Kathleen Hill: Romaine warning, Larson open house, local breakfasts and more

Romaine lettuce warning again

Do not eat Romaine lettuce from the Salinas Valley.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a warning last Thursday due to a new E. coli outbreak, a year after a previous warning.

The warning applies to all Romaine lettuce, open head or packaged, either marked Salinas or not marked at all. More than 40 people in at least 16 states have been sickened by the lettuce.

Be sure to check all labels for source of area or country. CDC lead investigator Laura Gieraltowski said that the CDC is 'concerned this Romaine could be in other products.'

It might also be wise to shop from local growers at the farmers market, where you can talk to the grower herself or himself and ask about their growing practices. And perhaps avoid restaurant salads made with Romaine lettuce for a while.

El Dorado Kitchen reopened this week

Wondering what was going on at El Dorado Kitchen last week when the windows seemed to be papered over and the doors were locked?

Just a 'remodel,' as they say. Actually, a re-decorating with added cushions, new upholstery on bar and dining room banquettes or benches, a sanding and refinishing of what they call 'the bridge table,' meaning the old wooden table down the center of the restaurant that can accommodate either large parties or serve as a community table for singles or smaller groups.

Spokesperson Lila Sommier, who happens to be the daughter of Glen Ellen historian Jim Shere, has worked at EDK for nine years and is excited that new plates will be among the new look for EDK. She said that they are 'redoing the floors, and emphasizing natural elements,' which appears to mean going with the Restoration Hardware theme of beige, brown and various greys.

Sommier says the menu will be the same, including their colorful vegan plate, and they will serve breakfast in the corner café space from 8 to 11 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and Sunday brunch from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Della Fattoria of Petaluma, always a crowd pleaser, is among the bakeries being considered as a new bread source.

The El Dorado Hotel and Kitchen is owned by the Moana Group, headquartered in San Rafael. Moana owns, maintains and runs several other properties including restaurants such as Basalt, Piatti, Redd Wood, Roundhouse, Sam's Anchor Café, Yankee Pier and Lark Creek.

Schellville Grill to serve breakfast again

Matthew Nagan, owner of Schellville Grill for nearly 20 years, seems ecstatic to stay put where he is in Schellville and is excited to return his much-missed breakfast to his lunch menu.

Breakfast will be served daily starting today, Friday, Nov. 29 featuring bacon and eggs, tri-tip brisket and eggs, a vegetarian frittata, Nagan's Hubcap Pancake, French toast or pancake with eggs and bacon, all served with potatoes and toast, and some new items ($5 to $20).

Ahead of serving breakfast, Nagan has had a video crew taping a four-judge panel which samples Nagan's new breakfast menu items on Saturday mornings. The video is available on Facebook under Schellville Grill.

Last Saturday three longtime breakfast customers – two men and one woman -- tasted Nagan's version of biscuits and gravy. Remember that when he took the place over two decades ago he shocked the daily breaky customers at the counter with his herb-laden savory biscuits and gravy they had never seen before.

Not this time. But these aren't your grandma's Midwestern bread or biscuits and gravy either that sometimes sank to the bottom of your tummy with a thud. Better.

Nagan and his new chef, Dan Hagopian from Philadelphia, make the biscuits in house. Then comes the 'gravy,' which comes in either sausage or chorizo and chipotle flavors. This is not just gravy – it's a meal with chunks of the sausage. The video 'judges,' as Nagan called them, raved about how the combo makes a full meal. Breakfast daily 8 a.m. to 12 noon, followed by lunch to 4 p.m. 22900 Broadway, Sonoma. 996-5151.

Larson Family Winery Holiday Open House

Next Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 7 and 8, take the kids down to Larson Family Winery, which is always kid- and dog-friendly.

Santa will be there for 'sELFies' or professional card-worthy photos by Kara Lofthouse ($25), taken with Santa, and even with the family dog.

This year the new Which Cheese food truck, recently purchased by Baron and Stefani Brooks, will be there for nourishment to go with Larson wines. Grilled cheese sandwiches on Full Circle sliced sourdough bread include the Good Ol' with cheddar, Jack and Parmesan; the Baconator with bacon, sweet tomato jam, cheddar and Jack; the Dirty Bird with chicken, pesto, roasted bell pepper and Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses; or the Buffalo Blue with grilled chicken breast, buffalo sauce, and Jack and blue cheese sandwiches ($8 to $12). Add any of the above ingredients for $1 to $2, and tomato soup for $3 to $5.

Becky Larson's father, known as Bumpa Johnson, makes Swedish Glögg that has become a tradition at the Larsons' Holiday Open House. It's a spicy mulled wine and the family will give away the recipe. And don't miss the Annette's chocolate sauces, brittle and popcorn. Free admission. Charges for food and wine. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days. 23355 Millerick Road, Sonoma. 938-3031.

