Explore North Bay Fall 2019

2020

Food • Drink • Adventure PUBLISHED BY THE BOHEMIAN AND PACIFIC SUN

SUMMER HOURS: MAY 1 – SEPTEMBER 30 WEEKDAYS: 10AM–5PM WEEKENDS: 10AM–6PM

WINTER HOURS: SEPTEMBER 30 – MAY 1 WEEKDAYS: 10AM–4PM WEEKENDS: 10AM–5PM

CLOSED TUESDAYS 19225 State Route 1, Marshall, CA 94940 • 415.663.1339 • the marshallstore.com

HEIDRUN

MEADERY

Brut Dry Naturally Sparkling Varietal Meads TA S TING BA R GA R DEN PATIO HONEY GR EEN HOUS E BEE GA R DEN

Come visit a place like no other.

415.663.9122 • HeidrunMeadery.com 11925 State Route 1 • Point Reyes Station

dAte night [or any night]

SEE WHAT’S COOKIN’ AT VINTAGE OAKS Checker’s Deli | Extreme Pizza | Hopmonk Tavern IHOP | In-n-Out Burger | Jennie Low’s Chinese Cuisine MOD Pizza | Panera Bread | Starbucks | SushiHolic

ShopVintageOaks.com

e

2020

the north bay

CEO & EXECUTIVE EDITOR Dan Pulcrano PUBLISHER Rosemary Olson EDITORS Daedalus Howell, Charlie Swanson COPY EDITOR Mark Fernquest CONTRIBUTORS Thomas Broderick, Richard von Busack, Don Frances, Tom Gogola, James Knight, Amelia Malpas, Aiyana Moya, Charlene Peters, Nikki Silverstein, Tiffany Tchobanian DESIGN DIRECTOR Kara Brown

PRODUCTION OPERATIONS MANAGER Sean George SENIOR DESIGNER Jackie Mujica

Intro 6 Sausalito 8 Mill Valley 12 Stinson Beach 16 San Anselmo 20 Larkspur 22 Fairfax 24 San Rafael 26 Marshall 32

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Jimmy Arceneaux

Calistoga 36 Napa 40 Sonoma 42 Petaluma 44 Santa Rosa 46 Healdsburg 50 Sebastopol 53 Guerneville 55 Bodega Bay 57

Cover: Photograph courtesy of Kendall-Jackson

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Lisa Marie Santos OFFICE MANAGER Liz Alber ADVERTISING ACCOUNT MANAGERS Michael Levinson, Danielle McCoy, Marianne Misz, Mercedes Murolo, Lynda Rael

PUBLISHED BY THE BOHEMIAN AND PACIFIC SUN

847 Fifth St, Santa Rosa, CA 95404 Phone: 707.527.1200 bohemian.com

1020 B Street San Rafael, CA 94901 Phone: 415.485.6700 pacificsun.com

82 PAGES OF ORIGINAL

SANTA ROSA ARTWORK

WITH ROOM FOR IDEAS AND DOODLES

OUT THERE.

IN THE MIDDLE OF EVERYTHING.

SR-TISTS: BUD SNOW CATHERINE SIECK MICA SHEA JENNINGS RUTH ALISON DONOVAN TODD BARRICKLOW RYAN TAYLOR WIL SMITH

GET YOURS, AND SEE MORE SR MERCH AT OUTTHERESR.COM.

Any file issues please call 415-269-8169

HALF-PAGE - HORIZONTAL: 7.875”w x 3.8175”h

BART EDSON

Room with a view From the hues of our coastal sunsets to our verdant vineyard hills, the North Bay is a cornucopia of color.

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE

W

THE NORTH BAY

hile the northbound crossing of the Golden Gate Bridge is always special, the magical moment happens when you enter the Robin Williams tunnel feeding traffic past the Marin Headlands—the one festooned with the rainbow arch.

That’s where your North Bay adventure begins.

Once named the Waldo Tunnel and now named for late local comic superhero Robin Williams, the double-barrel traffic

6

tunnel was just another outgrowth of the concrete jungle until Robert Halligan Sr., a public affairs officer with the California Department of Transportation, struck on his colorful career-defining notion.

It was the late 60s and spillover from San Francisco’s ubiquitous lysergic hues was inevitable. So when Halligan proposed painting the tunnel with ye olde Roy G. Biv (the spiffy acronym that describes the color sequence of the rainbow), he met little resistance. As a consequence, since 1970, visitors to the North Bay have been greeted by a universal symbol of peace, tolerance, and understanding.

No matter which direction you're coming

from—under the rainbow from the south or a quick jaunt from the north or east, you will see why we in the North Bay are happy to click our heels and stay put when we say “There’s no place like home.”

Strike epicurean and viticultural gold in Sonoma and Napa’s Wine Country. Relax and enjoy the beauty of the ravishing coastal beaches. Enjoy Victorian towns, waterfront retreats, rustic getaways or high-end hotel experiences. Hike and mountain bike on Marin’s Mt. Tamalpais or canoe the Russian River. Whatever your desires, the North Bay is where your adventure truly begins.

— Daedalus Howell, Editor

EXPLORE THE NORTH BAY 2020

»»

Join Us for a

‘Baycation’ Amazing Views Fun Dining Elevated Food, Beverage & Service Fresh Sustainable Seafood, a locals favorite This is a positive energy place!

Events Ondine specializing in

unforgettable private events on the bay

...originally owned by the legendary Kingston Trio

558 BRIDGEWAY ~ SAUSALITO ~ 415.331.3232 ~ THETRIDENT.NET

SAVVY IN SAUSALITO A local’s learned walkabout—complete with some sittin’ by the dock of the bay BY NIKKI SILVERSTEIN

S

ausalito possesses a rich and colorful history. It served as the summer home of well-heeled San Franciscans in the 19th century, a depot for Prohibition-era bootleggers (including Baby Face Nelson) and the site of a World War II shipbuilding operation.

Today, its stunning vistas attract tourists from around the world. But there’s a side to Sausalito that most sightseers never experience: the places where the locals play,

8

EXPLORE THE NORTH BAY 2020

dine and shop. As a resident of this eclectic city for almost 30 years, I’ve dropped anchor at most of them.

I usually start off the day with a hike in the Marin Headlands, home to gun batteries dating back to the late 1800s and a Cold War Nike missile site. To access the hills of the Headlands, I begin at the north end of the trail system by driving up Donahue Street to the cul-de-sac. The Alta Trail begins there and, after just a few steps in, delivers the magnificent scenery of Richardson Bay, Sausalito and Tiburon. Farther out, it hooks up with trails that wind down to Tam Valley or Fort Cronkhite. If I’m lucky, I might catch

a glimpse of a coyote, fox or bobcat crossing my path.

For a more strenuous workout, I ascend the hidden stairways of Sausalito. More than 20 sets of stairs lead up the hills from one charming residential street to another, and there’s even a route that leads to the Headlands. The longest jaunt, the Excelsior staircase, starts on Bridgeway next to the Wells Fargo Bank in downtown Sausalito. The descent provides views of the bay and pristine Angel Island. With the internet, the stairways aren’t so secret anymore: just search for them on Google maps and start climbing.

Another great way to greet the day is taking

»»

See the Golden Gate, Alcatraz, the San Francisco Skyline and more, all from the air!

1.415.332.4843 www.seaplane.com

«« my dogs to the completely fenced

in and well-manicured Sausalito Dog Park. There’s always a friendly pack of pooches running and wrestling, and plenty of tennis balls around for a game of fetch. The people are genial, too. I’ve met some of my closest friends while sitting at the picnic tables bonding over our dog tales.

To refuel, I often head over to Osteria Divino, which is on Caledonia, the street that locals consider the main drag. The coffee is first-rate, and the healthful breakfasts boast organic ingredients. My favorite is the fiorentina omelette, made with sautéed spinach, tomatoes and ricotta. On a warm day, I sit outside and people watch. Live music entertains dinner guests Tuesday through Sunday evenings.

Or I could go to Fred’s Coffee Shop. Open since 1966, it serves up a hearty breakfast and lunch.

When my mouth isn’t full of deepfried French toast, I chat with the other patrons seated with me at the large communal dining tables. (At the very least, I eavesdrop on their conversations.) Though I haven’t tried it, folks swear by the sweet bacon.

A visit to the Bayside Cafe guarantees great service and another large menu filled with tasty breakfast and lunch options, as well as a fresh juice and smoothie bar. I spy the legendary comedian Mort Sahl there frequently on weekend mornings.

Belly sated, I typically take a lazy walk along the docks to admire the picturesque houseboats, situated mostly on the north end of Sausalito. The beautiful setting inspired Otis Redding to write the first verse and chorus of “(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay” while sitting on Bill Graham’s houseboat at Waldo Point.

10

EXPLORE THE NORTH BAY 2020

The noon hour represents decision time. Sausalito is chockfull of restaurants with delicious lunch menus. Kitti’s Place, a family-owned restaurant, features freshly prepared California cuisine with a Thai influence. My friend Margie is addicted to their Asian chicken salad.

Avatar’s, run by Ashok Kumar, serves healthful Cali-Indian fusion fare. I never order off the menu, because Ashok suggests special dishes based on vegetables that just came out of the garden. Everything I’ve tried is flavorful, unique and

SEA STAR A colorful resident of the

North Bay’s coastal landscape. delicious. Sausalito adores the Kumar family, and they return the love by hosting a complimentary feast for the community on Thanksgiving eve. Hundreds of people partake each year.

A popular afternoon activity is paddling a kayak along Sausalito’s waterfront.

My passion for kayaking started when I took my first class at Sea Trek, located behind the Bay Model. This Sausalito institution rents kayaks, gives lessons to kids and adults, and organizes trips, including the full-moon kayak tour. I like the

daytime tours, because I never tire of the Mount Tam views and the thrill of seeing a seal swim by. Sea Trek also gives stand up paddle board lessons. Anyone up for trying that out with me?

I don’t spend every moment eating out; sometimes I shop for food. Driver’s Market carries items not found in ordinary grocery stores. I sampled a dark chocolate bar with fermented cocoa beans from the Davao region in the Philippines, which tasted amazingly rich and creamy.

Other interesting finds include a refrigerator case filled with probiotics and organic vegetables with labels indicating where the produce was grown.

One way I de-stress is with a spa day pass at Cavallo Point in Fort Baker. For $65, I enjoy a morning yoga class, soaking in the heated meditation pool and entrée to the fitness suite and eucalyptus steam room. Cavallo Point also houses the Murray Circle Restaurant. The ambience, with the cozy fireplaces and Golden Gate Bridge view, is spectacular. It’s the perfect setting for a special occasion dinner. Farley Bar, next door, is a lovely place to unwind and have a nightcap.

Also in Fort Baker is the delightful Bay Area Discovery Museum for children up to age 10.

The exhibits change regularly and museum educators lead the daily programs.

For adult programs, I stop

by Studio 333. An art gallery, event venue and co-op work space, it also offers art and craft workshops, including shibori indigo dye techniques, book binding and paint pouring.

Studio 333 is the backdrop for Why There Are Words, an

award-winning literary reading series that happens on the second Thursday of every month. Peg Alford Pursell, founder of the nonprofit series, selects six authors to read from their works.

Well-known and not-so-known writers participate, but all meet strict standards of excellence. I nearly behaved like a paparazzo when Amy Tan sat next to me in the audience, but I controlled myself. The $10 admission is the best bargain in the county.

After the readings, I like to step into the historic No Name Bar to have a glass of Cabernet and listen to jazz. Established in 1959, the No Name presents live music nightly.

There’s usually no cover charge; instead, the band passes around a hat for donations.

The art scene continues at Tivoli Decor, a vintage and modern home store focusing on local artists.

Prices run the gamut from low to luxe, and owner Teri Lang curates a vast collection of furniture, art and knickknacks. I was enamored by a charmant French bureau and Debra Allen’s driftwood creations made of materials she gathers from Muir Beach.

We’ve reached the end of our journey and I didn’t even get to The Trident, Salito’s Crab House, Scoma’s, Saylor’s Restaurant and Bar, Bar Bocce, Seahorse supper club, Poggio, Smitty’s, Sausalito Gourmet Deli, Waterstreet Hardware, Rodeo Beach and the Marine Mammal Center. I know I’m biased, but Sausalito is unsurpassed in its beauty and places to visit.

5

7

201

BBQ ÂŽ Catering ÂŽ Rotating Craft Beers

Follow us on Instagram @piginapicklebbq Find our rotating craft beer menu on untappd and @piginapicklebeer updates Follow us onfor Instagram @piginapicklebbq Find our rotating craft beer

and piginapicklebeer for updates Corte Madera Town Center | 415.891.3265menu on untappd Emeryville Public Market | Sold-Out Hotline: 510.922.8902 | piginapickle.com

Corte Madera Town Center | 415.891.3265 Emeryville Public Market | Sold-Out Hotline: 510.922.8902 piginapickle.com

The historic Mill Valley Lumber Yard draws guests throughout the area.

A DAY IN THE VALLEY Local charm abounds in Mill Valley

BY NIKKI SILVERSTEIN

M

ill Valley, nestled at the base of Mt. Tamalpais, exudes charm with its natural surroundings, quaint local businesses and eclectic arts scene.

