Sublime Sonoma Offers Rich Bounty of Food, Wine & History

By George Medovoy, Editor
Contact George at tpostcard@aol.com

At the historic Sonoma Plaza, you can readily understand why Father Joseph Altimira decided he had found the ideal location for the final California mission in 1823.

Today, in what is now an upscale valley town, you can still see the old mission - officially called San Francisco Solano de Sonoma - and bask in the mild, sunny climate that so appealed to Altimira.

(The Sonoma Valley is famous for its vineyards, in this scene growing amidts wild msutard)

When you're done exploring the old mission, go hunting for fashions in a chic boutique or relax with a latte and a croissant at the cozy Basque Boulangerie Café in a picture-perfect town square framed by the Mayacamas Mountains.

The plaza is a very good place to start your visit to Sonoma, with plenty of curbside parking to make it very user-friendly. Tuesday nights from April through October, a farmers' market is held here with everything from fresh cheese and produce, to oysters and flowers.

At the center of the plaza, the largest of its kind in California, you'll come face to face, as I did, with City Hall, dedicated in 1908 behind a façade of light-colored stone.

(The Sonoma City Hall -- each side is identical to the other!)

While most other city halls might be "run of the mill," Sonoma's stands out in a very unique way - each side of the structure is identical to the other. It's not an optical illusion, but a lesson in civic compromise.
You see, the building was constructed that way so that merchants on any side of the town square could claim that the "front" of city hall faced them!

Of course, a visit to the plaza means that you're never very far from the colorful history that helped shape our state.

In the 1840's, California was a Mexican province, with Mexico prohibiting Americans from owning land or holding office. At the same time, rumors were circulating that you could get free land in California.

It was a set of circumstances that could only lead to a political explosion, and that's exactly what happened on June 14, 1846, when a band of 30 Americans from Sacramento rode into town, arrested the Mexican commanding general of Alta California, General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, and declared California an independent republic.

The Americans raised the Bear Flag at the northeast corner of the plaza, where a monument marks the spot.

Then, on July 7, the American Navy captured the Mexican capital at Monterey and declared California a part of the United States, so down came the Bear Flag, and up went the Stars and Stripes.
Vallejo, of course, was no fool - not only did he accept American rule, but he went on to serve with distinction in state and local government. So thorough was his turn-around that he built a two-story Yankee-style home - known as "Lachryma Montis - on a 20-acre estate about half a mile northwest of the plaza.

Now a state historical monument, the home is open to the public.
While I was drawn to the history of the area, I couldn't help being impressed by the magnificent Sebastiani Theatre in the center of the plaza at 2 Spain Street.

It's yet another link, albeit outside the realm of wine, to the presence in this valley of the great Sebastiani family, and especially August, who, among other things, introduced "Nouveau" Gamay Beaujolais to America and created Pinot Noir Blanc.

(The beautiful Sebastiani Theatre, built in the famous Italian Reneaissan style)

Built in 1933, the old movie house is designed in the Italian Renaissance style once very popular in early American "movie palaces." Today the theater focuses on live performances, including music, dance and children's plays.

Next door to the theatre, I wandered into the Ledson Hotel and Harmony Restaurant, which turned out to be a wonderful surprise.
The small hotel, probably Sonoma County's smallest, has six individually-designed rooms upstairs and the Harmony Restaurant downstairs with a big mahogany wine bar and a large selection of wines. Chandeliers in cast brass from Spain are suspended over the wine bar.

(The Ledson Hotel and Harmony Restaurant)

I haven't stayed there yet, but on my visit the management was nice

enough to take me upstairs for a tour of the rooms. What I saw was like stepping back in time to an earlier era, with a mix of antiques and king-sized beds, whirlpool tubs, surround-sound and TV, fire places and balconies.

Three rooms overlook the plaza, while three others at the rear of the hotel overlook some of Sonoma's historic back streets.
From one of the plaza-view rooms, I stepped out onto the balcony and tried to take a photo of city hall. Unfortunately, the building was mostly hidden behind trees from this high view.

Downstairs, the Harmony Restaurant features live music on weeknights, a tasting menu with wine pairings, a big fireplace and sidewalk tables, too.

The hotel was built by Steve Ledson, whose Ledson Winery and Vineyards on Highway 12 near Kenwood is known for the "castle," a 16,000-square-foot Gothic, French Normandy building with balconies and turrets.

(The "castle" of the Ledson Winery and Vineyards)

The winery specializes in small lots of hand-crafted wines, including Merlot, Johannisberg Riesling, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay, among others.

