Sonoma County Eateries

SONOMA COUNTY, CALIF. — Sonoma County's rich culinary heritage blends seamlessly with the wine that has long made this a world-class destination.

Now, the lines between the two are becoming blurred. No longer are wineries throwing down stinky cheese, pre-sliced salami, and crackers to go with their top-shelf wines. No. More and more wineries are offering food and wine pairings that rival five-star restaurants.

In fact, OpenTable's top restaurant in the U.S. for 2013 was St. Francis Winery's food and wine pairing. Farmhouse Inn & Restaurant of Forestville also made the Top 100 roster.

St. Francis' one-and-a-half-hour long pairing features a six-course tasting menu prepared by executive chef David Bush (formerly of girl & the fig and The Carnelian Room), paired with wines from St. Francis' artisan collection. Presented as small tasting plates, each meal is hosted by a St. Francis wine expert, to describe the recipes and why the wines work with the ingredients.

While it's the only winery named on the top restaurant list, St. Francis isn't the only winery that offers a spectacular food and wine pairing. Here are are few others.

Ram's Gate Winery & Estate Vineyards
Ram's Gate Winery in Sonoma/Carneros makes great Pinot Noirs, Chardonnays and a rainbow selection of other wines under winemaker Jeff Gaffner.

But the food is equally fantastic. The winery does not have an actual restaurant, but it has a full time chef, Taylr Behnam , who is known for her arancini, her budino, and the shortrib ravioli is a favorite as well. Some of her ingredients come from an on-site culinary garden, and she uses the winery's open kitchen for interactive cooking demonstrations.

Eat nearly anywhere you please, from the soaring-ceiling tasting hall, to the clubby wine library, to the fireplace-set courtyards and the underground dining cellar next to the barrel room. For another tasty temptation, call ahead for picnic baskets packed with rabbit rillettes, cold fried Petaluma chicken and brûléed figs.

28700 Arnold Dr., Sonoma, 707-721-8700

Chalk Hill
This is one of Healdsburg's most spectacular wineries, spanning 1,477 acres and topped with a hilltop chateau tasting room offering stunning views over the natural amphitheater of mountains that is the eastern edge of the Russian River Valley.

Sample Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and more, and indulge in extras as simple as an artisan cheese plate, or as elaborate as a full luncheon hosted by the estate's executive chef Didier Ageorges, formerly of the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco.

Some tour choices include a stroll through the estate's organic garden followed by a seated small-plates pairing, or a four-course feast overlooking the Olympic-caliber equestrian dressage pavilion.

10300 Chalk Hill Rd., Healdsburg, 707-657-4837

Lambert Bridge
The winery is beautiful, tucked on an easy hillside off West Dry Creek Road with a dark, rough-cut wood structure of wraparound porch, gabled shingle roof, moss-lined rock foundation walls and a stone chimney. Lavish grounds include cascading vines, colorful flowers and an expansive lawn set with teak picnic tables beneath arbors overlooking vineyards and forests.

Inside, the tasting room charms with wooden walls and vaulted ceilings, and a glass wall looking into the barrel room. This is where the new Barrel Room Food and Wine Pairings are held – each Saturday and Sunday, seated pairings include wine flights with artisan cheeses and small bites of lavish, seasonally changing recipes including wood fired pizzas.

4085 W. Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg, 707-431-9600

The Mayo Family Winery/Mayo Family Reserve Room
The Reserve Room is separate from the actual winery, located in the Village of Kenwood, and it operates as a mini café of sorts, complete with chairs and food from chef J. Clayton Lewis. Tastings are extensive adventures, featuring seven wines each paired with a separate dish, prepared specifically to match the wine.

And, unlike most food pairing experiences, reservations are not required (but recommended on weekends). Bites might include sablefish, goat cheese and apple doughnut with red miso jus; a cucumber, peach, and lychee timbale; salad of sweetbreads, wakame and tomato; Wagyu flat iron steak, trumpet royales, and pomegranate demi glace; summer soba noodles and shiitakes; rib loin of Kurobuta pork, vanilla sweet potato puree, and plum sauce; and tropical fruit shortcake.

9200 Sonoma Hwy., Kenwood, 707-833-5504

Lynmar Estate
Enjoy a relaxing afternoon on the Tasting Room Courtyard overlooking the gardens and vineyards with fresh food sourced from the winery's own gardens and local purveyors prepared by the estate chef, David Frakes. Picnics are offered Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Reservations are required and Lynmar's picnics are available on OpenTable.

The picnic offerings change seasonally to reflect what's ripe in the garden. A sample menu for spring includes a bowl of organic popcorn tossed in a house-made seasoning of coriander and orange zest. A glass of Chardonnay complements a salad of estate lettuces, English cucumber, celery, heirloom carrots and crimson rhubarb vinaigrette. The entrée, paired with a glass of Lynmar Estate Pinot Noir, is a sandwich of organic chicken breast on a potato onion roll, with Sao Jorge's cow's milk cheese, vegan aioli, grilled red onion, estate lettuces and a Thai curry paste.

3903 Frei Road, Sebastopol, 707-829-3374

The food is pretty spectacular on its own. Currently, Sonoma County boasts three Michelin stars, 14 Bib Gormand awards, as well as untold Zagat-rated eateries.

Sonoma County's Michelin-starred restaurants:

Farmhouse Inn
7871 River Road
Forestville, Ca 95436
707-887-3300

Madrona Manor
1001 Westside Road
Healdsburg, CA 95448
800- 258-4003

Terrapin Creek
1580 Eastshore Rd.
Bodega Bay, CA 94923
707-875-2700

In addition, 14 Sonoma County eateries were some of the 83 Bay Area establishments that made Michelin's Bib Gourmand list. The Bib Gourmand list represents restaurants that serve two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for $40 or less (tax and gratuity not included).

Forestville: Backyard
Glen Ellen: Glen Ellen Star
Guerneville: Boon Eat + Drink
Healdsburg: Chalkboard, Scopa
Petaluma: Cucina Paradiso,  Risibisi
Santa Rosa: Bistro 29, Monti's Rotisserie, Sazón, Willi's Wine Bar
Sonoma: Hot Box Grill, La Salette, the girl & the fig

Eating options at Sonoma County's 500-plus restaurants range from casual Wine Country cuisine to top gourmet fare, ethnic favorites to diner grub — all with an eat-fresh philosophy that offers visitors a true taste of wine country.

Chefs and cooks use fresh, local ingredients that are grown from the fertile earth, raised on local ranches, or harvested fresh from the sea. It's no wonder that famed horticulturist Luther Burbank had this to say about Sonoma County, “I firmly believe, from what I have seen, that this is the chosen spot of all this earth as far as Nature is concerned.”

His words, said in 1875, still ring true today. Visit Sonoma County soon and get a taste of what Burbank was talking about.

Come and taste the Sonoma County difference.