Recently in Santa Rosa Category

The Garden: A vegan restaurant where meatless food isn't a punishment

Sonoma County Fairgrounds Farm Market: Be careful what you wish for, cause it just might happen. Twice. It was announced yesterday that a private developer is proposing a $10 million year-round(ish) public market a la Pike Place Market for the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. According to the Press Democrat, the MarketHall is proposing 70,000 square feet of space, 140 vendors and 100 permanent jobs. The man behind it is a former developer for Harrod's food hall. Nice.

Sift Cupcakery Santa Rosa: Frosting Shots!

Chrome Lotus Nightclub opens in Santa Rosa: Put on your party pants, because Chrome Lotus is officially open for business. After two nights of pre-parties with friends and Facebook fans, the revamped 505/Acapulco throws open its doors to the public and gets the taps flowing

Street-Eatz Beta: Agedashi!

Crepevine to Santa Rosa

Josef's calls it quits: After 30 years in the local restaurant biz, Santa Rosa Chef Josef Keller is hanging up his toque.

P/30, BistroM, Catelli's: It's a tasty 2010

Stark's Steakhouse: New Menu

Sift Cupcakery coming to downtown Santa Rosa: Sweet teeth take heed, Sift Cupcakery is planning to open a downtown Santa Rosa location at the end of January, 2010.

Brody's Burgers and Brews: New drive-up or sit down burger spot that's family-friendly.

Jackson's Bar & Oven: Casual, family-friendly spot focused on dishes from the kitchen's wood-fired oven from Syrah's Josh Silvers. Late night/cocktails.

OPENING: Jackson's Bar and Oven on the way...

Viola Boutique and Cafe: With a menu and cozy cafe vibe as familiar as an old quilt, Viola Pastry Boutique and Cafe is That Place.

Jeffrey's Hillside Cafe: Though it may seem a strange sidestep to go from foie gras to Huevos Rancheros, the whole thing actually works in our favor: Rib-sticking comfort food with the know-how of a Wine Country chef. In late September, Madura quietly opened Jeffrey's Hillside Cafe (attached to the Hillside Inn on Route 12) for breakfast, lunch and brunch. And while many of the menu items sound familiar, you'll need to readjust your expectations when the plates hit the table.

Tex Wasabi's closed for renovation

Slow Food: On Sept. 7, 2009, Slow Food conviviums around the nation will hold "eat in" potlucks to mark the kick off of their campaigns. Santa Rosa's Eat-In will be at Bayer Farm.

Stark's Steakhouse: $2 martinis

Da Bombe Desserts: The Jedi cake bakers at Da Bombe Desserts sent me pix of this edible version of Han Solo's Millenium Falcon done cake-style for a local groom. Inspired by a similar masterpiece by Ace of Cakes' Duff Goldman, Jenna Cook and her compatriot, Amy Westphal spent 10 hours building their own version.

La Texanita on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

Pizza in Sonoma and Napa: Rosso, Diavola, Mary's Pizza Shack, NY Pie, Mombo's, Old Chicago, Red Grape and many more.

In-N-Out Burger in Santa Rosa? (Please!)

The annual Taste of Railroad Square has been totally revamped foir 2009, and will include more than 32 stops to sip and nibble through this historic area of Santa Rosa

Why not enjoy the fruits another's labor?. Seasons seeks out sweet and savory preserves that always taste like summer.

Former John Ash & Co. chef to open a breakfast and lunch spot in Santa Rosa

BiteClub reviews Santa Rosa's first Puerto Rican eatery

Diner/Coffeeshop opens

BiteClub finds where to get the best frozen yogurt, ice cream and gelato in Sonoma County and Napa

f there's any question about the Darwinian nature of restaurant ownership, look to the brutal natural selection of 420 Mendocino Avenue. In three years, five restaurants have occupied the space. Four have gone the way of the dinosaur and dodo -- to no one's great surprise -- quickly facing extinction after problems with staff, management and/or the kitchen.

BBQ at Saint Rose, Nonni's, Casa Del Mar

Best Bread in Wine Country and Sonoma County

Where to find the best artisan olive oil in Sonoma & Wine Country

Best pies in Sonoma County

Top restaurants for vegetarians, vegans, raw foods in Wine Country

Laotian specialties at Teriyaki Restaurant

With a menu that reads like a Sicilian love letter, former Tra Vigne Chef John Franchetti's newly opened Rosso Pizzeria & Wine Bar ain't your average pie shop. The remodeled space in Santa Rosa's Creekside Center focuses on paper-thin prosciutto, fresh-made tapenades, signature salads, antipasti and bubbling wood-fired pizzas

Off-beat spots to brunch away your Sunday -- on Easter and beyond.

