Whether you’re ready to find some new and unfamiliar spots to share your celebration, or just revisiting an old haunt with a fresh perspective, here are some of our favorite local finds…

Celebrate Like A Kid
Universe Billiards: Let out your inner pool shark at this all-ages billiard hall. The recently renovated space near downtown Petaluma has more than 20(!) pool tables, plus foosball, pinball, darts, classic arcade games, big screen tvs and jukeboxes. A large bar area serves up microbrews to root beers, making it a great daytime space for hip teen and tween birthdays and an offbeat grown-up party spot after dark. Just try to get your guys out of this spot. 246 Petaluma Blvd. N, Petaluma, 707-762-8921

Kids Party Central: Grab your socks, because here everybody gets to play in the jumpy house. The only catch: You gotta come with a child. But hey, they’re easy enough to come by (offer to babysit for a neighbor if you must). Inside is an inflatable wonderland of giant slides, puffy obstacle courses and kid-tastic fun for all ages that will make you feel like you’re seven again. Until you wrench your knee and remember that you’re not. Plus, kids absolutely love it. Open play times on selected weekdays, otherwise, by appointment or private parties. 327 O’Hair Court, Santa Rosa, 575.KIDS

Sift: Silly rabbit, cupcakes aren’t just for kids.The new cupcakery in downtown Santa Rosa offers up a backroom party space where sweet tooths of all ages can stuff their faces while learning cupcake decorating secrets from the in-house bakery pros. 404 Mendocino, Suite A, Santa Rosa, 703-4228.

Warm Puppy Cafe: Sure, just about every kid who grew up in Santa Rosa has had a skating party at Snoopy’s Home Ice, but have you ever gone on a Tuesday afternoon? Remember what it felt like to squeal with delight over a hamburger served up in Snoopy’s dog dish, sitting by a crackling fire (cozy, even in the summer), sipping the world’s best hot chocolate and homemade chocolate chip cookies, and then getting a cool ride on the Zamboni. 1667 West Steele Lane
Santa Rosa, 546-7147.

Celebrate Dudes
Charlie’s at Windsor Golf Club: Public golf courses aren’t usually known for their cuisine — usually little more than microwaved hot dogs and chicken strips — but this quiet, lakeside dining spot is a hidden gem after a round of 18-holes. Lunchtime grub ranges from dudish pulled pork nachos, buffalo chicken pizza and steak to lighter Thai chicken salad, grilled ahi tuna and grilled chicken tacos. Plus dinner (chipotle honey orange baby back pork ribs) and weekend brunch. Open daily. 1340 19th Hole Drive, Windsor,838.8802.

Cattleman’s: Even though he’s the king of the Honey Do list, eats frisee with gusto and carries the diaper bag with style most days, sometimes dads need a little dude food — like a T-bone as big as your head. Cattleman’s is a crowd-pleaser with the carnivore-crowd, featuring big, juicy slabs of beef in all shapes and sizes in a standoff against loaded baked potatoes, warm bread, beans and piles of fried nibblies. No one leaves hungry. Or without a promise to start dieting tomorrow. Plus, there are usually some solid deals for kids and banquet seating if you’re bringing a crowd. 5012 Petaluma Blvd, N, Petaluma, 763-4114; 2400 Midway Drive, Montgomery Village, Santa Rosa, 546-1446.

Roy’s Chicago Doggery: Manly food by the foot. Chicago-style Vienna dogs with serious fixins, from kraut and mustard to the Windy City classic of peppers, onions, celery salt and relish, to chili dogs and, of course, the famous Home Wrecker, a 12-inch half-pounder loaded with toppings that dares you to even try.84 Corona Rd, Petaluma, 774-1574. Closed Sunday.

Celebrate Togetherness (Big Groups)
Pancakes, bacon, eggs and hash browns are universal crowd-pleasers, making breakfast one of the best bets for group eating. That, and everyone’s usually too tired to put up much of a fuss when the kids knock over the orange juice and throw Cheerios at the table. Grab ma, pa and the whole clan for a morning feast at Sam’s for Play (the only spot in town to get Hangtown Fry), where the casual diner atmosphere, phone book-length menu, large tables (including a private banquet room for 50) and walls of knick-knacks to gaze at while you wait make for relaxing family-friendly eats. Reasonable prices and weeknight specials (kids eat free on Tuesday nights) add to the value proposition. 2630 Cleveland Ave, Santa Rosa, 528-2929; 1024 Sebastopol Rd, Santa Rosa, 528-0506.

