I've spent a lot of time in Sonoma and have many friends there... let me ask around and I'll get back to you!

Try the Red Grape right off the square (by Bank of America)for thin crust pizza or Della Santina (by the theater on the square), sit outside and have the veal. Delicious!

Greg,

Della Santina just off of the square for lunch or dinner. For wine go to some of the lesser knowns like Bartholemew Park and Wellington.

Have fun!

I am looking for any and all suggestions. I will be staying In Sonoma itself, the "city" of, so dining suggestion within walking distance of the plaza are of particular interest, but all suggestions are encouraged and welcome!

Will do!

So what's the best place for wine by the glass in Sonoma?

Greg ... I think I mentioned three of the restaurants I like on / close to the square:

- Cafe La Haye
- Eldorado Kitchen
- Girl & The Fig

I'll send you some more recommendations in a separate email.

As Dan has indicated ... would love to meet up for dinner while you are here.

The best place for a glass of wine is the patio at Chateau St Jean;-)

Sorry, forgot to add the link:
http://www.vintnersinn.com/index2.asp

Will likely have some more recommendations when I have the time to sit and think...

As I reminisce about the Sonoma coast I'm also realizing that's the area I want to focus on in my next trip to the area, whenever that is. I've always liked a more French style to my pinot noirs and chardonnays than many places in California and Oregon have tended to offer. I would want to check out the wine being made on the hilltops above the fog in that area called The True (Rivers-Marie wines, and anything else made from those vineyards along the Taylor Lane ridgetop), because I hear they are kicking-ass savate-style these days...

Yeah, I heard that the Obamas had a bottle of Hirsch pinot during their pre-show dinner at Blue Hill on their night out in NYC a month or so ago. Somebody must be clueing them in...

Have been to Zazu, and it's always good and sometimes great. Bit of an Italian touch, with the de riguere market-fresh menus. Isn't it in Santa Rosa, (though on the road to Gureneville)? I visited Underwood once a few years back, shortly after it opened, and had a great time with tapas and wine. A relatively hip crowd there. More of my memories of Guerneville and Forestville are from their hippies-in-the-forest days, so its always strange to see how gentrified they've become. ;-) I've also stayed at the Applewood Inn B&B in Guerneville, with clients, and meals there were good. Always a good pitstop in Monte Rio is Sophie's Cellars, where there's a wide selection of wines and lovely Sonoma cheeses (and local wine news) available...

Links:
http://www.zazurestaurant.com/
http://www.underwoodgraton.com/
http://www.applewoodinn.com/


So John, I've been told that, in addition to the wines by Hirsch and Thomas Brown that I mention, and Phelps and the other two that you mention, good pinot noir on the French side of the pendulum is being made out of grapes from The True by Williams-Selyem, Marcassin, Flowers and Littorai, as well as those other Napa interlopers, Pahlmeyer, Caymus and Peter Michael. All their pinots are very hard to get over here so I haven't tasted them yet. Have you tried them, and if so, what do you think?

@dmcker ... Flowers is another true 'Sonoma Coast' winery. I can't believe I forgot about them as I buy from them yearly.

Marcassian can definitely be considered 'Sonoma Coast' but I almost think it is a legend. I have yet to see a bottle available for purchase let alone taste one. I think it would be safe to say that Marcassian is the California DRC. Highly collectible, highly sought after and very rarely sold for retail price.

Williams Selyem, like Loring and Arista and a couple others source grapes from all over Cali to make a number of distinctive Pinot Noirs. I've tasted all of the above and depending on the appellation range from good to outstanding. Out of the three just mentioned only Arista has a tasting room open to the public. They do have a cool (but small) Japanese Zen garden ... which admittedly is a bit out of place.

Out of the Napa guys, they were trying to jump on the Pinot hype. Although, Peter Michael has been doing it for a while and the wines are good but very expensive compared to the Sonoma producers. Caymus ... never tried. Pahlmeyer (and their second label Jayson) are very good but they are charging Napa prices for wines from Sonoma.

To further round things out, I have a thing for farmer's markets. I grew up in and around California produce, both as a producer and consumer. Before ever wine and beer, Sonoma had great produce, cheeses, honeys, etc. The farmer's markets in the general area that I'm aware of are located in:
--Santa Rosa (Saturday morning)
--Healdsburg (Saturday morning, except winter)
--Sebastopol (Sunday morning, except winter)
--Marin/San Rafael (Sunday morning; a little further away on the road from Sonoma to San Fran, but a very good one)
--St. Helena (Friday morning)


Some final comments:
First, I forgot about the Farmhouse Inn, on River Road in Forestville, maybe a quarter hour from Santa Rosa. Haven't stayed in their rooms, but their restaurant is more than merely good. Small, intimate, great wine list and food. Particularly liked their rabbit... :-)
http://www.farmhouseinn.com/restaurant.html
And second, I've always found Sonoma restaurants to be more friendly to the BYOBer than most other regions, in or out of wine country. Corkage fees are rather enlightened, often only around $10.

