Kathleen Hill: La Hacienda new name, petanque on a roll, and ‘polenta’ more food news

Sonoma Mexican restaurant changes

Several people have asked whether La Hacienda Tacqueria has changed hands because of ABC's yellow 'Change of Ownership' posting in the window.

Lots of good news: It has not changed hands. The owners have just changed the name again to La Hacienda Sonoma Bar & Grill, and have added new booths with colorful tiled 'backboards' and cushy seats. They have also opened a new restaurant in the Foothill Shopping Center on Old Sonoma Road on the Napa side of the hills. 17760 Sonoma Highway. 939-8226.

Closer to Sonoma, Rancho Viejo has changed hands. We will really miss the Barrios family who have decided to move back to Mexico to send their son to college.

When they first opened, their food was excellent. As they lovingly cared for an ailing parent, they were unable to keep the restaurant open enough hours to make it work. I used to take all of the guests on my carniceria tours there for lunch because Genny Barrios would open specially and please the crowd every time with a three-course value meal.

The new owners, Leonardo and Susana Santiago, opened last Saturday with some fabulous 1927 cars on display in front. The Santiagos have lived in Sonoma for 27 years, and Leonardo owns Leo's Construction here in town. They have two sons named Leonardo as well. As daughter Stephanie quipped, 'Dad likes himself.' Dad agreed. The Santiagos offer samples of their food at the Tuesday farmers market Rancho Viejo booth.

Santiago children are all attending state universities and our Sonoma Valley High School.

While the furniture has changed a bit, let's give the Santiagos and the food a try. They are local people hoping to succeed. 18976 Sonoma Highway. 939-3663.

Dry Creek winery opening on Plaza

While Adobe Road Winery has moved out of its tasting room/wine bar space between tiny Large Leather and Eraldi's on First Street West, never fear – another tasting room/wine bar is moving in. Monte and Stella Hansen will pour their Rancho Maria Family Vineyards wines from Dry Creek Valley near Healdsburg. According to their website, the vineyard was first planted in 1902 by Angelo Lencioni. We must ask, how are all these wine bars around Sonoma Plaza effecting Sonoma's finances and sales at the retail shops? And how many of the wine bars represent Sonoma Valley wineries?

Weisswasser on stage at Bottle Rock

Congrats to Ari Weisswasser of Glen Ellen Star to be featured on the Williams-Sonoma Culinary Stage at Napa's Bottle Rock later this month. He joins the ranks of Charles Phan, Gordon Ramsay, Masaharu Morimoto, Tyler Florence, Michael Mina, Adam Richman, Chris Cosentino, and Mourad Lahlou.

Studebaker Cheesecake disappears

Much like the pointy old Studebaker cars of the 1950s, Kevin Fay's Studebaker Cheesecake seems to have disappeared. Looking through the glass front door, which has a locked red 'chain' through the outside door handles, the 'café' furniture is gone, bakery cases and shelves are empty, and a couple of old aprons hang in the back. Fay tried to get various bakers to rent baking time or run the café to support his cheesecake business, but none of that worked. Cynthia Owens is still baking her delicious scones and they are available at Sonoma Market, Glen Ellen Village Market, Whole Foods and Broadway Market.

Pétanque and lunch Saturday

Valley of the Moon Pétanque Club holds its annual Byron W. Mayo Members & Newcomers Picnic and Tournament tomorrow, Saturday, May 7 at the pétanque courts adjacent to the south side of Depot Park and behind the Maysonnave House. Members will show you and loan you 'boules,' and 'newbies will be paired with experienced players,' according to Shannon Bowman of VOMPC. This club has produced national and international champions. Chef Marco Ilaria will whip up chipotle barbecue pork on brioche, penne pasta tossed in basil and watercress pesto with sun-dried tomatoes, a spinach, arugula and radicchio salad with goat cheese and a Genoise cake with local berries and cream. Tournament $5, lunch $10. Call 343-9465 to sign up.

Breakfast at the Fig

The girl & the fig will start serving breakfast Friday and Saturday mornings on Friday, May 13, from 8 to 11 a.m. Expect house made bagels with smoked salmon, croques madame, gluten-free ricotta pancakes, omelets, avocado and shrimp Benedict, ham and lots of sides.

Polenta please

After many years of hearing afterward how fabulous the Schell Vista Fire Department's annual polenta feed is, we finally found out about it ahead of time, thanks to Janey Mulas. Kathy Mazza, Jane and John Robb and I went together and immediately invited Molly and Mary Farrell to join us at one of the long, long tables that, between two rooms, seated 380 guests.

Bob Subai, former owner of the former Sharl's restaurant where Bank of Marin is now located, and most of the Sonoma Valley's volunteer and staff firefighters prepared the terrific meal.

After a substantial cocktail hour, we received San Francisco-style antipasti platters of pepperoncini, sliced salami, Jack and cheddar cheeses.

Large bowls of excellent Caesar salad arrived for everyone to serve themselves, followed by firefighters serving large white bowls of hot, soft polenta with generous servings of what 'beef stew.' Excellent, and all for $25 to support our firefighters.

As one member of two farming families said, 'This is truly old Sonoma. But there are fewer of us.' Or maybe they are just getting a little greyer. If you had gone, you would have met or greeted members of families such as Leveroni, Stornetta, Millerick, Hellen, Monnich, Mulas, Brocco, Kobza, and many others. They were all there. Next time.

Only Oso makes 'Chronicle' Top 100

Michael Bauer's 'Chronicle Top 100 Restaurants 2016' came out in last Sunday's paper in thick book form instead of as part of an insert, which seems to have disappeared.

Among those Top 100 Bay Area restaurants, Oso is Bauer's only selection from Sonoma. He actually used new language this year, saying, 'Most restaurants in Sonoma are fairly homogeneous when it comes to food, but Oso shakes it up thanks to owner Dave Bush, who was the chef at St. Francis Winery for six years.' Among Oso's small plates, Bauer cites Bush's deviled eggs with crab and yellow curry, which seems to be everyone's favorite at Oso.

While I agree with many other diners in Sonoma that some of our restaurants' menus can get a little boring, it might be a good idea if Bauer would try some other restaurants. The girl & the fig and Harvest Moon change their menu constantly with innovative specialties, the Red Grape changes appetizers specials all the time, and Tasca Tasca breaks the mold, as does Delhi Belly.

Good food doesn't have to be something no one else has ever combined or stacked on a plate before. It can be doing a classic dish extremely well. Often diners go frequently to a restaurant because they like what they know they can get there, at such places as the Depot Hotel, Swiss Hotel, Breakaway Café, Della Santina's, Santé, El Molino Central and Café La Haye.

Come on up and see us sometime, Michael.

'El Chico' party

Meta Strauss and a few dozen friends lived it up Texas-style at her daughter and son-in-law Christine and Jon Curry's home last week for Strauss's book signing party.

Her fun first novel is called 'Saving El Chico' and is a fictionalized version of her life growing up in Texas. If you are a fan of Molly Ivins or local Texas poets Janice Crow or June Hudson, you will love this one.

Meta and Christine had buckets of guacamole, chips, stuffed pepper poppers, spiced nuts, cheeses and salami, all served with Texas flag napkins and tablecloths.

After selling out the first batch, Readers' Books has a new supply of 'Saving El Chico.'