Glen Ellen, a small town on the outskirts of Sonoma, is so quaint that there are only a few choices of restaurants, but you’ll be hard pressed to find a bad meal in this wine country town. From Garden Court, to The Fig Café, and even the pub fare at The Jack London Lodge are all delish. A few weeks ago I finally had a chance to try The Glen Ellen Inn. I was excited to hear that the chef/owner was a Sonoma Valley native (like me!) and went to the same high school as I did (Sonoma Valley High).
Chef Christian Bertrand and his wife, Karen, opened the restaurant in 1993 in a 1940’s country cottage. The ambiance is very nice – a comfortable setting, with beautiful stained glass accents in the doorways and an open kitchen where you can watch the chefs preparing that evening’s food. This night’s dinner was shared with my Mom and Dad, and was the first time since I could remember that I had them both to myself. Between the restaurant, the friendly service and my two dining companions, the night definitely felt special.
Because I am becoming my mother more and more every day, it was not surprising to me that after reading the menu for about 30 seconds, the two of us picked the same entrée. Mussels and Garlic Fries with prosciutto, saffron, dried tomato, white wine sauce. We giggled to ourselves as we talked about how we can never pass up mussels on a menu, as I’ve mentioned on this blog before. Dad ordered the Sonoma Breast of Duck, foie grass stuffed, panko crust, cherry-port sauce and polenta. I must also mention the wine list – more than 160 labels to choose from, and I was happy to see that ALL of them were from California. Way to support local wine.
The food was delicious. The creamy saffron sauce that was served with the mussels was amazing. Yes, I kept slurping the leftover broth long after the fries and mussels were gone. After lots of good conversation, food and wine my parents and I decided to split “The Fabulous Glen Ellen Inn Sundae” which consisted of house made French vanilla ice cream rolled in toasted coconut in bittersweet caramel sauce. A perfect end to a fun evening. I can’t wait for the next time I get to steal my parents and have them all to myself again.
Glen Ellen Inn
13670 Arnold Drive
Glen Ellen, Ca 95442
707-996-6409
A Craving for Wedding Cupcakes
For the last few months, my nights and weekends have consisted mostly of checklists, song lists, guest lists, invitations, veils, showers, programs, dress fittings, menus, rings, flowers, bicep curls and push-ups (the boy kind!). You guessed it – I’m planning a wedding. Event planning generally falls into the PR umbrella, and is something we do for our clients on a regular basis… so in theory, planning an event for my personal life should be a breeze, right?
I actually have been having a blast planning the big day, together with my soon-to-be “other” half, Will, and our families. With May 24 right around the corner, one of the items we had to check off our list was the infamous wedding cake. Now, I’m not one of those girls that has been planning my wedding since the age of twelve, however, I will say that one of the first decisions that was made was that we’d be serving cupcakes instead of a traditional cake on our wedding day. What can I say – my priorities often revolve around food!
When I saw that one of Sacramento’s top gourmet cupcake bakeries opened a store front in Davis (where we live) I was intrigued. I called Cupcake Craving to set up a tasting, and they recommended I come into the main location (on Arden) to taste.
The people behind the counter were so friendly (I mean, they are surrounded by cupcakes, the happiest thing on earth) and they got us set up for the tasting in the back bakery. With a menu that includes flavors such as Mint Meltdown, S’More Galore and German Chocolate Wish, we had a tough time even deciding what to taste. We tasted several cupcakes, went through a jug of milk and discussed design and presentation. In the end, we decided on four flavors for our cupcake tower: Koo-Koo for Macaroon, Chocolate Brownie, Italian Rum Delight and the 10K Craving (carrot cake). Together with the folks at Cupcake Craving we designed the frosting and glazes that kept within the colors of our wedding, and even worked out a deal for a Davis delivery which would will make for one less thing for this bride to worry about on our wedding day. We walked away happy and awkwardly full, with a take-home container of half-eaten cupcakes. It was such a fun afternoon, and I can’t wait to see how they turn out. I’ll be sure to post a few post-wedding photos.
