Partake by KJ

Partake by KJ is Kendall Jackson's Tasting Room and Restaurant, located at 241 Healdsburg Avenue in Healdsburg.

For Restaurant Week, they offered a 5-course tasting menu From the Garden for $29 and a Chef's Tasting for $39. Wine pairing was $15.

The amuse bouche was served with a mystery wine, served in a dark glass. It turned out to be a rose of Grenache & Pinot Noir.

Amuse Bouche of sunchoke.

From the Garden:

Roasted Beet Salad, Red and Gold Beets, Pickled Kohlrabi, Ice Lettuce, paired with Jackson Estate Camelot Highlands Chardonnay, 2012

Winter Squash Soup, Persimmon, Estate Walnuts, Crème Fraiche, Chervil, paired with Vintner's Reserve Riesling, Monterey, 2013

Estate Grilled Broccoli, Organic Egg, Sumac, Garlic Chips, Toasted Almonds, paired with Grand Reserve Pinot Noir, 2013. This was my favorite from the garden item. I loved the soft poached egg with flavorful broccoli.

Potato Gnocchi, Velvet Pioppini Mushrooms, Red Wine Poached Purple Onions, Tuscan Kale, paired with Grand Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, 2012. I liked the mushroom sauce but the gnocchi was too soft.

Vegan Meyer Lemon Cheesecake, Candied Almonds, Huckleberry Gel, Citrus Cake, Coconut Sorbet, paired with Grand Reserve Late Harvest Chardonnay, 2007

Chef's Tasting Menu:

Farmer T’s Winter Greens, Bacon Caesar Dressing, Delicata Squash, Parmesan, paired with Jackson Estate Seco Highlands Chardonnay, 2012

Lassen County Trout, Vadouvan Granola, Black Trumpet Mushrooms, Green Garlic, Sheep’s Milk Yogurt, paired with Grand Reserve Chardonnay, Monterey. This was delicious. The trout was perfectly cooked and had a nice crispy crust. The green garlic sauce was flavorful.

Roasted Sunchoke Soup, Duck Confit, Chanterelle Mushrooms, Dried Cherries, paired with Jackson Estate Outland Ridge Pinot Noir, 2012

Smoked Estate Lamb Loin, Potato Purée, Kale, Baby Turnips, Cabernet Lamb Jus, paired with Grand Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, 2012. The lamb was flavorful and delicious.

Coconut Mousse, Rum-caramel Sauce, Pineapple Jam, Lime Meringue, Mango Sorbet, Grand Reserve Late Harvest Chardonnay, 2007

In the middle of dinner, the chef sent out some extra dishes.

Fried maitake mushroom with a delicious ginger soy sauce.

French fries soaked in Cabernet then deep fried. I couldn't really taste the Cabernet.

Treat to take home--peanut brittle.

2015 03 14

Rosso Rosticceria

On Saturday afternoon, we had lunch at Rosso Rosticceria, located at 1229 North Dutton, Suite A. When we arrived, we found out that the lunch menu listed on Sonoma County Restaurant Week was only served on the weekday. We were so disappointed. They made a special concession and decided to serve us the menu. Their $15 Lunch Menu included:

Arancini with sausage and roasted peppers + pimento cheese. The arancini were crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. The garlic aioli and pimento cheese were a nice accompaniment.

The main reason we went to Rosso Rosticceria was to try their porchetta. Their porchetta was sliced too thin and the skin was not crispy. The salsa verde was nice and garlicky but I still prefer the porchetta sandwich at the Ferry Building in San Francisco. The potatoes were creamy but not as good as those in France.

Dessert was apple pie. It was good but not the best I've had.

2015 03 14

Walter Hansel

Last night we went to Walter Hansel Wine & Bistro. They're located at 3535 Guerneville in Sebastopol. Corkage for 1 bottle is waived for every bottle ordered from their wine list. We tried their Rose of Pinot Noir--a bottle was $20, what some restaurants charge for corkage. It was delicious. 

Their Restaurant Week dinner was $39. It was 3 courses with an amuse bouche.

Amuse bouche of cream of parsnip soup with Mediterranean spices.

First Course was a warm asparagus salad with choron sauce, Parmesan cheese, Prosciutto de Parma, and frisee. The choron sauce is a Bernaise sauce with tomato paste added. It was delicious.

Second Course was a choice of:

Lemon & herb crusted California halibut, poached baby leeks, baby carrots, golden beets, Mediterranean vinaigrette, Pomme Anna, arugula pistou. The halibut was well cooked.

Seared Veal Loin, seasonal vegetables, Pommes Dauphine, 

Truffled Jus, wild mushroom ragout. My veal was on the dry side but still flavorful.

The dessert was fresh berries & meringue brittle with Bellwether Farm creme fraiche and raspberry coulis. An after-dinner drink is served with the dessert. I chose the sauterne, which paired well with the raspberries. 

2015 03 13

Jack & Tony's

Next up was Jack & Tony's Restaurant & Whiskey Bar, located at 115 4th Street. They offered a 3-course dinner for $29.

First course offerings included:

Mac and Cheese, herbed breadcrumb crust. I loved this. The cheese sauce was delicious.

‘BLT’ Salad, butter lettuce, bacon, tomato and homemade ranch. The homemade ranch was very good.

