Wine Country Recommendations

Mike K. wrote:
>Catahoula (Mt. View Hotel, Calistoga)

Tried Catahoula. And while some dishes are nice (I liked their gumbo, for instance), the place was much too loud and the food was not spectacular.

I preferred Wappo, around the corner from Catahoula. The usual Asian-fusion thing. But nicely done. Good desserts. Been over a year, but as I recall I did well with wine too. And the patio is a lovely place to have dinner.

Good point. I would add a recommendation for the greek restaurant at Topolos winery near Sobastopol. Great setting outdoors, but a little off the beaten path. And they're in the entertainment book!

Will B. wrote:

> Well, all the suggestions so far have been in Napa Co.; I won't get all
> partisan and say that Sonoma has better food and/or wine, but it certainly
> meets or beats anything Napa has to offer in those terms, and Napa has
> nothing to match the Sonoma coast's scenery.  A few of my favorite
> food/wine spots are Willowside Cafe between Santa Rosa and Forestville on
> Guerneville Rd.; 101 Main in downtown Sebastopol; Rivers End overlooking
> you guessed it, the end of the Russian River as it dumps into the sea; and
> Healdsburg has several nice spots, including Madrona Manor and La
> Charcuterie.  Then there are good Santa Rosa area spots such as John Ash &
> Co., Lisa Hemenway's, Mixx, and Mistral.

Well, all the suggestions so far have been in Napa Co.; I won't get all partisan and say that Sonoma has better food and/or wine, but it certainly meets or beats anything Napa has to offer in those terms, and Napa has nothing to match the Sonoma coast's scenery.  A few of my favorite food/wine spots are Willowside Cafe between Santa Rosa and Forestville on Guerneville Rd.; 101 Main in downtown Sebastopol; Rivers End overlooking you guessed it, the end of the Russian River as it dumps into the sea; and Healdsburg has several nice spots, including Madrona Manor and La Charcuterie.  Then there are good Santa Rosa area spots such as John Ash & Co., Lisa Hemenway's, Mixx, and Mistral.

For an excellent and interesting assortment of local and European (IMO the true wine country) wines, check out Sebastopol Fine Wines, on the town plaza.  Nice selection of rose's from here and there, treats such as Dry Creek Dry Chenin Blanc (Healdsburg) and the Wild Hog reds (Cazadero), reds from Roussillon, and much more.

Will

Someone wrote:

: Good point. I would add a recommendation for the greek restaurant : at Topolos winery near Sobastopol. Great setting outdoors, but a : little off the beaten path. And they're in the entertainment book!

      That would be Russian River Vineyards.  It was one of our favorite
spots for many years; however, on the last few visits, we've noticed that the food served seems to have slipped a bit.  To be more specific, the souvlaki dish that we've long enjoyed was not as tender and gristle-free as it always used to be, and the prawn dish has been overcooked twice in a row.  The tzatziki and the house salad are still great, and the various seating areas...indoors, outdoors, and covered patio...are also very pleasant.  Another quibble is that the wine list is almost all Topolos wines.  Some of the reds are pretty good, but the whites don't make it, for us.

      Our current favorite western Sonoma Co. spot is 101 Main at the
big intersection in downtown Sebastopol (where hwys 12 and 116 intersect - greenish building on corner that used to be a bank).  The interior is a little odd in some ways, but the food is very good and interesting, quite reasonable, service is quick, competent and friendly, and they have an excellent and pretty reasonable wine list.  One tiny quibble there is that few wines are available by the glass, yet they consider themselves a wine bar as well as a restaurant.  Still, the by-the-glass selections tend to be delicious.  For example, last time I was in they had a local, non-vintage pinot noir for around $4 a glass that was mighty tasty!

Will