Michael Chiarello s Bottega feels like a ski lodge that has been dropped into California s Wine Coun

The pace in California s Northern Wine Country can be slower, luring chefs who crave a change in lifestyle. It s a sommeliers paradise, but it s also an oasis for any culinary professional who wants to slow down and master his/her craft. It s a phenomenal place to stage or visit to learn about artisan online travel reservations crafts, online travel reservations wine-driven cuisine, the art of pairing, using seasonal and local produce, and being sustainability-minded.
Napa and Sonoma have become not only a vinophile s destination, but a culinary mecca attracting top-notch online travel reservations chefs and culinary professionals from all over the world. Although real estate can be expensive here, prices everywhere are going down and it s still cheaper than most major cities. online travel reservations Rising Star Chefs Eric Korsh and Ginevra Iverson of Restaurant Eloise were looking to open a restaurant in Brooklyn, online travel reservations NY, but found the prices too steep so they moved to Sonoma instead. Rising Star Chef Matt Spector and his wife Sonjia up and left a wildly successful restaurant in Philadelphia in exchange for the appealing online travel reservations Wine Country life.
Few restaurants in Napa and Sonoma do huge covers; most establishments are small, and many are family-run (there are three husband-and-wife teams alone in our Rising Star class). What this means is that chefs have the time to focus on producing quality products, which in this region often results in finely-tuned artisanal foodstuffs. More than anywhere else we ve travelled recently, Napa and Sonoma restaurants have a high number of charcuterie programs; it seems that nearly every restaurant here offers at least local, if not in-house, cured meats.
Handmade, house-made, and in-house are the keywords here, with even the smallest restaurants proudly making their own cheese, pasta, salumi, and more. Chefs in Napa and Sonoma probably end up working the same long hours as chefs everywhere, but in Wine Country more of that time is devoted to developing artisanal products and growing their own produce.
Local and sustainable are also more than buzzwords in California s Northern Wine Country. Thanks online travel reservations to the ample growing space, online travel reservations climate, and fertile soil, nearly every restaurant we encountered boasted gardens or farms that supplied their seasonal menus. Composting, recycling, online travel reservations and farming are common practice, with chefs going beyond the norm to be environmentally friendly. online travel reservations At Taylor s Automatic Refresher , for example,all of the take-out online travel reservations containers are biodegradable and melt in the sun.
And, of course, you can t overlook online travel reservations the wine in Napa and Sonoma. Wine is the focal point of what the chef does there, and it drives the culinary scene and the menus. Many of the wine lists are very California-heavy, if not dedicated exclusively online travel reservations to local (sometimes even local and biodynamic/organic) wines. As a sommelier, a chef, or a visitor online travel reservations you have some of the world s most exciting vineyards at your fingertips, and there is great opportunity to learn about wine-driven menus and pairing.
While wine certainly dominates the beverage scene in Napa and Sonoma, they do have a burgeoning mixology culture. For the liquor-focused in Wine Country, it s more about the bar chef than the speakeasy crowd that we ve seen in New York, San Francisco, and Seattle. Even the cocktails have homespun Napa/Sonoma touches, like Chris Tunstall s Fig Cocktail at The Girl the Fig , which has house-made fig liquor, house-infused blueberry vodka, ginger simple syrup, lime, and fresh rosemary blossoms.
We may have fallen in love with the pace of life in California s Northern Wine Country, but there are, of course, challenges even for this seemingly idyllic lifestyle. online travel reservations For one, it s an extremely seasonal market. Spring online travel reservations and summer are booming, but January is dead, with many restaurants opting online travel reservations to close for the month rather than spend the overhead. We ve also heard that despite the proximity of CIA Greystone, there is a dearth of line cooks, partially because the cost of living can be expensive. And if you don t like to drive, then this isn t the place for you. In the end, even if you don t decide to drop everything and move to Napa or Sonoma, it's at least worth a visit for professional inspiration.
Sustainability permeates through both the hotel and restaurant at Bardessono . This new, LEED-certified luxury complex online travel reservations was built green from the ground online travel reservations up. Chef Sean O Toole prepares food inspired by his surroundings, using all compost to feed the garden out back. An international flair touches his dishes, as in local lamb that s flavored with curry and served with coconut basmati online travel reservations rice. Pastry online travel reservations Chef Otto Sanchez finishes the meal with refreshing sweets, such as the Citrus Soup with Toasted online travel reservations Orange Cake and Citrus Sorbet. The wine list features a number of local, biodynamic, online travel reservations organic, and sustainable online travel reservations wines to boot.
