Na Thong

Located in the hinterlands of south Santa Rosa Avenue, Na Thong is too good a secret not to let BiteClubbers in on. Sandwiched between a coffee/BBQ shop and a tattoo parlor in, er, a rather colorful part of town the month-old restaurant is serving up some solid Laotian and Thai cuisine to those intrepid enough to find it.

The menu has a number of familiar favorites (egg rolls, satay, tom kha gai soup, pho and pad thai), but what really got my attention were the not-so-familiar items like crispy deep fried quail ($7.95), yum talay (calamari, mussels, scallops and prawsn with lemon grass, citrus leaves, onion, mint leaves and roasted rice with smoked chili sauce, $9.95); and a tamarind-infused peanut curry (kang musmun, $8.95). Laotian-style dishes like shredded green papaya salad ($6.95) and several larb dishes (larb is the national dish of Laos, and is usually made from minced meat--duck, beef, pork or chicken--mixed with spices like lemon grass, mint, onion and chili sauce.) Plus, green, yellow and two types of red curry.

Though the spot isn't fancy, service is attentive and gracious with attention to small details--ornate rice serving bowls, attractive dishware and little plastic flowers on each table. Not the kind of thing you usually find in this neck of the woods.

Need more incentive? Sticky rice, warm peanut sauce and Thai karaoke Thursday through Saturday nights.

Na Thong, 3446 Santa Rosa Ave., Santa Rosa, 707.206.0884

Rosso & Bianco: Coppola's new Sonoma digs

Leave it to Francis Ford Coppola to set a scene.

Fade in on the director posed like a seersucker Santa waiting for Christmas. Three! Two! One! The crowd cheers and with a hearty tug, Coppola reveals the name of his new winery: Rosso & Bianco. On cue, the letters buzz to life in a red, neon glow and the satisfied Coppola walks silently off camera, stage left. And-cut.

So okay, it's no Apocalypse Now. It is, however, a pretty enticing invitation to Frances' new house in Geyserville, now that some of the dust has settled. BiteClub decided to take some brownies up to the new neighbors.

Though not much has changed outside, the interior has Coppola stamped all over it--from the Marie Antoinette-meets-The Godfather aesthetic (chateau chic with a side of marinara) to literally being peppered with well-wishing graffiti for the director's recent birthday.

Wine gets the same treatment. Forget about getting any of that schwanky $120 Rubicon stuff here. They don't sell it. Coppola's Sonoma outpost is about easy-drinking sippers at paisan prices. At the spaghetti-and-meatballs end are his Bianco and Rosso wines, served free at the tasting bar in tumblers rather than stemware. Sophia bubblers and roses are wine crack for the donnas, all cute and pink and tulle-covered, while the Director's Cut and funky FC Reserves make a quieter play for your attention.

But wine is only part of the show. Ever the pitchman, Coppola doesn't miss an opportunity to sell you on his Mammarella line of pasta sauces; copies of his literary magazine, Zoetrope; tasteful goodies inspired by daughter, Sophia; movie memorabilia or his nifty line of Vinoflage clothing. Think camo for the vineyard-set. (The horror.)

Down the hallway, Coppola's Unnamed Café is a temporary, but serviceable spot to grab a plate of fresh-cooked pasta or a panini on the deck. Plans are in the works for a full-service restaurant in the next year or so, though reviews have been somewhat unkind to his two previous Bay Area brasseries. Fingers crossed. Movie buffs shouldn't miss Coppola's Oscar display in the lobby, though most of the director's film mementos (formerly housed in the Napa winery) aren't yet on public display. Tours and tasting are offered daily.

Though it's a bit early to say whether the new Rosso & Bianco Winery will be a SoCo hit or just another bit of Wine Country typecasting, so far it smells like victory. At least in the morning.