Hamburger Ranch and Pasta Farm in Cloverdale

Life’s other universally-loved food: barbecue. If you’re on the road heading northward with a crowd, make a point of pulling over at the World Famous Hamburger Ranch and Pasta Farm. Because if the name doesn’t draw you in, the scent of smoked meats will. Inside the shack are walls filled with fans’ postcards, sent from ’round the world. At the table are rock-solid burgers, and daily ‘cue specials like pulled pork, chicken, brisket and ribs.On Friday, Saturday and Sundays, the patio grill fires up for steak, salmon and more. 31195 N Redwood Highway, Cloverdale, (866) 462-7421.

Estate: A bit more upscale is Estate, one of Wine Country’s most charming addresses. Inside the renovated butter-yellow Victorian, is Sondra Bernstein’s regional Italian eatery, featuring top-notch cocktails, wines and of course fresh made pastas, breads, wood-fired pizzas and hearty seasonal entrees (flat-iron steak, roasted chicken, and oh, the pork) served family-style. Room to Rent: The cozy wine room seats up to 22 and during warmer months, the arbor-covered west patio (up to 72) is perfect for cocktails and apps. 400 W. Spain St., Sonoma, 933-3663.

Celebrate Her
Okay, so maybe its a little sexist to think that the ladies love our greens, but in the immortal words of Seinfeld’s Elaine, sometimes a girl just wants a big salad. And maybe a nice glass of rose, a shared plate of fries and of course some cheesecake or something wonderfully chocolate. I mean, we can’t live on iceberg alone. So for showers of all types, ladies luncheons or just celebrating your fabulous self, some chic-olicious spots on my list: SolBar (because they totally get that sometimes you feel like a big old plate of pork and sometimes you’re more grilled salmon), 755 Silverado Trail, Calistoga, 866-942 7442; Barndiva (because their cocktails are so worth the splurge, house frites are always available and butter salad goes haute with drizzles of vinaigrette and local citrus) 231 Center St., Healdsburg, 431-0100; and the newly opened Santi, partially because there’s a gal at the helm (Chef Liz Hinman) and partly because Fountaingrove has never tasted so good (2097 Stagecoach Rd., Santa Rosa, 528-1549).

But ask me anything about my own wedding cake, other than the fact that I had one, and things get a little foggy. It was white and covered with flowers. I think. As custom dictates, wesaved the top tier for our first anniversary, tucked into the deep freeze. Then forgot about for 8 hours in a hot car and ended up throwing it into the San Francisco Bay, thinking it symbolized something profound (actually it just tasted too freezer burnt to eat). If I only knew.

Eleven years later, one divorce, two kids, and a “life partner” (we’re still working on the verbage) later, the whole idea of picking out a wedding cake seems terribly charming. Maybe a little silly. But for so many blushing brides, it’s as symbolic as picking the right bridesmaids and the perfect dress — an integral part of the perfectly planned day.

Which may be why Wine Country has a booming wedding cake industry.
High-end bakeries like Auntie B’s, Michele Marie’s, Costeaux and
Patisserie Angelica can make upwards of 450 wedding cakes each year,
with August and September their busiest months. They’re not the only
ones getting into the action. Oliver’s has an in-house bakery that
makes haute wedding cakes that rival the fanciest patisseries at a
fraction of the cost. And hip brides know that a multi-tiered highrise
of cupcakes are all the rage as alterna-desserts.

So here I sit alone in my kitchen with 10 bakery boxes full of wedding
cake samples, a fork and a tall glass of milk ready to dive in once
again. Just for fun. No perfectly planned day to fret over and plan. No
guest list to figure out or dress to fit into. Just the simple pleasure
of contendedly savoring slice after slice of buttercream-frosted
happiness.

Best bets for Sonoma County wedding cakes…

Patisserie Angelica: Simple to exotic flavors made from some of the
best stuff on earth. White cake with Sharffen Berger chocolate;
Tahitian vanilla bean cake with French buttercream; coconut cake with
passion fruit curd; lemon zest cake with organic Meyer lemon crud or
tiramisu cake with ground hazelnuts, espresso, Kahlua and brandy with
whipped mascarpone filling. Truly haute, European-inspired cakes that
taste as good as they look. 6821 Laguna Park Way, Sebastopol,
707.827.7998.