Santa's Brunch Dec. 8 at Ramekins

Christmas comes earlier and earlier, doesn't it?

Ramekins Culinary Center will serve its annual Santa's Brunch on Sunday, Dec. 8, with a 'Kids Christmas Workshop' to include cookie decorating and crafts, similar to what they have done in the past.

Get photos taken with Santa, and guests are encouraged to bring an unwrapped gift to donate to Toys for Tots. For your generosity you can enjoy a complimentary drink ticket.

Food will be served at 'stations,' or serving tables around the room. Expect spiced pumpkin waffles with berries, chocolate chips, whipped cream and Vermont maple syrup; made-to-your-order omelets with local vegetables, meats and cheeses; Rosemary and Dijon crusted Snake River Pork; and garlic and herb roaster prime rib.

On the farm vegetable side, check out the grilled pear salad with Little Gem lettuce and arugula and pickled red onions; assorted mini bagels with the works, Fifth Street Farms potato hash with Brussels sprouts, fruit and granola parfaits, buttermilk biscuits with poached eggs, thick cut bacon and chicken apple sausage. All this followed with tables of mini pastries and sweets. $69 adults (17 and over), $25 children (6 to 16), children 5 and under free. Two seatings at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. 450 W. Napa St., Sonoma. Reserve at 933-0450 or on Eventbrite.com.

Bâtonnage – a women in wine event coming

O'Donnell Lane, a Sonoma wine and events marketing firm named to honor the O'Donnell Lane in Glen Ellen, have announced the arrival of 'Bâtonnage –Women in Wine' annual conference to take place next June at Sonoma Broadway Farms.

Sonoma Broadway Farms owner Preston Raisin will donate his 6-acre organic and sustainable farm and newish buildings for the event. Guests will enjoy the farm's 30 kinds of fruits and vegetables, as well as mingling with ducks, chickens and goats.

The conference's goal is to invite 'attendees for a day of discussion focused on education and building awareness about the issues that women, and other individuals, face in the wine industry, as well as inspiring the community to make change.'

It's worth noting that several groups work toward the same ends in Sonoma and Napa counties with monthly or quarterly meetings or events, including Wine Women, led by Sonomans Christine Mueller and Marcia Macomber, Women for Wine Sense, Woman-Owned Wineries, and Sonoma County Women's Wine Club.

Katie Canfield, one of the principals in O'Donnell Lane, LLC, says that they hope to collaborate with these groups for the forum.

Dairy Queens to disappear?

My friend, Capital Public Radio and Sacramento Bee journalist Elaine Corn, a native of El Paso, posted a sad sign of the times, a dilapidated, windblown and deserted Dairy Queen sign, which she calls a 'Texas Stop Sign,' along with a story from Texas Monthly.

It is said that every Texas town had a Dairy Queen, but no longer.

Corn tells it this way: 'They are town halls. They are soft serve. They were numerous enough on my pre I-10 13-hour drive to UT-Austin from El Paso to get a medium cone every hour – somewhere. I have never actually eaten food at a Dairy Queen, just the soft serve vanilla with the curlicue on top.'

The closest we ever got to a Dairy Queen in Sonoma was Foster's Freeze, which was where you could find CHP or policemen if you needed one, right where the accounting offices are on Highway 12 just past Palms Grill.

But Jerry and I got to love Dairy Queens in Victoria, British Columbia where we would go either after teaching an evening class at the University of Victoria or with its winning basketball team.

Our nostalgia favorite: the soft serve cone dipped in hot chocolate that hardens and lets you drip the melting ice cream anywhere you like.

By the way, Foster's Freeze still offers these delicacies in Santa Rosa and Napa.

Late breaking Nibs & Sips

Reel & Brand breakfast news: Kevin Kress, managing partner of Reel & Brand, will start serving bottomless mimosas for $12 during breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays. He also says that, 'Because of demand, we will extend breakfast hours on Sunday.' Saturday breakfast 8 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., Sunday breakfast 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. 401 Grove St., Sonoma. 938-7204.

Sausage Emporium pop-up

Miranda Ives will be serving her sausages at the Lake Sonoma tasting room (formerly artist Judy Theo Lehner's Red Wolf studio) off Frist Street West every Sunday in December from 1 to 5 p.m. Watch for sausage flights of sweet Italian, Lagunitas hot beer, and chicken with sherry wine, as well as mini garlic loaves, mustards, olives and mixed greens, a three-sausage thin crust flatbread with varying toppings. Ives has ditched the Hare & Hatter name for Sausage Emporium, and Sausage Society is their subscription charcuterie and wine service. 1 to 5 p.m. 134 Church St., between Sign of the Bear and Fairmont Gallery, Sonoma. 721-1979.