As a travel writer my tactic for finding the best local flavor
has always included accosting residents and prodding them for information—in
a friendly way, of course. Living in Napa for six years and writing about
wine country for the past decade, I no longer need to ask the staff in
Sonoma's tasting rooms or regulars lingering around Sonoma or Healdsburg's
squares for their favorite dining experiences. But sometimes I inquire
anyway, especially since it can be hard to move on to new palate pastures
when I know there's a spectacular meal to be had at downtowns Sonoma's
Harvest Moon Café and El Dorado Kitchen, and Healdsburg's special-occasion
favorite Cyrus. With this in mind I recently asked the chefs of these
revered restaurants—and the living food and wine legend John Ash—where
they like to eat when they step out of their kitchens. The following answers
may inspire you to detour from the regular dining haunts—or at least tack
on a few more destinations to your Wine Country itinerary.
Nick Demarest of Harvest Moon Café heads to Santa Rosa's Osake for what
he considers the best sushi in the area. "Gary Chu is super creative
and all the food is unique and very yummy, he divulges. Sticking with the
Asian theme and northern locale, he also adores the classic noodle dishes
at Simply Vietnam (966 N Dutton Ave.,
Santa Rosa, 707-566-8910). "It's the best place for the money in the
area to eat." When he's closer to home he heads to Juanita
Juanita (19114 Arnold Dr., Sonoma, 707-935-3981). A funky-fun Mexican shack on the
side of Sonoma's north-south thoroughfare, it's his favorite place for a
quick sandwich.
Mexican food also has a fan in El Dorado Kitchen's Chef Ryan Fancher. With
a penchant for the pure and satisfying flavors from south of the border,
he heads to Sonoma's Taqueria La Hacienda (17960 Sonoma Hwy., Sonoma,
707-939-8226). "They have really authentic, flavorful Mexican food.
It's really artisanal and they have a lot of integrity in their ingredients.
I always get pollo deshebrado. It's a shredded chicken burrito. They have
the best tomatilla salsa, too," he promises.
Not surprisingly, Douglas Keane of impeccable and tres chic Cyrus in Healdsburg
has no qualms with putting some effort into satisfying his off-work cravings.
His regular stop is Napa's Angèle (540 Main
St., Napa, 707-252-8115, www.angelerestaurant.com).
My dear friend and a brilliant food and wine talent John Ash stays closer
to home. When he wants a casual fun meal and is not off teaching culinary
classes around the world or accepting awards for his new Sauvignon Republic
wines, he heads to Santa Rosa's Café Saint Rose (463
Sebastopol Ave., Santa Rosa, 707-546-2459). Run by Mark Malicki who was the chef at Iron Horse
Vineyards for years, it is very tiny with a handful of in- and sidewalk
seats. But most importantly, "It's always good and takes advantage
of Mark's world travels," says John.
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articles by Erika Lenkert