A bowl of potato-leek Soup, cheddar and chive. None of us tried this so I can't give an opinion.

Next were the entree choices:

Grilled New York Strip, potato gratin, demi glace. The steak was cooked perfectly and flavorful.

Scottish Salmon, first-of-the-season asparagus, hollandaise. The salmon had a nice crust and the hollandaise was smooth and decadent.

Braised Lamb Shank, white corn polenta, pan jus. The lamb shank was fall-off-the-bone but it was served lukewarm.

Finally for dessert:

Mexican Chocolate pot de crème. This was a thick pudding, not quite as thick as I expected a pot de creme.

Strawberries on Rum cake, Chantilly cream. The rum cake was flavorful.

Butterscotch Pudding parfait--this was a popular dessert and was served to a lot of people. None of us ordered it so I can't comment. I did hear some patrons complain that on the website, it listed a snicker doodle but was not included on the plate.

Jack & Tony's does not have a large wine list. Corkage is $15.

2015 03 11

Cafe Europe

We went to Cafe Europe on Tuesday night. It's located at 104 Calistoga Road, in the Safeway shopping mall.

For Restaurant Week, they offered:

Sausage Platter for $19--German bratwurst & Nurenberger sausages, grilled, German sauerkraut & apple red cabbage, warm potato salad.

Hungarian Goulash for $19--Top Sirloin beef, seasoned, cooked to perfection, with onions. Finished in a mild paprika sauce, served with pasta. I loved this dish. The meat was tender and the pasta was actually spaetzle. The carrots were sweet. I'm not a carrot fan but I actually liked these. The sauerkraut was delicious--not too sour.

Roasted Pork Shank--Schweins Haxe for $29--Seasoned and roasted to perfection, its own gravy, mashed potato. This fell off the bone but had a nice crispy skin. I gnawed the bone clean. The dish came with mashed potatoes, sauerkraut and carrots.

Butcher Platter--Schlachtplatte for $29--Pork Schnitzel, smoked pork chop, Nuremberger sausage, sauerkraut & apple red cabbage, warm potato salad.

Each entree came with your choice of:

House salad with dill sauce. The dill sauce was delicious--it was slightly sweet but the sweetness was not overpowering.

Potato & Leek soup--creamy but not too heavy.

The dinner also came with dessert:

Austrian Apple Strudel a la mode with salted caramel ice cream.

2015 03 10

Sonoma Wine Shop & La Bodega

For dinner on Monday night, we chose Sonoma Wine Shop & La Bodega, located at 2295 Gravenstein Hwy in Sebastopol. The 3-course dinner was $29.

First Course Choices:

Wild Salmon Ravioli - Smoked Alaskan salmon in handmade ravioli, lemon cream, caramelized artichoke heart, clam juice, diced tomato, dill chimichurri. The ravioli was well made and the smoked salmon had a nice flavor, as did the cream sauce.

White Prawns -Garlic sautéed gulf prawns, white wine, Italian parsley, creamy polenta. This was my favorite 1st course. Absolutely delicious with a nice garlicky flavor.

Crispy Artichoke Heart - Herbed bread crumbs, Fiscalini cheddar, Served over zucchini rounds, sun dried tomato “Jus”, olive oil, basil. I also liked this dish. The artichoke heart was well fried--not too heavy.

Other options included:
Boston Style Clam Chowder - chopped clams, leeks, potatoes, celery, bacon, green bell pepper, garlic, fish stock, cream, white wine
Sweet & Spicy Mary’s Chicken Wings - with ranch dressing

Entreé Choices:

Eggplant & Zucchini Pasta Bake - Baked eggplant, zucchini, fresh spinach casserole, whole egg fettuccini, sundried tomato marinara, 3 Fiscalini cheddars, pencil asparagus. This was my favorite entree. It tasted like a light eggplant parmesan with pasta.

Angus Dry Aged Rib Eye Steak -green peppercorn & brandy, mashed potatoes, sauteéd green beans. The steak was thin but the peppercorn was nice.

Another entree option was:

Pollo Cena - roasted organic chicken, rocoto chili paste and cilantro salsa verde, coriander, garlic & cumin, basmati rice

Dessert Choices:

Chocolate & Nut Ganache Torte--this was not a large dessert but it was delicious. I loved the nuts.

Housemade Chocolate Truffles
Petite Tiramisu 

2015 03 09

El Coqui--Sonoma County Restaurant Week

We interrupt Paris to bring you Sonoma County Restaurant Week. Once a year, numerous restaurants in Sonoma County participate in Restaurant Week. They offer $10, $15 & $20 lunches and $19, $29 and $39 dinners.

Yesterday was the first day of Restaurant Week. First up, El Coqui for lunch. It's located in downtown Santa Rosa at 400 Mendocino Avenue.

The Picadillo Joe is normally a lunch special offered on Mondays & Tuesdays until 4 pm for $8. For Restaurant Week, they offered it with ice tea and rice pudding for $10.

Picadillo Joe--Seasoned ground beef cooked with scrambled eggs and served over white rice with sweet plantains. Absolutely delicious! I could eat this every day.

Rice Pudding. Creamy and not too sweet. Nice cinnamon flavor without being overpowering.

2015 03 09