Incorporated in 1900 with 900 residents, today the population is over 14,000. Trek to the waterfall at Cascade Falls, window shop downtown or enjoy a Shakespeare performance at Old Mill Park’s amphitheater and you’ll understand why folks flock to Mill Valley.

12

EXPLORE THE NORTH BAY 2020

If you ask a local the reason they made Mill Valley their home, you’ll probably hear the word proximity. Whether they live on a steep hilltop or in a lush valley, they’re just minutes away from some of the most prized settings in the world: Muir Woods, Mt. Tam and the edge of the Pacific Ocean, all located within the Mill Valley zip code.

The primeval redwood forest in Muir Woods is a top destination for Bay Area visitors. The tallest tree in Muir Woods is about 250 feet tall and estimated to be around 780 years old. Advance parking or shuttle reservations are now required. The extra step is well worth it.

The highest peak in Marin is Mt. Tam, “the Sleeping Lady,” at an elevation of 2,572 feet. Spectacular vistas of San Francisco and the Farallon Islands reward hikers who make the pilgrimage to the summit.

Take the 1.7-mile hike on Tennessee Valley Trail and you’ll end up at the Pacific Ocean. The scenery is glorious, with the secluded beach flanked by rock cliffs.

Stolte Grove and the adjacent garden are two of the many hidden gems in Mill Valley. Located in the Homestead Valley neighborhood, the park contains a redwood stand with a creek running beside it. The lavish gardens next door showcase dozens

»»

834-916 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard San Anselmo, CA 94960 | redhillshoppingcenter.com

• Chase Bank • CVS • Get in Shape for Women • Gold Dreams Jewelry & Damselfly Unlimited Boutique • High Tech Burrito • Hot Wok Chinese Food

• JOLT! • Kitty Corner • Lark Shoes • LUX Blowdry & Beauty Bar • Mathnasium of San Anselmo • Peet’s Coffee & Tea • Pet Food Express

• Pizzalina • Precision 6 Haircutting • Red Hill Cake & Pastry • Red Hill Holiday Cleaners • Safeway • Sophie’s Nail Spa • Subway Sandwiches

• Swirl Frozen Yogurt • The Hub • Jillie's Wine Bar and Shop • West America Bank

No matter what you have a hankering for, you’ll find a Mill Valley eatery serving it. ««

of huge hydrangea bushes and trumpet vines growing wild.

Residents love that they don’t need to cross the bridge for bigcity culture. This little city is home to annual events including the Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival, Mill Valley Film Festival and Mountain Play, a live musical theatre production at Mt. Tam’s outdoor amphitheater.

The O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, a community art center presenting programs in the visual, literary and performing arts, is celebrating its 50th year. Located on a two-and-a-half acre campus, the pièce de résistance of the property is the sculpture garden with works by Dick O’Hanlon.

There’s also an art gallery with monthly, juried shows that feature local artists.

For evening entertainment, check out the calendar at Sweetwater Music Hall and dance the night away to live music from rappers to rockers.

If professional live theatre in an intimate venue is more your style, try the Marin Theatre Company, which is often home to west coast theatrical premieres.

The Throckmorton Theatre, an art center, offers a diverse lineup of live music, comedy and workshops in a beautifully restored theater. Or perhaps you’d

14

EXPLORE THE NORTH BAY 2020

prefer to see a film at the CinéArts Sequoia, a 1920s movie house showing the latest flicks and livestreamed opera offerings on the big screen.

Before going out on the town, visit one of its many fine restaurants. No matter what you have a hankering for, you’ll find a Mill Valley eatery serving it.

Downtown is home to firstrate fare at new and established restaurants. The recently opened Gravity Tavern serves robust meat and fish dishes and not-tobe-missed tater tots. The 55-yearold La Ginestra, known for its Neapolitan cuisine and handmade pasta, is the perfect place for a family meal.

A new favorite is the Watershed Restaurant located in the Lumber Yard, built on the site of Mill Valley’s first sawmill. With community seating and a lovely outdoor patio, the ambiance feels welcoming. Chef Kyle Swain changes the California cuisine menu frequently, based on what’s available from local farms, ranches, and fisheries. I thoroughly enjoyed the signature dish—halibut crudo with avocado, cucumber, horseradish green, and lemon oil.

The Dipsea Café on Shoreline Highway overlooks Coyote Creek.

An abundance of natural light graces their country kitchen décor, creating a lovely spot for

brunch. For a sweet treat, try the cheese blintzes with orange zest-cheese filling, blueberrystrawberry sauce and sour cream.

Before you leave, take a gander at the historic photos of Mill Valley adorning the walls.

Across the road, the Shoreline Coffee Shop has dished up a mix of American and Mexican food since 1962. The avocado toast is yummy and their breakfast burrito is always tasty.

Travel a few blocks up the street and savor the dining experience at the Buckeye Roadhouse. House specialties include oysters bingo, chililime brick chicken and smoked beef brisket from their on-site smokehouse. You can also eat your meal in their warm and inviting bar.

If you’d rather cook, head to the 90-year-old Mill Valley Market, locally owned and operated by the Canepa family for four generations. Much of their produce is locally sourced, such as greens from Green Gulch Farms and honey from Mill Valley beehives. They have an outstanding selection of hard-tofind European items including Kinder chocolates, Branston Pickle and Duerr’s marmalade.

The extensive wine selection includes bottles from California

and all over the world. If you’re more of a beer person, they carry over 400 brands. Mosey down the aisles to see what delicacies you’ll uncover.

Don’t spend all of your time eating, though. Unique shops abound in Mill Valley. One that strikes my fancy is Mad Dogs & Englishmen Bike Shop in the Lumber Yard. Their inventory consists of modern reproductions of classic English touring bikes.

E-bikes rule in this store. I covet the Ruffian, handcrafted in Germany, or maybe the Elby with a range of 90 miles on one charge.

Also in the Lumber Yard is Lulu Designs Jewelry, a jewelry store and working studio with an all-female team of master goldsmiths. Owner Lulu uses gemstones from India and a proprietary blend of bronze in her pieces, which owe inspiration to botanicals and textiles.

ToyHouse, a specialty store for children, is a great place to find just the right gift for the kid who has everything. Their collection includes toys, games, trains, dolls and everything else a youngster dreams about. Locally owned and operated, ToyHouse makes shopping easy by providing a place for kids to play while you browse and by offering complimentary gift wrapping.

I don’t live in Mill Valley, but I sure spend a lot of time there.

Whether I want to kick up my heels or spend the day relaxing, I always discover something delightful to do in Mill Valley.

You will, too.

EXPERIENCE

a Change of Pace

Golden Gate Ferry and Golden Gate Transit to

MARIN COUNTY

LOCAL PRODUCTS GALORE UNIQUE WINE & SPIRITS GOURMET DELI PICNIC PROVISIONS

Go Shopping Do Lunch Go Hiking or Biking

EPIC CHEESE SELECTION WATER BUFFALO GELATO SOFTSERVE

11300 California 1 Point Reyes Station, CA www.palacemarket.com

goldengate.org

®

Whatever you do, do not get out of the kayak!

THE PELICAN BRIEF A Labor Day paddle through Stinson Beach and environs

BY TOM GOGOLA

T

he burning issue of the day is what is going on with those pelicans? We’re out on the Bolinas Lagoon in rental kayaks from Stinson Beach and the birds are going totally nuts. They’re all over the place, and they’re divvied up into squads of three birds—they keep hitting the water, diving for snacks, but it’s the furious flapping of the wings that has us scratching our heads.

There’s three of us, too, and we’re getting hungry.

16

EXPLORE THE NORTH BAY 2020

Donnie over at Stinson Beach Surf & Kayak met us earlier at the kayak put-in located across Highway 1 from the Stinson Beach elementary school. You can rent a single or tandem kayak from Donnie; our party of three each got our own kayak for a proper cruise of the federally-protected lagoon that spans from Bolinas to Stinson, for $50 a person.

Check the tides before you go. The lagoon is very shallow in parts and it’s pretty much a no-go if the tide is on the ebb. We had a couple hours of high tide but my colleagues still managed to get fetched up on a sandbar at one hilarious point during our journey on the lagoon.

Donnie had counseled us to never get out of the kayak—lest one run the risk of stepping on one of the huge rays that populate the lagoon. And he also gave us the warning about leopard sharks. “Don’t get bit by one.” Okay. And, leave the darn seals alone. Will do. They’re everywhere in the lagoon and fun to watch as they pop up around the kayaks. But keep your distance, as contacts with humans can only end badly for the sea mammals.

Well, what about those pelicans? It’s starting to feel a little Hitchcock out here with all these swooping birds. My theory is that the massive birds use their flapping wings to stir up the mucky bottom, and

»»

Stinson Beach Vacation Rental Specialists

Oceanic Realty

Call us and we can help you find the rental property that fits your needs and budget!

415.868.0717 • www.oceanicrealty.com contact@oceanicrealty.com

Our Stinson Beach activities were mostly sea-bound but there’s lots of ways to idle away an afternoon in the town-proper. ««

release little worms and crustaceans into the current, that the birds then consume via that characteristic gullet of theirs. Sort of how certain fish do it—flap the muck, enjoy a sea urchin. Sounds like a plan, right?

I’m out here in the lagoon with a very old and dear friend and his son, who’s about to head off to his first year of college after a lateAugust journey to the West Marin hinterlands with dad. When we ran aground on the sandbar, to much hilarity, I’m reminded of a story about Albert Einstein, who was a sailor on top of all that scientific mumbo-jumbo.

Einstein, it was said, used to like to deliberately fetch himself up on a sandbar and didn’t mind waiting out the tide so he could be freed from it. He’d just sort of sit there marveling at astronomy, the tides.

Unlike Einstein, we’re on a bit of a clock here, so the boys exit the kayaks in ankle-deep water and drag them into a deeper channel, and we continue apace. The pelicans are meanwhile blowing our collective minds with their airborne gymnastics and loud crashes into the water.

Our Stinson Beach activities were mostly sea-bound but there’s lots of ways to idle away an

18

EXPLORE THE NORTH BAY 2020

afternoon in the town-proper.

There’s even some old-line Rothschild bucks out here, I’m told—but the town is also famous for its Grateful Dead connections: The Stinson Beach post office was for decades the place Deadheads sent their mail-order money for concert tickets. In case you missed it, the local Bolinas Hearsay News recently highlighted the high-low Dead connections to Stinson when it reprinted an Annie Liebowitz Rolling Stone photo of Jerry Garcia on the long and sandy beach that gives the town its name.

The main Stinson Beach drag comes and goes before you know it but it’s jam-packed with possibilities, and the perfect launch point for a day going up and down the Dipsea Trail or one of the other numerous trails that spin out from here and up into the Mt. Tamalpais watershed.

Stop in at the Stinson Beach Market before your hike to load up on deli sandwiches or to just grab a bottled water. The newish outdoor coffee kiosk next to the market is perfect for a hot cup of coffee on a cool and foggy morning when you’ve got the top of Tam on the brain.

For sit-down eateries of note, Stinson’s got a couple of standouts

for piscatarians, view-hogs or folks out for a romantic turn at a sitdown place. The Siren Canteen serves multiple purposes—it’s at once a quick stop for a beachie lunch of burgers and fries, and it also boasts what’s perhaps the most peace-of-mind inspiring view out the window this side of Tony’s Seafood’s bay-side bounty in tiny Marshall up the coast.

Back at the Siren, the burgers are basic and kid-pleasing, but don’t pass up on the stellar rockfish tacos they pump out of the kitchen here—among other tacos on the menu that include pulled pork and carne asada. My experience is you’ll want to order three tacos, and eat them in rapid succession, without sharing. The fish version stands out among a Mexican-rich array of items: the pico is piquant, the crema is zesty and luscious—and oh, that view.

For a proper sit-down meal, the Parkside’s got a chair waiting for you right now and an expansive menu that features one of the great breakfast selections in all of Marin County. Yes, there’s avocado toast (live a little with some prosciutto added on) and a bowl of steel cut oatmeal may seem a bit on the twee side—but hey, it’s Stinson Beach. I’m partial

to a coma-inducing platter of steak and eggs and the Parkside’s the place to go after you’ve gotten that big book deal and feel the need to celebrate over breakfast of petite fillet, grilled asparagus, etc. etc. etc. and truffle oil too. Wait, what book deal?

With a bellyful of morning beef as your guide, now it’s time for a stroll down the main drag, where there’s a little bit of everything: Stinson Beach Books is a surprisingly capacious shop that not only carries the must-read New York Times beach book of the summer, but covers the tourist base with lots of postcards—along with a big selection of kitchen and table linens. (On that note, the inviting Stinson Beach public library, part of the Marin library system, is a friendly local bookend to the town’s reading-materials retailer).

On the visual arts front, be sure to keep an eye peeled for the everexpanding and popular Stinson Beach Documentary Film Festival that’s been lighting up the town the past several Novembers and is poised to do so again this year. Until then, Claudia Chapline Gallery & Sculpture Garden offers limited weekend hours (Sat-Sun Noon-5pm) and tours by appointment.