If you come to Sonoma County for a picnic (and that's a wonderful idea), you will want to stop by another plaza favorite of mine - the Sonoma Cheese Factory and Deli, where you can meet the fourth-generation family who runs this rambling store and stock up for your countryside repast.

For years, my family and friends have made this stop and then headed out to the historic Buena Vista Carneros Winery, a short ride from the plaza.

The winery was founded in 1857 by Colonel Agoston Haraszthy, a Hungarian immigrant considered the father of California's wine industry.

A California historical landmark, the winery offers a tasting room and wine sales, plus a large grassy area where you can enjoy a picnic in view of its spreading vineyards.

But if you're after something in a restaurant, then you must try a little Provencal-style eatery to one side of the plaza called "the girl & the fig," at 110 West Spain Street on the ground floor of the historic Sonoma Hotel.

(Bernstein's "the girl & the fig" is just like a French country restaurant)

I should note, by the way, that the spelling of the restaurant's name is not incorrect - that's the way the friendly owner, Sondra Bernstein, has decided to spell her carbon copy of a French country restaurant and bar, which features French aperitifs and traditional cocktails, Rhone-style wines, a delicious seasonal menu, cheeses and charcuterie platters.

It's all done up in the warm, sunny hues of Provence - soft yellows, greens and rusts -- which Bernstein will tell you remind her of the part of France she so loves.

When I sat down for lunch, I wondered about the origins of the restaurant's name.

I mean figs, the girl?

(Sondra Bernstein, owner of "the girl & the fig")

Bernstein, as ebullient as ever, was quick with the answer as I sampled "flights" of red and white varietals from California and the Rhone Valley of France, as well as three Viognier wines from southern France, Napa Valley and Monterey.

Of course, in keeping with its historic place in this valley, there was also a Buena Vista Carneros syrah!

"Literally, it just kind of happened," Bernstein said.
She had been sitting under "a huge fig tree" in the patio of another restaurant across the street.

"I was with a friend and we were just playing with names," she said. "I wanted something that would be memorable, and I wanted something that would just come to (your) mind…." Thus, the name was born - "a symbol of my passion and the passion for the area."

The fig, Bernstein adds, is extremely versatile: it can be part of a main course or part of a dessert, it can be eaten dried or eaten fresh.

And "the girl"? - well, that allows Bernstein to "feel silly and girlish."
There's what she calls light-heartedness to her restaurant, too, with mix-match silverware, for example. Adding an almost playful sensuality to the experience is the work of Julie Higgins, "the girl & the fig's" resident artist, whose vibrant pastels, voluptuous figures and fertile landscapes can now and then keep your eyes off your plate.

Bernstein's original restaurant, also called "the girl & the fig," is in the small Sonoma town of Glen Ellen, famous for Jack London State Park.

It's a lot smaller than her Sonoma place and has an open kitchen, but both restaurants have a distinctive focus on local and seasonal products, pastas, polenta, local seafood, rabbit and duck, local cheeses and Rhone-type wines.

"The viticulture in the Rhone Valley," Bernstein points out, "is very similar to the Sonoma Valley, so it made sense to pull that into what we were doing…"

Bernstein is also excited about the relationships she has nurtured with Sonoma cheese producers and proudly serves mainly Sonoma and other California cheeses, but some from Spain and Italy, too.
She prides herself on knowing many of the local cheese makers, right down to the number of goats they own.

Her trademark "Fig Salad," which I tried at lunch, is a memorable array of arugula, pecans, "Laura Chenel" chevre, pancetta, figs (of course!) and port vinaigrette.

Next in line for me was a refreshing Salad Nicoise, with poached salmon, Nicoise olives, soft-boiled egg, fingerling potatoes, and caper roulade. I also tasted a small portion of Risotto, a nice mix of wild mushrooms, truffle oil, preserved lemon and St. George cheese.

For dessert, Bernstein suggested a real treat - something called "Chocolate-Dipped Fig Kisses," which was made up of four dried Black Mission figs dipped in chocolate and resting on a fig and port syrup.

(The well-stocked deli)

It was well worth the experience to try figs in that sublime setting!
Bernstein also owns "The Fig Pantry," a well-stocked deli a mile down a country road from the Sonoma Plaza.

(You can also stock up on wines at the deli)

The place is housed in a 100-year-old building, which was also a deli -- and a gas station, too.
The property includes four petite cottages, "Les Petites Maisons," which come with kitchens and make for a very comfortable, cozy vacation stay in the country. The biggest one has an upstairs loft.

