Danville: Esin Restaurant and Bar; restaurant review

Greater East Bay

Esin Restaurant and Bar  

 750 Camino Ramon, in The Rose Garden shopping center, (925) 314-0974. L-D daily; $$-$$$.

interior of Esin Restaurant and Bar in Danville, California

A favorite with local critics and foodies, this sophisticated restaurant features high ceilings, large windows, and comfortable seating--including banquettes and booths--in its large, airy open space. The menu at Esin Restaurant and Bar offers housemade soups and creative salads as well as pastas, fish, and meats. Desserts are exceptional and not to be trifled with; don’t miss the black-bottom banana cream pie--oh my!—or the fave peanut butter cheesecake.


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image ©2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Berkeley: Trattoria La Siciliana (CLOSED); restaurant review

80 North

Trattoria La Siciliana  

CLOSED  2993 College Ave./Ashby Ave., in Elmwood, (510) 704-1474. D daily; $$. Cash only. Reservations advised (taken for 3+).

interior of Trattoria La Siciliana in Berkeley, California

Tables at Trattoria La Siciliana are tucked into a narrow space with an upstairs area to help handle overflow. The menu is extensive, and all pastas are made from scratch on site. Meals are meant to be shared and begin with a tasty olive oil dip made with plenty of garlic and herbs and a hint of heat. Though it does seem difficult to order wrong, tried-and-true dishes include portobello mushroom ravioli, rollatini di Melenzane (eggplant rolls), pappardelle pasta with either a light mixture of sausage and kale or with a long-simmered pork ragu sauce, and sometimes lobster linguine.

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image ©2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Ukiah: Ukiah Brewing Company & Restaurant; restaurant review

101 North

Ukiah Brewing Company & Restaurant 

102 S. State St., downtown, (707) 468-5898. L-D daily; $$. Takes reservations.

Do your body a healthy favor and have a brew and a meal at the first certified organic brewpub and the second certified organic brewery in the U.S. At the Ukiah Brewing Company & Restaurant, beers are not filtered and available only on site. Everything on the eclectic menu here is made in the kitchen except the bread and buns, which come from Schat’s Bakery next door. The Orr Springs IPA is the most popular brew, but many also favor the Sunhouse Amber, Doppel Dunkel Weizen, and dark Coops Stout. Menu favorites include a burger, fresh fish & chips, a Sloppy Joe with caramelized onions and side of mild red cabbage slaw, a beet-walnut salad, and garlic fries. Housemade cucumber pickles are available in summer, and daikon radish pickles the rest of the year. The funky warehouse-style space offers seating in several areas and also outside, and live music is scheduled most evenings.



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image ©2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Berkeley: Vegi Food (CLOSED); restaurant review

80 North

Vegi Food  

CLOSED  2085 Vine St./Shattuck Ave., (510) 548-5244. L Tu-F, D daily; $. Reservations taken. No cards.

The very simple Vegi Food cafe serves an all-vegan menu of Chinese food prepared in the Buddhist style--with no onions, garlic, eggs, fake meats, or MSG, but with plenty of vegetables and ginger and some tofu and gluten. Popular dishes include crispy fried pot stickers, spicy “shark fin” soup with plenty of tasty mushrooms but no sharks, soybean sheets with greens, crispy thin chow mein noodles with veggies, spicy eggplant, and asparagus or green beans in black bean sauce. Fried wontons and soup come with the bargain lunch special; brown rice is available at additional charge.


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image ©2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Plymouth: Deaver Vineyards & Winery + Amador Harvest Inn; things to do + hotel review

Highway 49--Gold Rush Country

Deaver Vineyards & Winery 

12455 Steiner Rd., (209) 245-4099. Daily 11-5.

Though this Shenandoah Valley tasting room at Deaver Vineyards & Winery is simple and unfussy, the wines are delicious and the tranquil grounds boast picnic tables overlooking two manmade lakes dating from the 1930s. Deaver has been making wines here for four generations and have some of the area’s oldest “mission vines” (planted by missionaries in the 1850s). The roots of old vines go 20 feet into the ground and source their own water, so they don’t need to be watered further and produce grapes with an earthy taste. Wines include a Zinfandel made from the fruit of 140-year-old vines, a Primitivo from the same grandfather grape hailing from Croatia, and a very nice Zinfandel Port. The winery’s ten ports are fortified with brandy and delightfully sealed with wax, making a lovely gift.

Amador Harvest Inn 

12455 Steiner Rd., (800) 217-2304, (209) 245-5512. 4 rooms. Unsuitable for children under 12. Full breakfast. No pets.

Located adjacent to the winery, the Cape Cod-style Amador Harvest Inn overlooks vineyards, mature oaks, and rolling hills.


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image ©2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Ukiah: Patrona; restaurant review

101 North

Patrona 

130 W. Standley St., downtown, (707) 462-9181. L-D Tu-Sat; $$$. Reservations advised. 

Locally sourced California cuisine is served at Patrona in a serene atmosphere featuring rustic brick walls nicely accenting a chic decor of black leather hi-back chairs and tables of polished pepperwood repurposed from a nearby ranch. A creative cocktail is the perfect start—perhaps a pisco mojito with cucumber, lime, and mint--but the large Mendocino County wine list is also worth a look. The menu changes regularly, so there is no guarantee it will offer a tangy, finely chopped gazpacho soup, or a crunchy flash-fried cod with a sweet chili sauce, but fish here is generally very good.