Not to get all corny about it, but there’s an argument to be made that Stinson Beach is itself a poem painted on a dream. That’s heavy thinking man, which is only possible after consuming a breakfast steak and spending the morning at Red Rocks Beach, in the nude. You could say the same about much of West Marin, whether nude or not, and I just spent the past week saying as much to my West Marin visitors.

Just a few minutes north of the Golden Gate, yet a million miles away.

Call today to reserve your beach house...for a week, a summer or a lifetime.

Real Estate Sales and Premium Vacation Rentals www.seadrift.com or 415.868.1791 PacSun halfpageexplore the northbay 100717.indd 1

DRE#01862089 10/7/2017 1:27:44 PM

Yoda and Indiana Jones cameo in San Anselmo’s Imagination Park.

SAN ANSELMO’S

Quaint Marin town blows mind of our Brautigan-reading correspondent BY AIYANA MOYA

T

20

EXPLORE THE NORTH BAY 2020

SHAKSHUKA AND A LUCKY TABLE I was optimistic about finding a breakfast place just by driving down San Anselmo’s main street, but my huhbb er had taken over decision-making by this point, so I pulled over in front of the first bustling restaurant I saw, a bakery-and-restaurant meld called M.H. Bread and Butter.

It was already crowded at 9:30 a.m. in the morning, with people resorting to sitting at the wooden tables outside despite the cold weather and the intermittent drizzle.

I went up to the cashier to place my order, and asked for his favorite item on the menu.

“Well, how hungry are you?” he asked.

Always one for theatrics when food is involved, I replied breathily as if I had just ran there instead of sitting in the car for an hour: “I’m, like, starving!”

“OK, you should get the shshski,” he answered confidently.

I nodded without a clue to the word he had just muttered. Out of the corner of my eye, I spied a couple leaving their table and sped-walked over to it. Then I examined the menu to decipher what exactly I had gotten for breakfast.

The cashier had actually said shakshuka, a Middle Eastern dish of eggs (I ordered mine poached) over a sauce of tomatoes

PHOTO BY SHANNON FERGUSON

hough I grew up within an hour of San Anselmo, until recently, I barely had a sense of where it was, much less what it had to offer. Rather than rely on some Google algorithm, I decided to resort to my sleuthing skills as I made my way to this quaint, Marin-county town.

Sleuthing? Well, OK, I decided to wander around town until I found something (or someone) interesting. It did not take long.

««

plus the chicken apple sausage.

It was amazing. The sauce tasted like a hearty tomato vegetable soup, and the eggs on top were delicious. The coffee was strong, the meal was filling. I was about to leave when the elderly man next to me complimented the Richard Brautigan book I was reading.

“I can always come back to his books,” he said, smiling.

Recognizing an opportunity when it falls in my lap, I asked if he was a local and had any suggestions for my day. “Well, when I was younger I would run up to the Seminary school on the hill.”

I left the table to the next customers and headed outside.

THE SAN FRANCISCO THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY The Seminary school he was referring to is a castle-like Presbyterian graduate school located on a hill in the middle of San Anselmo, built in the 1890s.

Because it’s on a hill, it offers a striking view of San Anselmo.

Multiple picnic tables and places to sit are scattered around the campus, so after exploring the buildings that were open (the university has a much more beautiful exterior than interior), I sat watching the fog sink between the trees in the distance. The drizzling had stopped, and if I hadn’t just eaten, this would have been the perfect lunch spot for a picnic. I could have sat there for a few hours, but I was on a mission!

San Anselmo Avenue is a great street for lazy meandering on a Sunday afternoon, if only to gaze at all the upscale-oriented clothes and cool home decorations. And for lovers of the printed word,

Whyte’s Booksmith sells new and used books at affordable prices in a cozy store that’s been open for almost four decades. The inside is decorated with chandeliers and string lights offering a warm and quirky atmosphere, and the titles range from the popular to the obscure.

Just down the street from Whyte’s is the Imagination Park, situated downtown. It’s an unlikely pairing of heroes situated on either side of a fountain: George Lucas’s Yoda and Indiana Jones. (Lucas is a local, don’t you know.) Yoda looks serenely off into the distance while Jones looks as swoon-worthy as ever, shirt slightly unbuttoned to reveal those steely chest muscles.

Pro tip: if you lean in too far while throwing a penny into the fountain and almost trip in it, play it off by pretending to studiously examine the skull embedded between Indiana’s shoes.

Why Did I Come on a Sunday?

My hunger now at bay from a filling and wholesome breakfast, I parked downtown and walked to Robson-Harrington House Park.

This park used to be an estate owned successively by two wealthy families from the 1860s up until 1968, when it was bequeathed to the town of San Anselmo.

Now it’s open to the public, and also offers a community garden farmed exclusively through organic methods. Brick walls decorate the paths, and a large deck with a picnic table overlooks the park from the top of a small hill.

There are multiple benches, often situated beneath sweet-smelling apple blossoms. The house at the top of the park is generally open to the public, but not on Sundays.

I helped myself to an orange from a tree in the garden, and realized I was beginning to get hungry again, so I walked back into town.

HAPPY HOUR I walked over to Creekside Pizza & Taproom for a late lunch of pizza and beer. American staples!

Creekside was fairly empty in the late afternoon. The waitress informed me happy hour was from 4pm to 5pm, with all beer and wine priced at $4 and appetizers getting a few bucks shaved off, so I waited 15 minutes before ordering an East Brother Red IPA and the burrata ($13 happy hour price). The burrata was a delicious mess, served with toast to help scoop up the cheesy goo, with uncured salami and a light salad on the side.

The waitress was very friendly, offering samples of each of the four IPAs she recommended, and even bringing over a sample when I mentioned I like stouts as well.

While I am not the best critic on beer, I can confidently say the Red IPA tasted like a good Red IPA. The taproom offers 40 beers on tap, with over 30 from craft breweries, so for all the beer fanatics out there, there is a broad selection to choose from.

ALWAYS PREPARED Last on my list was a small hike on a trail that leads to the top of the San Anselmo hills. This was the perfect length of hike for me, one-third of a mile each way, my Goldilocks distance: not too short that I felt like I got no exercise and not so long I started to question the appeal of hiking. I had even brought my boots, anticipating

muddy paths. The trail was beautiful, with tall eucalyptus trees lining the path and wild daffodils sprouting up amidst the very slippery mud. I had foolishly saved this trail for last, scoffing at a hike that was under a mile taking more than 30 minutes, and while I reached the top of the hill in time to see some pink wisps decorating the sky above the ocean, the walk back down quickly became more challenging with the fading daylight.

DINNER TIME I arrived for dinner at around 7:30 p.m. at Cucina, and was seated immediately (eating out solo really does have its perks).

The hostess led me to a small room with a long, L-shaped couch where I nestled in among the almost-overwhelming number of cushions. Having worked up an appetite after that grueling twothirds of a mile hike, I naturally ordered way more than I could eat: arancini risotto cheese balls with prosciutto, butternut squash ravioli with sage and butter and the special of the night, salmon with vegetables. Everything was delicious and rich, and tasted great as leftovers for lunch the next day when I sat down to savor my San Anselmo visit and write about it.

I thought about how nice it was to experience a town from local recommendations, rather than formulating an itinerary from Google searches. There’s a lot we can lose when we have all the information presented as condensed facts: the kindness of strangers, a small beautiful park.

But it’s time to go—OK, Google, directions home...

2020 EXPLORE THE NORTH BAY

21

JAMES KNIGHT

The croutons at Left Bank are an unexpected treat.

LARKSPUR’S LEFT BANK

Brasserie celebrates liberté, égalité and fraternité fries BY JAMES KNIGHT

T

he Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit has one feature in common with the Paris Metro: It’ll take you to a good brasserie.

It’s a smart way to catch a six o’clock dinner in Larkspur, without the hassle of rush-hour traffic. The only hitch is the socalled “last mile” of the trip, or rather, about five miles, in this example. But they’re easily covered on à bicyclette, by way of off-street paths between the San Rafael station and Left Bank Brasserie in downtown Larkspur.

It’s unnecessary to carry a baguette under

22

EXPLORE THE NORTH BAY 2020

my arm on this trip because the Brasserie has that covered with fresh Acme Bread slices. Served with creamy butter.

Speaking of butter, the requisite dish of escargot is cooked in Pernod garlic butter but I pass on the Gallic specialty. Instead, Chef David Bastide nudges me toward the smoked salmon rillette appetizer, a dish whose only defect is not offering enough toast points for the veritable salad of salmon with cucumber, tomato and onion.

Bastide, whose full title is Maître Cuisinier de France, is in town to help the kitchen with the seasonally-focused menu.

I ask, with a generous lack of couth, “So,

someone referred to Left Bank as a chain— what do you call it?”

Bastide explains that two locations closed after 2008, and only two other Left Bank restaurants remain—in San Jose and Menlo Park. Larkspur is the flagship location, this year celebrating its 25th anniversary.

The restaurant sure looks at home in this historic spot, and so do the patrons, settling in at tables, booths and at outdoor seating overlooking Magnolia Avenue.

This is no restaurant review based on three anonymous visits—I don’t own enough wigs, not to mention the ROI would diminish quickly, as I swoon over any salad that sports an egg, settled upon frisée, that’s executed to fool me into thinking it’s a dollop of fresh cream. Enter the Lyonnaise salad.

And what’s this—a crispy bacon lardon?

No. Enter the crouton.

The humble crouton is what gets me, in the end. I come from a station in our society where croutons are dried-out crusts of bread. But this rich cube of saturated bready goodness—can this be my pièce de résistance? Or are the samples of Provençal rosé and Sancerre my affable server drops by with each course are now talking?

The wine list is broad but strictly limited to California and France. There are two Malbecs—but from Cahors. And three Zinfandels, a win for the West Coast.

The menu’s rout almondine and lamb shank Provençal sound enticing. While the burger Américain is more economical than the Frenchified raclette burger, I have to go with Boeuf Bourguignon.

This beef stew of Burgundy sports halved baby carrots, button mushrooms, pearl onions and slices of fingerling potatoes—nothing crazy here, all classic.

Yet, the proof is in the pudding, or rather, the sauce, which is like an umami dream team of wine and beef combining to make a light, intensely-flavored sauce. Alas, it’s going to take more than five miles to burn off this much bonne cuisine.

Woodsy Fairfax is reminiscent of the Marin of yesteryear.

VINTAGE MARIN Fairfax keeps the old school vibe alive

BY TIFFANY TCHOBANIAN

W

alking through Downtown Fairfax feels like stepping back in time. The hospitable small town nestled in the wooded hills surrounding Marin County’s Mount Tamalpais emits a Hallmark-movie vibe—but only if the movie featured ecoloving locals who hang out at the clothing-optional Frogs Hots Tub sauna downtown.

24

EXPLORE THE NORTH BAY 2020

Stunningly colorful murals and vibrant eclectic artwork capture the town’s creative spirit—and illustrate Fairfax’s claim to fame. It’s no big secret in these parts that mountain biking originated in Fairfax, and cycling is still a favored means of transportation for many environmentally conscious Marinites.

Spend a day wandering or wheeling around town, and friendly faces are apt to greet you at each establishment, nearly all of which are mom-and-pop shops, offering an array of goods up and down the old-school

chart. Fairfax may be small, but there are many hidden gems to explore.

The change of pace is immediately felt after turning off of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and casually cruising onto Broadway and Bolinas Road. These intersecting streets serve as the center of downtown Fairfax. Downtown’s mixed architecture and appealing aesthetic reflects the town’s diversity, simplicity, sustainability and openness.

Mesmerizing murals and mosaics are scattered throughout Fairfax. Like an

urban archeologist, I spent some time studying these detailed works of art. One very colorful bench honors cycling with a bold label: “REPACK.” A small caption explains, “The name ‘Repack’ stems from the coaster-brake era, after a trip down the hill all the grease in a coaster brake turns to smoke and it’s time to repack the hub.”

The Marin Museum of Bicycling and Mountain Bike Hall of Fame is a well-known destination in town. The giant mountain bike displayed in front of the building signals a destination that’s unmissable while driving down Sir Francis Drake. There is also a small monumental brick wall out front full of tributes to companies, people and places associated with Marin County’s legendary bike culture.

Now for a little bit of shopping.

Fairfax Variety (located under a dental office on Broadway) has a little bit of everything. It’s your onestop shop for kitchen accessories, art supplies, party decorations, greeting cards, toys, candies, figurines, clothing accessories and more. I even saw miniature glossy figurines of animals and mythical creatures that I used to collect as a child. Metro-chic Revolution 9 provides playful collections of cute knick-knacks from the past, vintage posters, graphic tees, Funko Pops, stuffed animals and more imaginative goodies.

An eye-catching, sky-bluepainted building immediately lured me into a gift shop appropriately called Bliss Fairfax.

A pearly interior invites shoppers into a serene and heavenly

whimsical atmosphere. Artwork featuring unicorns, adorable treasures for little girls and displays of sparkly jewelry is all a feast for the eyes.