Taqueria Davis
Living in a college town such as Davis, one can expect great variety in things like bookstores, bars, coffee shops, and of course… taquerias. As I’ve been eating my way through town there has been one taco shop that has captured my heart: Taqueria Davis.
It’s not in the most convenient location, and its outside appearance definitely doesn’t do it justice… so what keeps me going back (again and again)? The best service in town and their delicious burritos. As a family-owned and operated business, it’s clear that they take pride in the menu as well as the quality of people that they employ… quite possibly the friendliest people, ever!
The menu is simple, and includes several meats to choose from. I usually stick to chicken, but everything from chile verde, to carnitas, pastor and even lengua (beef tongue) are on the menu, for the adventurous types. People rave about their carnitas, so that’s next on my to-try list; plus, word on the street is their horchata is homemade!
My latest favorite is the super veggie burrito, served “wet” with enchilada sauce and melted cheese. Set me up with a super veggie and a Dos Equis and for a total price of about $11.00 I’m completely full and going home with leftovers.
Taqueria Davis
505 1/2 L St.
Davis, CA 95616
(530) 758-8453
The Shack: Wednesday Night Sparkler
On Wednesday evenings The Shack hosts a weekly “sparkler” event where they host a DJ and serve a sampling of sparkling wine. Between the two of us (Jenna and Christine) we have a serious weakness for bubbles, so we decided to make it a date! The Shack hosts this event every Wednesday, and each week it’s slightly different. Here’s the deal that hooked us:
4 Tastes of Sparkling Wines for $5
• Il Prosecco from Italy
• LIndauer Brut from New Zealand
• Guinot Cremant from France
• Segura Viudas from Spain
Several members of SacFoodies have been long-time Shack patrons, specifically on the Thursday themed dinner nights, so we were excited to give this place a try. The Shack is just that, nothing pretentious, but rather a simple neighborhood joint with a large patio. The atmosphere is comfortable and the beer list impressive, so impressive that we almost got sidetracked and had to remind ourselves why were there!
DJ Mike and Code E spun tunes while we received our first sample of bubbles. The bartender was very friendly and attentive – watching when we were ready for the next sample and explaining the label and origin of each pour.
Of course we had to try the food as well, and we ordered the fruit plate and half dozen oysters, both were delish!
In the end, we had sipped our way through bubbly from Italy to Spain and enjoyed the trip!
The Shack
5201 Folsom Blvd
(916) 457-5997
Dinner at Chicago's Tizi Melloul
Last month while traveling for work, I got the opportunity to spend an evening with my friend Amelia who lives in Chicago. Since we were in her neighborhood I asked her to pick a restaurant for dinner, which is how we landed at Tizi Melloul, and I’m glad we did. Tizi is a Mediterranean restaurant with a contemporary lounge feel. The restaurant was pretty empty for a Thursday night, which always makes me a little nervous, but I was quickly reassured that we had picked a winner when our drinks arrived: the Fizi Tini (sparkling wine and pomegranate juice with a twist) and the Cucumber Martini (vodka, cucumber, mint, simple syrup and fresh lime juice with a cucumber slice) were both refreshing and a fun way to start the night.
There are some things that I usually can’t turn down on a menu, and mussels is one of them. When our server told us their fire-roasted Prince Edward island mussels were one of their signature dishes it sealed the deal. They were not served in a typical broth, but roasted and covered in a mixture of spices and served with a small dish of melted butter and spices for dipping. If you go to Tizi Melloul and order one thing, make it the mussels. You won’t be disappointed.
Most of our night consisted of catching up and the usual gossip, and our meal was also great. We ordered a mix of salads and the grilled salmon entrée. We capped the dinner off with espresso martinis. Yum. If you are in Chicago and looking for something a little different I would recommend Tizi Melloul… if you have a large group you should check out the Crescent Room as it looks like even more fun, with lots of lanterns and floor/table seating!
Tizi Melloul
531 North Wells
Chicago, Il, 60610
312-670-4338