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image ©2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Novato: Rustic Bakery; restaurant review

101 North

Rustic Bakery 

1407 Grant Ave., (415) 878-4952. Daily 7am-5pm; $.

Diners at Rustic Bakery cafe pass by a mouth-watering selection of baked goods—specialty breads, flaky croissants, fruit pastries, huge cookies, bread pudding—then place their order at the counter for sandwiches, salads, and soups. A large window looks into the bakery kitchen. Seating is at a bank of tables across from the counter, and outside on the sidewalk in good weather.



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image ©2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Greater East Bay

Introduction to town of Canyon

Along Pinehurst Rd., 3 mi. from Moraga. 

 A narrow winding road leads through redwoods into no man’s land—-the rustic unincorporated community of Canyon. Stop at the post office to absorb the quiet, woodsy atmosphere.


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image ©2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
updated Aug. 12, 2018

Livermore: La Rochelle + The Steven Kent Winery; things to do

880 South

Steven Mirassou, who owns both of these wineries, says, "The wine business is like the fashion business, but it doesn’t move as quickly. People are always looking for new things."

La Rochelle

(MOVED TO KENWOOD)
5443 Tesla Rd., (925) 243-6442. Tasting daily 12-4:30; no tour.

 
The La Rochelle winery focuses on Pinot Noir. In addition to a regular tasting, a flight tasting paired with a food platter is offered in its relaxing tasting room; reservations are not necessary.

The Steven Kent Winery  

5443 Tesla Rd., (925) 243-6440. Tasting daily 12-4:30; no tour. 

The Steven Kent Winery operates on the same property. Incredibly enthusiastic owner-winemaker Steven Mirassou focuses on Cabernet but also makes a delicious “Merrillie” Chardonnay and Vincere, and he is not above naming a vinatage for his grandma (Merrillie) or his cat (Lola). Picnic tables are shaded by several olive trees.


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image ©2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
updated September 15, 2017 here

Berkeley: Joshu-ya Brasserie (CLOSED); restaurant review

80 North

Joshu-ya Brasserie 

CLOSED  2441 Dwight Way/Telegraph Ave., (510) 848-5260. L M-Sat, D daily; $$.

Though Joshu-ya Brasserie  retains part of the space’s former name, this is an all-new enterprise with an enthusiastic young chef from NYC. Surrounded as it is by a red wood fence, the remodeled restaurant is especially reminiscent of a Japanese country inn in the evening when warm lights glow in welcome. Though traditional Japanese favorites are on the menu and extremely well executed (crisp-battered shrimp and vegetable tempura, delicate vegetable gyoza potstickers), the izakaya (Japanese tapas) craze is apparent with choices such as cold but spicy jalapeno pork belly soba noodles or hanger steak sukiyaki with shitake mushrooms. And there is, of course, plenty of sushi (Lion King with baked salmon, crab, and avocado; Cinderella with vegetable tempura, avocado, and wakame seaweed). A bowl of miso soup and bottomless cup of roasted rice green tea are complimentary with every meal. Dining spaces include a large outside courtyard complete with soothing fountain, a formal front dining room with white tablecloths, a tucked-away back room reminiscent of a German beer pub, and a traditional sushi bar. For drinks, choose from Japanese craft beers, shochu (a Japanese distilled clear spirit similar to vodka), and fruity sake cocktails. Dessert choices include a baseball-size hunk of green tea ice cream wrapped in pound cake and deep fried.


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image ©2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Plymouth: Jeff Runquist Wines; things to do

Highway 49--Gold Rush Country

Jeff Runquist Wines 

10776 Shenandoah Rd., (209) 245-6282. F-Sun 11-5.

Look for the “R” to find this understated winery, then look for the "Z" for their ultra premium Zinfandel (the grapes used for this label come from a local vineyard planted at the turn of the 19th century). It is interesting that the winemaker at Jeff Runquist Wines owns no vineyards yet makes a nice Barbera using grapes from nearby Cooper Vineyards, and a very good Pinot Noir with grapes from Napa. All wines made here are red. Taste them in a clean-lined modern tasting room with windows into the cask room.


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image ©2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Palo Alto: Sprout Cafe; restaurant review

101 South

Sprout Cafe 

168 University Ave., (650) 323-7688. L daily, D M-Sat; $.

This very busy spot can be loaded with little sprouts and their strollers, so it is a good idea to try to avoid rush hours. Stop by the table in front of Sprout Cafe to peruse the menu and decide whether you will order a premade salad (the Davy made with poached Scottish salmon, avocado, sesame ginger dressing, and more is a winner) or a build-your-own salad, then order in back at the counter. Housemade soups and sandwiches are also available.

 
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image ©2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Plymouth: C.G. Di Arie Vineyard and Winery; things to do

Highway 49--Gold Rush Country

C.G. Di Arie Vineyard and Winery  

19919 Shenandoah School Rd., 209. 245. 4700. Tasting Thur-M 10-4:30. 

Owned by a native Israeli and his wife, a former dancer with the Oakland Ballet, the tiny 209-acre C.G. Di Arie Vineyard and Winery makes big wine. “Wine is the thing around which we dance today,” comments the charming Elisheva Gur-Arieh. She says they came to attend a bat mitzvah in the valley here and heard it calling to them. Her husband Chaim is described by others as a character and also the maker of incredible wines. Do sample their smooth and delicious flagship Southern Exposure™ Zinfandel, which has won more than 30 gold medals and is made from grapes from the original Grandpere vineyard. (It is claimed this vineyard holds the oldest living Zinfandel vines in the U.S.  The first recorded harvest came from this vineyard in 1868, 1 year before the Civil War.)


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image ©2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers