Kathleen Hill: La Hacienda is back; grenache with panache

Taqueria La Hacienda re-opens, again

Hundreds have felt food homeless since Taqueria la Hacienda’s most recent closure, this time due to a kitchen fire.

The owners had closed the restaurant for remodeling of the kitchen a few months ago, re-opened, and then had a small fire in the kitchen wall. While there was lots of smoke smell, the actual burn residue covered only about a square foot of the internal wall.

Apparently all is fixed and La Hacienda is open again in all its colorful glory and full bar. 17960 Sonoma Highway, Boyes Hot Springs/Agua Caliente. 939-8226.

Grenache Day, eve ?and weekend

Sondra Bernstein invites everyone to visit Suite D for a Grenache Day Celebration tonight, Friday, Sept. 16 to sample more than 25 Grenache wines of various colors from wineries such as the girl & the fig, Sixteen 600, Idle Cellars, Jeff Cohn Cellars, Lightning Wines, Tablas Creek, Dane Cellars, Scala Dei DOQ Priorat from Spain, Miner Family Wines, Ram’s Gate, Mathis, Imagery and Mounts Family Winery.

Enjoy live music by the Butterdishes, fig rig stations of cheese and charcuterie, cassoulet, raclettes, crudités, sliders, fries, riblettes, and fig and apple bread pudding. $60 public, $48 suite D and wine club members. 6:30 p.m. 21800 Schellville Road, Sonoma. Tickets at figsuited.com or 933-3667.

Sam and Phil Coturri of Winery Sixteen 600 will lead a walking tour of one of their Grenache vineyards, followed by a Grenache tasting at Phil Coturri and Arden Kremer’s home where you might taste some rare Chateauneuf du Pape wines. Catch transportation on vintage Volkswagen buses from their Sixteen 600 Tasting House. $160 for tour and tasting.

The Coturris will extend the Grenache celebration to their monthly Tasting House Vinyl Sunday party (by appointment) with Mike the Bejkr’s flatbreads and Harvest Moon Café‘s desserts, with Chris Sawyer acting as guest DJ.

Don’t miss Jacob Talbert’s (formerly of Rocket Sushi) oysters three ways paired with Coturris’ last case of Grenache Rosé and Steel Plow Vineyard Viognier and Grenache. $40 at door, $35 pre-purchase. 589 First St. W., Sonoma. 721-1805.

IndyCar final and Ayesha Curry

Love the IndyCar races, having had my first experience driving the pace car in Indianapolis. This Sunday, Sonoma Raceway’s “outside the oval” version of the race will decide the 2016 GoPro Grand Prix IndyCar Series champion.

And Ayesha Curry will be Grand Marshal. While she has styled herself as a lifestyle blogger and hip cookbook author, she is everywhere. Cornerstone a few months ago, Santa Rosa next month, and Sonoma this weekend. One is never sure if her famous husband, Stephen Curry, will show up, but fans live in hope.

Sponsor Target stores will host more than 400 guests in a huge tent overlooking Turn 7 and on Sunday will turn it into a tailgate party with nine televisions to watch the Packers vs. Viking’s game (Target is based in Minnesota). Target is flying in food prepared in both states as well as both states’ best beers for the event. I would avoid Highway 121 afterward.

If you go, watch for lots of new healthy foods at the racetrack, some inspired by their new vegetable garden, this year planted with seedlings grown by Sonoma Valley High School agriculture students.

Rocket news

Sisters chef Molly and Liz Heyerly have closed Rocket Sushi facing Highway 12 and will move their “Rocket Back Door” to the front door, and hopefully bringing back their breakfast or brunch service.

They continue to serve their popular Poke bowls at the Tuesday Farmers Market and, after it closes at the end of October, they will serve poke bowls in the restaurant along with customers’ other favorites. Will keep you posted.

Sushi chef Jacob and wife Camillia decided to move on and will soon announce their Izakaya Sonoma.

Heart of Sonoma ?Valley Crush festival

Eleven Kenwood and Glen Ellen wineries will host visitors to sample grapes in the vineyards, crush pad tours, grapes, fresh pressed juice, wine while it’s fermenting, learn to discern balance between sugar and acid levels Friday through Sunday, Sept. 16 through 18.

Participating wineries include Deerfield Ranch, La Rochelle, Loxton, Manzanita Creek, Mayo, Muscardini, Prpheus, Paradise Ridge, Spann, St. Anne’s Crossing and Ty Caton Vineyards.

Three day pass $35 advance, $45 at door, $10 designated drive advance, $15 at door. Heartofsonomavalley.com.

Carniceria Tour Sept. 30

We are only offering one more carniceria tour this year and it will be Friday, Sept. 30. We meet at Ramekins Culinary School for Mexican pastries and coffee and visit our unique Mexican bakeries, tortilla factories, carnicerias (butcher shops) and grocery stores, enjoy a great Mexican lunch, purchase barbecued chickens at El Brinquito, tour the Flowery School Garden, and top it all off at La Michoacana Natural Ice Cream, all included.

Men and women are welcome to learn about different cuts of meats, spices, cooking implements, cooked Mexican deli foods and great prices on produce.

Fun guaranteed. $65 inclusive. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Register at ramekins.com or call 933-1450.

Celebrating ?Lori Miron’s birthday

Several Sonomans migrated northward to Ricardo’s Bar & Grill to help Rick Miron and his wife Lori celebrate her 55th birthday with an open bar and dining room.

Many here think of Rick as a hugely successful wine glass businessman, and many know of his huge heart and his and Lori’s generosity at local fundraisers. And we also know Lori for her toughness in fighting cancer and carrying on.

Jason Ghiselin, SuJean and Donn Dabney, Deborah and John Emery and loads of family and friends from high school happily celebrated Lori’s birthday with glee. I enjoyed the fried calamari, and I know Jason and others like the “Rueben egg rolls.”

Others ordered everything from traditional salads plus a pear salad and one of shrimp and avocado, as well as grilled cheese and tomato soup made with sharp cheddar and Parmesan crusted bread, loads of sandwiches such as prime rib French dip, club or steak sandwiches, several burger selections, Penne, fried chicken, large ribeye steaks, and Lori’s favorite, Chicken Yulupa, a Rocky breast stuffed with prosciutto and Swiss cheese. And then there’s Ricardo’s mac & cheese with three cheeses and Applewood smoked bacon.

Plein Air weekend revisited

Recently Gretchen and Bob Gardner entertained the Plein Air weekend’s curated artists, hosts, and strong supporters at their elegant and fascinating Wood Valley home to kick off last weekend’s festivities to fund art in Sonoma Valley schools.

Terry Wicks and Nicole Lamp teamed up to create a spread of charcuterie, cheeses, olives, pork sliders, “salmon cheesecake,” and curry chicken salad with coconut and almonds to the delight of guests.

The weekend raised around $200,000 for arts in our public schools.

Most of these people were either honored or simply attended and bid on plein air paintings at the Plein Air Gala and dinner held Friday evening at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn’s white tent, now called the Harvest Room according to valet parkers.

Another great arts weekend all around.