Culinary
Crawl:
Gourmet Surprises of Healdsburg, Sonoma County
An
early evening taste crawl through the delightful community
of Healdsburg with Birgitt Vaughan, PR Director for Sonoma County
Tourism to visit some great restaurants while perusing the many
shops surrounding the historic Healdsburg Square was a great
introduction to this charming Sonoma destination.
Sonoma Wine Country
Our
first stop on the taste crawl was MATEO'S Cocina
Latina at 214 Healdsburg Avenue. This is a venue with simply
wonderful unique cocktails, entrees and appetizers. Matteo's
is definitely one place not to miss in Healdsburg. The outdoor
back patio is perfect for a fun loving crowd to sample delicious
items like Ahi tuna ice cream cones or beet salad with a variety
of creative cocktails! 707-433-1520.
Tuna Tartar Cones at Mateo's Cocina Latina
CHALKBOARD
Healdsburg has a great bar entrance that leads to the dining
room with an open kitchen and a delightful outdoor patio. They
a fantastic collection of unique plates and wines for an evening
to remember. Their Red Car Pinot was a great match with yummy
sliders and a variety of appetizers. Their open kitchen and
great staff make this a warm and cozy place to experience a
very creative menu. www.chalkboard.com.
Chalkboard Staff
BRAVAS,
420 Center Street, offers delightful and uniqueTapas dishes,
and their wine menu is filled with local favorites. The inner
dining room of this converted home is charming and the outdoor
back patio is a beehive of activity in the evening. The staff
were very helpful in explaining the ingredients for specific
dishes. Visit: www.Bravas.com.
Luncheon Tasting at Paul Hobbs Winery
A
tasting luncheon at PAUL HOBBS Winery proved
to be a delightful gourmet surprise. This is one beautiful winery
with state-of-the-art wine making equipment, an amazing chef,
and a beautiful tasting facility to pair their wonderful wine
with outstanding cuisine. Our host Christopher O'Gorman, Marketing
& Public Relations Manager gave us the full tour and shared
information on the wines he selected to pair with chefs outstanding
plates. The lunch pairing was perfect, and the chef provided
some amazing plates to enjoy with Hobbs wines. According to
Paul Hobbs, "the wines we are currently producing are the
result of years of perseverance, patience and experimentation
in our continuing adventure with wine." Forbes Magazine
considers Paul Hobbs the Steve jobs of wine. Visit www.PaulHobbsWinery.com.
New VALETTE Restaurant, Chef Dustin Valette
Best
dining in Healdsburg is VALETTE, 344 Center
Street, which is truly a home for gourmands. Justin Valette
was the former executive chef at Dry Creek Kitchen, a Charlie
Palmer Group venue, where we enjoyed a brilliant dining experience
that included treats like scallop en croute with leeks, fennel
and caviar Pernod beurre blank, paired with Jordan Chardonnay
2012. His newly opened Valette Restaurant has gotten raves from
the real food and wine experts, and that comes as no surprise
to me. He is truly an outstanding chef, and this place is culinary
heaven for those who know 'what's up' in gastronomique. Valette
brings back memories of beginnings of the French Laundry in
terms of original and creative plates paired with amazing wines.
Visit www.valettehealdsburg.com.
For
information contact www.sonomacounty.com.
By Bonnie Carroll
About Bonnie Carroll
Bonnie Carroll has been a food/travel/lifestyle writer since
1983. She is the founder & publisher of Bonnie Carroll's
Life Bites News - www.lifebitesnews.com,
does travel and food reporting on KZSB1290 radio, and contributes
to a variety of national and international travel/lifestyle
publications. Her first children's book C.C. Charles was published
in 2002 and she is currently working on a second book. Contact
her at Contact her at writebc@aol.com.