Marin County is known for going green. The Herban Garden is a perfect example of new eco-friendly boutiques that sell merchandise with a conscience. Candles, clothes, beauty, jewelry, home décor and kitchen-wares are organic, fair trade, hand-crafted and made from recycled materials in the U.S.A. Keep your eyes peeled while meandering down the street.

Some tucked-away places are easy to miss, so pay attention to signs guiding you toward establishments located in alleys or upper levels. You never know what kind of gifts you can find.

After popping in and out of quaint shops all along Bolinas Road, I reached a park across from the town hall and police station. It’s the perfect space to walk your dog or rest on a wooden bench located in an embrace of towering redwood trees.

A stone structure sits in tribute to the armed services and is dedicated to all who helped in their efforts.

Goosebumps rushed over me as I read the bronze plaque explaining all of the thoughtful symbolism: The live redwood represents the different branches of the Armed Forces.

The cut stump, for those cut down in the Supreme Sacrifice.

The decayed stump, that beauty, and good can come from Sacrifice.

The drinking fountain, as our

Life’s Blood.

The hedge trees, are our people standing behind the Armed Forces.

The small boxwoods, are our children looking towards them.

It’s a moving sight, which can be easily missed if you don’t take the time to stroll around—another token of the old-fashioned sentiments found in this welcoming town.

Around the corner, you’ll find a more playful space. The community center hosts classes and events. The adjacent Peri Park has picnic tables, jungle gyms, swing sets and other wonders to entertain your child’s whims.

You’ll work up an appetite exploring all day. I started the day off with breakfast at The Hummingbird. Their sourdough french toast is delicious—light, fluffy and savory. The syrup is sweet but not overpowering. It is a small, homey hotspot with a casual atmosphere. They are also known for their beignets and other New Orleans treats—just know it’s a cash-only place.

Downtown hosts international flavors that will suit your multiple cravings. Mexican, Japanese, Indian, Thai, Italian and American cuisine—a little bit of everything.

Grab a beer and brat at Gestalt Haus, where they have parking for your bike. There are actually a few biker-friendly eateries in town.

Fairfax is also known for its nightlife—there are lots of popular local musicians and open

mics. Peri’s Silver Dollar Bar’s groovy ambiance has entertained patrons for 80 years. Live music, bar games and a disco ball illuminating the outdoor patio are all alluring aspects of this iconic joint. You have to love a place that decorates the ladies’ room with Elvis Presley memorabilia.

More adventures await if you journey outside of downtown.

Mt. Tam Watershed and its surroundings have trails for driving, walking (with dogs), biking and horse riding. It’s a slow and long drive up a winding road to the lake and alpine reservoir along Fairfax-Bolinas Road. I really wanted to see waterfalls, but the muddy hillsides were a little nerve-wracking. Instead of venturing miles ahead, I pulled aside at an early vista spot.

The views are breathtaking.

Vast and plush forests adorn the mountainscape and in the distance, the curving road cuts through evergreen trees leading to the glistening Alpine Lake, which adds the illustrious sparkle as light from the misty sky reflects off the water.

Now head back to town for a shop at the large and legendary Good Earth Natural Foods.

Stick around awhile—check out a show at 19 Broadway, where highlights include a first-Friday monthly dancehall Reggae show; or check out a movie at the Fairfax Theater. And here I thought quaint, nostalgic, eco-friendly towns with welcoming folks and tons of fun stuff to do only existed in the movies. Not so!

2020 EXPLORE THE NORTH BAY

25

COFFEE FROM AFAR San Rafael’s Kamson Coffee sources its beans from the highlands of northern Thailand BY AMELIA MALPAS

L

ina Kamson didn’t always dream of starting a cafe. Heck, she used to not even drink coffee.

For the last few years, however, she’s been doing a lot of both.

Ever since its doors opened and its espresso machines turned on for the first time, Kamson Coffee has been winning customers over from other small-batch roasteries in the area. Its claim to fame? It only uses coffee grown in Thailand, and it’s the sole purveyor of Thai-

26

EXPLORE THE NORTH BAY 2020

grown coffee in the North Bay. According to Kamson, northern Thailand grows fine, 100 percent-arabica coffee. Kamson Coffee serves it, and customers, Kamson says, are excited by both a new cafe in San Rafael and its niche, single-source product.

For Kamson, the story is more personal than just making coffee that tastes great.

She was born and raised in a small village in northern Thailand. “Ever since I was young,” Kamson says, “I always wanted to do something in the hopes [of] help[ing] out

people from the villages back home.”

Kamson Coffee is her chance to do it.

In rural, northern Thailand, it’s difficult to sustain a living because there’s a lack of economic opportunity, she says.

“Originally,” Kamson says, “the hill tribes would grow opium. Eventually, the previous king, Rama 9, introduced coffee plants to reduce drug addiction and human trafficking.”

“I wasn’t a coffee drinker until I witnessed how hard the hill tribes work in order for us to hold a good cup of coffee,” she says. The

»»

An award winning family owned & operated Italian Restaurant for the last 18 years!

Voted Best Italian Restaurant, Best Chef, and Best Place for a Business Lunch ildavide.net | 901 A Street | San Rafael | 415.454.8080 | Open for Lunch and Dinner | Hrs: Sun 4pm–9pm, Tue–Sat 11:30am–10pm

“Store with Confidence”

Open 7 Days a Week • Free Parking

««

workers, she says, handpick every coffee bean “at three in the morning, on uneven ground infested with mosquitoes and ants.”

Four years ago, after visiting the coffee farms in that region, Kamson—then a manager of an IT business—started dreaming about opening a cafe that only sold this coffee. She started the project in earnest a year later, taking classes about managing coffee bars and roasting beans.

Kamson then built a direct relationship with northern Thai micro coffee farms, which are supported by the agricultural department of Chiang Mai University.

“We are heavily involved with the university to engage with the farmers in hopes that it will serve as a sustainable alternative to the opium trade and human trafficking,” she says.

“The results of our efforts create a fascinating experience in the cup, as well as healthy and prosperous communities at the origin.”

At first, she was worried it would be difficult to break into the San Rafael coffee scene. But, she says, “we are serving a premium product with great customer service.”

Kamson hopes more people learn about, and learn to love, the taste of Thai coffee through drinking Kamson Coffee. The more people in the North Bay who drink Thai coffee, Kamson says, “the more support we will all receive.”

Kamson keeps the people who pick the coffee—and who inspired her to start the cafe—at the forefront of her mind. “Every time I drink my coffee, I make sure to appreciate it even more.”

28

EXPLORE THE NORTH BAY 2020

SPIN CYCLE

Marin’s Museum of International Propaganda

BY TOM GOGOLA

L

ilka Areton, director of the Museum of International Propaganda, is seated at her desk hovering over an issue of Der Adler on a recent Friday afternoon in San Rafael. It’s a vintage issue of the German magazine that dates back to World War II, and she’s visibly stunned at the juxtaposition of content.

As she thumbs through the pages, Areton expresses a kind

of knowing astonishment at the magazine. It’s a recent acquisition for the museum, which opened three years ago as an extension of the student-exchange program she and her husband, Thomas Areton, run out of a nearby San Rafael office.

Areton lets out a few clucks at the pages of the general interest German magazine, which vacillates between celebrations of Hitler’s era and more prosaic celebrations of Christmas in wartime Germany, articles about dance concerts, advertisements selling mundane bits of consumer product to the German people that

stood by while Hitler rampaged across Europe.

There’s nothing in these pages, says Areton, that would indicate any of the horrific activities undertaken by the Nazis, no hint of the raging anti-Semitism that helped give rise to Hitler, no sign of any concentration camps for a European Jewry hideously victimized by the Nazis during the Holocaust. She sighs and closes the bound copy that contains several issues of the magazine.

A giant poster of Vladimir Lenin hangs behind the front desk at the museum. The place is itself chock-full of all sorts of

engaging political agitprop from nations and regimes around the world, from North Korea to South Africa to Cuba to the Soviet Union.

The Chinese Cultural Revolution is on full display, and local artist Patrick Gannon has contributed a painting called Guernica 2017 that’s an amazing reproduction of the famed Picasso painting that chronicled the destruction of the Basque by the Nazis during the Spanish Civil War. Lately, the Aretons have been engaged with the question of how to grapple with the Trump phenomenon, which arrived in this country with its own set of propaganda markers: The Make America Great Again hats. The Deplorables for Trump T-shirts.

Barack Obama’s birth certificate.

The plastic straws that read Trump in 2020.

If nothing else, future historians may interpret this era as the moment America fully capitulated to the politics of governance-as-spectacle.

But visitors to the museum will find scant evidence that a master propagandist has seized the White House, and that’s by design. The museum, says Areton, has become something of a lightning rod for locals, a place for people to write their own politics on the walls of the museum, metaphorically speaking, to find a place where their political voice can be heard.

Areton is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley and the child of a Marxist father who sent her

to Russia when she was in her early 20s. She lived in Peru and worked with the Peace Corps; her family was persecuted during the McCarthy era and the experiences left Areton with a fierce libertarian streak that, she says, her husband eventually embraced. Thomas’ mother survived Auschwitz and lived in then-Czechoslovakia under Soviet control. The museum features a compelling side-byside photo comparison from Slovakia taken before and after the Soviet occupation.

The latter scenes are far more welcoming in that they don’t contain any barbed wire–topped fencing and look like photos taken at a park. There’s also a snip of barbed wire from the

demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea, to go along with a few posters of classic North Korean propaganda.

There’s a question that hangs in the air while one takes in the posters and paintings and ephemera at the museum—the Gorbachev key chain, the Reagan bedroom slippers, the huge Guernica 2017 painting, the vibrant, politically charged posters all conspire to create a sense of kitsch met with a broader culture war that’s raging, if not in the streets then at least online.

The question is generally framed as “Do art and politics mix?” but here the answer is simple: Of course they do. But as Lilka Areton observes, the issue is how do they mix, and to what end.

fOOD. muSIC. fuN. ExpERIENCE TERRApIN CROSSROADS

TERRAPIN CROSSROADS reservations@ terrapincrossroads.net 100 YACHT CLUB DRIVE SAN RAFAEL, CA 94901 415.524.2773 HOURS: M–F 4–9:30, SA–SU 11:00–9:30

Terrapin Crossroads is a restaurant and music venue owned by Grateful Dead bassist phil Lesh located in Central San Rafael.

Terrapin has been built as a destination for artistic expression and exploration within our community. Enjoy free live music every night in the bar, treat yourself to a show in the state of the art Grate Room or enjoy a game of bocce in Beach park.

The calendar is packed with activities such as yoga, holiday celebrations, kids events, craft classes and more.

The Tides Wharf & Restaurant

Crab Feeds 2019–2020

Fridays, December 20, 2019 — March 20, 2020 December 20, January 17, January 31 February 7, February 28, March 6, & March 20

Includes:

Chilled Dungeness Crab ~ Cocktail Sauce ~ Drawn Butter Tides’ Mustard Sauce ~ Clam Chowder ~ Pasta ~ Green Salad ~ French Bread

Crab Feed Reservations 707.875.3652 OVERNIGHT ACCOMMODATIONS Special Room Rates available at The Inn at the Tides 800.541.7788

The Tides Wharf 707.875.3652 • 835 Hwy 1, Bodega Bay • www.InnattheTides.com

Inn at the Tides ~ Bay View Restaurant & Bar BODEGA BAY

2020 Winter–Spring Wine Dinner Series JANUARY 24 Matanzas Creek Winery

APRIL 24 Hartford Family Winery

FEBRUARY 21 Hall Family Wines

MAY 15 Grgich Hills Estate

MARCH 13 Landmark Vineyards

JUNE 5 Alexander Valley Vineyards

800 Hwy 1, Bodega Bay • 707.875.2751 • www.InnattheTides.com or OpenTable.com

DAEDALUS HOWELL

AYE, AYE, CAPTAIN The Marshall Store is one of the gems along Highway 1 on Tomales Bay.

BIVALVE-CURIOUS IN WEST MARIN

The Marshall Store Oyster Bar and Smokehouse

T

o make your way successfully through West Marin, your going to need a few essential elements—a dependable car (juiced up with a full complement of electricity or some kind of fossil fuel), an appreciation of lush rolling hills, and patience.

32

EXPLORE THE NORTH BAY 2020

This is the scenic route after all and since you’re a considerate motorist and a good steward of aesthetic experiences (you’re reading this magazine aren’t you?), you should savor this drive at around 40 miles an hour. It’s curvy, it’s green, and tantamount to a cruise through The Shire of Tolkien fame but without all the “Hobbit Crossing” signs.

With any luck, the road you’re on will eventually intersect with Highway 1—as in,

BY DAEDALUS HOWELL

yes, the primo, numero uno, first highway on the map. This is salient because for two reasons. A) Its natural, coastal beauty will make you wonder why the architects of America’s highways didn’t just quit while they were ahead. And B) this ribbon of coastal causeway represents the Northern California about which you brag to your outlander friends. It makes you feel you’re starring in your own car commercial.

After you’ve done the drive for a bit,

»»

HAPPY HOUR 3 - 6 pm

WE’RE OPEN!