Michelle Marie’s Patisserie: A favorite of many Wine Country brides,
this Santa Rosa bakery consistently makes some of the best-tasting
cakes around. Although it may look cute, skip the fondant and go for
flavor with their decadent buttercream frosted buttermilk cream cake
filled with raspberries, strawberries and blueberries. Or a French
Vanilla fudge cake with raspberry preserves and whipped ganache. 2404
Magowan Drive, Santa Rosa, (707) 575-1214.

Oliver’s Market: This ain’t no grocery store cake. Using real butter,
cream and fruit, this local market has a stellar in-house bakery that
can customize any of their dozen-or-so flavored cakes (carrot, white
chocolate raspberry mousse, passion fruit or German chocolate) into a
wedding-worthy dessert. Affordable without looking (or tasting) cheap.
560 Montecito Center, Santa Rosa, 537.7123; 461 Stony Point Road, Santa
Rosa, 284-3530; 546 East Cotati Ave., Cotati, 795-9501.

Costeaux French Bakery: Elegant, classic cakes that can be customized
all kinds of ways to match your taste. Standouts include Grand Marnier
cream cheese frosting on a poppy seed rum cake (with raspberry conserve
and fresh raspberries); Swiss butter cream chiffon; whipped cream
topped vanilla cake stuffed with strawberries or chocolate truffle –
just to start. 417 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, 707.433.1913.

Fleur de Lisa: A small, intimate bakery with creativity to spare. Lisa
Marie Kincaid’s cakes are stunning to look at, but inside are
tastebud-popping flavors like Victorian vanilla cake layered with white
chocoalte cream cheese and raspberry puree; lemon poppy seed cake with
cream cheese and lemon curd; dark chocolate devil’s food cake with
espresso butter cream and chocolate mousse; ginger spice cake with
cinnamon cream cheese filling or white cake layered with coconut
pineapple filling. Lisa’s also a whiz with themed groom cakes. 463
Sebastopol Avenue, Santa Rosa, (707) 544-5581. By appointment only.

Auntie B’s: Yes, there really is an Auntie B and she’s been baking
bridal cakes for nearly two decades. Light, fluffy chiffon cake filled
with everything from champagne custard to lemon curd, raspberry mousse
and Italian rum custard. 3279 Dutton Ave., Santa Rosa, 707-584-4269.

Sift Cupcakery: Personalized little cupcakes in all kinds of funky
flavors — red velvet, key lime, raspberry champagne, chocolate and a
whole bunch of others. Cupcakes can be served individually or placed on
a multi-tiered stand to mimic a more traditional wedding cake. The
bakery can customize colors, flavors and themes — including doing some
saucier cupcakes for bridal showers or groom cakes. Just plain fun.
7582 Commerce Blvd., Cotati, 707-792-1681 and now in Napa, 1000 Main
St., Napa, 707.240.4004.

Penelope Jane: Napa wedding cakes as cute as the name. Owner Penelope Jane Orsini is known throughout the valley for her tasty tarts, cupcakes and and cakes, which sell at Sunshine Foods and Dean & Deluca in St. Helena — a good way to test the merchandise. (707) 292-2282, penelopejane.com.

Sweetie Pies: It’s one thing for a wedding cake to look good, but making these elaborate creations taste good is truly an art.  The pastry chefs as this popular downtown Napa bake shop spend plenty of time making everything from brownies and mini cakes to breakfast pastries, cookies and whoopie pies, so when it comes to special event cakes, there’s no shortage of flavor. 520 Main St., Napa, (707) 257-8817.

Perfect Endings: A baker to the stars, this Napa bakery is a personal favorite of Oprah Winfrey. A specialty are “vintage” flavors including coconut, banana, Devil’s food and of course, red velvet. (707) 259-0500, perfectendings.com.

Pair with: Champagne or sparkling wine is the traditional accompaniment
to wedding cake. Gloria Ferrer in Sonoma has recently released a new
ultra cuvee called Va De Vi that’s a great match for the sweetness of
cake.

Looking for a wedding consultant? Thanks to Robbin Montero of A Dream
Wedding for her insight into local wedding cake vendors! 707-579-5886