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See the Stars this Week in Sonoma
The big news around the North Bay this past week has been the meteor crash that sprinkled Wine Country with historic “big bang” particles. But professional observers say streaking fireballs lighting up...
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It’s Thanksgiving, Are You Hungry Yet?
Thanksgiving is nearly here, and if you’re not cooking at home, it’s never too soon to make reservations for that special feast. Many restaurants sell out seats quickly, so secure your table now, and...
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Pub Republic Plants its Flag in Petaluma
Just in time for chilly weather, comes a new restaurant promising to warm our bodies and souls with artisan beers, and British pub food like fish-n-chips, shepherd’s pie, and a big, juicy burger topped...
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Luxury – Sonoma County Style
See and be seen. In Sonoma County, this speaks more of the stunning landscapes, wineries and coastal and mountain views, rather than the people. Sure, this gorgeous region of Wine Country brims with...
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Find “Something Old, Something New” with Historic Healdsburg Wedding Site
The dream of all weddings is for the couple-in-love to build history together. Following those vows, we all wish for “happily ever after” and long, rich lives together. One way to instill this...
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This Thanksgiving, Let Willie Bird Wow You
Just this week, I got a flyer from my area grocery store, offering me Thanksgiving turkey at 67 cents a pound. The national chain advertised “fresh” (as in frozen), and included a disclaimer. Not about...
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Zazu at The Barlow
Just when it seems that The Barlow couldn’t be getting any better, it has. Next Iron Chef contender Duskie Estes has just spilled the beans: She and her husband-business partner John Stewart have just...
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The Holidays Make us Pie-Eyed
In 2011, food trendmasters proclaimed that pies were “the new cupcakes.” Here, at nearly the end of 2012, the passion for the homey comfort food has yet to wane. Because even if our own mother or...
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Ask About the Hotel Details: You May be Surprised
When hotels offer their facilities for weddings, many of them promise to go above and beyond in meeting a couple’s expectations. Yet what, exactly, should a couple expect? A mandate for good planning...
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Bravo to Bravas
When Mark Stark and his wife Terri took their first European trip in July of 2009, they ate and drank their way through London, Paris, Provence and Spain. “The clear favorite,” chef Stark muses today,...
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Healdsburg’s Shed Gears Up with Staff and Plans for Cider Bar
When Shed opens in downtown Healdsburg in February, customers will be able to get their cider on in grand style. One of the unique touches to the property that is designed to be a restaurant, market...
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A Taste (or Eight) of Asia in Sebastopol
On a recent Peter Greenberg radio show, I chatted with the CBS News travel specialist about what makes dining in Sonoma County so special. I could have stayed on that topic for hours, but in the few...
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Chicken Pop-up Dinners Support Sonoma Charity
Starting this Sunday, a group of Sonoma County farmers, chefs, butchers, and restaurateurs are offering a most delicious way to feed a good cause, while feeding yourself. This Sunday, Dec. 2, is...
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Lights, Camera…. Action is Ramping up with Pre-Sale Savings on Sonoma...
It’s still several months until the 16th annual Sonoma International Film Festival, which runs April 10-14, 2013. Yet two important things are happening now: film submissions, and early bird ticket...
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Winter Wineland Makes Wine Touring Even Easier
Maybe “Totally Cool Winery Treasure Map” or “Glittery Charm Bracelet of Great Wineries” or “Wine Chart of the Stars of the Universe” were too long of names. However it came about, the nicely titled...
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Make a Proposal to Your Favorite Wedding Venue, Too
Often, wedding couples overlook some of the most beautiful venues for their important day, thinking that such elegance is out of their budget. Yet unless they ask, they’ll never know, and sometimes the...
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Claws for Celebration: Crab Season is Here
It’s so highly anticipated in Sonoma that it seems some enterprising organization should do something official to honor it. Crab season has come, so let’s unleash the marching bands, set loose the crab...
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Hi Five Korean Diner Adds Ka-Pow to Guerneville
I’ve got to admit that Hi Five’s menu made me do a double take. I thought I’d seen it all, after living in Northern California for many years, arguably the creative food capital of America. I’ve...