5000 Roberts Lake Road, Rohnert Park, CA (707) 585-2722 • Open Daily at 11:30 am

www.cowgirlcreamery.com

BAY BEAUTY The natural spledor of Tomales Bay adds to the outdoor ambiance of The Marshall Store.

««

it’s time to amplify your West Marin experience with a seaside luncheon. Here, you have many worthy choices but the one that’s caught your editor’s eye most recently is the Marshall Store.

Heading seaward from where Sonoma and Marin counties share a secret nuzzle beneath a blanket of verdant flora and fog, the Marshall Store is just a quick left from Marshall Petaluma Road.

Pro tip: Park as soon as you can.

As far away as your destination as it may seem, and as treacherous as strolling the shoulder of Highway 1 can be, it’s nothing compared to heartsickness you’ll experience as you pass the Marshall Store with the vain hope of eventually making a U-turn for another go at parking. It ain’t gonna happen.

Depending on the direction of

34

EXPLORE THE NORTH BAY 2020

your travel, you’ll either be in Bolinas or Point Reyes by the time you can safely turnaround and try again.

When you stroll toward the Marshall Store, you will recognize right off that its name is something of a misnomer. It’s not a store so much as a roadside restaurant, though one might be persnickety enough to insist that a restaurant is technically a “food store.” Another observation you’re likely to make is that there are people everywhere, dozens upon dozens, a horde, and all facing the quaint structure that hugs the coast and juts out over Tomales Bay. That long chain of humanity is the line. They’re happy to be there and it moves at a good pace. That said, bring a friend because your phone won’t have reception out

there so you’re going to have to be social. If you’re traveling solo, however, the crowd is a friendly one and you’re likely to participate in some low-stakes banter. It’s going to happen anyway since the scenic outdoor seating (which you totally want) is comprised of long, shared tables.

The Marshall Store gives off the ambient energy of a “happening,” there’s a palpable bonhomie in the crisp air as well as the implicit promise that everything is worth the wait. And it is.

On reconnaissance, this reporter went old school and ordered a half dozen locally-raised oysters, served raw on the half shell with lemon wedges and a piquant mignonette.

If you’re new to oysters but are bivalve-curious, this is the way to start — a pure, unmitigated experience. These oysters were fresh and cool umami bombs with a wonderful hint of bayborne salinity and a pleasant resistance to the teeth. Paired with a Lagunitas IPA and this was handily the best oyster experience I’ve ever had — a sentiment cheerfully echoed by proprietor Shannon Gregory.

“We've got the best oysters in America,” he says matter-of-factly.

One would be hard-pressed to disagree. When asked to describe the Marshall Store experience to someone who’s just parachuted into this bucolic reality from some other plane of existence, Gregory is game: “Well, you know, you just moved here from the Midwest probably—somewhere where there's no water. And you get to Petaluma and suddenly you're in between Napa and the ocean,” he says. “It's really beautiful. You

will be completely melted by the water and the view of the national park. You’ll come in and go to the counter and see one of my really cool employees, who will answer all your questions. You get some wine and a bowl of chowder. You can sit down on the water and drink some wine and the oysters will be brought right out. We take care of you. There's not too much else you need.”

I concur—though there’s much more on the menu. On this particular afternoon, highlights on the specials menus included a local house-smoked salmon plate served with local Fromage Blanc Cheese, crostinis, and house-pickled veggies; a Cubano sandwich made of house-smoked pork loin and pulled pork, melted Pt. Reyes Toma cheese, a housemade pineapple relish, bread and butter pickles, and whole grain mustard, served on the herbed focaccia bread from Acme Baker; and a grilled cheese sandwich featuring local cheeses (Toma from Point Reyes Cheese, Fromage Blanc from Cowgirl Creamery and Folly from Toluma Farmstead Creamery) with bacon, house-made cherry tomato onion jam, and served on the Acme Bakery’s herbed focaccia bread.

Think of Marshall Store’s offerings as comfort food for discerning palates and you’re in the vicinity. Get in your car and head to Marshall and you’re even closer.

“People from San Francisco come because they can make an hour and a half drive and be completely out of the city and feel like they've gone five or six hours away,” explains Gregory, who adds, “But they're not — and they can get some dinner.”

RIGGERS LOFT WINE COMPANY

...your urban winery on the bay

Situated on the edge of the Bay looking across to the SF skyline, Riggers Loft is versatile, urban-chic, with soaring trusses above and windows all around.

The perfect home for your special occasion or corporate event. Or, just come and relax over wine or cider and food.

• Best & largest selection of safe, quality toys north of the Golden Gate • Best help choosing the perfect toy or gift • Best environment for kids • Best selection of non–violent, creative toys • Best customers anywhere!!!

Free Gift Wrap!

Mention the code: E xploreRigger s or show this ad.

Then, buy your self a flight of wine and/or cider, and your friend will receive a flight for free!

WINE BAR | TASTING ROOM | EVENT SPACE | LIVE MUSIC | FOOD

WHERE THE EXPERIENCE WILL LEAD TO MEMORIES AT OUR EXPANDED FLAGSHIP STORE CENTRALIZED IN SEBASTOPOL’S VIBRANT DOWNTOWN PLAZA

THANK YOU FOR 42 YEARS OF LOCAL SUPPORT NOW MORE THAN EVER

Sebastopol • On the Plaza across from Whole Foods 707.829.2003 • sonomatoyworks.com

Located in the Heart of Sebastopol’s vibrant Shopping District

INFO@RBCELL A R S.COM | RIGGER SLOF T WINE .COM 1325 Canal Blvd, Richmond, CA 94804

VISIT CALISTOGA

Calistoga has many offerings for locals and visitors alike.

DOWNTOWN CALISTOGA CALLING A walkable whimsical town

I

f you live in the North Bay, odds are that you’ve met at least one tourist who spent 10-plus hours in a plane to experience the culinary bounty and natural wonder that you can drive to any time you want. I don’t know about you, but that fact makes me feel a little guilty. This is balanced by the fact that, when on a travel writing assignment, I have to get up early.

36

EXPLORE THE NORTH BAY 2020

BY THOMAS BRODERICK

Yawning profusely, I set out before dawn.

Reaching Santa Rosa, I turned onto Highway 12 before making a left on Calistoga Road.

It was 28 degrees outside. A new record.

The commuter traffic dissipated after a few minutes, and I joined a short convoy of cars making the slow, windy journey up the ridge. Although the drive was a bit hair-raising for this local accustomed to valley floor cruising, the view became more beautiful with each passing second.

When I reached the crest that exposed the Napa Valley below, I was rewarded with

a moving sight: light fog drifting through redwood groves more than one thousand feet below me. No wonder so many artists call this place home.

I parked on Lincoln Avenue just after 8 a.m., and it seemed that most of Calistoga was still asleep, and the only people on the street were locals getting coffee or walking their dogs. I was desperately in need of warmth, caffeine and calories.

Cafe Sarafornia was one of the few open spots where I could take refuge from the biting cold. The only other diners were an

Winter in the Wineries Dec 7 to Feb 9

Complimentary wine tasting flights at 16 Calistoga wineries plus discounts on lodging, dining, shopping, and spa experiences. $60pp | Purchase @ VisitCalistoga.com

out-of-town couple and a few retirees. Warmed up by the coffee, I examined the breakfast menu and ordered the “2-two-2”—two pancakes, two strips of bacon and two scrambled eggs. The hearty meal arrived less than five minutes later. The two cakes were topped with tiny orange slices and a golf ball–size pat of butter.

Even after buttering up my cakes, there was still enough butter left for at least three more breakfasts.

I cleaned my plate—minus the remaining butter ball.

Why can’t I eat like this every day?

It was a little warmer outside, and if I was going to have lunch in a few hours, I had to start burning off that fat breakfast. It was time for a long walk. Like many first-

time visitors to Calistoga, I quickly noticed the natural geyser next to Indian Springs Calistoga, one of the many famous resorts where weary travelers soak in mineral water and mud. Strolling onto the Indian Springs grounds, I approached my goal: the geyser but my attention was nabbed by the stone maze on the property’s edge. Passersby must think I’m nuts, I thought as I tiptoed between the rocks.

Later, I spent an hour at Bella Bakery. The food, especially the impeccably glazed doughnuts that would make Homer Simpson drool, made me regret eating such a big breakfast. I got a coffee and busted out my laptop to do some work. Around me, Calistoga

locals came and went. It’s a rule that when you go to a town with a touristy reputation, the places that the locals visit are usually the best places.

Near the end of my time at Bella Bakery, a Hispanic man approached me. “Do you speak languages?” He asked. Having forgotten most of my high school French and college Japanese, I shook my head. “I speak five languages,” he said before greeting me in Spanish and French. “Do you know who invented the color television?” Again, I shook my head. “He was a Mexican. Bless you and have a good day.” He promptly turned and left the cafe.

After a moment of stunned silence, I got on Wikipedia. When

he was just 17, Guillermo González Camarena patented one of the first color TV transmission systems. And this was in 1934. How about that?

GETTING SEASONAL After briefly visiting the Yäger Galerie to set up an interview appointment for later in the day, it was time to start thinking about lunch.

A weekday during the offseason is a strange, but amazing, time to have a meal in Calistoga. In other words, restaurants may feel deserted, but you receive special attention no matter where you eat.

All Seasons has nearly a hundred seats, but only four were occupied as I stepped inside

»»

WORK ALL DAY, UP ALL NIGHT? WE’RE HERE FOR YOU. THANKS FOR VOTING US

BEST DINING AFTER 10PM

SONOMA COUNTY!

HAPPY HOUR EVERY DAY 4–6PM

299 DRAFT BEER

$

NO DUI— DELIVERY UNTIL 3AM

707.52NYPIE | 707.526.9743 NEW-YORK-PIE.com 65 Brookwood Ave, Santa Rosa

««

just after noon. Taking a small table near the window, I ordered a glass of 2016 Saddleback Cellars Vermentino, a cup of butternut squash soup and ahi tuna carpaccio. The wine was dry and light, and it reminded me of Granny Smith apple slices tossed in lemon juice. The soup was another delight, perfect for a Northern California winter day.

The smooth, creamy soup was even adorned with fried squash blossoms.

APPRECIATING THE PAST Just as ubiquitous as the spas in Calistoga are the antique stores.

And as a history nerd, I wondered which one would have items that related to California and Calistoga history. Seeing the century-old wine presses in front of ROAM Antiques & Design, I immediately knew that this store would be worth my time and then some.

Stepping inside, Shayna walked up to greet me. Shayna was a small, old white dog bundled up in a doggie sweater. I couldn’t help but scratch her behind the ears before introducing myself to her human, Barbra Hana-Austin. When she’s not helping out ROAM’s owner, Barbra keeps the past alive through her weekly podcast: Kosher Style Stories. In each episode, she weaves a yarn about her early life in New York City.

As I had hoped, the store featured many relics from California’s past, including various maps and a patinaed HewlettPackard test oscillator that was not just designed in Palo Alto, but actually built there in the 1950s.

Those were the days.

Tasting rooms are a dime a dozen in Calistoga, and for any new one to survive, it has to stand apart from the competition. No tasting room does this better than Tank Garage Winery, an establishment that for the last five years has served customers from a repurposed 1930s garage and gas station. This boutique winery solely produces one-off wines.

In other words, buy a bottle today—because once it’s gone, it’s gone forever.

What else sets Tank Garage apart—besides the prohibition-era décor, tasteful merch and fullyrestored Indian motorcycle—is the employees’ attitude towards the tasting experience. Heath Cooley, one of the most approachable hosts I have ever met, took me through Tank Garage's history while pouring me splashes of two smooth reds and two crisp whites, all blends of four to eight varietals.

Tank Garage’s two owners wanted to create an approachable and casual tasting room. I think they’ve succeeded tremendously.

The tasting room’s most interesting feature involves something visitors may not notice on their first or 10th visit: the floor. The concrete’s reddish tinge owes its existence to heavy metals in the soil; six decades of auto work will do that. Heath recalled that the EPA made them tear up the foundation twice before they finally approved it. The way Health told it, it sounded like the feds just got tired of coming out there. But rest assured, dear readers: it’s safe to visit.

Enrich. Educate. Entertain.

We are Your LBC

707.546.3600 | lutherburbankcenter.org

STORY

ALPHA OMEGA COLLECTIVE

STROLL GOALS Alpha Omega Collective on First Street is a must-visit stop on any visit to Napa.

NAPA TIME

A guide to the other Wine Country

N

apa, the largest city in Napa County, does not have an off-season. As proof, check out the heavy foot traffic at the corner of Main and First streets during the weeks following the grape harvest. The primary difference between Napa’s high seasons (spring, summer and fall) is in its lodging rates, which tend to drop during the time of year we locals call Cabernet Season.

Mornings may be near freezing, but by early afternoon, a sweater and/or scarf

40

EXPLORE THE NORTH BAY 2020

BY CHARLENE PETERS

is all that’s needed to comfortably roam the city that has recently experienced a renaissance—there’s an abundance of lodging options, tasting rooms, one-of-akind shops, restaurants, entertainment and wellness options, mostly located off Highway 29 , downtown and along the Napa Riverfront.

