My husband and I go to Sonoma about 4 times a year. We like Deuce, Cafe la Haye, and Girl and the Fig. Deuce I find to be greatly underrated. There is a nice courtyard if you want to eat outside, and the interior is beautiful---lovely woodwork and metalwork. Excellent service, terrific wine list (no surprise there). Cafe la Haye may have the best food of the three. Girl and the Fig has very good bistro-type fare (in the winter, their cassoulet is fantastic!). I think their desserts are a bit lack-luster, generally. They also have nice outdoor seating.

In case you are interested, the best coffee shop in Sonoma (hands down, IMO) is the Barking Dog Coffee Roasters. They do indeed roast their own. It's a nice place to sit and read the paper (many available, even the NY Times).

I'm opening myself up to ridicule by saying this, but my wife and my favorite restaurant there is Carneros at the Renaissance Lodge. Granted that's where we always stay, but the atmosphere, service, food quality, and wine list are all simply outstanding. It is a favorite among locals, so it must have something going for it!

Hmmm....I didn't know outside food is not allowed in the picnic area at Sattui. Is there a sign somewhere???

Ate at a new (to us!) restaurant in Sonoma this weekend: La Poste, on Broadway right next to the (you guessed it!) post office. Tiny bistro, more seating outside than inside. The food was wonderful, and it was obvious that it is a local favorite. I think it's about to become our new favorite here, too.

Deuce was a disappointment this time. La Haye was on vacation.

Bouchon in Yountville...just down the street from the French Laundry. And V. Sattui is always a great choice when there's nice weather.

I keep repeating myself here: Mirepoix, Mirepoix, Mirepoix. I've been to pretty much every place in the county and Mirepoix is currently at the top of their game and on top of the other places around.
Flavor is a new place in downtown Santa Rosa. The food is good, nothing extraordinary. However, they feature Moonlight Brewing on tap. Brian Hunt is an extraordinary brewer; particularly his various Lagers. Russian River BRewing Company is a few blocks away. Vinnie Cilurzo is in a league of his own (well Phil Markowski is there too). I've been going to Sonoma County 6-8x per year for several years. I love the wine. In truth, however, its the three top breweries out there that get me most excited these days (Bear Republic in Healdsburg, being the third

Bistro Ralph in Healdsberg is a very nice little restaurant.

The deli at the Korbel winery is also quite acceptable for lunch.

This was an awesome stop on our recent Napa day trip (and we definitely needed some food by the time we got there). The wine for purchase is decent, but the free tasting definitely is skipable.

Glad you liked it, Kersie. :)

I liked Bistro Jeanty, nice little Bistro, food is quite good, former chef from Domain Chandon.

I also liked Tra Vigne, bigger, food also OK.

I didn't care for Don Giovanni - food was a little like fast food and overcooked.

In St. Helena is a Dean & DeLuca .. very nice stuff for a picnic!

BTW, I did not find a nice restaurant in Santa Rosa, nor a nice hotel. The Hilton was lousy ..

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...REST_INDEX.txt

Don't forget the Oakville Grocery for picnic stuff. I prefer it strongly to D&D.

Were you at the Hilton pre-renovation or more recently? And for restaurants in Sonoma, while there are some options in Santa Rosa proper, I've found the real treasure trove to be in Healdsburg. Bistro Ralph was just mentioned, which is very nice, as well as Ravenous. There are others, such as the Farmhouse Inn in Forestville, too. But, for the most part, I'm inclined to say that the dining for my taste is more attractive in Napa, although I think that might be changing slowly but surely as Sonoma gets more and more excellent restaurants.

Bistro Jeanty is great -- the chef who built Domaine Chandon into greatness. Bistro don Giovanni, I've found, has been disappointingly inconsistent. I prefer Tra Vigne at the moment, though sometimes in the summer some of the dishes can feel a little heavy.

Sonoma: Cyrus in Healdsburg
 

Try Cyrus, a new restaurant in Healdsburg which is giving the French Laundry a run for its money.

www.cyrusrestaurant.com

My room was a newly renovated, large, bland room at Hilton.

I had seen Farmhouse Inn at Zagat ... didn't go, was a little too far.
Went to two restaurants at the depot/railway area (?) both had overcooked food. There is also a breakfast joint, which was very good ... long lines.

Dean & Deluca is fine, but a little expensive .. they had a (middle sized) bread for $8.00! I used my D&D $100 cash card, which I got from Lexus for test driving a car. ;)

Now that's some top-notch FTing, USAFAN! The way to travel. Good move.

John Ash & Co. (in the Vintner's Inn) in Healdsburg is lovely...the dining room is literally plopped down in the middle of a vineyard.

Kenwood Restaurant in Kenwood is great for lunch.