I was assigned two weeks of work in San Francisco and instead of flying home for about 36 hours over the weekend, I decided to get a car and head from the airport to Santa Rosa and the Wine country of Napa and Sonoma.
After a 90 minute drive from SFO (a really scenic drive from the Golden Gate Bridge north) I arrived in Santa Rosa. This is the town that Guy calls home and where they film his Food Network Show, "Guy's Grocery Games". My first stop was a place that Guy has been enjoying for years, even before he had TV shows. "La Texanita" is a small, colorful place. I entered and was promptly seated. The yellow dining room is decorated with a number of colorful Mexico wall paintings.
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| La Texanita in Santa Rosa |
Even before ordering I was presented a basket of chips with both a red salsa and a green avocado based salsa, both were very tasty with a small spice bite. Knowing that I wanted to try a few other places, I decided to try wo tacos, one beef and one with chorizo. While waiting I saw the owner, Alma, who I recognized from their early season episode, she was busy filling a huge take-out order but stopped to sign my book.
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| Inside La Texanita |
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| Alma Mendez, the owner of La Texanita |
My meal arrived and both tacos were very tasty but had a real spice bite (many of you know I am not a spicy eater) so the chips really helped cool the spice. That being said the taste was really great.
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| Chips with Red and Green Salsa |
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| Freshly made Chorizo and Beef Tacos |
I finished up and headed out to my second stop. Just a few miles away "Taqueria Molcajetes" was doing a huge lunch business. They have a huge menu and I was lucky when I arrived there line was just 3, by the time I left it was literally out the door! The dining area is fairly large and also has an out door seating area.
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| Taqueria Molcajetes in Santa Rosa |
They have an open kitchen and everything looked delicious. I was at my second authentic Mexican restaurant, this one had a sit down bar and a drink area with several Mexican fruit based drinks and a huge self serve salsa bar. I decided to stay on theme and get two tacos. A Chorizo taco and a Shrimp taco. I just got a water but I was served a basket of chips. I tried some of the red salsa, which was mild and some of the marinated onions which were extremely spicy!
Those chips came in handy!Both places I had visited featured radishes, which I hadn't had in years, but brought back fond memories of my dad who loved them!
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| Inside Taqueria Molcajetes |
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| Delicious food being prepared at Taqueria Molcajetes' open kitchen |
I got my meal and the Chorizo taco was pretty good, it had a sauce that made it very spicy, but the Shrimp taco was awesome! On a soft tortilla was cabbage, a mild salsa, sour cream and 5 huge butterflied shrimp. One shrimp equals a full load at most restaurants. I couldn't even close it to eat, I eat it with a fork!
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| Chips and Salsa along with very spicy marinated onion and Radish (my dad loved Radishes!) |
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| Chorizo and Shrimp Tacos |
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| One of the huge shrimp in the taco! |
As I headed out, I thought about how great that shrimp taco was. I can highly recommend Taqueria Molcajetes if your in the area. All the meals I saw others eating looked great!
I drove a few miles to a place that had originally been a fast food restaurant. "Simply Vietnam Express" was doing a huge lunch business, the dining area was just about full and the takeout line was about 10 deep. I was seated at a small table near the entrance to their patio dining area. I decided to try what they called Crab Puffs, but the description sounded like Crab Rangoon.
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| Simply Vietnam Express in Santa Rosa |
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| Their "Guy Ate Here" stencil |
I was served the Crab Puffs and these were the best I have ever had. Seven large fried balls filled with cream cheese and large slivers of crab. It was presented with a mid chili sauce which wasn't needed because the puffs were delicious on their own.
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| My Simply Vietnam Express Crab Puffs |
As I left I got the manager to sign my book and several of the employees came over to see it. I thought that was very cool. I headed out to check in to a hotel and take a short break.
I headed about 25 miles north in Sonoma County to the Alexander Valley and the town of Geyserville. This small town has a very 19th Century Western feel and must be very close to an earthquake fault line because I noticed a number of buildings with warning signs. The area is home to a number of small batch wineries.
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| Downtown Geyserville, California in the Alexander Valley |
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| Interesting signs |
"Catelli's" is a family run, high end Italian restaurant. The formal dining room was full so I sat at one of the tables on the fringe of the big and busy bar area. I decided to try one of my favorite pastas, Cheese Ravioli. While I waited I was served fresh bread that had a Pimento Butter topping, it was delicious!
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| Catelli's Yellow door to great food! |
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| Catelli's large busy bar area |
The large plate of ravioli came topped with their house meat sauce. I wasn't disappointed as the ravioli was really good!
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| Catelli's Bread Service |
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| Large plate of Cheese Ravioli topped with House Meat Sauce |
Before I left I met the manager who signed my book and we talked for a few minutes about my travels and the restaurant. Catelli's features only one Napa wine and that winery has ties to a nearby winery. They feature mostly wines native to the Alexander Valley, usually from small batch wineries. It is so cool that they support local places!