Leisure options are seemingly endless with choices that include The Opera House, weekend brunch and a concert at The Blue Note, the foodie paradise that is Oxbow Public Market, and a year-round farmers market every Saturday morning.

You can also book a themed excursion on the Napa Valley Wine Train. Vintage Pullman cars run north from Napa to

St. Helena and back again, with murder mystery rides, winery stops and express lunch excursions among its many options.

Four years ago, I was a visitor to Napa.

Today, I am a local, happy to share how best to spend a few days here, and I recommend a mix of well-known local hangouts, combined with “insider” hot spots for dining, indulgences and wine-centric experiences.

Morning might begin with a detox, in my case, to recover from yesterday’s sensory wine and food experience at Ashes & Diamonds. In fact, yesterday’s wine tasting was followed by more wine (hey, it happens); you might require a meatball and polenta starter, followed by pizza at Don Bistro Giovanni’s – a hangout for vintners in the Napa Valley.

Clearly, a wellness stop at True Rest Float Spa is in order. Inside a pod with your choice of colorful lighting options, a load of Epsom salts poured into a mere 10 inches of water dissolve to create an ideal floating environment. The pod experience is meditative but also healing, with benefits that include deeper sleep, decreased symptoms of jet lag, relief from chronic aches and pains, stress reduction, and a boost in endorphins for a pleasant sense of euphoria.

Pretend you’re an oyster; you can close your one-person pod (shell) fully, open it a crack, or leave it wide open during your one-hour soak. The experience varies by individual. Some floaters can feel their own heartbeat, allowing an unfolding of tensions and full relaxation – falling asleep is possible! Others might focus on the sound of their own breathing in order to reduce anxiety and come to complete calmness.

With no caffeine or breakfast before the Float Spa, I was more than ready – and you will be, too – to stop at Napa Valley Coffee Roasting Co. for a pick-me-up while strolling downtown.

The newest tasting experience is on the First Street block, at the Alpha Omega Collective, which is an umbrella brand for Alpha Omega, Tolosa and Perinet wineries. These three wineries are based in St. Helena, San Luis Obispo and in Spain, respectively, and owned by Robin and Michelle Baggett.

Take a seat in the al fresco tasting room and begin with a crisp, yet creamy unoaked Tolosa chardonnay made with grapes grown in San Luis Obispo. Then move on to my personal favorite:

an elegant ruby-toned 2016 Tolosa 1772 Pinot Noir.

A close second is the taste of Spain evident in a 2015 Perinet Red Blend of grenache, syrah, carignan, and cabernet sauvignon made with Spanish grapes grown in a region with vineyards covered in slate rocks.

Adjoining the tasting room is Pennington Provisions, where one can indulge in some cheese and charcuterie while seated at the Collective and chatting about wine.

You may choose to return later for some gourmet takeout at its offshoot, The Dutch Door, where kale salads and Spanish fried chicken are among some of the locally sourced, seasonal offerings available. You can grab and go or grab a seat at a sidewalk table and enjoy a glass of wine from the Collective with your food order.

A few blocks away, take the elevator at the Archer Hotel to Sky & Vine Rooftop Bar to try their unusual lobster corn dog, paired with a Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon. After all, it is Cabernet Season, when tannic cabernets are the most popular choice for sipping.

If it’s Brown Bag Wednesday, you can play a game of guess the vintner, varietal and vintage in a blind tasting format. Guess all three correctly and you’ll get the bottle in the bag for one dollar.

Before you go, be sure to check local listings to see if Blue Note Napa has any live musical performances; if so, you can purchase tickets online in advance.

No music today? Then head to the Westin Verasa Hotel, home to Chef Ken Frank’s Michelin-starred La Toque, whose Bank Café and Bar offers brunch until 3pm, followed by a late afternoon bar

With a new day of adventure in store, another way to clear your head after a full day of tasting and eating is to head down to the river for an hour or two of kayaking. menu with your choice of small plates and/or entrees. Begin with lobster-butter topped popcorn and a glass of Peju merlot and watch the bustling scene—see if you can guess the locals-to-visitor ratio.

Still hungry? Try their perfectly sautéed sea scallops with chorizo —and maybe order a side of cheesy grits.

With a new day of adventure in store, another way to clear your head after a full day of tasting and eating is to head down to the river for an hour or two of kayaking—in preparation for a lunch of moules frites and Chablis on the riverside deck at Angèle Restaurant and Bar. Feeling romantic? Opt for an afternoon at the Tuscan-inspired Spa Terra at the Meritage Resort.

Once upon a time, I enjoyed both a stay and a couples spa treatment inside the spa cave. Before a neck and shoulder massage, we enjoyed a couples soak in a jacuzzi while indulging on sparkling wine and chocolate truffles, all to the serenade of classical music.

Feeling like retail therapy is in order? Feast it Forward is the spot for kitchenware and wine-tasting.

Across the street is Oxbow Public Market—don’t pass by Kara’s for the amazing s’mores cupcakes Adjacent to Oxbow is Copia at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). You can’t miss it: bright

white sculptures of Robert and Magrit Mondavi are perched on its rooftop, toasting passersby.

OTHER NAPA HIGHLIGHTS The Wine Foundry/Anarchist Wine Co. offers guests the chance to explore each step of the production process with their new two-hour Crush Camp experience. Led by the Foundry’s Stuart Ake, visitors will sort, de-stem, and crush grapes, manage fermentations, and sample wines that are two hours; two days; and two weeks old.

Downtown Napa’s newest tasting room, WALT Napa Oxbow, opened in June across from the Oxbow Public Market. WALT’s wines span California’s western coast and visitors can experience “1,000 Miles of Pinot,” a tasting of current releases from vineyards located along the coastline.

Hal Yamashita Napa recently opened on Main Street in downtown Napa. It’s a new Japanese restaurant from Master Chef Hal of Iron Chef All Stars, Japan. After traveling around the world, Chef Hal is known as a maestro of contemporary Japanese cuisine Shin-Washoku. His menu includes an Akamatsu course with seven dishes, and a Goyomatsu course with nine dishes.

2020 EXPLORE THE NORTH BAY

41

OUTSTANDING IN HIS FIELD CEO and head gardener Christopher Adjani says Noci will offer u-pick fruit

and vegetables as well as activities like volleyball and movie nights.

NOCI SONOMA It’s an edible garden adventure club. OK, what?

BY JAMES KNIGHT

N

oci Sonoma interrupts the parade of vineyards stretching the length of Dry Creek Valley with a 24-acre patch of dirt that’s growing something new and different from its neighbors.

They call it an “edible garden adventure club,” which roughly translates as, “u-pick gone wild.” Heavily Instagrammable.

All that’s required to experience Noci is a

42

EXPLORE THE NORTH BAY 2020

membership or a tour, a handy set of clippers and a basket—both of which can be bought at the modishly minimalist, black-painted farm stand—and a pair of sensible walking shoes.

And also, for now, a bit of imagination.

Noci CEO and head gardener Christopher Adjani describes the work in progress as he leads visitors from the farm stand, past a welding operation that will soon yield metal tables set around an outdoor cooking fire pit, down a boardwalk made of Brazilian teak and into lush avenues of clover and grass.

Where I see a large puddle, he sees a cascading series of ponds filled with waterpurifying plants and capped with a 10-foot, functional waterfall. Where I see wire strung between archways of rusty metal, he sees living walls composed of blackberries, raspberries, kiwis and wisteria, 12 feet high and hundreds of feet long. As Adjani describes gardens in terms of rooms, as private spaces for not only fruit picking and lettuce clipping, but also for hanging out and relaxing in—my mind begins to wrap around

the concept like a vine tendril gripping a trellis wire.

Adjani leads the design-focused garden tours, while his wife and Noci cofounder Aria Alpert Adjani leads tours focused on culinary applications. The land was in a state of neglect when they purchased the property five years ago, Adjani says. The existing vineyard had been bulldozed into the dirt. The couple spent the first year cleaning up the ground, which isn’t much good for wine grapes anyway, according to Adjani. Instead of adding more asphalt for the parking lot, they put down circular pavers set in gravel. Grass grows on top of the pavers, and drainage pipes underneath move rainwater toward the ponds where it filters through lily pads and other water plants.

We arrive at the back of the garden, which has more mature trees and beds of asparagus gone to ferns. Adjani points out a row of blueberry bushes, the first planting of all, which got him to thinking about the whole plan.

And what’s this, nearby, a rioting trellis of grapevines after all? They’re Concord grapes, good for making jam, and the tent-like structure that holds them would make a fun tunnel for kids to run through. The membership model, Adjani hopes, allows people to feel more at home in the gardens than simply stopping and shopping. “We’re not a farmers market,” Adjani says. Members can find out if their favorite fruit tree, of some 900 fruit trees, is in season from the “train station”– styled schedule in the main farm stand, and picnic at one of

18 luxury resort-styled shade decks spread around the acreage.

Activities will also be scheduled— jam-making classes, movie nights, volleyball on the lawn. “If we just had the garden, I don’t think people would use it.”

Also still to come is an architecturally striking root cellar that may or may not become an actual root cellar. “Until we actually do something,” Adjani explains, “we don’t know how we’re going to use it.”

In the distance across the pond basin, I can barely make out two unmoving, silent sentrylike objects, but I get the feeling they’re watching us. They are— they’re big, shaggy sheepdogs. The Adjanis tried out a flock of sheep but decided that pastoralism wasn’t going to work for them.

Instead, the grassed pathways are

mowed with a $10,000 electric mower that saves $10,000 a year on gasoline, Adjani says.

Doing a quick calculation on a Mac terminal at the farm stand, Adjani comes up with a figure of $6 per pound. That’s about how much the u-pick produce will cost members, if they pick the maximum pounds they’re allotted on each visit. Picnics and fun, shareable pictures aside, that’s on the dear side for, say, potatoes. But price-conscious pickers, Adjani notes, will get a real deal if they stick to the high-value items and load up to their heart’s content on cane berries, fresh flowers, and herbs. Go wild.

Tours and picnicking open to the public by appointment, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday–Sunday.

707.800.9806. nocisonoma.com

Friendly,Artisan Winery Toast with bubbles then roll into the reds …they’ll leave you breathless!

Double Gold at the 2019 California State Fair!

2014 Pinot Noir Cinder Cone RRV Best of Appellation, Best of Class, Double Gold, 99 points 5700 River Road, Santa Rosa • Thurs – Sun, 10:30 – 4:30 woodenheadwine.com • 707.887.2703

HIP THE LIGHT FANTASTIC Great places in Petaluma to eat, sleep and play

N

estled in the southernmost corner of Sonoma County, just 45 minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge (or GGB, as I wish more people called it), the quaint old town of Petaluma has long been considered a gateway to Wine Country. But in recent years it’s burgeoned into a destination in its own right, a kind of hipster Mayberry with much to see and do.

44

Imagine a busy Norman Rockwell painting, except everyone in that painting has cool beards and tattoos. Or imagine the 1999 action-comedy film “Wild Wild West” in real life, only the plot revolves around developing the best Belgian-style saison craft brew.

Obviously, tattooed craft-brewing hipsters need appropriate spaces to eat, sleep and play. And Petaluma has them, in spades.

Below is a very incomplete list of the kinds of places that are putting Petaluma – to the ongoing surprise of its longtime residents – on many a map these days.

BY DON FRANCES

So you pull into town, you’ve been fighting traffic on 101, you’re tired but excited, and above all you’re hungry. You want to book a room, grab a bite, and have some fun, more or less in that order. Where to go?

First, the room. As Petaluma’s star has risen, so have its hospitality options, and the most prominent of those in the heart of downtown is arguably Hotel Petaluma. This storied old structure, with its wood-paneled ballroom and festive courtyard, should be seen whether or not you’re actually staying there because it’s gorgeous. But the rooms are updated, the location is primo, and the rates aren’t bad at all.

EXPLORE THE NORTH BAY 2020

»»

After tossing your bags on the bed, head down to The Shuckery, a high-class oyster bar located in the same building at street level.

Depending on how many martinis are consumed there, you can then step into the adjacent tattoo parlor for an impromptu ink job – or maybe we’re getting ahead of ourselves. The night is still young.

Other options abound within a block or two of the hotel. Kittycorner from the hotel is the even more storied Phoenix Theatre, an all-ages venue probably haunted by ghosts and definitely haunted by teenagers. If 21-andover is more your speed, proceed southward on Kentucky Street, noting the incredible quality, density and charm-ity of shops, bars and restaurants. Where did all these great places come from? Why didn’t anyone ever tell you how cool Petaluma is? No one knows.

Attractions here include the Roaring Donkey, a San Franciscostyle bar and music venue with plenty of action. Across the street is Maguire’s Pub, the kind of classic Irish pub no self-respecting nightlife scene can do without. Those still searching for grub can visit Cafe Zazzle or Mi Pueblo among several options, or – see that unexpected stairway around the corner from Copperfield’s Books?

What is this, Europe? Go down that, which spills into Helen Putnam Plaza, named for a trailblazing local mayor. You are now on Petaluma Boulevard (“The Boulevard” to locals), site of ever more wonderful shops and restaurants including, right there on the Plaza, Speakeasy for dinner, its sister-establishment The Big Easy for drinks and music, and Michelinranked Della Fattoria bakery for breakfast tomorrow morning.

