Santa Rosa / Wine Country - Dinner for 8?
Hi Hounds!
I am looking for a place for a group of 8 on Thursday night... I would love something with a really fresh seasonal menu, but anything great will do. I am staying in Santa Rosa and will travel to Sonoma, etc, but would prefer not to venture into the Napa area for this one because it may be too far to drive through all of those hills after a little wine with dinner.
I already have reservations for other nights at the General's Daughter and the girl and the fig... I haven't been to either one, so I would appreciate feedback on those as well (although I have already read some other posts on those before making the reservations).
Thanks everyone!
By Ali B
on Sep 28, 2007 07:53 AM
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Can you give us a better idea of what you are looking for? Of the top of my head... Monti's Rotisserie & Sizzling Tandoor might be pretty good for a group of 8.
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I am looking for something with a fresh seasonal menu... maybe american fare... not too "upscale," but something fun with a menu that will offer compliments to red and white wines.
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Monti's in Santa Rosa fits the bill perfectly.... others like that could be The Underwood in Graton, Willi's, Cafe Saint Rose (but you would be taking up the whole restuarant!).... in Healdsburg there is a nice place that has fried chicken on the menu (local hounds might help with the name).
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I've been with a group of 30 at Zazu, but not lately. A friend from Menlo Park tried it Thursday for the first time and raved about the flatiron steak and the tiny ravioli. I like the roadhouse atmosphere and seasonal cuisine that steps outside the usual wine country box.
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Zazu Restaurant
3535 Guerneville Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95401
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Thanks!
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How'd it go?
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Underwood Bar & Bistro
9113 Graton Rd, Graton, CA 95444
Willi's Wine Bar
4404 Old Redwood Hwy, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
Cafe Saint Rose
9890 Bodega Hwy, Sebastopol, CA 95472
Monti's Rotisserie & Bar
714 Village Ct, Santa Rosa, CA 95404
Zin Restaurant & Wine Bar
344 Center St, Healdsburg, CA 95448
Sizzling Tandoor
409 Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa, CA 95401
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Wound up going to:
John Ash
General's Daughter
The Girl and the Fig
I thought John Ash was only so-so. Not a single thing wowed me, and the sommelier was somewhat condescending about our wine order.
The General's Daughter was great. It was more formal than I expected; we all showed up in jeans and most of the men were wearing jackets! And it is a coursed meal, 3, 4 or 5 courses for a set price. The Shrimp & Grits with andouille and tabasco butter was great -- so was the veal. I would say we didn't have any misses, but some of the main courses were better than others.
The Girl & the Fig was by far my favorite of all three places. Fresh figs were served with many of the dishes and were amazing. Everything tasted really fresh. I have to say our appetizers were better than our main courses... if I had to do over I would order all appetizers. The fried green tomatoes were really fun, as was the charcuterie platter... great cheeses. This is my favorite style of eating, where you order a bunch of stuff and share, so I thought it was really cool. Plus they have some micro-brews from the Russin River Valley. Our waiter was great, too. My only negative comment is that the bread on the sandwiches was a little hard to eat.
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