Rosso & Bianco Winery, 300 Via Archimedes, Geyserville, 707.857.1400

Sky Lounge opens: Houston, we have a problem

After months of anticipation Sky Lounge has opened for business in the Sonoma County Airport.

The second area restaurant for Shiso's Ed Metcalfe (who runs a popular sushi-centric spot in Sonoma) the in-terminal eatery is primed to nab both hungry travelers and nearby office park workers starved for a decent lunch-break spot.

Jammed to capacity just a few hours after opening, Sky Lounge could easily become the next Jonesy's--the Napa Airport's popular steakhouse/meet-up spot. That's the good news.

The bad news: At today's liftoff the kitchen had yet to earn its wings.

Knowing Metcalfe's passion for seafood, my instinct was to head straight for the shellfish. My instinct was wrong. Hold out for the sushi chef who arrives next week. Three of the six oysters I ordered off-menu were barely big enough to slip onto a fork and their $13 price tag wasn't the only thing that left an unpleasant aftertaste in my mouth. I also made incorrect assumption that I'd be getting big, plump, local Hog Island oysters, but got a bill for Fanny Bays (which usually hail from the Pacific Northwest). Either way, disappointing.

The Soft Shell Crab BLT ($15) also sounded enticing with applewood smoked bacon, fried soft shell crab and wasabi mayonnaise on toasted brioche. It too left me cold and searching between the slices of bread, lettuce and tomato for the tiny bits of crab that ended up tasting bitter and fishy. The flavors just didn't meld and the burned bits of toast clearly didn't help.

Passing burgers looked solid, though they were as unimpressively plated as my own sandwich (white plate, no garnish) and with equally bland stacks of diner-worthy fries. I'll accept that at $7. But not at $12 to $15, especially from someone like Metcalfe who clearly knows better. One bright spot was a beautiful dish of salmon (the day's special) that passed by on the way to a lucky guest who'd ordered better than I had.

I also didn't try the large plates of rib-eye, filet mignon, hangar steak and porterhouse. Prime cuts will run you between $24 and $32 with sides that include the aforementioned fries, mashed or roasted potatoes; creamed spinach, Brussels sprouts or carrots. That's a heavy chunk of change for lunch and the sides seem deadly dull. I get the retro-chic of a blue cheese lettuce wedge. Brussels sprouts lack that clever irony.

But the news isn't all bad. Even on the first day, wait staff were eager to please and well organized despite understandable opening snafus. I'm hopeful that the arrival of a sushi chef and the daily influx of more fresh seafood (there's little on the opening menu) will bolster oceanic offerings and presentation will improve as the kitchen gets more comfortable with the menu.

In the end, I'd recommend giving Sky Lounge a little more time for some pre-flight checks. If you go, stick with the basics and enjoy the view--never mind a little engine spluttering.

So good, it should be illegal

Let them eat faux gras
When chefs in Chicago were banned from using foie gras in their restaurant, they got creative. Instead of prized duck liver (the animals are force-fed to artificially enlarge the liver), they're using everything from chicken livers to garbanzo beans to approximate the taste and texture. A recipe for chicken liver faux gras can be found in Michel Richard's Happy in the Kitchen Cookbook (or here) . So far, Spiaggia's chef Tony Mantuano hasn't divulged his secret for vegetarian faux gras, though he says it includes garbanzo beans, vin santo and lots of butter. Listen to his discussion of faux gras on NPR.