Being enamored of figs, Bernstein also markets a line of fig products, including Apricot Fig Chutney, Dried Fig Compote, and Black Mission Fig Jam, to name but a few. And they are delicious, as in her Chutney made with plump apricots, calmyrna figs, and a bit of ginger and dried cherries.

After my wonderful lunch, I still had some traveling to do because I had planned to drive 10 miles up Highway 12 to the village of Glen Ellen and visit Jack London's famous Wolf House Jack London State Park.

(The famous brick Saloon, left, at Jack London Lodge)

When I reached Glen Ellen, I stopped at The Saloon at Jack London Lodge on Arnold Drive. London, so the story goes, had frequented this place, often ending up in a fist fight or two.
Today the saloon is frequented by a combination of locals, including winemakers, and tourists passing through or staying at the lodge. It has an antique polished bar, tables, sofas and chairs, and serves lunch and dinner.

The wall opposite the bar has a vintage poster of the Glen Ford-Evelyn Keyes movie "High Seas," which was based on London's "Adventures of Martin Eden."

London loved this area and, in later years, worked at what he called his "Beauty Ranch." "When I first came here," he wrote, "tired of cities and people, I settled down on some of the most beautiful, primitive land to be found in California."

(A barn amid the vineyards in Sonoma County speaks a wonderful rusticity)

In his book, "The Valley of the Moon," written in 1913, London renewed an Indian legend that translates Sonoma as "many moons."

He and his wife built a dream stone mansion here which they called Wolf House, but on August 22, 1913, just before they were to move in, the structure burned to the ground in a mysterious fire.
Today, you can see only the ruins of the mansion.

But London's spirit lives on in the people who give Sonoma its character and creative energy.

"I would rather be a superb meteor," he wrote, "every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist."

WHEN YOU GO…

For information about "the girl & the fig," visit www.thegirlandthefig.com, or call (707) 938-3634. For reservations at "Les Petites Maisons," call (800) 291-8962. For information about fig products, visit www.thegirlandthefig.com/html-stores/retailers.html.

The Saloon at Jack London Lodge is located at 13740 Arnold Drive in Glen Ellen. Call (707) 938-8510. For lodging information, visit www.jacklondonlodge.com.

For information about Jack London State Park, visit www.parks.ca.gov or call (707) 938-5216.

For information about the Buena Vista Carneros Winery, call (800) 926-1266. The winery is open daily from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and is located about five minutes by car from the Sonoma Plaza at 27000 Ramal Road. Visit www.buenavistacarneros.com.

You can get general travel information about Sonoma by contacting the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau at www.sonomavalley.com or calling (866) 996-1090. You can also visit www.sonomacounty.com for visitor information.

Nonstop flights to Wine Country from LA and Seattle with Horizon Air start March 20. See www.flywinecountry.com for more information.

(Biking the Sonoma countryside is a favorite thing to do)

Upcoming Sonoma Events

You'll find many special events in Sonoma to make your trip even more worthwhile.

Here's a brief sampling of what's taking place, but for a more complete listing, request a brochure from the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau at (866) 996-1090.

March 17-18: 17th-annual Heart of Sonoma Valley Barrel Tasting Weekend. 19 wineries participating. Tickets are good for both days and sell out in advance. To reserve tickets, call (707) 939-0708. Visit www.heartofsonoma.com.

April 11-15: 10th-annual Sonoma Valley Film Festival. An intimate extended weekend in Sonoma, pairing exquisite food, fine wine, and over 75 independent films. Special events, exclusive screenings and VIP parties. For information, call (707) 933-2600 or visit www.sonomafilmfest.org.

April 15: April in Carneros. Carneros region wineries open their doors for a spring open house. For information, call (707) 935-4310 or visit www.carneros.com.

(Sonoma and romance...the perfect combination)

July 14: Sonoma Valley Footrace and Spring Festival. 5K walk/run and spring festival. Benefits individuals with developmental disabilities. For information, call (707) 938-6703 or visit www.dds.ca.gov/svff

May 24-27: Sonoma Jazz+, Music Festival. World-class musical concerts in Sonoma's Field of Dreams. Weekend activities and tickets are available by calling (866) 468-8355. Visit www.sonomajazz.org.

June 2: Vintage Race Car Festival on the Sonoma Plaza. Wine, gourmet foods, and vintage race cars on display starting at 5 p.m. For information, call (707) 966-1090.

Read about Sonoma barrel winetasting in March 2007 by clicking here!