My last stop on the day was back in Santa Rosa at a small place in town. "Zoftig Eatery" features American fare with a emphasis on sandwiches and salads, They use locally sourced and a lot of organic foods. I chose to try the Fried Chicken sandwich.
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| Zoftig's storefront in a small strip mall in Santa Rosa |
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| Zoftig Eatery's open kitchen |
The sandwich was huge! The large Breaded Chicken patty was on a very good sesame bun topped with micro greens, bread and butter pickles and dressed with mayonnaise. The sandwich was very tasty, the breading wasn't really spiced but it was tasty. After finishing I got the cook to sign my book, they were surprised I had been to some any places and that I had come so far to try their food, I told them it's a fun hobby!
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| Zoftig's Fried Chicken Sandwich, topped with Micro Greens Pickles and Mayonnaise |
My second day started with a scenic 30 minute drive into Sonoma. You can see that grapes and wine are king of this area, acres upon acres of grape vines along with wineries line the roads in Sonoma County. The town is quaint with a lot of interesting shops. I was able to find a parking spot right in front of "The Sunflower Caffe". There was a booming breakfast crowd with a line almost out of the front door. The place is bright and sunny with a yellow hue and colorful walls. I waited for a few minutes in the line before ordering the Buttermilk Belgian Waffle. I was very lucky and found a high-top table.
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| Sunflower Caffe in Sonoma, California |
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| The bright and colorful interior |
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| Specials Board |
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| The inside seating area of The Sunflower Caffe |
They also have outdoor seating both in front of the restaurant and in the back in a small courtyard. My breakfast came very quickly with a small carafe of maple syrup on the side. The waffle was very flavorful topped with whipped butter. Sunflower specializes in breakfast and lunch and is worth a visit if you're in the area.
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| My Sunflower Caffe breakfast |
I then headed out of Sonoma for an hour long drive through the vineyards to Sacramento, California's capital. The drive was awesome!. As I arrived in the outskirts of Sacramento at the beginning of US Route 50 there was a mileage sign that brought me right back home stating "Ocean City MD 3073 Miles"! My next stop was a small place caled "Dad's Kitchen". As you walk in they have three retro pinball machines. They have three separate areas, a bar area, indoor seating area and a patio seating area. All are decorated with colorful signs, it's a fun and inviting place.
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| Dad's Kitchen in Sacramento, California |
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| Dad's reception area |
I took a seat in the inside dining area and chose the sandwich that Guy had during his visit, the pen faced meatloaf sandwich. After a short wait my sandwich arrived complimented with a large portion of sea salt laced fries. The meatloaf was encased in bacon and topped with house made ketchup and fried onion straws on top of a slice Focaccia Bread. It was one of the best meatloaf slices I have ever had. Dad's staff is also really fun, they take care of the customers like they are one of the family. The menu is loaded with American comfort food.
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| Dad's Kitchen Meatloaf Sandwich |
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| Very Tasty! |
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| Inside Dining Area server's bar |
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| Outdoor Patio seating |
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| Beer and Bacon, Dad's specialty! |
I headed across town to try a place called "The Golden Bear". I was disappointed that they were only serving a limited brunch menu and nothing was appealing to me. The place was hopping but few were eating, it is a very cool specialty bar so I chose to try their house made lemonade and it didn't disappoint. I got to meet Jason the manager and we talked a little about the bar and Guy's visit. He is a great guy and I look forward to visiting his place again for a meal.
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| The Golden Bear; A very chic bar and restaurant in Sacramento |
I headed out from my brief visit to California's capital city to go to the town of Thornton-Walnut Grove in the Sacramento River Delta and the San Joaquin Valley, which is know as America's Breadbasket. "Giusti's" is a former fish camp and is the oldest restaurant in the area. It is very unique as there is a bar area and dining room area but they do not have paper menus. They told me that the menu changes daily and they write it on a white board and you order off that. I took a seat at the bar and ordered a drink and went to peruse the menu board. The bar is decorated with funny signs and the ceiling is decorated with hundreds of ball caps, if it's a hat it might be on the ceiling of Giusti's!
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| Giusti's in Thornton-Walnut Grove, California |
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| Giusti's Interesting History |
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| Interesting ruck out front |
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| The Bar |
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| Bar Ceiling decorations - Ball Hats |
I ordered the Linguine with Pesto. The meal came with a house salad and some of the best Italian Bread I have ever had. The linguine was awesome, freshly made with a great thick sauce. It was so filling but delicious! My server/bar tender signed my book, his father was the owner and chef who cooked with Guy. After a great meal I headed out for the long drive back to my hotel. The drive was very scenic along the Sacramento River passing through Fairfield, the home of Jelly Belly jelly beans.
After a short break I headed back into the Sonoma Valley driving along the Sonoma Highway. I stopped for dinner at "Café Citi". The small place was doing a huge business. It was kind of unusual that you order you meal and then the server assigns you a table. I was assigned a table that the patrons before me were just paying their bill so I had a short wait while the table was vacated and cleaned.