Moonshinin'
I have a rule. If I hear about something three times in three days, then it's probably a trend to pay attention to. Moonshine has popped onto my radar countless times in the last few weeks. Enough times, in fact, that I'm headed to SR's Beverage People to check out a New Zealand book called The Compleat Distiller. Though running your own still remains illegal in the US (yes, illegal kids-one bad batch and you can go blind), I'm saying here and now that home-brewed spirits are my pick for DIY-trend of the year. Anyone for Meyer Lemon-infused hootch? And hey, if the whole moonshine thing doesn't work out, you can always use your still to make your own gasoline. Read the distilling FAQ

Cheese so stinky it's illegal
Epoisse is an artisinal French cheese from Burgundy that's so incredibly odoriferous that it's banned on the Paris metro. It also happens to be banned in the US (at least in its original raw-milk form) because, well, a handful of people died from a food-borne illness associated with unpasteurized milk cheeses. Sheesh. More people have died from tainted hamburgers than stinky cheese, folks. I've been obsessing about this washed-rind cheese since reading about it in The Devil's Picnic: Around the World in Pursuit of Forbidden Fruit by Taras Grescoe. Though I hear its not nearly as stinky or delightful (or deadly), you can buy pasteurized Epoisse at Oliver's for between $6 and $8 per slice. Just don't try to take it on the Metro.

So sinful it SHOULD be illegal
The final buzz of the week is about Bacon Salt. Despite the fact that some naysayers in New York have declared that the whole artisinal bacon trend has "jumped the shark", there are those among us that will never, ever, EVER grow tired of the world's most delightful food. Bacon, that is. And though I'd rather eat glass than put a Baco-Bit in my mouth ever again, the idea of Bacon Salt (basically bacon-flavored, uh, salt) has its appeal. Sprinkle it on your hamburger, your grilled cheese, your ice cream or, well, even your bacon. Because everything really should taste like bacon.

General's Daughter: The Comeback Kid?

Everyone loves a comeback story. All the better when it involves Kobe beef.

After years of lurking in the shadows as a solid, but not particularly innovative Sonoma institution, the General's Daughter has been reinvented as one of the most consistently impressive restaurants in Wine Country. No easy task.

Because the only thing more difficult than opening a restaurant is trying to change the public's perception of an existing eatery--especially when that perception is one of bridge club luncheons and wedding rehearsal dinners. (I held mine there 10 years ago.)

But with quiet perseverance over the last two years, Chef Preston Dishman has been winning over the hearts, minds and stomachs of locals with his southern take on California classics. Backed by the restaurant's new owners, Floridians Jim and Bettie Hall, Dishman's been given free reign over the menu, marrying southern ingredients like andouille sausage with local tomatoes, Dungeness crab cakes with creole mustard butter or goat cheese beignets. He is, after all, a Southern boy.

Dishman stops, however, well short of making the whole thing feel hokey and forced. Calling his food New American with a distinct Southern drawl, Dishman's obvious mastery of classic French techniques serve as a solid platform for his experimentation in Cal-Ital-Lowcountry cooking.

Bottom line: This ain't just collard greens and grits. Think foie gras with roasted peaches; heirloom tomatoes with spicy rock shrimp and basil vinaigrette; buttermilk panna cotta with blueberry gelee, brown sugar streusel and blueberry sorbet; venison with harissa spiced carrots. And, okay, West Coast shrimp & grits with andouille and Tabasco butter. (See a sample menu)

It took a plate of Dishman's slow braised American Kobe short ribs at a recent winemaker dinner, however, to seal the deal. Swoon-inducing, the ribs were melt-in-your-mouth bits of meat and sweet sauce piled on a potato puree (more butter than potatoes, Dishman admits with a smirk) with baby spinach. Professional courtesy was all that kept me from a gushing bear hug of thanks.

Maybe next time. This comeback story still has plenty of chapters waiting to be written.

If you go: Dishman's menu is arranged by courses, with diners selecting three ($49), four ($61) or five ($73). All menu items are available a la carte, however, should you (and you will) want to share a few extra dishes. "Beginnings" range from salads to oysters; "The Deep Blue" showcase Preston's skill with seafood (sea scallops with Israeli couscous, Maine lobster with potato gnocchi, tomato and mascarpone cream); "Field and Forest" (lamp chops, beef with polenta, duck breast), a cheese course and dessert (fig tart, buttermilk panna cotta, Meyer lemon crème brulee). The menu change up depending on what's fresh and seasonal, and Dishman likes to use fresh produce from his chef's garden at Benziger Winery.

