bar and an outdoor winter wonderland with s’mores and sweets. 1313 Main St., Napa. 6pm. $160 and up. 707.258.1313.

New Year’s Party at Silo’s

The Bay Area’s versatile rock and roll dance band Bobby Joe Russell & the All-Star Band are playing two sets of their classic rhythm and blues at Silo’s. Both shows include party favors and bubbly, and there’s also a special room package at the Napa River Inn for anyone interested in an all-nighter. 530 Main St., Napa. 7pm and 10pm. $70; $95. 707.251.5833.

New Year’s Eve Party at City Winery

City Winery Napa sadly announced back in August that 2015 would be its last year occupying the historic Opera House in downtown Napa, making this New Year’s Eve your last chance to party down in the gorgeous space. And City Winery is going out with a bang, hosting North Bay party band Wonder Bread 5 for a night of nonstop dancing and merriment. 1030 Main St., Napa. 8pm. $30. 707.260.1600.

New Year’s Eve Dining & Extravaganza at Silverado Resort

The Silverado Resort and Spa hosts a blowout night of fine food and fun. A special four-course meal at the Grill and a seafood buffet in the Royal Oak room get the evening started. Then the nine-piece City Lights Band light up the night with a blend of bossa nova, jazz and brass-band camaraderie. There will also be party favors, a balloon drop and more. 1600 Atlas Peak Road, Napa. 3pm and 6pm. $35 and up. 707.257.5495.

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MARIN COUNTY

Noon Year’s Eve

The North Bay’s littlest partygoers get their own early New Year’s Eve celebration at the Bay Area Discovery Museum. The outdoor Festival Plaza will feature face painting and fun with DJ Mancub playing the age-appropriate jams. There’s also a crafty crown-making party in the art studios and a ball drop at high noon. And no party is complete without beads and bubbles, both of which will safely be on hand for ages 18 months and up. Fort Baker, 557 McReynolds Road, Sausalito. 9am–2pm. $13–$14; Bubbles & Beads packages, $7–$10. 415.339.3900.

NYE Prix Fixe Dinner & Show

San Rafael’s hottest downtown destination for live music, Fenix once again rises to the occasion with not one but two New Year’s Eve dinner-and-concert events. For the early birds, the jazzy blues of keyboardist Brian Withycombe and saxophonist Greg Albright accompany a 5pm prix fixe dinner. For the late nighters, the San Francisco–based tribute act Aja Vu will embody the hits of jazz-rock pop powerhouses Steely Dan and Chicago with an 8pm prix fixe meal and all-night concert. 919 Fourth St., San Rafael. 5pm/8pm; $75/$125. 415.813.5600.

New Year’s Eve Celebration at Left Bank Brasserie

Larkspur’s Left Bank Brasserie is open all day on Dec. 31 with an à la carte menu and a four-course prix fixe dinner. While it’s sure to be packed all day, in this case the last seating may be the first to fill up, as those who book 11pm reservations can expect to enjoy a complimentary sparkling wine toast and party favors at the stroke of midnight. 507 Magnolia Ave., Larkspur. Opens at 11:30am. Prix fixe dinner is $68. 415.927.3331.

New Year’s Eve Celebration at Sweetwater

Things are going to get heavy in Mill Valley, when the Weight perform the music of the Band. Made up of former members and collaborators of the legendary group, the Weight features Jim Weider and Randy Ciarlante, both long-time members of the Band’s latter incarnations, along with Marty Grebb (Bonnie Raitt), and Byron Isaacs and Brian Mitchell (Levon Helm Band). This collection of veteran talent does more than replicate the music of the Band, they interpret and express those classic songs anew. Bay Area favorites Moonalice open the night with their psychedelic roots rock. 19 Corte Madera Ave, Mill Valley. 9pm. $75–$85.415.388.3850.

New Year’s Eve Celebration at Terrapin Crossroads

Marin’s busiest venue packs two shows into one night with two of its favorite musicians—who also happen to be two of the North Bay’s most popular music makers. At 8:30pm in the main room, Terrapin’s resident drummer Alex Koford fronts his grooving Colonel & the Mermaids, which he formed about a year ago. Next door in the Grate Room, the classic sounds of the Grateful Dead come alive at 9pm with Stu Allen & Mars Hotel performing right up to the Champagne toast at midnight. 100 Yacht Club Drive, San Rafael. $55. 415.524.2773.

New Year’s Eve Standup Comedy Show

The Osher Marin JCC goes for the giggles with its sixth annual New Year’s Eve Comedy Show and After Party, featuring not one, not two, but five A-list standup performers in one show. National headliners Kevin Meaney and Joe DeVito top the bill, with Bay Area veterans Michael Meehan, John Hoogasian and Geoff Bolt also slated to appear. The show also includes a cocktail pre-party and countdown with bubbly. You can reserve tables for four or eight, and bring all your friends with you to laugh in the New Year. 7:30pm. $35 and up. 415.444.8000.