El Coqui on the horizon

Move over cupcakes. The darling of the pastry-set these days are Whoopie Pies, a less precious, more lunchbox-friendly marriage of cake and cream.

Rendez Vous Bistro

Love whiskey? Even know what whiskey is (and isn't)? A primer on this ancient drink and where to get it.

Zazu Restaurant: Devoted to Slow Food and sustainability, the restaurant pulls from its own backyard garden along with a biodynamic plot grown for them at Quivira Winery and other local food sources.

Fleissner is taking her commitment to local and sustainable foods very seriously, which can make for a challenge when folks want out-of-season strawberries or shrimp to show up on the menu.

Roberto is back at one of Santa Rosa's favorite Italian trattorias -- now called Trattoria Lupo.

La Gare French Restaurant: Classic, old school French cuisine in Santa Rosa

Jack and Tony's Whiskey Bar opens

Cheap Indian food, Tandoori Express, has fresh naan

La Strada becomes Casa Del Mar

When it comes to holiday treats, call in the professionals.

How does a restaurant last two decades? And not just last, but thrive. What keeps people coming back year after year, Friday night after Friday night, season after season? What brings in families, couples and seniors in equal number?

Heir apparent to the troubled Club Seven Ultra-lounge (liquor-free until mid-December) is Santa Rosa's newest entrant into the nightclub scene, Casbar. As in bar. Not the Clash song.

I'm a sucker for good tag-lines. The turn of a few well-placed words turn a Volkswagon into an lucky opportunity (Drivers Wanted? Sign me up!). Just Do It became a personal mantra for several years (along with the purchase of several pairs of Nikes that still sit collecting dust). But one of my favorites has to be Applebee's "Eating Good in the Neighborhood". Personal flair and well-coordinated chotskies aside, it connotates belonging and familiarity. Until you try to choke down microwaved appetizers. Not eating good. Bruno's on Fourth is what Applebee's can only aspire to: Good eating in the neighborhood.

For months now, BiteClubbers have been lauding the breakfast-time merits of Carlos Country Kitchen, the red-checkered diner off College Avenue. Bordered by a gas station, botanica and car-repair shops just past the 101 overpass, the neighborhood isn't the most charming. There were some health inspection issues that were corrected. But hey, it keeps out the dilettantes and dabblers--though certainly not fans who pack the parking lot to overflow capacity

Bistro 29 in Santa Rosa: Onion soup for the soul. Now open for lunch.

Hot Dogs: Though Wine Country doesn't even register among the top hot dog consuming spots (New York is, not surprisingly number 1 with LA coming in second) a handful of doggeries have opened in recent months to rave reviews. Uh, especially among local chefs who among their most rabid fans.

Posh burgers can be a bit like a beautiful woman -- each delightful in their own way, but with certain charms only appreciated by the beholder. Thin or thick around the middle; dressed impeccably or bare; with pickles or without.I'm...

Luxe hamburgers are my official food of The Economic Downturn. Straddling the increasingly disparate worlds of white tablecloths versus paper plates, they're comfort food with class. A little bit PBR, a little bit Grey Goose.Gobbling upscale hamburgers made with pedigreed...

Lots of eating to be done this weekend and BiteClub's on the case.Taste of PetalumaIf you don't get down to P-town nearly as often as you should, call this a perfect opportunity to see what you're missing in the dining...

Long before Anthony Bourdain ruined Sunday brunch for, well, pretty much everyone, BiteClub had her suspicions. Frankly, I think we all tend to be a bit too forgiving after a long, hard night of drinking. We tend to overlook soggy toast and mushy eggs through the fog of sleep still crusted in our eyes and the camaraderie of friends, kids and dogs gathered 'round the brunch table. We get a little too involved in sunny patio tables and crossword puzzles to pay much attention to the canned orange juice and fishy salmon.

Willi's Wine Bar: But day after day, season after season, year after year, the cozy Santa Rosa bistro just keeps on cranking out sure-fire crowd pleasers that feel so-worth it. And for a jaded foodie, that's about the highest praise a restaurant can get. Especially after dropping 90 bills for-um-lunch.

