SANTA ROSA: Glendi celebrates multiethnic fare
Here’s to Sonoma County’s big, fat, Greek food party, with tastes of Russia, the Middle East, Eritrea, Italy and the Balkans.
The 27th annual Glendi International Food Fair gets cooking from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sept. 17 and from noon to 6 p.m. Sept. 18 at St. Seraphim Orthodox Church, with gyro, piroshki, spanakopita, roasted lamb and a German-style biergarten, plus desserts. The afternoon also includes Greek/Balkan music by Edessa, tours of the church icons and frescoes, a children’s area and ethnic crafts. Tickets are $5, free for kids under 12. Carpooling encouraged. glendisantarosa.com or 584-9491.
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SANTA ROSA: Take a big, juicy bite out of tomato festival
It’s time to get your palate in shape for the 20th annual Kendall-Jackson Heirloom Tomato Festival, held 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 24 at the Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate and Gardens.
For the anniversary year, the winery has joined forces with Williams-Sonoma to create a weekend of tomato-inspired festivities. The festival features tastes of more than 150 heritage varieties of tomatoes grown in the winery gardens, wine and food pairings, seminars, live music and the popular Chef Challenge, featuring celebrity chefs from Wine Country and beyond.
Tickets range from $95 to $175 for the premier package. Proceeds go to fight hunger in the local community.
New this year, an al fresco Farm-to-Table dinner in the garden at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, will feature courses prepared by celebrity chefs Douglas Keane, winner of “Top Chef Masters;” Brooke Williamson, “Top Chef” runner-up; Joshua McFadden and Ryan Pollnow, chef partners from Williams-Sonoma; and Justin Wangler, executive chef of Kendall-Jackson.
Tickets are $225, to benefit No Kid Hungry, a campaign of the national anti-hunger organization Share Our Strength. To reserve, go to kj.com. 5007 Fulton Road.
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FORESTVILLE: Taste of music, food
The Philharmonic Kitchen, a local string quartet, will make its savory debut at a special dinner at 5 p.m. Sunday at the Zazu farm in Forestville.
The four-course dinner, prepared by Zazu chef/owners Duskie Estes and John Stewart, has been carefully selected to pair with the live music as well as beverages.
The four-person quartet includes Karsten Windt and Tamara Dyer, violins; Ivy Zenobi, viola; and Joel Cohen, cello. Cost is $145, including dinner, drinks, tip and tax. To reserve: 523-4814 or zazufarmkitchenphilharmonic.eventbrite.com.
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JENNER: Coast Kitchen open
Coast Kitchen restaurant has opened at the newly renovated Timber Cove Inn just north of Fort Ross, with renowned chef Phillip Kaufman heading up the kitchen as executive chef.
The 54-seat restaurant offers panoramic views of the Sonoma Coast, and a lounge boasting a massive fireplace and bar serving craft beers, wines and cocktails.
Kaufman, who trained under well-known Bay Area chefs George Morrone and Bradley Ogden, has crafted a seasonal breakfast, lunch, dinner and kids’ menu that reflects ingredients from local purveyors.
“At Coast Kitchen, we want to welcome both hotel guests and day trippers to experience the diversity that Jenner’s unique climate provides,” Kaufman said in a press release. “The menu celebrates everything that the area has to offer, from foraged forest mushrooms to freshly caught seafood.”
The menu boasts a “contemporary-meets-old-world” style, with classics that include Maine Lobster and Dungeness Crab Mac and Cheese and Duck Confit Poutine ($11). Starters on the lunch and dinner menu include a Poke Duet with Ahi Tuna Poke and Salmon Poke ($12), a Charcuterie Board ($18) and Artisan Cheese Board ($16). Dinner entrées range from Seated Spiced Ahi Tuna ($22) to Local King Salmon ($25).
The inn, built in the early 1960s of giant redwood timbers and stone, has been redone in a James-Bond-meets-Maxwell-Smart style, with mid-century modern furniture and games in the lounge, plus rotary phones in the 46 rooms. Owned independently by Michael Barry and Jens Von Gierke, the property was closed for seven months for the renovation, which was designed by the Los Angeles-based firm, The Novagratz.
Coast Kitchen is open every day for breakfast from 7 to 11:30 a.m., for lunch from noon to 4:30 p.m. and for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Lounge dining is available from noon to 10 p.m. 21780 Highway 1, Jenner. timbercoveresort.com.
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CALISTOGA: Showcase for Calistoga wines
As part of the annual Calistoga Harvest Table Weekend, the Calistoga Wine Growers will host the Calistoga Wine Experience from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday at Pioneer Park.
During the wine tasting, guests will meet winemakers from more than 30 wineries in the Calistoga area, sample appetizers from Chef Rick Warkel of Calistoga Kitchen and listen to gypsy jazz from the Hot Club of San Francisco.
Tickets are $65. visitcalistoga.com. Pioneer Park is located at 1308 Cedar St. The Harvest Table event, at 6 p.m. Sunday, is sold out.
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GEYSERVILLE: Harvest Moon Dinner at Sbragia
Sbragia Family Vineyards will hold a Harvest Moon Dinner at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 17 to celebrate the winery’s 10th harvest season.
The seven courses with wine pairings will be catered by Alec Graham of Valette Healdsburg. Tickets are $195. 9990 Dry Creek Road. sbragia.com.
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NAPA: Fork It Over! at Oxbow
Oxbow Public Market will host the 5th annual Fork it Over! festival from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday at the downtown food complex.
The evening includes a family-style dinner by Chef Ken Frank of La Toque and Victor Scargle of the Culinary Institute of America at Copia.
The evening kicks off with a reception at Vineyard 29’s CRU @ the Annex, featuring hors d’oeuvres from Oxbow Public Market restaurants and merchants. Live music will be provided by the Uncorked All Stars.
Following the dinner, there will be a live auction and dessert and coffee served at CRU @ The Annex. Admission is $225, with proceeds going to the Napa Valley Food Bank. To reserve, oxbowpublicmarket.com.
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HEALDSBURG: Wine myths debunked at Shed
Mark Matthews, author of “Terroir and Other Myths,” will examine widely held myths and beliefs about viticulture at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15, at the Healdsburg Shed.
In his controversial book, the UC Davis professor applies a scientist’s skepticism to concepts such as terroir, low-yield grapes yielding high-quality wine, balanced vines and physiologically mature grapes.
Tickets are $15 and include a glass of wine from Atlas Wine Company and a small bite from Shed Chef Perry Hoffman. 25 North St. healdsburgshed.com.
Staff writer Diane Peterson can be reached at 521-5287 or diane.peterson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @dianepete56.
