Kathleen Hill: Williams-Sonoma boards up, boards down

Food news from around the Valley.|

Williams-Sonoma boards up, boards down

Williams-Sonoma's Broadway storefront was boarded up last Friday, part of an international movement by luxury brands to protect stores closed during the current shelter-at-home.

And even after painting the wall on Monday, the wall came tumbling down Wednesday morning, taken down by Williams-Sonoma workers.

The Sonoma site, the chain's original and flagship store, was boarded up because it was thought to be a target of looting or vandalism, such as the chain's big city stores. Workers spent Friday afternoon meticulously wrapping the entire location in plywood.

Williams-Sonoma wasn't alone. Luxury chain stores around the world have boarded up their windows and entrances in big cities, but Sonoma is not a big city and it has an almost invisibly low rate of violent crime.

On Monday the San Francisco Chronicle said violent crime was down 32 percent in big San Francisco since the shelter-in-place orders. And the New York Times reported that crime in New York City has decreased 17 percent during the first weeks of the shelter-at-home order due to coronavirus.

Despite the health crisis, Williams-Sonoma's online business has spiked, according to store officials, selling counter- and stove-top appliances, meal kits, sauces and baking products.

Chuck Williams' original store on Broadway remains one of the chain's top-producing stores in the United States, say store officials.

Kendall Coleman, of Williams-Sonoma, emailed, 'The Sonoma store was boarded up as a precautionary measure to protect it during closure.'

Funny, in the last three years Sonoma has been through earthquakes, horrendous fires, floods, and PG&E power outages. For some of these, many of us left town and there was no vandalism. This time, during the pandemic, we are all here. None of us thinks of Sonoma as a high crime center.

Let's keep our record perfect and thank Williams-Sonoma for respecting Sonoma's reputation.

Saving Sonoma's restaurants

Several Sonoma restaurants are hanging on and staying 'open' for takeout or delivery meals, some have just started, while others have given up on that experiment. Let's hope we can keep them, the owners, and their staffs working, thriving and looking forward to complete recovery.

Tips Roadside was first off the blocks to offer delivery to customers from Glen Ellen to Santa Rosa, but finally had to look at the numbers and give it up. And Sondra Bernstein and John Touzle, partners in the Girl & the Fig, created a new entity and website, fig-to-go.com, to serve curbside pick-up meals at Suite D on Schellville Road off of Eighth Street East. Both of these restaurants and caterers were among the most generous and quick to feed people during and after the terrible 2017 fires. And they both ended their roadside takeout meals last week and are doing crowdfunding to benefit their employees in this emergency.

We are all sad. Sad for our neighbors, which these staffs are, sad for those who are ill or have been lost, and always a little afraid of the future.

Dining out (or even at home with others) is a social activity, and we all do it from Taco Bell to El Dorado Kitchen. But we can't now. So the only restaurant food being consumed is takeout. And wine tasting is both social and tourism alluring.

Among the problems in a valley where wine sales and restaurant business are major elements, rent, closed tasting and dining rooms, increased wages, and higher food costs can be devastating.

Whether restaurants that have closed temporarily can reopen in some cases depends on landlords, who have been collecting something in the range of $6,000 to $12,000 a month from restaurants around the Plaza. Few plaza business owners own their buildings, and some landlords have mortgages to pay as well.

Much of a restaurant's inventory is perishable, which usually is not true of other retail operations. And few of them have substantial 'nest eggs' to dip into for 'rainy days.'

Sondra Bernstein gave away most of her food from her Girl & the Fig restaurants and catering to 60 members of her staff, while caterer Elaine Bell's company donates food daily to the Salvation Army. Some private chefs and caterers are just out of business because people can't gather.

More restaurant takeout updates

More restaurants have thrown themselves into the takeout-curbside lineup, while Tips Roadside, Reel & Brand and Fig-to-go dropped out.

New to this list are Edge, Sonoma Grille & Bar, Taub Family Outpost and Cochon Volant.

Cochon Volant Smokehouse and BBQ

Rob Larman offers his menu of smoked meats, beans, salads and fried chicken in Boyes Hot Springs with the addition of a fried chicken sandwich with house-cured maple bacon on a puffy glazed donut from Danish & Donuts on Highway 12.

Larman is also selling Prohibitions Spirits' cocktail hand sanitizers while they produce Cochon Volant BBQ hand sanitizer that smells like smoke, citrus and vanilla, according to Larman.

By phone he expressed excitement that he has a restaurant to go to every day to cook and hopefully make people happy by feeding them hearty food. Larman has often supplied sandwiches to the hungry at Sonoma Overnight Support's First Street West shelter, the Haven.

Edge

Fans of Fiorella Butron, who has taken over from John McReynolds as executive chef at Edge and Stone Edge Farm, is offering rare bargains of her cuisine during these difficult times.

Butron is serving takeout right next door to Della Santina's and across East Napa Street from Café LaHaye, both of which have orange cones in the street saving drive-up curbside parking places. Don't worry. Edge has its own parking lot in back of its building.

The menu changes daily Wednesday through Saturday and features the restaurant's 'regenerative practices and dishes with Stone Edge organic produce from their farm, using larder ingredients,' many of which were created for McReynolds' most recent book. Her food support person says the best way to keep one's vitality is 'by incorporating herbs, spices and other components that will help strengthen our bodies and keep us well.' Chef Butron is also a certified Ayurveda practitioner.