Just a quick hit on the new Saigon Bistro in downtown Santa Rosa. BiteClub and Co. hit the revamped spot on Mendocino Ave. which previously housed the ill-fated Vivere, which was previously Nirvana, which was previously Tahini Grill. The interior hasn't undergone much change, aside from repainting and the upstairs balcony is slated to be open for dinner.

The Donut Cafe has recently opened on Montgomery Drive (near Lepe's Taqueria) to fulfill your early-morning pastry needs. These little pillows of sugary goodness are made fresh each day and they throw open the doors at 5am every day of the week, spurning eager-beaver joggers and health-nuts. Or maybe rewarding them

Historic Italian deli, Traverso's is packing up the pepperoni and pinot; the mozzarella and tortellini and leaving downtown Santa Rosa for good. After more than 30 years in its B Street location, Michael Traverso tells BiteClub that they've officially inked the deal and will be headed for Fountain Grove Village at the end of the year

The North Bay's meat-free-set have a new place to rave about in Santa Rosa thanks to the addition of Seed, a month-old vegan restaurant on Sebastopol Avenue.

Let me first say that Hank's is never going to be included in the annals of haute cuisine. It's diner food. Good diner food for the most part. But diner food. It's fluffy pancakes as big as your head, sausage, eggs and Huevos Rancheros. But what sets Hank's apart from, say, Denny's or IHop is the local cred and homemade touch. Biscuits are made from scratch, eggs are fresh and the cottage fries are, Oh My God good

After weeks of waiting (and trust me, a whole lot of you have been asking), the Cheese Steak Shop is finally open just off Stony Point Road. Some of you are rabid fans who've sampled the goods elsewhere. Others are just jonesing for a taste of Philly. Neither will be disappointed

Chicken feet and duck tongue have finally gone mainstream in Santa Rosa. And this, believe it or not, is a good thing. Because tag-teamed with these well-loved Chinese specialties are a whole mess of more easily translated dim sum dishes from San Francisco's historic Hang Ah restaurant. Think Shanghai dumplings, Shiu Mai, leaf-wrapped rice, potstickers and pork buns. Now serving the North Bay

Going Pinoy is the name of the game at Trisha's Lumpia House, Sonoma County's first (as far as anyone we talked to knows) Filipino restaurant. Hidden in Petaluma's G&G Shopping Center, Karen tells us that much of the clientele are curious, um, obviously non-Filipino eaters like us and she's always happy to walk folks through the menu. She locks us onto Pork Adobo, lumpia (think fried spring rolls), pancit noodles (think Pad Thai or chowmein) and Sitaw at Kalabasa (long beans and squash in coconut milk).

The Original Superburger

Khoom Lanna in Railroad Square: Solid, but not exceptional Thai in Santa Rosa

Best bet for croissants, French pastries and delish entrees at this odd spot in Santa Rosa

Stout Brothers: Is there a Brit-pub brouhaha brewing in Santa Rosa? Just months after Toad in the Hole opened its doors in Railroad Square; Stout Brothers Pub opened on Fourth Street with a similar fish and chips, bangers and Guinness focus.

Bahn mi (Vietnamese Sandwiches) at Lee's Noodle House

Mel's Fish and Chips: Little more than a hole-in-the-wall spot off Hopper Ave., the walk-up counter has been turning out all manner of fried and battered seafood since 1988.

Simply Vietnam in Santa Rosa: Great pho, bbq pork sprig rolls and lemongrass beef are tops

Antojitos La Texanita: Located on Sebastopol Ave., Texanita is a perennial taqueria favorite for locals, with constantly changing daily specials. Avoid the obvious: A serious burritophile friend got burned by the lackluster pollo asado. Weekends are for serious eaters, with posole, menudo and goat on the menu.

Stark's Steakhouse: Organic, dry aged, corn and grass-fed cuts of beef hand-picked by the city's favorite chef.

Santa Rosa's airport restaurant isn't quite ready for takeoff

Entirely unimpressive from the outside, this Kenwood sleeper slips my mind in the winter. Not that it should--here's a cozy fireplace and plenty of steamy pasta dishes that will warm your cockles year round. But the outdoor patio is such a perfect summer hangout--sipping raspberry lemonade and nibbling insalada Caprese throughout July and August--I tend to whiz by in January and February. Well, that and the fact that the parking lot's always packed to capacity.

Syrah Bistro is a top-pick in Santa Rosa, especially for crabcakes

Johnny Garlic's: Has Fieri left the building?

Puffing away quietly on the deck, the Red Rose Café's Southern Pride smoker tells you all you need to know. Where there's smoke there's BBQ.