Open since 1993, Bistro Don Giovanni has become online travel reservations a wine country institution. It s a busy Italian trattoria with a wood burning fireplace and picturesque outdoor patio. The talented sommelier, Michael Gaylen, will help guide you through the reasonably priced wine list, which highlights varietals from California and Italy, with a few other locations mixed in for good measure. And if you re having a bite, be sure to sample Chef Scott Warner s juicy suckling pig on skewers with salsa verde and olive oil mashed potatoes.
Located at the Carneros Inn, Boon Fly Caf looks like a classic farmhouse that has been turned into a modern rustic eatery with high ceilings and dark wood floors and tables. The attentive staff will take care of you at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We recommend starting your day with Chef Jeffrey Jake s well-executed takes on classic American breakfast dishes. Eggs Benedict is served online travel reservations on house-made pain levain online travel reservations with thick-sliced local Sonoma Ham, and the hollandaise sauce gets a kick from jalape os.
Michael online travel reservations Chiarello s Bottega feels like a ski lodge that has been dropped into California s Wine Country. Two large fireplaces sit at the center of the outside covered terrazzo, surrounded by couches and a stylish d cor. Rising Star Chef Nick Ritchie has been Chiarello s prot g ever since Ritchie online travel reservations knocked on his door 10 years ago for a job to keep him out of trouble. Chef Ritchie online travel reservations turns out Old World Italian cuisine with New World pizzazz that is comforting and rich with flavor. This is not high concept gastronomy, but rather the kind of food that an Italian grandmother might cook; it is filling and well-executed. Ricotta gnocchi is light and tender with just the right bite and Osso Bucco is prepared online travel reservations with lamb instead of the traditional veal, and braised in goat s milk.
Bouchon was designed as a bistro, and while it maintains a certain casual online travel reservations atmosphere the cuisine online travel reservations is elevated far beyond standard online travel reservations bistro food. Rising Star Chef Philip Tessier decided to make the move from New York s Per Se to California because it seemed like a better place to raise his daughter. While Chef Tessier is clearly a student of Executive Chef Thomas Keller, he is also making his own distinct mark on Bouchon . The restaurant was originally French Bistro-style, but Tessier has changed this and made it his own. Chef Tessier gets much of his inspiration from the French Laundry garden, where the restaurant sources much of its produce. A garden beet salad, for example, is colorfully served with sous vide red rhubarb, green asparagus that screams spring, and a light, refreshing Meyer lemon vinaigrette. Chef Tessier works with immaculate precision, using tweezers to plate in some instances and always aiming for flawlessness. Sommelier Kassidy Harris has an impressive knowledge of the French and California-dominated wine list, finding wines that complement each component of Chef Tessier s complex dishes.
Hiding in a bookstore Bovolo may have the appearance of a country store, but don t let appearances fool you. This is a salumeria, online travel reservations gelateria, enoteca, and pizzeria where everything including the bacon is made by hand. As the winners of the Rising Star Sustainability online travel reservations Award, owners and chefs John Stewart and Duskie Estes approach everything from an environmentally friendly standpoint: produce comes from their garden, meat is procured locally, and everything, including cardboard boxes, is composted. Their restaurant might be casual, but the food, while rustic, is superb. Breakfast pizza (hangover cure, anyone?) has a bubbly hand-made artisan crust and is topped with a fresh egg from their own chickens. Under the name Black Pig Meat Co., they cure their own meat, and have plans to take their bacon national. Stewart s curing skills are showcased in the Butcher s Antipasti Plate, which is a composed multi-component dish full of flavor and texture.
Butcher s Antipasti Plate with House-Cured Meats: Finocchiona (Fennel), Picante (Hot/Spicy), Country-Style Terrine with Thyme, Pickled Vegetables, Roasted Marinated Eggplant, Roasted Peppers, Olives, Asiago online travel reservations Cheese, and Cannellini Beans
Although the dining room at Caf La Haye is dual-level, the space is small and intimate. Pale yellow walls with blue accents contrast terra cotta floors, and the arched ceiling displays raw wooden beams. Eclectic art decorates the walls and changes online travel reservations every two months. A bar with dinner seating overlooks the tiny kitchen where Chef Norman Owens, definitely a chef to watch, prepares inviting food with engaging flavor profiles. Pork tenderloin becomes tender when brined in apple cider, and bacon, garlic, fennel, apple, and sweet potato online travel reservations come together to create a dish that is at once homey and stylish.
Located in The Lodge at Sonoma, Carneros Bistro and Wine Bar has a country modern feel. The walls have been sponge-painted yellow online travel reservations with plum-fuchsia trim, and are broken up by white paneled glass windows. The tables are covered in white tablecloths and the ceilings have exposed wooden beams. Chef Janine Falvo cooks food that is comforting, as in organic game hen that is served three ways: a drumstick wrapped in pancetta; potato-wrapped hen Cordon Bleu with local ham and freshly shaved black truffles online travel reservations on spinach; and