Restaurants in the Square
El Dorato Kitchen - wannabe NY chic, but very good food. I think the best in the square. they have truffle risotto and truffle fries
Cafe la Haye - enjoyable experience
Harvent Moon Inn - never made it but great reviews
Girl and the Fig - outdoor area is fun, I find the food over salted and often uninsipred

Sonoma Restaurants
Madrona Manor - Healdsburg - older inn, among the best meals that I have had each of the last 2 years; go when they are seating outside, its great
Santi- - Guerneville - great rustic italian, outdoor seating but very far from the sonoma town square
Cyrus - Healdsburg - the Sonoma version of French Laundry
Willies Wine Bar - Healdsburg - tapas, bar, casual, outdoor seating
John Ash - Santa Rosa - ask to sit by the window - great view, not cheap, food can be very good or not so inspired
Kenwood Restaurant - simple food, solid, great views, outdoor seating
Cafe Citti - Kenwood - good italian esp for lunch

The Square
Great walking trails
Can walk to Sebastiani, Ravenswood, and Bartholomew Park wineries. Ravenswood has Sunday BBQs, BP has a nice picnic spot
Roessler - a block off the square, quality wines
Sunflower cafe has good coffee, sandwiches
Vella for cheese
Whole foods is near by for stocking up

Sonoma Wineries
Rt 12 - Kenwood - beautiful views, corporate wineries (Chat St Jean, St Francis, Arrowood)
Domaine Carneros - Carneros - beautiful space and views - sparkling wine/pinot
Peter Micheal - Knight Valley - stunning grounds, great tour, but supposed to be in the wine club to gain admission
Artesa - Carneros - post modern design - sparkling wine/pinot
Bella - Russian River - Zin
Copain - Healdsburg - Syrah, Zin
Hartford - Russian River - Zin ,also pinot
Thomas Brown wineries - can taste his wines at Outpost (Howell Mountain, Napa) or Nicholson Ranch (Carneros)

Napa Wineries
Larkmead - St Helena/Calastoga
Chappellet - Napa - have a beautiful picnic spot, but have to pay (and maybe be a member of their wine club)
Spring Mountain Vineyards - Spring Mtn - beautiful grounds - was used for filming the TV show Falcon Crest - need appt in advance
Joseph Phelps - St Helena
Robert Mondavi - Yountville - obvious choice, Historic and Educational
David Arthur - entertaining lots of wine - need to call way in advance
Frank Family - like a college bar, but entertaining - next to larkmead

Yeah, Coppola bought the Souverain winery. Formally called Rosso & Bianco it is now the Francis Ford Coppola Winery...it is undergoing some major changes right now, they are trying to turn it into some sort of wine based resort type thing wih a pool and cabanas from what I've heard. I don't know what the laws are regarding wineries having restaurants on the property are, and the only two wineries that i know of (in California at least) that have both a restaurant and winery are Domaine Chandon and the new Coppola winery. I made some calls and basically heard that wineries are no longer allowed to have restaurants on the same piece of property as a winery but that the two mentioned above were grandfathered in. I also think most people (on the smaller size at least) don't have the man power, capital or desire to essentially run two separate business and would rather focus all of their efforts on the wines which is why I had a hard time finding out the answer to this question...most people haven't really bothered trying it.

I think the issue has more with the legal issues discouraging people from bothering to pursue it. I don't think it is a remnant of Prohibition...things out here are rather relaxed. Many wineries (ours included) do have kitchens, full time professional chefs and dining rooms that can accomodate several dozen people. The difference being that our dining situations aren't for profit (not directly at least ;) ) we do not charge for meals, but rather use our dining facilities for charity donations, wineclub functions, parties, events, etc... It is not a separate business, but rather a means to showcase our wines with food pairings.

Out here we tend to let the restaurants focus on food, and wineries focus on wine...when you combine the two it can be easy to let one overtake the other. If the food is exceptional it can turn the winery into a restaurant (known more for the food than for the wine) and vice versa, and in either case one part of the business can suffer. Don't get me wrong, it can and is pulled off with a nice balance of the two, but it's an added layer of stress that many I think would just rather live without. Besides, providing the dining/food pairing/meal as a special function reserved only for our VIP and wineclub members makes the entire event a bit more exclusive, and people like that. If it is available to everyone then it can lose some of its luster. Just my two cents :)

The Vintners Inn/John Ashe have both been around for a long time...I went to high school with John Ashe's son, so the combo of the inn and restaurant have been around for around 20 years. As far as Ferarri-Carano goes, in this instance the two aren't co-existing in the same location which is the illegal part of the whole thing, and while I don't work for the county I would imagine that for them to own the restaurant they would have to carry x percentage of non-Ferarri-Carano wines. It is not illegal to own a restaurant and winery, just not in the same spot...I think. :)