This month, I review five notable restaurants and three luxurious-yet-relaxed resorts across Sonoma County, all resorts with remodels and two of them with notable restaurants. The restaurants range from high to low, sushi omakase tasting menu to order-at-the-counter Lebanese food. Here, eight places worth visiting now for a day trip or overnights in ever-magical Sonoma County.
Where to Stay (& Eat)
Michelin-Worthy New Chef & Restaurant: Farmhouse Inn & Restaurant
From a family of five generations in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley, siblings and owners Catherine and Joe Bartolomei have maintained tucked-away Farmhouse Inn as an acclaimed Forestville retreat for over 21 years, though they now work in partnership with current owners, Foley Entertainment Group.
Set amid woods with a pool, hot tub, spa (this was the only location where I didn’t try a massage), there are three room types: individual cottages, small farmhouse rooms and barn suites towards the end of the narrow, long property. The rooms are solid, soothing sanctuaries, some with back patios, indoor/outdoor fireplace, heated bathroom floors, steam showers and soaking tubs. There’s a hiking trail, nightly fire pit s’mores and daily wine hour.
Last year, quietly joining first as Farmhouse Restaurant chef de cuisine, then executive chef, Craig Wilmer came from notable pedigree under chef Erik Anderson at Daniel Patterson’s COI in SF when it was a three Michelin restaurant. Likewise, executive pastry chef Amanda Hoang has cooked at The French Laundry and Cyrus. Sourcing many ingredients from the Bartolomei’s nearby ranch, there’s an international wine list, elegant zero-proof pairings and an upcoming cocktail program, equal elements of a Michelin-starred restaurant, sealed with warm, tight service. I experienced rare wine delights, like uber-small grower Champagne Hervieux-Dumez ‘Hilde’ brut rosé or the mineral-lean joys of 2019 Lioco Chardonnay Skycrest Vineyard from nearby Anderson Valley.
But it’s the food that centers the experience, set to drippy candles in the spaced out but intimate dining room. Shining examples? A tiny amuse bouche “sandwich” bite of Japanese sobacha buckwheat tea crisps filled with Monterey Bay sea lettuce creme fraiche, topped with Chinese royal kaluga caviar. Or chef’s tribute to his wife’s favorite baked potato: Full Belly Farms fingerling potatoes, chives, pork gelee, smoked salt and kaluga caviar topped tableside with aerated Straus Creamery cheesy butter. With some clear French-Japanese technique across the menu, whispers of Mexico peek out, a truly California flavor palate. Case in point: a mini-tostada where corn masa shines cradling otoro tuna belly from Japan, seaweed-infused ponzu sauce, shiso and radish slivers. The same tuna belly is further showcased in tomato water vinaigrette with nasturtiums, marigolds, sorrel and watercress in kombu oil.
You heard it here: this chef is one to watch. And a growing part of Sonoma’s destination-worthy fine dining. Keep this up and they will easily deserve a (Michelin) star.
// 7871 River Road, Forestville; www.farmhouseinn.com
Old Hollywood-Meets-Valley of the Moon: Four Sisters Kenwood Inn & Spa
Four Sisters Kenwood Inn & Spa is the one hotel here without a restaurant, other than a casual little breakfast room for guests, daily fresh-baked cookies and happy hour wine room. But with a massive June 2023 renovation and new ownership, this is one of my favorite stays in the entire County. The magical 2 ½ acre grounds and 1930s California Spanish-style building, for me, recall Sunset Boulevard with haunted old Hollywood vibes. The inn is set amid rolling hills, vineyards, palm trees and gnarly Valley oaks. A waterwheel pond, winning spa (I had a top-notch massage), regular pool and heated small pool, all score points. As does its location in my most beloved region of Sonoma County: the otherworldly Valley of the Moon down the road from enchanting Jack London State Historic Park.
I stayed here under different ownership pre-pandemic and the new Kenwood Inn has morphed into a comfortable meeting of old and new worlds, exemplified in my roomy apartment suite with living room, luxurious bathroom and deck overlooking the pool and vine-covered hills. The soothing grounds were an ideal base to trek down the road to spots like the aforementioned Jack London park or dinner at Glen Ellen Star (below).
// 10400 Sonoma Highway, Kenwood; www.kenwoodinn.com
Redwoods & Russian River Tents, Cottages & Cabins: Dawn Ranch
Dawn Ranch is nestled in the redwoods backing right onto the Russian River. Guerneville, a remote town and gay haven since the 1970s, is an ideal woodsy retreat with river inner-tubing and a few good spots to eat. Dawn Ranch’s 88 rooms — ranging from cozy cabins, roomier cottages, glamping tents to large bungalows — all got a remodel in 2023, showcasing a welcome variety in pricing and types scattered under majestic redwoods. The grounds host walking trails, a garden and a century-old apple orchard.