New Year’s Eve at Sausalito Seahorse

Longtime Bay Area musician James Moseley effortlessly mixes the eclectic sounds of Motown, reggae, soul and jazz with deft guitar playing and plenty of good vibes. For the last decade, his exceptional eight-piece band has delighted audiences in the North Bay, and this New Year’s Eve they take over the Sausalito Seahorse for a dynamic dance party. The restaurant also offers an optional five-course Italian dinner and Champagne at midnight. 305 Harbor View Drive, Sausalito. Dinner at 7:30pm; music at 9pm. $25–$95. 415.331.2899.

New Year’s Rockin’ Eve

Guitarist and bandleader Danny Click has had a hell of a year. The longtime North Bay musician released his acclaimed album Holding Up the Sun last summer and has hit the circuit for sold-out shows up and down the California coast. This New Year’s Eve, Danny Click & the Hell Yeahs return to the Throckmorton Theatre, scene of last year’s New Year’s gig, to once again burn up the dance floor with their rollicking country-western jams. The Theatre will also help you shake off the cold with warm drinks, hot soup and good times. 142 Throckmorton Ave., Mill Valley. 8pm. $40–$65. 415.383.9600.

Best of the San Francisco Stand-Up Comedy Competition

This gut-busting comedy show at the Marin Center’s Showcase Theatre rings in the new year with the funniest alumni of the internationally recognized standup competition. This year’s headliner is Kabir Singh, winner of the 2014 incarnation of the competition. His light-hearted insights into living in America as an Indian immigrant are compelling and hilarious, and earned him a Comedy Central standup special, his second, debuting on television this month. Several other funny folk will also be on hand for this show, which always sells out well in advance. 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael. 9pm. $40. 415.499.6800.

Twice the Blomster’s

Dick Blomster's Korean Diner, the Korean-fusion pop-up that opened two years ago inside Pat's Diner in Guerneville, took off thanks to the cool mix of old-timey diner decor and fiery, delicious food, part American comfort, part Korean classic. Tourists and locals alike dug the dive-bar-meets-seaweed vibe, late weekend hours and the "Kentucky fried crack." Now, Blomster's has a second spot...
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Report from Paris

After many years of working on climate change with a focus in Sonoma County, I traveled to Paris for the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP-21, earlier this month. I was part of a delegation from the Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability, with support from Sonoma County's Center for Climate Protection. Our delegation calls for a cap...
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Double Header

Though singer-songwriter David Lowery calls the East Coast home these days, he still has a soft spot for California. It's an affinity he developed growing up in the Central Valley town of Redlands and attending college in Santa Cruz, where he formed acclaimed alternative ensemble Camper Van Beethoven in 1983 while earning a degree in math. Also a founding member...
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Auld Fizz Wine

Everybody knows that Champagne and sparkling wine add atmosphere to a holiday gathering. Generally speaking, about five atmospheres—the technical measurement of pressure inside a bottle of sparkling wine. But if your fancy tends toward an elevated yet pleasantly quaffable level of unpredictability for your festive occasions, step away from the wine aisle for a moment and consider options not offered...
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Good Behavior

Last month, Sonoma County secured $40 million from the state to fund the lion's share of a proposed $48 million, 104-bed facility for a growing population of mentally ill and substance-addicted offenders. The county got the award thanks in large part to Carter Goble Associates (CGL). The firm was paid $336,450 to complete an outside review of the county jail...
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Making Eyes

The title of Patricia Highsmith's 1952 novel The Price of Salt contains a dead idiom—the price of salt was something people supposedly chatted about when they weren't talking seriously. Girl talk, as they once said. The adaptation of the book by Todd Haynes, his first feature film in eight years, is called Carol. This single-gender romance, which almost hypnotizes, emulates...
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Letters to the Editor: December 23, 2015

Mike's Garden Like he did every year, Mikey decorated a rosemary bush for the holidays in the tiny gardens he tended on the Sebastopol Plaza. He raked up the leaves and picked up the carelessly discarded cigarette butts left there by nightly drunks, unaware that Mikey lovingly watered the gardens. Like most of us who meet there, he loved reading...
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Gospel Truth

'Mahalia Jackson has been a part of my life as long as I can remember," says singer and playwright Sharon E. Scott, speaking of the legendary New Orleans gospel singer and civil rights activist. "My grandmother was a pastor's wife, and we could only listen to sacred music. She was a maid, cooking dinner every Sunday starting at 5am. I...
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Debriefer: December 23, 2015

TREES So what's the story with the big redwoods at Courthouse Square? Is the city of Santa Rosa going to tear the trees down to make way for a business-friendly block of new parking spaces as it re-unifies the square by closing off Mendocino Avenue between Third and Fourth streets and rendering it a pedestrian thruway? Debriefer talked to a couple...
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Party All Night

Twenty fifteen is nearly in the rearview mirror, and while chestnuts are still roasting on fires this week, we've already got our eyes fixed on next week's New Year's Eve activities. From family-friendly outings to prix fixe meals and rock concerts galore, we've got an assortment of ways for you to ring in the New Year with your party...
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