Your favorite restaurants?

[Valley Oak]

We are going to celebrate a special family milestone, centered primarily around our 15 daughter. What are your favorite restaurants in the area?

What other venues might you suggest? Any style of food is fine. Price is not an issue. It will be a dinner sometime this week.

Other suggestions? We are open to the general idea of celebrating something special, not just by going to a restaurant..

Edward

[carpet crawler]

Wow, your question should get some replies :-)

Underwood
John Ash
Zazu
Willi's Wine Bar
Cucina Paradiso
Syrah
Manzanita
Gary Chu's
Sassafras

These ought to get you started; all of them have web pages (Google is your friend)

Enjoy! There are so many fine places to eat in the county that this only scratches the surface.

hugh


We are going to celebrate a special family milestone, centered primarily around our 15 daughter. What are your favorite restaurants in the area?

What other venues might you suggest? Any style of food is fine. Price is not an issue. It will be a dinner sometime this week.

Other suggestions? We are open to the general idea of celebrating something special, not just by going to a restaurant..

Edward

[RussianRiverRattina]

There definitely ARE lots of fabulous restaurants around here, but since you're looking for a memorable experience for your 15-year-old daughter & money's no object, I enthusiastically recommend the River's End in Jenner (Welcome to River's End (https://www.ilovesunsets.com)). The menu features fresh, seasonal, & unique delicacies (they also have a sophisticated but appealing children's menu including a nice, buttery spaetzel); the food is exquisitely prepared; & the service is attentive & friendly. The view is incomparably beautiful -- even in bad weather -- because all of the tables look out on a spectacular view of Goat Rock Beach, where the Russian River empties out into the Pacific ocean. Up-close, otters, seals, cormorants, & herons splash about in the estuary, while huge foaming waves pound the beach in the distance. As the URL implies, you get a clear view of the sunset (weather permitting) & hence may find it worth scheduling your reservation to coincide with dusk. Out on the deck there's one of those huge binocular-type thingies that you usually have to put a quarter into, so you can get a closer look.

Yes, it's a tad expensive, but -- unlike many places that are even more expensive -- the River's End is worth every penny. As an extremely budget-conscious mother of three who can't afford to hire a sitter & dine out with hubby too often, I don't say that lightly. ;^)

In any case, I hope you have a wonderful celebration & post an update so we know where you wound up going!

[oliviathunderkitty]

If you could add a few more details I would be happy to make a recommendation. How big is your group? Do you prefer a lively atmosphere or something quieter?

In the meantime, here are a few suggestions.

You might consider a restaurant with a nice for special groups, such as Sebastopol's Restaurant Eloise, which is outstanding. Mosaic in Forestville also has a nice second room with a brick wall painted a lovely shade of red. Farmhouse Inn has two dining rooms, one smaller than the other; the atmosphere is warm and elegant and the food is excellent.

If price is absolutely no concern at all, consider Cyrus in Healdsburg. It is quite pricey but they go out of their way to provide an amazing experience, with lots of whimsical elements that will leave you giggling with delight, especially if you go for some of the extras. I don't want to say too much because I don't want to spoil any surprises but, really, it is a very special place with lots of thought in every single detail, from the minute you walk in the door.



We are going to celebrate a special family milestone, centered primarily around our 15 daughter. What are your favorite restaurants in the area?

What other venues might you suggest? Any style of food is fine. Price is not an issue. It will be a dinner sometime this week.

Other suggestions? We are open to the general idea of celebrating something special, not just by going to a restaurant..

Edward

[Sara S]

Ditto for The Farmhouse, which is one of 3 restaurants in the county with a Michelin star; they also have rooms and spa facilities, though I've never tried them. With advance notice, they'll do something special, birthday-wise.





If you could add a few more details I would be happy to make a recommendation. How big is your group? Do you prefer a lively atmosphere or something quieter?

In the meantime, here are a few suggestions.

You might consider a restaurant with a nice for special groups, such as Sebastopol's Restaurant Eloise, which is outstanding. Mosaic in Forestville also has a nice second room with a brick wall painted a lovely shade of red. Farmhouse Inn has two dining rooms, one smaller than the other; the atmosphere is warm and elegant and the food is excellent.

If price is absolutely no concern at all, consider Cyrus in Healdsburg. It is quite pricey but they go out of their way to provide an amazing experience, with lots of whimsical elements that will leave you giggling with delight, especially if you go for some of the extras. I don't want to say too much because I don't want to spoil any surprises but, really, it is a very special place with lots of thought in every single detail, from the minute you walk in the door.