I stayed in the inviting, turn-of-the-20th-century Olives Cottage, with a private front patio, gas fireplace, living room and peachy-pink kitchen with mini-Smeg fridge, plus luxurious touches like a Bear® mattress and Parachute® bed linens. Other Ranch perks include a new, nourishing Spa at Dawn Ranch (complete with ritualistic outdoor baths and soothing massages in a cozy wood house), and festivals like the Cosmico Music & Art Festival, which just happened in May.
Most importantly for food lovers, The Lodge at Dawn Ranch is quietly, confidently helmed by Argentinian and Brazilian chefs Ignacio (Nacho) Zuzulich and Juliana Thorpe. Trocca launched Latin America’s 50 Best-awarded Buenos Aires restaurant Sucre, while Thorpe hails from past greats like three Michelin-starred Restaurant at Meadowood in nearby Napa Valley. Breakfast, lunch and pastries please, but dinner is where you can get the most range, particularly their “small plate Sundays” featuring a welcome few touches from Trocca’s South American roots, which I wish to see more of on the menu overall.
Numerous dishes are more interesting than they read on-menu, whether sweetbreads savory with black garlic and collard greens or an uber-rich bone marrow and sunchoke cream ricotta gnudi. On the Sunday bites menu, delights include Brazilian “cheese sticks” in chili marmalade, silky crudo of the day and killer charcoal-grilled flatbread in parsley garlic butter.
// 16467 California-116, Guerneville; https://dawnranch.com
Where to Eat
Omakase with a Twist: Sushi by Scratch Healdsburg
Opening November 10, 2023, from LA-based Scratch Restaurants Group and husband-wife chefs Phillip Frankland Lee and Margarita Kallas-Lee, I was skeptical of Sushi by Scratch Healdsburg hidden inside within The Matheson on the Healdsburg Square mainly because it’s a celebrity-loved, 10-restaurant mini-chain with locations ranging from LA to Miami, Austin to Chicago, Seattle to Montreal. While Sonoma County isn’t the obvious choice for their NorCal location, with Healdsburg’s increasing luxury destinations — from the Montage resort to the great three Michelin-starred SingleThread restaurant — this unexpected, dim little 10-seat sushi bar is a fascinating fit in a small town.
As a “nigiri snob” versed on many intimate Michelin-starred sushi bars around the world, in my city of SF, and some in Japan as well, an “innovative,” non-traditional nigiri menu makes me wary. With only three seatings a day (4pm, 6:15pm, 8:30pm), the 17-course omakase menu ($185 per person plus optional beverage pairings ranging from $105-$125 or a la carte) is centered around Phillip’s nigiri, ending with Margarita’s dessert. Venezuelan chef de cuisine Willer Larreal Perez (who previously helmed their Miami and LA restaurants) skillfully led a tight team crafting our nigiri in the snug space.
Sourcing fish from Tokyo’s Toyosu Fish Market, we began outside with a mini-cocktail in striking ceramic cup and canapes like a cute mini-chawanmushi and baby nori (seaweed) “cannoli” filled with bluefin tuna tartare, avocado mousse and ikura fish roe. While the sake selection isn’t as deep as some of my SF sushi favorites, the pairings were welcome and robust from three different pairing options curated by the group’s sake sommelier and director of ops, Gavin Humes, whether all sake or all Japanese whisky (delighted to see the latter), or my choice: a mix of three sakes, two micro-cocktails and a beer.
Nigiri combos are creative, playful and, thanks to edomae sushi technique and proper rice, still refined, despite the out-of-the-box whimsy. Think Hokkaido uni (sea urchin) and hotate scallop nigiri delicately touched with wasabi, shiodashi reduction, oyster salt made from Kumamoto oysters and sal de gusano (worm salt). Or shima aji (striped jack) in a yuzu kosho-fermented pepper sauce they make from roasting Fresno chiles and removing the skins. Perez showcases his childhood in Venezuela with a nigiri of akamutsu (rosy seabass) touched with a Venezuelan green chimichurri-esque sauce. Torched bone marrow over freshwater eel could be my ideal dessert.
Traditional it is not, but this is a uniquely different nigiri omakase sushi experience that manages to be both bold and appropriately restrained.
// 106 Matheson Street, Healdsburg; www.sushibyscratchrestaurants.com
Outdoor Seafood & Wine Treasure: Valley Swim Club
Open in October 2023 from the Valley Bar + Bottle (my review here) team on the downtown Sonoma square, Valley Swim Club is off the beaten path. More realized than its parent restaurant, it’s a cheeky and sunny charmer. Order at the counter and head to the open air but enclosed back patio with a view — and a couple tables on the edge — of a big meadow treated like a body of water with a “no diving” sign. The roadside seafood shack and swim club vibes, complete with coffee truck out front, play with whimsy and color.