Crossing The Boulevard leads us to another European flourish

– a cute little footbridge spanning the Petaluma River, which in turn leads to Dempsey’s, an old school establishment known for its home-made beer and pickles, and to the new but popular Taps brewpub. Either of these is perfect for low-key riverside dining, and the mirror-like water, the wafting strains of music, and the unearthly croak of egrets can be downright romantic.

Back on the near side of the bridge, the also-Michelin-ranked Central Market and nearby Wild Goat Bistro are beacons to foodies wondering what all the farm-to-table fuss is about. Or continue southward a few steps to the inimitable McNear Building, home to McNear’s Saloon, the Mystic Theatre, and the beloved Old Chicago Pizza.

All this is easy walking distance, of course, and we’d be remiss not to tell you of two more places to stay just another half-mile to the south and east of downtown. Southward along The Boulevard, where the bustle gives way to a quiet calm reminiscent (to me) of a sleepy seaside town, there is the Metro Hotel, a French hostel-style place with funky rooms, continental breakfast and a back garden with Airstream trailers for rent.

Another boutique-y hotel of note is the Hampton Inn Petaluma, built within a newly renovated, and very old and impressive, former silk mill east of the Petaluma River.

Across from the Hampton, next to the Petaluma Arts Center, there’s a rail station where you can catch a train north to Santa Rosa or south to Marin. But visitors will find plenty of reasons to stay right there in Petaluma, the little Norman Rockwell painting come to life.

Lo Coco’s C u c i n a R u s t ic a

2019

Voted Best Italian restaurant of the North Bay. —North Bay Bohemian

LoCoco’s is everything an Italian restaurant should be— boisterous, busy, fun, with excellent authentic food of the best quality: fresh seafood, meats and pasta.

707-523-2227 Serving Lunch & Dinner

hiStoric r aiLroaD Square, 117 Fourth Street, Santa roSa

of best

b o he the

m ia n

the

the

’s

h n o rt

2 0 05 bay

r ateD giFt certiFicateS avaiLabLe | L oc ocoS.net

of best b o he

m ia n

’s

y h ba n o rt the

2 0 05

A PERFECT PAIRING Channel Faulkner and New Orleans at Santa Rosa’s Parish Cafe.

PARISH CAFE Beignets in Santa Rosa

W

hen I moved to New Orleans 10 years ago I thought it would be a good idea to buy some William Faulkner. I had it in mind to spend the summer sitting in cafes reading the titan of southern literature, who wrote his first novel in New Orleans in the 1920s and lived there for a time. I’d drink coffee, eat beignets and read his short stories.

46

EXPLORE THE NORTH BAY 2020

BY TOM GOGOLA

The problem was, it took a while before I even found a copy of any of Faulkner that wasn’t half-destroyed by a student’s yellow marking pen. I hit all the local used bookstores in the French Quarter and thereabouts, and struck out on the Faulkner everywhere I went. I finally bit the bullet and purchased a Faulkner short story collection at a Border’s Books.

I told a friend over coffee and beignets one night at the legendary Café Du Monde that I thought it was kind of curious that even though Faulkner lived and wrote in New

Orleans, that you have to go to the big (and now defunct) chain store to find a copy of one of his books. I thought my insight would render me an immediate local in her eyes. I was wrong.

“Did you try Faulkner House Books?” she said. “On Pirate’s Alley? Heart of the French Quarter?”

“Oh. You mean there’s a whole store devoted to Faulkner’s books?”

Jeez, who knew. But indeed there is—and the Faulkner store’s pretty much a stone’s throw from Café Du Monde.

So I was very pleased when the Parish

»»

««

48

EXPLORE THE NORTH BAY 2020

CLAU M.

Cafe opened on Fourth Street in downtown Santa Rosa last year and started pushing out po’ boys and other New Orleans fare. I just like the idea that it’s there as a reminder of the life I left behind in New Orleans. One of these days I’m going to stroll in with some Faulkner under my arm and pick up that storyline again.

They’ve got plenty of Faulkner at Treehorn Books just up the street and I could spend a whole summer just checking out Bollywood and the many other downtown restaurants and bars.

For now, I’m obsessing over the part of the Faulkner story where I told it to my friend over coffee and beignets (beignets are how the Parish Cafe got its start at farmers markets way back when).

Beignets play a critical role in the daily life and functioning of New Orleans, maybe not as critical as the surrounding levees, but still. I learned living there that there’s no bad time for a cup of coffee and a couple of sugary beignets, and that the combination is as totemic as it is delicious and bracing.

So, it’s 2 a.m. and the jazz just stopped playing? Time for a beignet. It’s lunchtime and your energy is flagging but those deadlines aren’t going anywhere?

Grab a coffee and a couple of beignets, and get on with it. You had dinner three hours ago, complete with bananas foster for dessert? Well, there’s a difference between dessert and a beignet, and the two words should never be uttered in the same sentence.

Coffee-and-a-beignet is its own thing, and it’s not dessert.

NOVEL IDEA Books pair well with beverages in Santa Rosa.

BOOK NOOKS Santa Rosa is where to get lit

BY CHARLIE SWANSON

W

hether it’s cold and rainy, or bright and sunny, there’s nothing as satisfying as cracking open a new book and diving in, and not just at home.

Here are a few Santa Rosa locales that best pair with a slew of releases by North Bay authors.

Splitting her time between Sonoma and San Francisco, novelist Terry Gamble sets her works in the Midwest where her Irish ancestors settled in the early 1880s. Gamble’s

latest novel, The Eulogist (William Morrow), continues the trend by telling the fictional story of an Irish family in pre-Civil War Cincinnati who experience the political and cultural shifts in America through the eyes of immigrants.

Northern California author Kerry Lonsdale is acclaimed for her best-selling novels All the Breaking Waves and her Everything trilogy. Later this summer Lonsdale unveils Last Summer (Lake Union Publishing), a dramatic novel about trauma, memory, and discovery. Following a woman suffering from memory

loss after a tragic car crash, Last Summer travels from the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the slopes of Alaska in an adventurous journey.

To recreate these mountainous settings, trek the trails to Hood Mountain in east Santa Rosa.

Straddling Kenwood in the Sonoma Valley, the park boasts panoramic views of the Bay Area that can be seen from the mountain’s peaks on a clear day.

Forestville native, journalist and author Michael Levitin has a knack for taking on contemporary issues in projects like “The Occupied Wall Street Journal,”

Get a Thai Massage at Jaiyen!

Gift Cards in store & available online Thai Massage | Deep Tissue | Prenatal | Couples Massage | Body Treatments | Unique Gift Packages Available

Online Booking

and lately he has been turning heads with his debut novel, Disposable Man (Spuyten Duyvil Publishing), which takes a timely stance on issues like masculinity, feminism, generational conflicts, and even anti-Semitism. Set in Berlin, the novel tells the story of an American grandson of Holocaust survivors who comes to terms with his past and himself.

It’s a heavy novel with a European vibe, so coffee needs to go with Disposable Man, and readers should head to A’Roma Roasters Coffee & Tea on Fifth Street in Santa Rosa’s Railroad Square to sit in front of the café’s old stone facade, watch the SMART trains pass by and sip a cappuccino.

Quantum Deadline, written by Petaluma’s Daedalus Howell (editor of the North Bay Bohemian) finds a

Jaiyen Spa.com news reporter in some multiverse mayhem when he takes up the cause of a lost 11-year-old thief who seeks his help to get home to a parallel universe. If the book doesn’t take you through the space-time continuum, the espresso at Acre Coffee on Fourth Street certainly will.

Santa Rosa songwriter-author Abraham Entin has spent a life on the edge, and he recounts it all in his new memoir, Living on the Fringe (Steiner Books). Starting with Entin’s life-changing decision to torch his draft card in 1966, the story is sometimes harrowing, often hilarious and always illuminating— and it’s the perfect book to have in hand when visiting Santa Rosa’s ‘South of A’ arts district, where you can browse exhibits at Santa Rosa Arts Center and other galleries, see fringe theater masters the Imaginists,

get resources at the Peace & Justice Center and enjoy a great meal at the Spinster Sisters Restaurant.

Of course, one of the best aspects of enjoying local literature is hunkering down into a spirited conversation about the meaning of it all—preferably with a drink in hand. A great place for literary libations is Perch + Plow, overlooking the historic Courthouse Square. A popular dinner spot, Perch + Plow also boasts an elaborate cocktail menu with ingredients sourced from throughout Sonoma County.

LoCoco's Cucina Rustica serves more than its much-lauded Italian cuisine—it also boasts the perfect blend of the area’s locally-made wines as well as Italian varietals imported from the old country.

Before you dive into Dante’s

Downtown Sebastopol

Inferno, get a glass of Seghesio’s Sonoma County zinfandel to soothe your wandering soul. Beer Baron Bar and Kitchen is also a favorite for those seeking a craft brew or two with their prose.

If you’re in the mood to release your inner Hemingway, Jack and Tony’s Restaurant and Whisky Bar in Santa Rosa’s Railroad Square Historic District, has plenty of its namesake spirit on hand (around 400 individual scotch, bourbon, American, Irish, and Japanese whiskies at last count). Likewise, nearby Stark’s Steak and Seafood has an extensive cocktail menu and bountiful collection whiskies as well.

With so many wellsprings of inspiration for our local literati on offer, you might just find yourself with a glass in one hand a pen in the other.

PHOTO COURTESY MR. MOON’S

HAPPINESS IN A CONE Noble Folk’s pies and ice cream are best enjoyed with loved ones.

CHARM CITY

Healdsburg rounds out delights downtown

M

oms love Healdsburg.

And why not? The town centering Northern Sonoma County’s wine and tourism industry is as quaint as they come, with galleries, tasting rooms and all manner of gift shops lining a plaza so picturesque it feels like it could reside on Disneyland’s Main Street, U.S.A.

50

EXPLORE THE NORTH BAY 2020

It wouldn’t hurt the rest of us to see Healdsburg through mom’s eyes; to slow at the shop windows, stroll through the park and take time selecting samples at the ice cream parlor. That’s just what this reporter did last weekend, and found all manner of art and fun for any age.

Beginning at the Northwest corner of the Healdsburg Plaza and moving clockwise, the first shop window to entice a closer look is the Ferrari-Carano’s Seasons of the Vineyard Wine Shop, located in the middle of Plaza Street. The boutique shop and wine

BY CHARLIE SWANSON bar features brightly colored seasonal home décor like the kitschy Gurgle Pot, a wine pitcher shaped like a fish, and ceramics— resembling Tuscon tableware—by Virginia Casa. The boutique’s wine bar pours FerrariCarano and Lazy Creek Vineyards wines, with chocolate pairings available. The current showcase of art by British painter Sam Toft is a particular highlight, featuring a cartoonish character, Mr. Mustard, and his gaggle of pets embarking on various outings.

The next stop is the Healdsburg Center for the Arts, located along the town’s

»»

The Most Pet-Friendly Winery

WINE TASTING | GIFT SHOP | DOG FRIENDLY | HOUND LOUNGE

SONOMA COUNTY TOURISM

FUN RUN Healdsburg has many scenic trails to get in a good jog.

««

narrowest sidewalk (what’s up with that?) a block east on Plaza Street. The non-profit organization has promoted the arts through community education programs, events and exhibitions for over 25 years, and resided at its current location since 2002. The Sonoma Land Trust sponsors the current exhibit—a group show, “The Great Outdoors,” featuring over 20 artists displaying all manner of paintings, photographs and multimedia works depicting nature—in the center’s main gallery space.

One artist is 15-year-old Santa Rosa resident Vijay Kareesan, whose artist statement, hanging next to two fine paintings, explains that he wants to sell paintings to help Sonoma and California fire victims, the Humane Society and St Jude’s

52

EXPLORE THE NORTH BAY 2020

Children’s Research Hospital, among other causes.

The next shop on this plaza tour is Mr. Moon’s—a diverse gift, novelty, stationery and clothing store currently packed with masquerade masks and kids’ costumes as well as jewelry, bath and body works, and other accessories.

The 26-year-old Healdsburg store on Center Street is actually the store’s second location, after Patty Timmsen opened the original Mr. Moon’s in Calistoga in 1982. Now, Patty runs the Healdsburg store with daughter Jessica, offering an ever-changing array of fun merchandise.

A few doors down sits another family-owned and operated enterprise with a long history in Healdsburg—Levin & Company Bookstore. Founded by Adele

Levin, her partner Jacquie Robb and her son Aaron Rosewater in 1991, the bookstore sells new and used books, but also houses a selection of vintage vinyl, CDs, tapes, greeting cards and more.

As an added bonus, the Upstairs Art Gallery shares space with Levin & Company, literally located on the mezzanine level at the back of the store. The gallery currently shows works by featured artist Susan Greer and Karen Miller.

Greer’s “Conversations with Nature,” a collection of the North Bay native’s minimalist landscape paintings, reflects the calming quality of open spaces in Sonoma and Marin. Miller’s small works show, “Quiet Places: Sonoma County in Pastels,” also features contemplative and serene works.

