Kathleen Hill: Palooza leaves Cornerstone, court of sommeliers drops ’master’ and more

Happy 3d and 4th of July!

Yes, believe it or not, tomorrow is the 4th of July.

We won’t recognize it maybe, with no parade, no fireworks, and no extra 10,000 people in town for one of the Top 10 July 4ths in the United States.

Quite subdued are we, with the exception of a few noisy explosions from outliers who put the fear of fire in all of us, especially when we have already had Red Flag Days this week. No hanging out with friends in their driveways or streets, sitting on blankets next to the Vallejo home or winery parking lots to watch the fireworks.

We will try to be “happy,” while some of us have friends or relatives who are sick for various reasons, including the dreaded COVID-19 that most of us are working to escape. But there is no running away from it. Some people have tried but now Europe won’t have us, so here we are in beautiful Sonoma, having as happy a 4th as we might.

Open, close, open, close?

We all know everything had to close down by April, from bars and restaurants to wineries, salons, etc. except for “essentials” such as grocery stores, pharmacies, and other “essentials” such as the occasional art or toy store.

President Donald Trump insisted the whole virus would pass by April and, when that failed, said it would “disappear” when the weather warmed up for summer. Not so. It’s worse.

President Trump persuaded some governors and mayors into opening certain business segments to “get the economy going.” So we did, at various speeds throughout the country.

Some business owners, including restaurants and bars, waited until it felt safe to them, both for their employees and for their guests, not knowing how long “open” might last. So when wineries and tasting rooms could open, most of them did, some hanging back like a few restaurants.

Now that both are open, some owners worry they might get shut down again since case numbers are rising rapidly and Gov. Newsom has suggested he might have to declare shelter-in-place again.

On June 28, Gov. Newsom actually ordered some counties to shut down their bars and beaches again because people not wearing face coverings flocked to beaches and bars and are getting sick by the thousands.

Many national health experts say the rapid rise in cases is due to not wearing masks, large family or friend gatherings, partying at bars and at beaches, and not honoring the rules of face coverings and distancing. And then President Trump said that wearing a mask is a statement against him, he who refuses to wear one, even after some of his secret service and campaign staff tested positive.

We have a Sheriff who said he would, would not, would, and would not enforce the governor’s orders, and police chiefs under him who said they would.

Who is supposed to enforce these rules, anyway? Restaurant hosts, servers, locals walking in parks or on bike paths?

Sonoma Plaza seems to be filled with out-of-towners and lines of people waiting on sidewalks to get patio seating at restaurants, most of whom are not wearing masks.

Even General Vallejo is wearing one on his bench.

Let’s do our best to follow the rules and keep on keeping on.

‘Master’ dropped from Court of Master Sommeliers

What does this mean and does anyone care?

First we have to realize that there are at least six organizations working to educate and bestow “sommelier” status on candidates, and they are all different and emphasize different parts of the wine making, tasting, production, selling, serving, science and business.

With the world’s raised awareness of racism in this and other countries, Tahira Habibi -- who works in wine in Atlanta -- made a big media point that the American Court of Master Sommeliers imposed hierarchical language that she saw as racist when beginners in this Master first exam level were told to address the proctors as “Master” so and so, which Habibi considered a slip back into slavery and an insult. Her protest has caused the organization to eliminate the word “Master.”

The MS issued by the Court of Master Sommeliers in Napa is very different from the Institute of Masters of Wine based in England, which is a really difficult program to pass and join and the one to which we all celebrated Morgan Twain-Peterson’s proud admission, he the owner and winemaker of Bedrock Wine Company. The MW is more rigorous, intense and academic than the MS with writing of wine theory papers and blind-tasting exams.

As Morgan Twain-Peterson, MW, responded via email, “There is no relationship between the MS and the MW. The former is more restaurant and service-based while the latter is a UK-based, trade-focused organization with greater emphasis on wine business, technical winemaking and viticultural knowledge.

“Both are extremely hard to get and require a lot of studying but the focus is quite different,” Twain-Peterson said.

I doubt that any of the rest of us with Masters’ degrees in the arts or sciences expect to be called “Master.” I know I don’t.

Delicious Dish opens patio with new menu

Hard working Lauren Cotner and crew will open their newly upgraded and painted patio on Monday, July 6 with a whole new menu to go with the new look.

In the meantime, you can still call in your order and pick up a Delicious Dish Grill Pack today for July 4 including marinated chicken, with two kinds of barbecue sauce, blistered Padron peppers, Serres Ranch blueberry slaw with kale and honey cilantro dressing, caramelized onion and Blackstrap baked beans, watermelon wedges, and rocky road chocolate chewie cookies. $20 per person for dinner for two, or dinner for four. Pick up 1 to 3:30 p.m. Friday, July 3.