[alanora]

The best chinese food, imho, is China House...I think it is house and not room or palace.....in the strip mall behind sleepcity on mission. Excellent food, organics, vegetarian, and my favorite dish which is pine nuts, prawns and chicken blended deliciously and served on a lettuce leaf. Reasonable prices pretty standard ambience and the Best food. Enjoy. Mindy


We are going to celebrate a special family milestone, centered primarily around our 15 daughter. What are your favorite restaurants in the area?

What other venues might you suggest? Any style of food is fine. Price is not an issue. It will be a dinner sometime this week.

Other suggestions? We are open to the general idea of celebrating something special, not just by going to a restaurant..

Edward

[Valley Oak]

Thank you everyone for your recommendations!

Is this the link to the Farmhouse Inn, below, of which you are talking about?
www.farmhouseinn.com

Thank you again,

Edward


If you could add a few more details I would be happy to make a recommendation. How big is your group? Do you prefer a lively atmosphere or something quieter?

In the meantime, here are a few suggestions.

You might consider a restaurant with a nice for special groups, such as Sebastopol's Restaurant Eloise, which is outstanding. Mosaic in Forestville also has a nice second room with a brick wall painted a lovely shade of red. Farmhouse Inn has two dining rooms, one smaller than the other; the atmosphere is warm and elegant and the food is excellent.

If price is absolutely no concern at all, consider Cyrus in Healdsburg. It is quite pricey but they go out of their way to provide an amazing experience, with lots of whimsical elements that will leave you giggling with delight, especially if you go for some of the extras. I don't want to say too much because I don't want to spoil any surprises but, really, it is a very special place with lots of thought in every single detail, from the minute you walk in the door.

[oliviathunderkitty]

Yes, this is correct. It is in Forestville, on River Rd.

The chef, Steve, is a great guy and the wine director, Geoff, is a sweetheart, very helpful about everything.

Have a great celebration.



Thank you everyone for your recommendations!

Is this the link to the Farmhouse Inn, below, of which you are talking about?
Sonoma Valley Inn - A Wine Country Bed and Breakfast - The Farmhouse, A Sonoma Inn, Sonoma Restaurant and Sonoma Spa of the Russian River Valley (https://www.farmhouseinn.com)

Thank you again,

Edward

[RussianRiverRattina]

BTW, My only concern about the wonderful & justly-famous Farm House Inn was whether their French/rustic-influenced menu would appeal to a 15-year-old girl. Perhaps I'm underestimating the sophistication of her palate, but when I was her age, there's no WAY I'd eat cute li'l bunnies, quail, & the like (though beady-eyed chickens & fish were hypocritically jes' fine with me). I also really love Mosaic but saw it as more appealing to the grownups than to a teenaged girl.


Yes, this is correct. It is in Forestville, on River Rd.

The chef, Steve, is a great guy and the wine director, Geoff, is a sweetheart, very helpful about everything.

Have a great celebration.

[oliviathunderkitty]

The original post suggested to me that the teenagers involved might be sophisticated, perhaps because the poster didn't say they aren't. I've been to the Farmhouse Inn with several teenagers, all of whom have loved it. It varies so much from kid to kid but my experience has been mostly with adventurous and eager eaters, which I find are quite common these days.


BTW, My only concern about the wonderful & justly-famous Farm House Inn was whether their French/rustic-influenced menu would appeal to a 15-year-old girl. Perhaps I'm underestimating the sophistication of her palate, but when I was her age, there's no WAY I'd eat cute li'l bunnies, quail, & the like (though beady-eyed chickens & fish were hypocritically jes' fine with me). I also really love Mosaic but saw it as more appealing to the grownups than to a teenaged girl.

[joelmeyn]

Our favorite is Masala Jack's in Cotati: excellent Indian food, moderate prices especially for naan.


Wow, your question should get some replies :-)

Underwood
John Ash
Zazu
Willi's Wine Bar
Cucina Paradiso
Syrah
Manzanita
Gary Chu's
Sassafras

These ought to get you started; all of them have web pages (Google is your friend)

Enjoy! There are so many fine places to eat in the county that this only scratches the surface.

hugh

[tdavis]

Hikuni would be fun!

[Sylph]

Great suggestions above! Some new to me.
My favorite Chinese place is Royal China on Piner and Marlow. A little more elegant decor than the usual Chinese place and the food is fabulous. The garlic eggplant, calamari, walnut prawns...everything's fresh and delicious.
I just had a lovely meal at the newish Rendezvous Bistro in SR on 4th. The crab cake salad was good.
Monti's in Montgomery Village is cozy with a fireplace and I've had more than a few great meals there.

La Gare in SR
K and L Bistro in Sebastopol
Bistro Copains in Occidental