South of the Plaza, art lovers

must take in the Paul Mahder Gallery on Healdsburg Avenue, which recently celebrated its five-year anniversary. Art comes in another form at the Hand Fan Museum, which displays hand fans of exquisite beauty from around the world and tells the story of femininity through the ages.

Anyone can also enjoy the many meats and frozen custard of the Wurst Restaurant on Matheson Street, owned and operated by former touring musician and longtime Healdsburg resident Charles Bell, who revived his passion for cooking by opening the restaurant in 2011 after surviving late-stage throat cancer.

Barbecue aficionados are sure to check out KINsmoke on Center Street, where longtime Sonoma County residents JC Adams and Brad Barmore combine their decades of restaurant work into an elevated barbecue experience.

Finally, no trip to Healdsburg Plaza is complete without a stop into Noble Folk Ice Cream & Pie Bar, where the menu easily conquers even the most stubborn sweet tooth. Founded

by Sonoma County natives Christian Sullberg and Ozzy Jimenez of Moustache Baked Goods, the parlor is dedicated to creating one-of-a-kind treats, but that’s just one aspect of the organization. Both Sullberg and Jimenez give back to the community through involvement in groups like nonprofit Positive Images, providing mental health support to LGBTQ+ youth, and the Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative, which supports Latino entrepreneurs.

SONOMA COUNTY TOURISM

LIKES BIKES Bicyclists can pedal amongst the pinot in rural wine country.

HEAD FOR THE HILLS Two-wheeled terroir: A cool ride to the Sebastopol Hills

BY JAMES KNIGHT

P

eople talk about the Russian River Valley’s several “neighborhoods,” or unofficial subregions of the wine appellation. Can I taste the difference? First, I’ll experience the difference on a bike ride to the Sebastopol Hills neighborhood.

It’s nice to start this 14-mile ride at the Balletto Vineyards tasting room on Occidental Road, west of Santa Rosa, but only the most steely-nerved cyclists might want to power up the poorly maintained “bike lane” that I take, alongside heavy traffic, to Highway 116. Alternately, ride north on the West County Trail and then continue west on Occidental Road through Green Valley, Russian River Valley’s only official sub-appellation.

I turn left at Mill Station, and soon find Cherry Ridge Road on the right. Now I’m slowly gaining elevation on a hill in Sebastopol, for sure—but the vineyards here, framed by redwood groves, are technically still in Green Valley.

Catching my breath at Grandview Road, I see that it lives up to its title. Watching my downhill speed, I glide to a brief rendezvous with Bodega Highway. A jog to the west and then south again at Sexton Road, and I’m climbing again. But this time, I feel cooler despite the exertion. In this area, low clouds are still moving in from the coast.

Winding up the hill, I catch a glimpse of Balletto’s Sexton Hill Vineyard, followed by Pratt Sexton Road. There’s a scent of south county eucalyptus.

I pause at Cider Ridge, then chase shadows of clouds down Burnside Road to Watertrough. There are several routes back from here; I take bumpy little Elphick Road to 116, where the lunch options start.

Inman Family Wines Endless Crush Pratt Sexton Road Rosé of Pinot Noir. My favorite of Inman’s single-vineyard rosé series, this shows chalky, saline notes of crushed seashells, plus strawberries and a cool scoop of fresh cream. Light strawberry-raspberry flavors belie a fair bit of body.

Balletto 2017 Sexton Hill Pinot Noir. This starts to say, “classic Russian River Valley” with rich aromas and flavors of mixed berries, strawberry jelly, milk chocolate and cinnamon, but a tart core of lingonberry fruit and hibiscus tea flavors ultimately say something more “coastal,” and keep the palate from feeling too lush or jammy.

Balletto 2016 Cider Ridge Pinot Noir.

Maybe it’s the name that’s got me thinking hot apple cider and mulled wine, but I did write “clove, cinnamon, and allspice” in my tasting notes, followed by “a heady hint of balsam.” The leaner of the duo, Cider Ridge’s cranberry, and lingonberry flavors slip away on a silky note. Both wines are great values—for this neighborhood.

2020 EXPLORE THE NORTH BAY

53

Voted Wine Country’s BEST ANTIQUE STORE 20 years +

WHISTLESTOP ANTIQUES Open daily 10am–5:30pm, Sun 11am–5pm 130 4th Street • Historic Railroad Square • Santa Rosa

707.542.9474 • Whistlestop-Antiques.com

THOMAS BRODERICK

NEW ON THE SCENE Farmhand, home of this satisfying Italian sandwich and river views, is a Guerneville newcomer.

RIVER RESTAURANTEURS Grazing in Guerneville

W

e in the North Bay are “cursed.” There are too many good things to eat and drink. Dine, brunch, snack and sip all we want, we’ll go to our graves having never sampled a nearinfinity of treats.

If we must try to eat everything in the North Bay, we may as well stuff ourselves

BY THOMAS BRODERICK

for a good cause. In February, floodwaters submerged much of Guerneville and displaced thousands of people along the Russian River. Thankfully, the town has been open for business since then.

At Coffee Bazaar, I queued up behind locals ordering breakfast. On my first visit, I ordered the same thing as the patron in front of me—a breakfast sandwich and a medium coffee. The fresh sandwich arrived a few minutes later wrapped in wax paper.

Inside, I found a McMuffin on steroids. It was huge. After just one bite, however, I discovered that I was eating a superior sandwich, one that featured a delectable runny egg.

Over the next hour, I watched locals come and go, and the barista knew just about everybody’s name. I had a lot of eating ahead of me, so I had to pace myself.

For the next 45 minutes, I took a long walk around town. The holiday weekend

»»

2020 EXPLORE THE NORTH BAY

55

I never thought I’d find a comparable biscuit on this side of the Rockies until I stepped inside Big Bottom Market. ««

over, Johnson’s Beach had only a few visitors. On River Road, many enticing restaurants were closed until Wednesday. But I found “food” in unlikely places.

Hanging outside the hardware stores were river rafts designed to look like donuts and lollipops.

Seeing all that inflatable food, I followed the hobbits’ example and sought out a second breakfast. But what would I eat?

Growing up in Central Tennessee, I lived less than a mile from the Loveless Café, a local institution famed for its fluffy, moist and buttery biscuits. The creator of these heavenly puffs was the Biscuit Lady (Carol Fay Ellison), who perfected the Loveless biscuit recipe during her many decades in the kitchen.

Although the Biscuit Lady passed away in 2010, her creations live on seven days a week alongside the Loveless’ southern comfort food.

I never thought I’d find a comparable biscuit on this side of the Rockies until I stepped inside Big Bottom Market. Every wall was covered with biscuit swag: biscuit mix in cloth bags, biscuit cookbooks and even cute biscuit plushies. A Southern gentleman such as myself had to know how Big Bottom’s signature biscuit stacked up.

Waiting for my biscuit to warm

in the oven, I poked around the store’s wares. Besides biscuits, patrons can purchase local honey, olive oil and wine. Big Bottom’s kitchen also serves up filling breakfasts, sandwiches and salads.

Finally, it was time. My biscuit gave off a single puff of steam as I opened it. I spread on a little fresh butter and strawberry jelly before biting into the salty and flaky crust.

They should have sent a poet.

After even more walking, I traveled to The Farmhand, one of the many Guerneville restaurants recently reopened after postflood renovations. They did a great job, as I couldn’t find any sign the restaurant had suffered damage. The restaurant, market and coffee bar gave off nice, rustic vibes, so I decided to dine inside.

If you’re in the mood for a sandwich or panini, you can’t go wrong at The Farmhand. Besides ordering from the menu, patrons can design their own sandwiches and select from dozens of local beers and many more nonalcoholic drinks. I ordered The Italian: salami, ham, tomato, onion, lettuce and pepperoncini on Italian bread. This filling sandwich paired excellently with a Barrel Brothers Naughty Hops IPA. Outside, the grounds boast comfortable seating with excellent Russian River views.

NEED BIGGER PHOTO

MERITT THOMAS

SEA ME Every angle in Bodega is a photographer’s delight.

BODEGA BOUND

Birds, burgers and beaches shine in coastal Sonoma County burgs

BY THOMAS BRODERICK

T

here are towns. There are towns that tourists visit.

And, finally, there are touristy towns. I’m happy to report that Bodega and Bodega Bay fall into that middle category.

They are two places that, thanks to a few quirks of history (and probably a ton of zoning laws), it’s impossible for stores selling only vegan oatmeal cookies to exist in. And yet they provide just about everything visitors want in a memorable day trip: good

food, beautiful nature and a few places to buy meaningful souvenirs. And, most importantly, Bodega and Bodega Bay are towns where locals and tourists mingle without any grumbling on either side.

Let’s go on a trip.

BODEGA BURGER Growing up, I lived under the impression that the Casino Bar & Grill was California’s tiniest Indian casino. But, stepping inside for the first time, I discovered there was nary a slot machine in sight. Instead, I found rustic

décor and the shortest Sunday lunch menu in the North Bay: “Burger or hot dog?”

To the grill’s credit, the menu expands later in the day to offer BBQ oysters and dishes featuring local ingredients. Chef Mark Malicki creates inspired dinner menus that change daily. But for someone stopping by for a quick lunch, the burger was the perfect pairing with a Lagunitas Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale. My belly more than satisfied, I indulged my favorite childhood pastime: pinball.

2020 EXPLORE THE NORTH BAY

57

LUNCH IS SERVED You can’t go wrong with the classic burger and beer combo at Casino in Bodega.

««

Getting five balls for a single quarter on the Grill’s Indianapolis 500 pinball machine was a welcome treat.

SOUVENIRS AND STORIES Visit Bodega on the weekend, and you’ll find an excellent place to pick up an enduring memory of your trip. Seagull Antiques Gifts & Collectables sells knick-knacks of every shape and size. Visit on the right day, and you might find a prop from Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, which was famously made in the area.

UP ON THE HEAD Bodega Head is more than Sonoma County’s best place to escape the summer heat. Not only are there level walking trails with great

58

views, but there are also plenty of flat areas where you can unfold your chair, look out over the ocean and imagine yourself the lord of all creation. If you should visit empty-handed, relax at what is likely the county’s most secluded picnic table. From there you can gaze upon Tomales Bay and the seals perched on Bodega Rock.

Although the weather report had called for fog and chilly temps, I was greeted by clear skies and warm sun. The parking area was nearly full, and families were taking out lawn chairs and coolers. Photographers waited for the perfect shot of the crashing waves and birds.

I’ve been to Bodega Head more times than I remember, but each visit brings something new. On this visit, it was the water. Maybe

it was the time of day or year, but the water didn’t look like what you’d associate with Northern California. The bright blue was something reminiscent of Capri or the Amalfi Coast. I’ve never been to either of those places, but at that moment it was easy to imagine Roman ruins along the Sonoma coast.

Bodega Head is big enough that it never feels crowded. On my walk around the cliff, I heard no fewer than three foreign languages. Yet, there were plenty of locals. That’s the great thing about this place—it brings all kinds of people together.

BATTLE OF THE OYSTERS It would be an injustice to write about Bodega Bay and not discuss

the seafood. In the winter, crab is the star, but since the crab pots are still tied up for a few more months at Spud Point Marina, I had to turn to the Bay’s year-round favorite: oysters.

“Come Shell or High Water” greets visitors when they step inside Bodega Bay Oyster Company, a local institution that is actually in Petaluma. I ordered the sampler and took a seat outside. Valley Ford Road may get a bit congested on the weekends, but you can’t beat the view. A little trash can in the bottom righthand corner of my vision would have made the fabled Windows XP background experience complete.

Having traveled to the Pacific Northwest the week before to sample the region’s oyster offerings, I needed to reacquaint my palate with our beloved bivalves. The sampler arrived, and I dug in. I’m happy to report that Washington state oysters don’t hold a candle to ours. Yes, each oyster may have no more than a grape-sized amount of meat inside, but the buttery, briny flavor sure packs a punch.

BRANCHING OUT… OR NOT From Bodega or Bodega Bay, it’s possible to drive to so many places in less than an hour: Sebastopol, Dillon Beach, Jenner, Occidental, Marshall, Point Reyes Station, etc. By all means, take some side trips this summer if you’re so inclined. But if you'd instead relax than wander, there's no better place to end a lazy summer day than watching the sunset from Bodega Head.

EXPLORE THE NORTH BAY 2020

»»

Looking for that perfect item?

NEW ARRIVALS EVERY DAY!

One-of a kind Designer Furniture, Jewelry, and Home Accessories… all at Consignment Prices!

San Carlos

1123 Industrial (Near Best Buy⁄Ross) 650.577.8979

Campbell

930 West Hamilton Suite 190, Campbell 408.871.8890

Danville

1901-F Camino Ramon Danville, CA 94526 925.866.6164

2

0

1

W E I L L

9

–

H A L L

2

0 |

S

E

A

S

S C H R O E D E R

O

N

H A L L

Preferred @GREENMUSICCENTER

@GREENMUSICCTR

gmc.sonoma.edu |

@GREENMUSICCENTER

707. 6 6 4 . 424 6