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| Café Citi in the Sonoma Valley |
I decided to try the Polenta with their signature Bolognese Sauce. When I ordered the manager gave me a book to look at while I waited. It is a history of the restaurant with all their meals and has a special chapter dedicated to Guy's visit.
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| Café Citi's dining room fireplace |
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| Café Citi's open kitchen |
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| The Café Citi history book |
I will admit that I chose the Polenta due to cost but was pleasantly surprised, it was delicious! The crispy crust was awesome and the sauce was really tasty, it kind of reminded my of my grandmother's homemade sauce we had growing up! I was a bit disappointed that I was unable to get the manager to sin my book, it was just too busy.
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| My Café Citi meal - Polenta with Bolognese Sauce |
I headed out and continued along the Sonoma Highway to a small place in Sonoma called "Cochon Volent Smokehouse". They specialize in a lot of different Latin items though Barbecue is their specialty but I decided to try the Gumbo. To call it soup would be to undersell it. The gumbo had huge pieces of sausage, shrimp, fish bits and fried okra and just a small amount of broth. It was very filling. It came with a huge slice of jalapeno cornbread. The cornbread was tasty but very spicy with huge pieces of corn and slivers of jalapenos.
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| Cochon Volent Smokehouse in Sonoma, California |
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| Order area of Cochon Volent Smokehouse |
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| Gumbo and Spicy Cornbread |
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| Hearty Gumbo |
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Thanks for a great meal!
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I had just one day left before heading back to San Francisco for my week of work. I had planned to try to get to a few places in Oakland but as I was looking at the map and the Tripe D website, I had forgotten to add a place in the area so I decided to head back towards Sacramento to the town of Winters. "Putah Creek Café" is probably the most popular breakfast restaurant in this small town. There were over 20 people waiting for tables and during my visit the numbers waiting would grow! When I registered I was told that I could take a seat at the counter, which I did.
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| The town of Winters, California about 20 miles west of Sacramento |
I looked over the menu and everything looked pretty good and I decided to try the Biscuits and Gravy, but I had ordered them without the eggs, so the waitress told me they would substitute the breakfast potatoes instead. The staff seemed very friendly but it was hard to have a conversation as they were so busy. They do their own baking, as well. While I waited the greeter brought out several delicious looking cakes to be displayed in the glass case as you enter the restaurant.
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| Putah Creek Café in downtown Winters, California |
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| They also make awesome pizza from what I was told |
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| The busy and open kitchen |
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| A busy Sunday Breakfast crowd |
My meal came and it was not what I expected. The two large biscuits were topped with tasty sausage gravy with two sausage patties along side including breakfast potato hash. The sausage was tasty with a nice spice taste. The meal was huge and filled me up. It was so busy I was unbale to get my book signed, they just don't stop! I can highly recommend Putah Creek Café, but get there early, I was told by my seat mates that it's always like it 7 days a week!
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| My Putah Creek Café breakfast |
I headed out and made my way towards San Francisco. The drive, even on the Interstate, was pretty nice. As you get closer to the Bay Area you can see the bay and the cities off in the distance. I headed into Oakland to try a couple of places. Entering the city there is a lot of poverty, it's really sad to see. There was a tent city under one of the highway underpasses!
My first stop was at a place called "Brix 581". I got a parking spot right in front of the place which seemed strange. On the door thee was a sign stating they were on vacation, that would have been a nice thing to put on their website. Very disappointing.
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| Brix 581 - Not sure what to say, hope they had a good vacation! |
From there I headed a couple of miles north in Oakland along Broadway, the main street in Oakland to my final stop on the trip. Broadway was busy and fully under construction, luckily my stop was past all the construction. I got a parking spot very close to the place. Next door was a breakfast spot called Brenda's that had a line at least 20 deep, I hope it's good! "Clove and Hoof" had just opened for the day and they already had about 6 or 7 patron already waiting for their meals. This place is both a restaurant and butcher shop. The menu not only features meat products but vegetarian items, too. I chose to try the baked beans and the biscuit with apple butter.
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| Clove and Hoof, a butchery in Oakland, California |
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| Inside Clove and Hoof |
My meal came and the baked bens were hearty with huge beef and pork chunks and small topping of breadcrumbs. The spice was overpowering to my palate. I think it was pretty good, but couldn't get around the spice, I'm not sure but wouldn't be surprised if it had habanero's! The biscuit had been grilled and was very tasty. The apple butter had an awesome cinnamon spice taste. I just ate the apple butter straight, using the biscuit to help killed the spice of the pork and beans.
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| Biscuit and Apple Butter |
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| Clove and Hoof's very spicy Pork and Beans |
I headed out to get to my hotel and get ready for my week at San Francisco International Airport. It was a fun and tasty weekend! I was able to get to a bunch of places and my Triple D count stood at 750!
