The dining in California wine country mellows out
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA -- Wine-country visitors checking out the harvest will discover that the most inviting new restaurants among the vineyards of Napa and Sonoma counties are small, casual gems that are more analogous to quaffable Zinfandels than blockbuster Cabs.
Not that there's anything wrong with the famous anchors of the dining scene — in Michelin's just-published 2009 San Francisco Bay Area & Wine Country Guide, The French Laundry in Yountville retains its three-star rating, Cyrus in Healdsburg and The Restaurant at Meadowood in St. Helena keep their two-star ratings, and eight other places hold onto their lone stars.
But in this tanking economy, wine country can sustain only so much grandeur, and so the best of the newcomers (with a few exceptions) offer a simpler, scaled-down approach that invites grazing on the region's world-class bounty. Think small plates, wine bars, local cheeses and house-cured meats. All of the above can be found under one roof at the new Oxbow Public Market complex (oxbowpublicmarket.com) in the town of Napa, or scattered among the menus at these recently opened places:
Scopa
Healdsburg's utterly charming town square has emerged as the dining center of northern Sonoma County over the past few years, thanks in part to upscale tourist-oriented places such as Cyrus, Charlie Palmer's Dry Creek Kitchen and a handful of excellent bistros catering mostly to locals. The newest star among the latter group is Scopa, a narrow 36-seat space with a heart as wide as the nearby Alexander Valley. Ari and Dawnelise Rosen opened the room in May as a showcase for chef Ari's rustic Italian small plates, and the lively dinner party vibe hasn't relented since. The compact menu of creative pizzas, antipasti, pastas and meat dishes draws customers in, and the gentle prices (you can satisfy your cravings for about $25) keep them coming back.
•Must-try dish:Burrata cheese on grilled bread with arugula and Italian peppers•Entrees:$15 to $20 •Contact:707-433-5282; scopahealdsburg.com
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