Kathleen Hill: Thin Mint pairings, Restaurant Week and more...

Food news from around the Valley|

Amy Schumer at Scribe Winery

Amy Schumer, a hilarious comedian and actress, apparently dined and poured wine at Scribe Winery (the old Huichica Schoolhouse) last weekend. Schumer recently married big deal chef Chris Fisher of Martha's Vineyard's Beetlebung Farm and cookbook, and joined Chef Chris Kronner of the famed Kronnerburger for dinner at the winery. Schumer will be back in the Bay Area in June for the Clusterfest.

Eighth Street wineries open house

The Eighth Street Wineries will again celebrate themselves and their wisdom of making wine in small local warehouses on Saturday, Feb. 24. Guests can stroll or roll and sip though the cellars of small wineries Enkidu, MacLaren, Obsidian, Stone Edge Farm, Talisman, Tin Barn, Ty Caton and William Knuttel. Most wineries will share nibbles from local chefs, a raffle with eight prizes, with all raffle funds going to the Redwood Credit Union fire relief fund. $45 advance, $50 at door, $10 designated drivers. Start at any of the wineries. Noon to 4 p.m. 21692 and 21481 Eighth St. E. and 22020 Carneros Vineyard Way, Sonoma. Info, maps and tickets at eighthstreetwineries.com or 939-3930.

Sons of Italy offer ribs, beans, slaw…

Sons of Italy present one of their most fun events featuring Tommy Thomsen along with barbecue chicken quarters, St. Louis Baby Back ribs, western beans, potato salad and cole slaw on Saturday, March 3 at the Vets Building to support the scholarships they give to high school students. $45. No-host bar at 6 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. Music from 8 p.m. Reserve at 938-1295, or mail checks to P. O. Box 198, Sonoma.

Food and wine events at Readers' Books

The Last Wednesday Food Group brings poetry and writing humor all about food to Readers' Books on Wednesday, Feb. 28, beginning with popular local poet Lin Marie DeVincent reading her classic poem about the history of chocolate. Bring food poetry or anything fun about food, including nibbles if inclined. 7 p.m. Free. 130 E. Napa St., Sonoma. 939-1779.

Bianca Bosker will bring her New York Times bestselling book, 'Cork Dork' to Readers' Books on Friday, March 16 for a guided tasting and talk. Bosker was fascinated by the complex world of master sommeliers, leading to an adventure into the wine community that would change her life, although she did not become a sommelier. The cover of 'Cork Dork' says the book is 'a wine-fueled adventure among the obsessive sommeliers, big bottle hunters, and rogue scientists who taught me to live for taste.'

Bosker has written about food, wine, architecture and technology for the Atlantic, the New York Times, Food & Wine, the Wall Street Journal, the Guardian and the New Republic according to her website. Information on what wines will be tasted was not available. Free. 5:30 p.m. 130 E. Napa St., Sonoma. 939-1779.

Sheana Davis to offer cheese making class

Sheana Davis will teach a class on how to make Crème de Ricotta cheese on Friday, March 2 to launch a new a series of classes at Cook Vineyard Management. The CVM store also sells beer- and wine-making supplies. $50 cheese class includes a bottle of olive oil. 1 p.m. 19626 Eighth St. E., Sonoma. 938-7917 or cookvineyardmanagementstore.com.

Pairing wine and Girl Scout cookies

After all, a Girl Scout sold 300 boxes of cookies in front of a San Diego marijuana dispensary recently, according to the New York Times.

So why not pair wine with your favorite, or at least Tom Meadowcroft's favorite, Girl Scout cookies?

Purchasing the cookies from a wine club member's daughter, Meadowcroft will pair Samoas, Thin Mints, and Trefoils with such wines as the 2016 Los Carneros Chardonnay, and All She Wrote Port with toasted coconut Samoas, on Saturday, March 10 at their Cornerstone tasting room. $20. Noon to 4 p.m. Reservations at 934-4090.

Speaking of Cornerstone, Paul Giusto confirms that Highway 12 will open a second tasting room at the former Keating winery space at Cornerstone, hopefully by April. Highway 12 will also keep its location at the Corner Store at the corner of First Street East and East Napa Street.

Sonoma County Restaurant Week

The week, which actually lasts nine days, when local chefs offer two- and three-course menus at lower prices runs Friday, March 2 through Sunday, March 11. Not to be confused with other Sonoma County food promotions, this is the event people look forward to so they can perhaps try restaurants they haven't visited or that might otherwise be beyond their budgets. And possibly help fill restaurants and keep staff working during what is traditionally a slow time.

You can make reservations either by calling each restaurant or visiting individual restaurants' websites and booking via their opentable.com link, or find all of this via sonomacounty.com/restaurant-week.

All of the participating restaurants listed below will serve two-course lunches for either $10 or $15 and three-course dinner for $19, $29, or $39.

Check their websites for updated menu offerings, which could change. The menus of B&V Whiskey Bar & Grille and Salt & Stone were unavailable.

