And the adventures in Northern California continue on Travel Tuesdays with Sonoma!! Sonoma is sometimes seen as the step child compared to its more popular, glamourous sister, Napa Valley. But my husband and I were so glad we took several days to spend in Sonoma during our wine country honeymoon. We actually ended up liking it better than Napa. A little less touristy and commercial, you are more likely to get an opportunity to have a meaningful conversation with an actual winemaker during a tasting rather than someone who monotonously pours wine without even making eye contact. You are less likely to see the flashy, gated mansion- like wineries. In Sonoma, one of our best wine experiences was in a dusty one room shack with a mangy dog in the corner. The man behind the bar looked like he should probably be passed out in a shady bar somewhere. But damn it, he poured the best freaking Pinot we’ve had in a long time and shared with us some great stories. Besides the incredible wine, we ate some of our best meals of the trip. For those of you who love eating seasonally and local, you can’t get much better than eating food that doesn’t have to be packaged or shipped on a truck or plane. It’s literally farm to table in Sonoma. Here are some of our favorite restaurants and wineries:
EAT:
Willi’s Seafood and Raw Bar – 403 Healdsburg Ave, Healdsburg, CA
This place always has a full, energetic bar, dining room and outdoor patio. Willi’s specializes in small plates, so it’d be great to go in a group and try a bunch of different items. Top quality seafood, great drink menu. Try the warm cheese and chorizo fondue!
Zin Restaurant and Wine Bar – 344 Center St, Healdsburg, CA
Very stylish with exposed brick walls and high ceilings, Zin serves up new American cuisine that is always fresh and designed to highlight the season. Many of the selections are designed to pair nicely with the Dry Creek Valley’s exceptional zinfandels, which you may have guessed is the restaurant’s inspiration. Ask for the blue plate specials and try a staple – the Mexican beer-battered green beans!
Oakville Grocery – 124 Matheson St, Healdsburg, CA
A gourmet food purveyor with locations in Napa Valley and Sonoma, Oakville Grocery is perfect for a quick lunch or snack. Pick up supplies for your perfect wine country picnic.
Dry Creek Kitchen –317 Healdsburg Ave, Healdsburg, CA
Situated in hip Hotel Healdsburg, this Charlie Palmer restaurant features seasonal Californian cuisine and excellent service. For a celebration of all things local, try the wine-trail tasting menu, which features a six-course food and wine pairing menu all from the “neighborhood.”
Cyrus – 29 North St, Healdsburg, CA
Just as pioneer, adventurer, and dreamer Cyrus Alexander set out in search of gold in the early 19th century, the restaurant that bears his name is quietly in pursuit of its own glory and giving Thomas Keller’s French Laundry a run for its money in the process. (I’m sorry Thomas Keller…I still heart you!) Located in the gorgeous Les Mars Hotel, Cyrus offers sophisticated Californian-French cuisine and an award winning wine list. The menu is only offered prix-fixe, but you have the option to mix and match the amount and kinds of courses you order. We went all out and did the eight-course tasting menu with wine pairings. Besides being absolutely delicious, the food was highly creative, whimsical and theatrical at times. One of the desserts was served in a balloon if that tells you anything. Your wallet will be a lot lighter when you leave, but you will have bragging rights among all your foodie friends.
Find out where to DRINK after the jump!
DRINK:
We went to a whopping 26 wineries between Napa and Sonoma. While I don’t claim to remember them ALL (hello, I was drinking copious amounts of wine!), these were our favorites. One of the best ways we found these wineries? Ask a local. The owners at our luxurious B&B—Honor Mansion—hooked us up with some fantastic, off-the-beaten-path wineries.
Porter Creek Vineyards – 8735 Westside Rd., Healdsburg, CA
This is the no frills, one-room winery I mentioned above. Some of the best wines we tasted on our trip. Their Pinot Noir is amazing!
Lynmar – 3909 Frei Rd, Sebastopol, CA
If it’s a nice day, definitely stop by this winery for a beautiful garden wine tasting!
Arista – 7015 Westside Rd, Healdsburg, CA
Arista features a beautiful outdoor tasting room with standout Pinots.
Hawkes – 6734 Highway 128, Healdsburg, CA
Hawkes was probably our favorite in Sonoma and maybe of the whole trip to Northern California. Every wine was insanely good, but particularly their Cabs. The owner loves to experiment with recipes from her garden, so there is always a snack to try at the tasting bar. We stayed there for hours talking to one of the winemakers and tasted vintages right from the barrel.
Zichichi Family Vineyard – 8626 Dry Creek Rd, Healdsburg, CA
We didn’t have time to make a stop at their winery, but tried some of their exceptional zins at our B&B’s private tasting. The owner has a great story – he is an ex-doctor from New Orleans who moved to CA after Katrina and began exploring his dream of becoming a vintner.
Passalacqua – 3805 Lambert Bridge, Healdsburg, CA
A very lovely, light tasting room with a great deck. They had really great, buttery Chardonnay.
We at EMDM, love Northern Cali so much, we are featuring Napa Valley next week! Stay tuned for more wine and food filled travel adventures!