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Dickens Dinners Return in All Their Splendor to Madrona Manor
Given all the incredible décor packed into the historic mansion that is Madrona Manor in Healdsburg, it wouldn’t be surprising to find 10 Lords a Leaping, plus a Partridge in a Pear Tree tucked in some...
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Stew’s on this Spring at Seaside Metal in Guerneville
The name of the new eatery coming soon to downtown Guerneville – Seaside Metal – refers to the antique boats bobbing (and rusting) gently in the nearby Sonoma Coast bays. As might be anticipated, the...
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Celebrate the Holidays in High Style, and With the Kids, Too
Eggnog and strung popcorn are good snacks for decorating the tree, but they hardly make a holiday meal. Here are some tasty alternatives around Sonoma County and, as a plus, the suppers offer special...
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Create a Sonoma County Statement for New Year’s, Win Nifty Prizes
In Spain, wacky New Year’s Eve revelers stop whatever they’re doing before midnight and engage in a mad scramble for grapes. The rule is that everyone must eat 12 grapes, one for each chime of the...
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Find that Beautiful Place for Your Wedding
One of the biggest trends in weddings now (ironically enough) is keeping things small. Couples don’t want to get lost in the crowd; intimate affairs can mean that every guest is a special gift on the...
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New at The Barlow: Three Tenants and Liquid Nitro Ice Cream
With The Barlow slated to celebrate its official grand opening in June, the leasing team for the 220,000-square-foot culinary and art center at Sebastopol Avenue/Highway 12 and Morris Street is keeping...
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No Excuse to Not Indulge in More Patisserie Angelica Cakes
It was only the day after Christmas as I stood in the checkout line at a grocery store, but already, the next holiday was looming large. There, next to the discounted candy canes and specials on New...
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Enhance the Romance by Leaving the Details to a Wedding Planner
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” – Lao Tzu This is one of Marisa Manna’s favorite quotes, and entirely appropriate for her work as owner...
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Educate and Indulge with Forage for Fungi Weekend at Timber Cove Inn Jan. 4-6
It’s rainy season in the North Bay, which means many of us have mushrooms on our minds. If you see people stomping happily around the woods in the damp, you can bet they’re out there foraging, in...
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Updated Casa del Mar is a Santa Rosa-Sonoran Star
When Casa del Mar opened in Santa Rosa in 2009, it had a big space to fill. The former La Strada Italian Restaurant on the corner of Stony Point and Todd roads was a longstanding institution, but it...
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Women on Wine – Unfiltered Pops the Cork on Iron Horse CEO
It wasn’t too many years ago that a woman running a winery was considered avant-garde. Now, Sonoma County is home to some of the top female names in the country, and Big Bottom Market in Guerneville is...
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Beaudry’s Roadhouse Brings Taste of Home to Sebastopol
While we were all busy stuffing ourselves with holiday home cooking over the last month, a new restaurant in Sebastopol on the edge of Forestville was putting together some delightful home cooking of...
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Restaurant Month, Restaurant Week – It’s Good All the Time with Sonoma County...
It’s not like we ever need an excuse to dine out, but sure, we’ll take one. January is California Restaurant Month. Which means 33 destinations across the state have created special restaurant week or...
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Sonoma County’s Winter Mushrooms Bloom Like, Well, Mushrooms After a Rain
It seems like common sense – never follow a strange man into the woods because he promises you candy. Yet there I was in the heart of winter, tramping happily through the dense trees and underbrush at...
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Twice as Nice with Couples’ Massage
It’s amazing how something involving hot stones, mud, salt, oil, and poking deeply into muscles can be so marvelous. We’re talking massages, of course, and how absurdly joyful and relaxing the...
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Think Outside the Neighborhood for Wedding Shower
One of the nicest traditions of weddings is when a relative or close friend of the bride throws a shower. Even if gifts aren’t part of the event (many modern showers are simply about a joyful...
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New and Improved Santé Coming This Spring
Santé in Sonoma has just closed, but worry not, those signature $215 wine-paired chef’s tasting dinners will return in April, served in a new setting that the restaurant’s spokeswoman promises will...
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