On the food side, it’s a happy lineup of daily specials like shrimp aquachile or a killer trout dip scooped up with Ritz crackers, alongside oyster, shrimp or tuna sandwiches. Over a couple visits, the trout dip is still my number one dish here, but they do right by fish ‘n chips, a battered cod and slaw sandwich or thin-but-tasty cashew queso for vegans. Like their original Bar+Bottle, the wine selection is hip, tight and quality, showcasing international pours like a Basque rosado (rosé) from Spain or local treasures like Gail Pinot Grigio. Valley is a truly fun roadside stop.
// 18709 Arnold Drive, Sonoma; www.valleyswim.club
Michael Mina’s Sonoma Destination: Wit & Wisdom
Famed SF chef Michael Mina’s Wit & Wisdom opened (and survived the height of pandemic) in 2020 to become a Sonoma staple at the Lodge at Sonoma. Wit & Wisdom wins with an engaged team, lofty, massive space and enclosed terrace. Though the extensive wine list runs heavy on California Wine Country and Sonoma specifically, there are also international wines and easy-drinking cocktails like Smooth Sailing, combining Havana Club Anejo Rum, Amaro Montenegro, Ahus Midvinter Akavit, falernum and lime.
The food is New American with a push towards upscale comfort food in the likes of Liberty Farms duck wings vivid in Grand Marnier black pepper gastrique and orange zest. A scene-stealing starter is crab and endive caesar, a delectable handheld series of bites of endive cradling Dungeness crab, caper aïoli, parmesan and garlic bread crumbs — a truly fun way to eat salad. It was my top dish of the night. Tagliatelle tartufata, or truffle, egg yolk and pecorino cheese pasta, is lush and rich, while “typical” New York steak frites steps it up with medium rare steak, duck fat fried potatoes and black garlic vinaigrette.
Dessert is an unexpected highlight, especially for non-sweet-tooths like myself. A trio of proper, savory-sweet Basque cheesecake in roasted strawberries, their signature milk chocolate-caramel cream-fudge brownie-peanut butter ganache bar and a killer woodfired s’mores souffle in cherry coulis and graham cracker streusel left me torn on which one was the best. Get all three.
// 1325 Broadway, Sonoma; www.witandwisdomsonoma.com
Perfected Pizza & Roadside Charm: Glen Ellen Star
Since 2012, low-key, cozy Glen Ellen Star has been one of my favorite restaurants in the entire County. In its new iteration, they’ve expanded the humble, small original room centered around an open kitchen, to add a striking, wood-walled sister cottage next door, both flanked by astroturf outdoor seating to minimize waits at the rightly-beloved spot. Chef Ari Weiswassner and wife Ellen Benziger-Weiswassner (yes, of nearby, famed Benziger Winery) have kept the Star strong for over a decade with Ari’s fine dining background at legends like Daniel in NYC and The French Laundry in nearby Napa.
Along with chef de cuisine Bryant Minuche, their impeccable food shines with our perfect NorCal ingredients and warm, engaging service. Wood-roasted vegetables are ever a standout here and should not be missed, nor should the pizza, namely the ridiculously good tomato cream pie dusted in espelette pepper. The dough is perfectly fermented, airy and crisp, and confirms why ordering house bread is also the right choice. On the veggie side, think dishes like roasted cauliflower in salsa amarillo, chili-lime and Peruvian corn kernels, then assume it tastes even more vibrant and nurturing than you imagined.
// 13648 Arnold Drive, Glen Ellen; https://glenellenstar.com
Cal-Lebanese Fast Casual: Spread Kitchen
From caterer and yacht chef to owner of Spread Kitchen in the Boyes Hot Springs region of Sonoma, Cristina Topham tributes her Lebanese roots with NorCal ingredients at this casual spot with charming back garden to eat-in. Opened in 2022, Spread is heavy on mezze (small shared plates and dips), shawarma, falafels and salads, with plenty along vegan and gluten-free lines. Though I have many versions of muhammara I love more (my favorite Middle Eastern dip), her whipped feta beet dip and Beiruti hummus gratify, as do Dirty fries loaded with za’atar spices, feta cheese, pickled onions, herbs and tahini-yogurt sauce.
Though they have a fridge full of a welcome selection of wines, including Lebanese, Moroccan and other wine regions I’ve long been crazy about but never get enough of. Sadly, the only Lebanese by-the-glass option was out the day I was there, leaving a good selection of wine regions and varieties I drink all the time, which was disappointing as I wanted Lebanese and Middle Eastern wines with the food. But overall, Spread is a sunny, cheerful fast casual stop in Sonoma.
// 8375 CA-12, Sonoma; www.spreadkitchensonoma.com