The new larger menu includes a Casper’s hot dog, fried chicken sandwich, a crab melt on brioche bun, Vietnamese five-spice chicken or Hanoi flank steak banh mi, gyro or gyro salad, shrimp Louie, Chinese chicken salad, loads of soft drinks, and ice creams and floats. Even a Guinness stout float topped with Sweet Scoops salted caramel ice cream. Yikes.

And don’t miss the Strauss organic vanilla soft freezes with three topping choices, real cream soda, and root beer and other floats with Sweet Scoops ice creams, beer and wine and a special summer sangria with stone fruit and ginger. $2.50 to $16. 18709 Arnold Drive, Sonoma. 721-4231 or deliciousdishsf.com.

Nibs & Sips

Reel & Brand: Kevin Kress just announced that Reel & Brand has expanded its ever-popular happy hour to every day from 3 to 5:30 p.m. And the places that close their HH at 5:30 mean it. You have to be there and order before the proverbial bell rings. R&B still offers happy hour specials of $5 margaritas, draft beers and house wines, appetizers from fries and street corn to sliders and wings ($4 to $10). 401 Grove St., Sonoma. 938-7204.

Spread Catering: Cristina Topham offers some backyard distancing picnic specials such as her crunchy za’atar pita chips, mixed pickled farmers market veggies, smokey baba ganoush (eggplant dip, Jerusalem Bakery extra thin pita bread and Pita Kits with masala spiced Rancho Gordo chickpea cakes, slow roasted pork Shwarma, and malfouf salad which is like Lebanese cole slaw, always with vegetarian, meat and gluten free choices. Every Thursday and Friday. Order at spreadcatering.com.

Gay Wine Week is coming, virtually

You don’t have to be gay to sign up for Gay Wine Week coming for just a weekend this year from Friday, July 17 to Sunday, July 19. You don’t even have to leave home (and shouldn’t) with the coronavirus raging again.

Gary Saperstein has organized a great event to benefit Face to Face, Sonoma County’s network to end HIV in Sonoma County. Events will include Colors of the Wine Country, a conversation with Black leaders in the wine and hospitality industry and the Black Lives Matter movement; a Virtual Wine Tour through vineyards of Sonoma Valley; a Virtual Twilight T-Dance, a wild party and the week’s signature event with DJs and performances from Transcendence Theater Company; and the fabulous Drag Queen Bingo, Bubbles and Wine Auction on Sunday hosted by Ruby Red Monro.

And Saperstein has lined up the Girl & the Fig to produce a picnic basket they can ship to you. Select a real picnic box, a fried chicken box, salmon box, a vegetarian box and/or a turkey sandwich box, and you can always add on a bottle of wine. Boxes $22 to $50. Order for the whole weekend. Sign up and order food via outinthevineyard.com.

Edge redefines itself

Edge, the always interesting dining room owned by Stone Edge Farm just east of Della Santina’s on East Napa Street, has stopped its to-go service and will reopen for dinner service on Thursday, July 9. While not actually calling itself a restaurant, Edge will welcome diners every Thursday through Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m.

There will be two offerings: A farm dinner of light fare and two wines ($65), and a Silver Cloud Dinner with a three-course dinner and three wines, with the menus changing daily and weekly at Stone Edge Culinary Director and Executive Chef Fiorella Butron’s choice. She will serve Stone Edge wines by the glass as well as their wines by the glass, but guests will not be allowed to bring in their own wines. Make reservations at concierge@stoneedgefarm.com.

Girl & the Fig makes changes too

The Fig Rig will pull out of the Sonoma Valley High School bus loading area for the last time on Sunday, July 5, taking with it burgers, BLTs, salads, fries of many colors and Wicked Slush.

But the pizza ovens will be at Viansa Winery Friday through Sunday as well as at Starling Bar on Friday nights. Meanwhile the Girl & the Fig is open for patio and sidewalk dining -- noon to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday -- with two of my favorites, fried green tomatoes and flounder meunière. Wicked Slush and grab-n-go continues at Fig door on West Spain street daily noon to 7 p.m.

And the Fig Café & Wine Bar is open for curbside pickup only (food that is) from 4:30 to 8 p.m. Check out the menu daily.

Palooza closes at Cornerstone

Suzette and Jeff Tyler have permanently closed their Palooza Beer Garden & Eatery at Cornerstone, which will apparently become a Ramekins offshoot called Folktable, part of the Mattson family’s properties. The Tylers opened in August, 2019, then the pandemic closed everything and now they have closed for good.

The Tylers are adding some of their Sonoma favorites to their Kenwood location, including ahi poke nachos, chipotle chicken sandwich and their adult grilled cheese. 8910 Sonoma Highway, Kenwood. 833-4000.