We went to Sonoma and Marin counties back in July/Aug for two fabulous weeks of beachcombing, hiking, redwoods, stargazing, and great food and wine. (and some great secluded AirBNBs--screw hotels!)
Here are a few thoughts.
Copita Restaurant, Sausalito. Johanna Wier's restaurant. Geezus, 200$ for Mexican food, but nonetheless, it was very, very good. Lobster ceviche, tacos, lamb, papas bravas, and one helluva margarita (I hate sweet margaritas, but this was nice and dry!) Bunwaylos
for dessert. Excellent ambience. A short drive back to our pad in Mill Valley.
Kenwood: near Santa Rosa. Nice tasting room, but we were underwhelmed with pretty much everything. We bought a bottle of some reddish stuff. Forgettable. Servers seemed as if they could almost give a damn.
Kunde: Near Santa Rosa. I have always liked their whites, so we thought we'd try this out. Everything was pretty good, but nothing to set your hair on fire. Tasting room and grounds were quite attractive. We bought a bottle of Red Dirt Red, which was quite spicy and full-bodied--a wonderful accompaniment to our
taco truck dinner in Guerneville! If ever in Guerneville, check it out (next to the Safeway). Everyone here LOVES this truck, and I can see why!
Russian River Brewing Pub. Santa Rosa. Really good pub food, but I have decided for once and for all ***I DO NOT LIKE IPA BEERS.*** Had Pliny the Elder on tap finally, and to me it tasted as gimmicky and pucker-inducing as nearly all other IPAs. I've given IPAs enough of a try, and I'm looking elsewhere for my beer satisfaction.
Rodney Strong: Near Healdsburg. DAMMIT, DAMMIT! DAMMIT! We drove around quite a bit trying to find this one, and then got lost. Then, we got back on the right road, and it was CLOSED due to construction within a quarter of a mile or so of the winery. I was so pissed. There was no place we could find to park, or we could have walked. They must be losing (or as some people would say "loosing") a lot of business.
Silver Oak: Near Healdsburg. Very beautiful grounds and tasting room. Cheapest offering of cab was about 100$. I knew it would have to be astounding for me to be willing to pay that much. Was not astounding--not even close. I know a lot of people think highly of this wine and winery, but as for me, I've had 10$ bottles that were far more satisfying than anything they had here.
Raymond's Bakery. Cazadero. LOVED their Friday night pizza night. VERY popular, with lots of cool people, live music, and a very laid-back feel. Very nice pizza, baked goods, and wine. We really liked the local
Wild Boar syrah. LOVE this area!!!
Littorai and
William Selyem: Legendary Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays, but
are you worthy? Tastings are very expensive, and apparently you have to know someone to get in. Not my scene at all, no matter how good it is. Pass.
Russia House No. 2. Near Jenner. A gorgeous site by the Russian River, staffed by two Russian women who make whatever they want. You come in and eat all you want and pay what you want. Food was not the greatest, but we enjoyed the ambience and the idea behind it. It was almost like being back in Russia (were there for two weeks in St. Petersburg in 2007). We even found a wooden toy (bear playing drums and rabbit dancing) we passed up on in Russia because we had flat run out of room to bring anything else back.
Fort Ross: Fascinating history of the Russians in California. A very beautiful and interesting place to spend an afternoon.
Sonoma Coast Vineyards: Near Bodega Bay. This was our favorite. Pricey, but exquisite Pinots. Our favorite was the San Antonio Mountains Pinot. Incredible minerality and complexity in a Pinot, the likes of which we have not had in some time.
The Fishetarian: Bodega Bay. WOW, super, fresh seafood with all the trimmings. Very casual. A fish market and restaurant (lunch only I believe) in one. Will be back!
Pasta Moon Half Moon Bay. Great as always. We were planning to eat at the Happy Taco the first night, but ended up eating here two nights in a row. Wonderful home-made pasta with all the trimmings.
Swanton Berry Farm. Near Davenport, CA. The greatest place in the entire world. Just go there and taste the jams, berries, and look out across at the ocean.
Ano Nuevo Park/Cove Beach: One of the most jaw-droppingly beautiful things I've ever seen. The way the sunlight was shining on the water was phenomenally beautiful. When the lighting is just right like this, it's like being in another world.
Rideau Vineyards: Solvang. Some very nice, reasonably-priced offerings, of mostly Rhone style reds and whites. Server was far from friendly, but we had a nice time anyway, and sat on the patio for a while enjoying the grounds. It looks as if they have some killer events (All u can eat oysters + Viogner)
The Hitching Post, Buellton: Good BBQ steaks, but not the greatest I've ever had. Very good sauce. All other side-dishes and desserts were mediocre at best. One of the worst glasses of Cabs I've ever had (After a tasting flight).
And then, back to HELL A (Pasadena, actually, we do have SOME standards!)
As I've always said, The Bay area is effortlessly cool and awesome and beautiful in a way that SOCAL could never dream of being in an hundred million billion trillion octillion years.
