Sonoma Sunflowers Cafe lunch & need coffee stop recommendation

[carcassone]

Heading up to Calistoga via Sonoma. Looking for a good light lunch, perhaps a tasty salad with local greens or soup/sandwich. Sunflowers Cafe seems to be the right choice. Are there other recommendations? The Girl and the Fig seems a bit heavy for lunch.

Is there a nice coffee/bakery on route between SFO and North end of Sonoma?

TIA

[carcassone]

Belated reply. We did go to Sunflowers and it was very nice. I had a tasty mushroom barley soup. My friend had the duck sandwich which he was very pleased with. They have good bread. The wine bar in the back had a nice selection of wine. Good stop for a casual but quality light meal.

[Mick Ruthven]

Glad to know it's still high quality because I haven't been there in a couple of years.

[rworange]

Freemont Diner would be a much better choice than Sunflower. Fremont also has drip coffee and excellent baked goods.

La Bodega in Sonoma is really new and I'd choose that over Sunflower or Girl and the Fig. It is a toss up between that a Freemont. Here's my report on La Bodega
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/694439?tag=highlight-5501992;post-content-5501992#5501992

Lots of reports on Fremont Diner.

http://www.chow.com/restaurants/54726/fremont-diner?tag=search_results;results_list

Nice photos on this blog. The fired chicken is a star, but they have lots of light things like salads
http://myculinaryadventures.blogspot.com/2010/01/fremont-diner-gem-in-sonoma.html

Though this is a bit more wordy than even I like, here's a nice write up from a local newspaper
http://biteclubeats.com/2010/02/fremont-diner-sonoma-praise-the-lard.html

"The Fremont Diner, hidden away among Sonoma's vineyards and pastures, is the sort of place every traveler dreams about stumbling into, but rarely ever does. Oozing nouveau decrepitude, a heavy dose of John Deere chic ... the diner is everything good about, well, roadside diners. "

Ooohhh ,,, looking at that, it mentions Braeburn apple donuts for breakfast

Nice photos of the place and great brief description on the site that provided the reclaimed wood for the furniture and building. No photo of the lovely outdoor patio though.
http://www.heritagesalvage.com/content/fremont-diner

Tbey have a facebook page now. Wish they would set up a website with menu
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sonoma-...

[carcassone]

Thanks for taking the time to post the helpful links. However, I hoping to do a light lunch, say soup & salad since we'll be doing fine dining that night. I can't see the menu for Freemont Diner but it looks like burgers and fried stuff. Not quite what I have I mind. What am I missing?

And more to the point, is Sunflower a bad choice for lunch? I saw favorable reviews on chow.

Thanks.

[rworange]

No ... they have salads using top-quality vendors like Greenstring farm. As I said, it isn't all burgers and they have fab soups.

I personally need to give Sunflower another chance. My report was not good, but I haven't revisited. It is a pretty patio and the owner seems to care.

And seriously, if you want light, at least look at the menu for La Bodega. If it isn't what you like, you can always walk across the green to Sunflower.

[rworange]

For a while I was tracking their menu ... here are a few offerings ... as I said, they are very seasonal and change daily

Vella Caesar Salad $6.50
Littl gem lettuce w/dry vella jack cheese, croutons, & dressing

Peach salad ($7.50) - Honey Crisp peaches with fresh morzzarella, star route arugual & dry aged ham

From another poster

:"We love the burger, the garden sandwiches, the tomato salads and the pickel plate is a must! For $1 you get three or four different pickled vegetables, house made. Usually this time of year it's thick dill slices, and delicious tumeric zucchini ribbons, pickled red onions and really wonderful pickled sultanas raisins with chilies. Such a good value for a buck"

I know you have your heart set on Sunflower and all you are doing is confirming that no one comes up with a really negative comment. I think you will like Sunflower well enough. I just think there are better places.

[Mick Ruthven]

I've had several lunches at Sunflower over a few years and have always found their large salads to be better than I expected (I may never have had anything else there), the patio in the back very nice, and the staff always gracious.

La Bodega/Sonoma Wine Shop is very different (and quite good); great chef-made pasta, very good selection of cheese for tasting, and wine tasting across the walkway.