Starting in Kenwood and working south through Glen Ellen and Sonoma, restaurants to check out for Restaurant Week include:

Café Citti, $19 dinner of small green salad with tomato, artichoke, cabbage and carrots with creamy Italian dressing or small Caesar salad; Ravioli alla Citti filled with pork, Swiss chard with light tomato cream sauce. Dessert Anise and almond biscotti.

Palooza Gastropub & Wine Bar: $15 Lunch includes soup or salad; any wood fired pizza.

Second course: Choice of any wood fired pizza.

$29 dinner menu includes any appetizer; mushroom risotto, flank steak fettuccine Alfredo or any Palooza Burger. Dessert chocolate brownie or raspberry sorbet.

Fig Café & Wine Bar: $29 Dinner of Brussels sprouts salad with Savoy cabbage and bacon lardons, pickled onions; whey-braised pork shoulder, creamy polenta, cauliflower. Dessert brownie sundae with vanilla ice cream, salted fig caramel, brandied cherries, candied cocoa nibs.

Umbria Glen Ellen: $15 two-course lunch with green or Caesar salad; 12-inch Margherita pizza or spaghetti Al Filetto Di Pomodoro.

Yeti Restaurant: $15 lunch choices among Tandoori chicken, Basmati rice, Naan flat bread, Dal lentil soup, green salad, Saag Paneer (spinach curry), various curries.

$29 vegetarian dinner: Vegetable Momo, vegetable Pakoras, or Samosas or green salad; mixed tandoori plate, clay oven baked eggplant with tomatoes. Mixed Tandoori Plate of seasonal vegetables; eggplant baked in clay oven with Basmati rice and naan.

Dessert milk based sponge cake with honey and rose water.

$29 non-vegetarian dinner of chicken momo, prawn pakoras, meatballs or green salad with cucumber and avocados; mixed Tandoori plate of prawn tandoori, lamb boti kebab, fish and chicken tikka, served on a bed of onions, bell peppers and vegetables, or eggplant with Basmati rice and naan. Dessert milk based sponge cake with honey and rose water.

38 Degrees North – Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn: $39 three-course dinner of French onion soup or Caesar salad; eight-oz. Mission Burger, lobster mac & cheese, or roasted tempeh with kale and butternut squash. Desserts: Crème brûlée or butterscotch pudding.

Café La Haye: $39 dinner of spring soup, fresh pappardelle pasta with braised pork and broccolini. Dessert fresh fruit sorbet.

Della Santina's: $29 dinner of baby spinach salad with fetta and pancetta or farro (barley) soup; spinach and meat filled ravioli with pancetta and butter or grilled pork chop with mushrooms and vegetables. Dessert layered chocolate sponge rum cake with Callebaut chocolate shavings or bread pudding with anise, raisins and candied fruit.

Girl & the Fig: $39 dinner: fennel salad with arugula; blanquette de veau with root vegetables. Dessert almond brown butter cake.

Hopmonk Tavern: $29 dinner of ale-poached pear salad or Texas beef chili; Cajun chicken linguini with blackened chicken breast and roasted peppers or Portobello mushroom panini. dessert Key Lime pie or chocolate Cayenne truffles.

Mamma Tanino's: $39 dinner of soup or butter lettuce salad with Gorgonzola dressing; chicken scaloppini or veal and spinach cannelloni or vegetable risotto. Dessert chef's choice.

Mary's Pizza Shack: $19 dinner of small Mary's salad, Caesar salad or soup; spaghetti and meatball, eggplant fritti or bambino pizza. Dessert: mud pie.

Palms Grill: $19 dinner of beet and feta or Caesar salad; New York strip steak with asparagus and mashed potatoes or marinated brick chicken with asparagus and mashed potatoes. Dessert apple cinnamon crepe with vanilla ice cream or brownie sundae.

Plaza Bistro: $15 lunch of soup or mixed green salad; grilled salmon sandwich with fries or beef and pork rigatoni Bolognese. $29 dinner of soup, mixed green salad or stuffed calamari; Moroccan lamb chops, duck confit or salmon. Dessert Affogato of espresso with Tahitian vanilla gelato.

Red Grape: $19 dinner of green salad with oranges and shaved fennel or tomato basil soup; fettuccine with sautéed shrimp or the Patch Pizza with sweet corn, garlic, green onion, and Bel Paese cheese. Dessert lemon tart or brownie.

Reel Fish Shop: $15 lunch of New England clam chowder or green salad with Asian pear and Brussels sprouts; fish & chips with fries and tartar sauce or a Reel Burger of Sonoma Mountain beef and Havarti cheese and the works on brioche bun and fries.

$29 dinner includes the same clam chowder or salad; the same fish & chips or Reel Burger, or true cod tacos. $39 dinner adds macadamia wild halibut with vegetables and mashed potatoes,or free-range rib eye with burrata cream sauce or fresh seafood pasta with mussels, clams, and wild prawns or vegetarian curry. Dessert chocolate torte or berry crisp.

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