Kathleen Hill: Tips Roadside, Mike Thompson and Elvis Presley’s banana pudding
Tips Roadside leaps to full roadhouse
Just a few months after opening, Susie and Andrew Pryfogle have added daily brunch and much more to their Tips Roadside restaurant in Kenwood.
We do need another breakfast and brunch place since the closures of Pearl's Diner and Fremont Diner earlier this month.
As of Wednesday of this week, Tips Roadside started serving brunch daily starting at 11 a.m.
Expect a southern bent to the menu loaded with excellent beignets plus biscuits and gravy, a fried chicken biscuit sandwich, and a biscuit sando with fried egg, Tips' bacon and Fontina cheese on a golden biscuit
More sweets include Johnny Cake carnitas; a cornmeal pancake with carnitas; a sunnyside up egg, a grilled fig, and house-spiced syrup; skillet French toast with stone fruit; and granola with yogurt and fruit. ($5 to $10).
Breaky entrées bring Slab o' Bacon with Hoppin' John salad with black eyed peas, pickled squash and Bibb lettuce; True Grits with smoked mushrooms, spring peas, leeks and gouda cheese; shrimp and grits, and Green Eggs and Ham with poached eggs, potato cake, smoked tomatoes and arugula ($13 to $17).
Then there are burgers and a carnitas sando with house-smoked pulled pork and granny apple coleslaw on a toasted challah roll. ($5 to $15).
Or you can build your own meal with sides of two eggs, housemade bacon, Andouille sausage, root vegetables and bacon hash, meats, biscuits, tater tots, or potato cakes ($4 to $6).
Lighter choices will be a Breakfast Board with housemade lox, a six-minute egg, tomato jam, preserved lemon and pickles with a house bagel; an escarole and arugula salad; a grilled Steelhead trout salad with soft boiled egg, green beans, frisée, smoked tomato and mizuna; and a yummy Mom's Tomato Soup with grilled cheese croutons.
Check out their brunch 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sips & Bits 2 to 5 p.m., dinner 5 to 9 p.m. daily. 8445 Sonoma Highway, Kenwood. 509-0078. Tipsroadside.com.
Rep. Mike Thompson was in the house
Or rather, Rep. Mike Thompson was in the Sangiacomos' Catarina's Garden a week ago Sunday. Mike Sangiacomo represented the family at this gorgeous venue, kept cool on hot days by those winds from Petaluma and loads of shade trees.
The Tips Tri-Tip Trolley and La Escondida food trucks were there for the asking, with popular foods such as a tri-tip sandwich or bowl with meat and spicy cole slaw, spicy 'street corn salad,' and more, while La Escondida offered some of the best looking tamales and ceviche tacos ever. Teri Fernandez was there giving away cones of four flavors of her La Michoacana Natural Ice Cream.
Congressman Thompson first introduced Fernanda Alvarez, the young lady who mesmerized guests last year at La Luz's Noche party, to sing the national anthem, and she performed it flawlessly. Now a graduate of Altimira Middle School, Alvarez has also sung the national anthem at last year's City Party and at Stompers games. Next she is aiming for Sonoma Raceway.
Following the emotionally sung song, Thompson introduced 'Dreamer Denia Candela' to tell her story. Denia Candela was born in Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico. She is a 10,000 Degrees alumna class of 2011, an organization that serves low income and first generation students, graduated from Sonoma State University in 2016 with BA in applied statistics with a concentration in the actuarial field, and a board member of the Sonoma Valley Education Foundation. She is a commissioner for Sonoma County Regional Parks. Her work as the Enrollment & Outreach Manager for a nonprofit has allowed her to serve families who need early education services through state funded pre-schools. Denia is a mother of a 7-year-old and received DACA in 2012. DACA has allowed doors to open for Denia, and she is able to provide for her son, and give back to the community that has seen her grow.
Host committee members included Bill and Dottie Lynch, Kimberly and Simon Blattner, Al and Lisa Brayton, Karen Collins, Tom and Kathryn Culligan, Nancy and Kyle Kirwan, Steve Page, Steve Sangiacomo and myself.
Tommy Thomsen brought his western swing band, joined by the 'Queen of Boogie Woogie' Wendy DeWitt, to play throughout the late afternoon event.
The party was sponsored by the Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance. Nearly 20 local wineries donated wine for the event. Rep. Thompson created and leads the Wine Caucus of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Thompson also attended (and stayed for lunch) at Sunday's Schell-Vista Fire Department Chicken BBQ.
Nibs & Sips
A couple of weeks ago the San Francisco Chronicle featured artists who have made the most of their own and others' fire tragedies, including Helena Donzelli, whose fabulous collage of burned kitchen utensils she recovered can be visited at Tips Roadside in Kenwood.
UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy: