Food: The Mill restaurant ready to churn

After many moons of cleaning, replacing, inspections, rebuilding, inspections, remodeling, inspections and food ordering, inspections and more inspections, the Mill at Glen Ellen will open in the coming weeks in Jack London Village.

Even the restrooms are now ADA compliant, and they have passed all tests, according to management.

Sanjeev K. Singh, former executive sous chef at Saddles Steakhouse, has dreamed of these coming weeks for a long time. Dana Jaffe, the previous executive chef at Saddles and at Sonoma Golf Course, will be joining Sanjeev at the Mill.

The Mill refers to the historic grist mill that still spins on site. The restaurant was last occupied by Adolfo Veronese’s Aventine. The Veroneses moved to Arizona for health reasons, and Sanjeev took over the space and its many needed improvements.

Decades ago at that location Juanita Musson was slinging prime rib around, occasionally wearing a monkey or parrot on her shoulder, while attending tables. Since then the location has been through many resident incarnations from earnest chefs and bartenders to Filipino/Argentine polo players and the serious Italian cuisine turned out by the Veronese-Alioto family.

At the Mill, appetizers might include edamame bean hummus with crisp vegetables and pizza chips, sliders and buffalo tofu sticks; peanut noodle salad with shrimp, fried shallot, crispy garlic and bonito with housemade peanut sauce, or spicy chicken salad with local vegetables and crispy tortilla strips; a steak burger with smoked bacon and cheddar cheese, smoked Willy Bird turkey wrap with avocado, tomato and chipotle aioli, or a fried green tomato with mozzarella, crisp lettuce, cucumber and chipotle mayo, all served with fries; potato patties with red lentils and tomato chili chutney, fresh corn cakes; wild poached salmon with marbled potatoes and summer veggies, flat iron steaks, a Porterhouse pork chop, and a fire roasted achiote half chicken with sweet potato fries.

All can be topped with Jaffe’s coconut kheer with sultanas, pistachio and a rose or grilled fruits with oat crumbs and coconut ice cream for dessert.

As soon as it opens, you will be able to order and pay online for their pickup food and then take it to enjoy on their lovely patio and deck overlooking Sonoma Creek. Singh said that he is not serving at tables yet because he doesn’t want to hire servers while Sonoma County keeps opening and closing due to the coronavirus.