Kathleen Hill: Picazo patio, vegan takeout and more

Picazo opens patio with help from Bob Rice

While many of us empathized with Kina and Sal Chavez’s openings and closings due to COVID county orders, they needed a patio to serve outdoors and keep on keeping on. Several months of permits and planning led to the lovely cement extension of their restaurant on Highway 12 in Maxwell Village.

Bob Rice, former owner of the Breakaway Café, longtime occupant of the Picazo space, wants them to succeed and has lent his expert advice to the new transition of the Picazo Kitchen menu, which includes Niman Ranch beef and cage-free eggs. Additions include a Portobello burger, an Argentinian wrap and a Caesar wrap, more salads, a Philly cheesesteak sandwich, lots of shareables, beet bruschetta, a doughless morning pizza, brunch tacos, biscuits and gravy and a whole array of build-your-own Picazo Breakfasts where you get lots of combo choices of scrambles and omelets, even one with shrimp and crab.

And then there are the Belgian waffles, lemon-cottage cheese pancakes, and French toast. Kids menu too. Bob Rice’s friend Paul, a native of Ireland, liked the breakfast potatoes especially well.

Get there early. Only 40 seats on the patio.

Mentoring Alliance – Kivelstadt fundraiser

Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance invites everyone to a dinner delivered to your door on Aug. 20 to celebrate mentors and about 400 mentees as they all face the new school year, whatever it will look like. And mentors will, presumably, need to become skilled (if they aren’t already) in how to help with distance learning and new emotions.

According to executive director Susie Gallo, you stay home and Mentoring Alliance staff and volunteers bring a lovely Kivelstadt dinner and wine to you. The wine includes three separate 8 ounce wine tastings. Jordan Kivelstadt bought the Schellville Grill from Matthew Nagan and has upgraded it tremendously. He now calls it Kivelstadt Cellars Wine Garden & Eatery.

Two of the blessings of these pandemic-driven virtual fundraisers is that you get to enjoy your food at home, and the presentations and speeches only last about a half hour. But we miss hugging each other and laughing together for a purpose.

Founding executive director Kathy Witkowicki, who started the Mentoring Alliance under the sponsorship of the late Neils Chew, will be the speaker this time and will introduce her mentee.

For your delivered dinner you choose one entrée from rotisserie Petaluma chicken: cedar plank smoked salmon, barbecued porchetta, or quinoa and ratatouille stuffed eggplant. Then you get to pick three sides from among creamed corn and pasilla pepper casserole, broccolini with fennel and tomato, a “colossal” baked potato, charred heirloom carrots, and smoked Salinas artichokes.

But for dessert you only get to select one (sorry) among Watmaugh strawberry shortcake, Ghirardelli chocolate pot de creme or a summer fruit cobbler. All accompanied by Kivelstadt wines. $325 for dinner for two, including wines and food, and a donation to the Mentoring Alliance. Zoom program from 6:30 to 7 p.m.

For ticket info and donations go to sonomamentoring.org/donate or call 938-1990.

Rancho Gordo T-shirts benefit SOS

A few weeks ago I had the honor of putting Steve Sando of Rancho Gordo beans together with Kathy King of Sonoma Overnight Support, the local nonprofit serving our homeless neighbors.

Sando is a good friend who asked what organization would benefit most from a T-shirt he was creating to pitch wearing masks to contain the virus spread. We went through several nonprofits, and he liked the sound of Brown Baggers, which are now a part of SOS.

Brown Baggers and SOS serve two meals every weekday to around 80 folks in need these days.

Selling as fast as his fabulous beans, the first batch of T-shirts actually sold out before I even knew he had posted the photo on his ranchogordo.com website. The T-shirts are $20 and every penny goes to SOS.

By the way, he has brought out some new bean varieties, which also sold out quickly, but they still have some of the new King City Pinks, of which I ordered three bags. You can either pick them up at his shop in Napa or have them sent to you. More T-shirts and beans are on order. Thanks you Steve Sando and Rancho Gordo – a great humanitarian and generous person.

HopMonk Tavern launches Sunday brunch

As Dean Biersch and friends seem to do everything well, his HopMonk Sunday brunch appears to have something for everyone. First on the menu is two eggs with choice of toast, biscuit or English muffin with sausage or bacon, followed by a spinach, sausage and mushroom scramble with garlic, eggs Benedict, corned beef hash, “the Frenchiest Toast,” deep fried “Texas toast” with cinnamon sugar, fresh berries and whipped cream, a breakfast burger with bacon, fried egg, red onion, and Swiss cheese on a brioche bun, fried chicken and a biscuit, vegetarian quiche, smoked salmon and avocado toast, and “Billionaires bacon” which is housemade candied bacon ($11 to $17). 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays.

Then comes their regular lunch with everything from kale Caesar salad and Gem lettuce salad, to a southwest chicken salad, a great Reuben sandwich with Swiss cheese and sauerkraut, a chicken Philly, cheeseburgers, Nashville hot fried chicken, fish & chips and a taco pack combo. ($14 to $19.50). 691 Broadway, Sonoma. 935-9100.