General's Daughter, 400 West Spain Street, Sonoma, 707.938.4004

Ferrari tastes on a Volkswagen budget

Get your bubble on: Domaine Chandon's usually staid etoile restaurant is attracting some hipsters on a budget during Bubble Hour, featuring half off Chandon wine and $5 sparkling cocktails from 6-7 pm. Thursday nights throughout August, they'll be offering swing dance lessons for just $10 from 7 to 8pm and a live DJ. One California Drive, Yountville.

All you can eat sushi? Sonoma foodie Kathleen Hill reports in the Sonoma Sun that Shiso Restaurant will offer an all-you-can-eat dinner every Wednesday night from 6pm to 9pm. For $30, you've got one hour to cram as much food into your piehole as you'd like (though there is a limited menu). At an upscale sushi house like Ed Metcalfe's (who plans to open a steakhouse at the SoCo airport this month), that's quite a deal. 522 Broadway, Sonoma.

Locals night at Dry Creek Kitchen: Charlie Palmer's Healdsburg outpost offers up a three course tasting menu Monday through Thursday for $30, $45 with wine. 25 Matheson St, Healdsburg.

Applewood Inn, which received a recent Michelin nod, serves up high-end Cal-Ital dishes from Chef Brian Anderson Tuesday through Thursday on their bistro menu. Frequented by romance-seeking tourists on the weekend, the Guerneville spa/hideaway is a nice little getaway for us locals during the busy workweek. Reservations recommended 13555 Highway 116, Guerneville.

Plus...
Seems Santa Rosa wasn't quite ready for Nirvana's high-concept Indian fusion. The restaurant has reportedly closed. Though BiteClub was initially enthusiastic about the food, continued problems with service and consistency--as well some fairly rabid counter-advertising by nearby Sizzling Tandoor--seem to have doomed the restaurant.

Do duck testicles make you green?

The next time Incanto's Chris Cosentino asks me if I want to watch him break down a whole pig--nose-to-tail--I swear I'm going to take him up on it. One of my biggest foodie regrets, in fact, was passing by the chance to see this offalist at work, elbow-deep in hog.

Because while most of us are a bit squeamish about the seemingly nasty bits of animal left behind after the prime bits of meat have been cut away, Cosentino doesn't flinch. In fact, SF's Manic Organ-ic prizes every usable bit of the animal, sautéing, frying and steaming blood, brains, and, uh, even duck testicles in ways not often seen in the US (at least in the last 75 years or so).

Call it gross. Call it brilliant. Call it a whole new take on sustainability.

And, call it recognized. Cosentino, along with fellow offal-lover Fergus Henderson (sometimes hailed as the father of the organ meats resurgence) of London's St. John Restaurant and were both recognized as top Green Chefs by the environmentally-conscious blog, Grist.com.

It's also a bit of a radical change in thinking. Serious carnivores are rarely hailed by the mostly veggie-centric ecorati. To their defense, animals do take a serious bit of resources to raise, slaughter and process. But when sustainability is part of the total equation--from birth to table--even many hard-core vegetarians are rethinking their stance. In fact, it has recently been reported that flexitarianism "former vegetarians who eat the occasional sausage or hamburger "is a new trend among the formerly meatless. Some credit the influx of more organic, sustainable, humane practices into meat processing for the change.

So, while Alice Waters, Dan Barber and notable French vegetable enthusiast Alain Passard remain usual suspects on "green chef" lists, it's refreshing to see folks like Cosentino and Henderson's commitment to waste-less meat eating lauded.

Even if it isn't your cup of blood pudding.

Check out the other Green Chefs, including Pacific Grove's Ted Walter and Manresa's David Kinch, were nominated by Grist.org

In other news: Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations kicks off its new season tonight (7/30) on the Travel Channel.