I was thrilled to have lunch with a friend at Carneros Bistro & Wine Bar in downtown Sonoma.  I had been hearing about this restaurant for so long and especially about the executive chef, Janine Falvo.   Chef Falvo was at the restaurant and she came out to speak with us.   She was excited about her menu creations and explained several to us.   At her suggestion, we started with a special that was not on the menu.  It was a roasted quail salad with lentils, frisee, boudin noir and a poached quail egg.  The combination of the lentils with the quail and the frisee produced a dish that was earthy, fresh and complex.  The sausage and poached egg were icing on the cake.  Next I ordered the grilled fish tacos.  It is one of their most popular dishes, and I can see why.  The tacos are homemade and they are topped with fresh salsa and cilantro cream.  The halibut had a smoky flavor and the cilantro cream gave a very fresh flavor to the dish.   

I met Chris Sawyer, the sommelier for the restaurant and bar.  I enjoyed talking with him as he explained that to make a good wine and food pairing, he approaches it from the standpoint of the food. Then he tastes the food and the wines together to come up with just the right pairing for the flavors in the food.   Everyone at Carneros Bistro, including our server, was so friendly and helpful, and the food was delicious. 

After lunch, we walked through the kitchen gardens outside.  They were filled with recently-planted winter greens and a few remnants from the summer garden, as well, such as basil and lemon verbena.  

I got a glimpse of the dinner menu and talked with Chef Falvo about some of the dinner specials she had planned.  She described a slow-roasted pork dish that made me hungry all over again.   I quickly made a mental note to go back there with my husband in the very near future. 

Carneros Bistro & Wine Bar is located in the town of Sonoma and is part of the Lodge at Sonoma Resort and Spa.

Carneros Bistro & Wine Bar
The Lodge at Sonoma Resort & Spa
1325 Broadway at Leveroni
Sonoma, CA  95476

I recently had lunch at El Dorado Kitchen. El Dorado Kitchen is located inside El Dorado Hotel on the plaza in Sonoma. This restaurant is casual but elegant, and the food is exquisitely prepared and beautifully presented. They focus on using fresh local, seasonal ingredients. I had heard so much recently about this restaurant that I had to try it.

Executive Chef Ryan Fancher is no longer there, but the food is truly amazing and reasonably priced. Pastry Chef, Octavio Alcantar, who worked for years at French Laundry, turns out an impressive assortment of desserts daily.

We started our lunch with a cheese plate featuring Cypress Grove’s Bermuda Triangle chevre, Abbaye de Belloc sheep’s milk cheese and Bleu de Causse. These cheeses were served with poached apricots and other delicious housemade condiments. We then moved on to some of the chef’s choices. First was a salad of heirloom tomatoes (that were perfectly ripened), super sweet watermelon and a marvelous basil reduction. What an outstanding combination that proved to be! Our main course was likely the most incredible pasta that I have ever tasted. It was a bow tie pasta dish with fresh corn, chanterelle mushrooms and tomatoes in a concentrated (and extremely flavorful) corn reduction sauce.

We had two desserts because who could choose? One was an amazing peach creation with a bit of almond ice and the other was a fresh berry clafoutis. Both were specials of the pastry chef that day and were absolutely delicious.

We dined inside because there was some construction work going on outside on that particular day. However, the restaurant has a stunning outdoor patio with shade trees.

I can hardly wait to go back to this restaurant. It is absolutely worth the trip.

By the way, I also checked out the hotel while I was there, just in case I would like to have a group stay there. They have 27 guests rooms and 4 bungalows that are separate from the main building. The rooms are beautifully decorated with attention to detail and all have fine linens. The prices are not bad either, ranging from $195 to $225 per room for weekend stays, less for nights during the week.

El Dorado Kitchen
El Dorado Hotel
405 First Street West
Sonoma, CA 95476
(707) 996-3220
www.eldoradosonoma.com

Cyrus Restaurant
29 North Street
Healdsburg, CA 95448
707-433-3311
www.cyrusrestaurant.com

We heard many great things about Cyrus before we went, and we were not disappointed. From the cucumber soup to the seared scallops and the filet of beef tenderloin – everything was expertly prepared, extremely fresh and full of flavor. The presentation was top notch, too. We thoroughly enjoyed their cheese cart and their excellent desserts. The caramel soup with kettle corn sorbet and chocolate filigree is definitely worth a try!