Vegan takeout in Sonoma?

With more and more Sonomans growing our own food as best we can, and realizing that there have been some drastic health problems among those working in meat processing plants and on corporate farms, some of us are investigating and eating more vegetables and less meat.

To do this does not mean that we have to be an avid proseletyzing vegetarian or vegan but it’s always good to learn as we go. For some of us locally, chef and caterer Cristina Topham’s Monday night “meatless Monday” meals and her now Friday pita kits have made us all more aware of the possibilities of trying plant-based meals.

One of Sonoma’s greatest advocates of veganism is Jo Toscana who has organized a group of like-minded friends who roam the countryside finding really good vegan food. I thank her for her thoughts for this story.

Here are some local restaurants’ takeout or curbside pickup vegan offerings:

• El Dorado Kitchen (EDK) offers its Vegan Bowl on the to-go menu with quinoa, green beans, chickpeas (garbanzos), cauliflower, beets, black bean puree and sherry vinaigrette. They can also modify two of their salads to be vegan: the heirloom tomato salad and their mixed green salad with peaches, beets, and pickled red onion, with or without cotija cheese.

• Sunflower Caffé has a coconut chia seed pudding, a simple salad and roasted beet tostadas.

• The Red Grape offers a “Vegan Patch” pizza with vegetables from The Patch farm and several salads that can be made vegan.

• Delicious Dish always has vegan alternatives to both their takeout lunches and out-the-door dinner menus. Owner-chef Lauren Cotner responded saying, “I’m hopeful that people will continue ordering plant-based menu items. We think they’re important options that we know people want on the menu.”

• Della Santina’s makes penne and spaghetti Pomodoro (tomatoes) that can be made vegan, according to Nicole Della Santina.

• Taste of Himalayas owner Pemba Sherpa relays that many of their dishes are vegan and among the most popular are samosas, pakoras, veggie momos, vegetable tandoori with coconut milk, vegan saagpaneer with creamy spinach and coconut milk, coco masala with mixed vegetables and coconut curry sauce, a garbanzo bean curry and many more choices. Takeout and delivery via Sonoma Food Taxi. Many of these are also available at Delhi Belly and Yeti.

• Cochon Volant has one vegan item: roasted Brussels sprouts served chilled with lemon and extra virgin olive oil. Chef-owner Rob Larman said he did a vegan barbecue special, but “no one bought it.” But who would expect vegan at a smokehouse.

• Spread Catering delivers a rotating variety of vegan pita kits as well as tabouli, hummus and Muhammara. Chef-owner Cristina Topham says all of her side dishes are also vegan, like freshly made gluten-free flatbread, and gluten-free vegan desserts such as tahini brownies. Spreadcatering.com.

• The Girl & the Fig has a summer corn risotto, gazpacho, and a salad of the season that are vegan.

• Picazo Kitchen & Bar has always had several vegan dishes including its açaí bowl made with organic frozen berries, organic açaí juice, almond milk, granola, coconut flakes, fresh strawberries, blueberries, organic chia seed and honey. Their Portobello burger includes chimichurri spread, avocado, lettuce, tomato, and grilled onions and comes with fries, a side of sweet potato fries or a side salad.

• Glen Ellen Star’s vegan offerings include wood roasted cauliflower with Tahini sumac almonds and parsley, and wood roasted baby carrots with cashew cream. Owner-chef Ari Weisswasser says, “Both are appetizers but big enough for sharing,” and I can attest to that. Both are nearly addictive.

• Palooza’s Suzette and Jeff Tyler will make a cauliflower crust pizza of any kind and sell Brussels sprouts with roasted garlic, smoked paprika, an apple spinach salad, without its normal goat cheese, fried pickles, shredded kale salad without the Romano cheese, and a classic burger for which you can leave off the cheese and substitute a Beyond Burger or falafel patty for the beef patty.

Gun Bun and Sangiacomo wineries

Gundlach Bundschu has come up with a whole set of “movie nights” where you watch at home, line up your good and bad snacks, and drink their wine. They even pair their wines with specific movies as follows: Cabernet Sauvignon with “Hidden Figures,” Heritage Merlot with “Sideways,” Rhinefarm Rosé with “Clueless,” Mountain Cuvée with “Edward Scissorhands,” and a whole slew of promotions and special wine deals to help you watch until you can no longer see. Check it all out at gunbun.com.

Sangiacomo Wines just scored some big points for their newest wines. Virginie Boone gave their 2018 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir a 93 in the Wine Enthusiast, and Robert Parker gave their 2017 ViMaria Pinot Noir 94 points, both real achievements. Congratulations to Mike and Steve Sangiacomo and sister Mia Sangiacomo Pucci. Order online or call 934-8445. Pick up at Sangiacomo Home Ranch in Sonoma.