Sample menus this week included potato and spring onion velouté, Liberty duck breast with thigh, Peruvian rice and pickled ramps with lemon bar; arugula salad, daikon, ricotta and cured egg yolk, potato and pesto flatbread tonight, Friday, April 3; and Cobb salad with buttermilk and pickles, slow-roasted Heritage Pork, Stone Edge Farm BBQ sauce, wood fired beans, and a lemon bar on Saturday, April 4. $40, serves one. Stone Edge wines $50 to $130 extra but not required. Order at 935-6520 or stoneedgefarm.com/items/menus. Pick up 4:30 to 6:30. 139 E. Napa St., Sonoma.

Sonoma Grille

Sonoma Grille owner Nima Sherpa and family are offering a '15 percent discount to all healthcare workers with valid ID,' saying, 'we are all indebted for your selfless service during this pandemic. We appreciate your hard work, courage and determination during these uncertain times. Thank you!'

Sonoma Grille's takeout menu will include soup, green salad, vegetable flatbread, crispy calamari, a shrimp cocktail, chicken wings, and an antipasti and cheese platter ($8 to $30).

Main courses vary but could include cavatappi al pomodoro with fresh tomatoes, wild mushroom risotto, housemade saffron pappardelle, wild King salmon, lamb shank, roast chicken thigh and leg, or even filet mignon. ($16 to $38). Order at 938-7542 and pick up from 5 to 7 p.m.

Taub Family Outpost

The new Taub enterprise. opened this week at First Street West and West Napa. offers a short menu of a salad of hearty greens, avocado and Green Goddess dressing; grilled cheese on sourdough with red onion jam; a burger on a brioche bun; and rotisserie chicken or daily pasta, both in half and full order sizes. ($12 to $29). Available 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday on First Street West side of building. Order at 721-1107.

Sonoma wine deals abound

Maureen Cottingham and the Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance staff have assembled vast lists of every local winery's discount offers to help them sell wine since their tasting rooms have been shut down. Here are links to very useful lists.

Sonoma Valley at Home: sonomavalleywine.com/sonoma-at-home/

Virtual Sonoma Valley: sonomavalleywine.com/sonoma-valley-virtual-tastings.

Food trucks and other foods

All of our reliable food trucks are running and cooking, from El Coyote on Broadway across from the high school to Las Diablitas, Sonoma Eats, Picazo, and everyone in between. Don't forget Taqueria Gran Taco just off Highway 12 on Calle del Monte. Both they and El Brinquito still barbecue half chickens on weekends. All reasonably priced food cooked to order.

Also in the Mexican food line, La Hacienda Bar & Grill (formerly Taqueria La Hacienda) and El Molino Central offer food to go in the Springs, La Michoacana Natural Ice Cream is open for takeout, Taqueria Sonoma offers growlers of beer to go with their food, Sonoma Taco is open in Maxwell Village. Tortilleria y Taqueria Jalisco does not appear to be open.

La Casa will sell mixed margaritas to go as well, as will some other restaurants with liquor licenses. Golden Springs behind Palms Grill, E-Saan Thai in Boyes, Pho Ha on Fifth Street West, and Happy Garden in the Marketplace shopping center, Delhi Belly on Broadway, and Taste of Himalayas off First Street East, all offer food to go only.

Picazo's food truck moves back and forth between Sonoma Valley Hospital on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and outside its Picazo Kitchen and Bar in Maxwell Village on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings. Picazo Café on Arnold Drive is open daily for takeout from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Watch for their burger, pulled pork sandwich, Mahi Mahi fish and chips, Kaboom Bowl, and their special messy fries with sauce and bacon. ($6 to $12.) Order café 931-4377, food truck 307-3831.

Chocolate Cow chocolate sale

Heidi Pond of the Chocolate Cow ordered lots of Easter chocolates and now has an abundance, offering them for sale at 40 percent off right now, including chocolate bunnies, cow and bunny truffles and rocky road eggs to an 'Easter bag' loaded with goodies. Place your pick-up or delivery order at 935-3564. Pick up this weekend and next on First Street East at Mercado entrance from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Epicurean Connection

Sheana Davis is selling 'all of our pantry and cheese shop items such as raw honey, local olive oil, chocolates and caramels.' For porch delivery, call Davis at 235-9530 or email sheanadavis@gmail.com.

SOS and feeding the hungry and homeless

Kathy King of homeless services nonprofit Sonoma Overnight Support asks that their dedicated 125 volunteers from faith-based congregations, service and nonprofit organizations, and home cooks not bring any food to the Haven shelter on First Street West.

King said, 'We are accepting donations of store bought pre-wrapped items and cash donations.' These can be dropped off at the Haven weekdays between noon and 5 p.m.

'If you regularly provide SOS with food, we would appreciate cash donations in the amount you would have spent on that food. That way we can continue to feed the homeless and hungry with healthy food while supporting our struggling local restaurants,' said King.

SOS's day clients and those who are living in their cars are receiving to-go breakfast and lunch from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. each weekday in the backyard of the Haven, currently serving over 120 meals each day.

King is thankful to the Sonoma Valley Community Health Center for monitoring the health of Sonoma's homeless adults, to the Community Foundation of Sonoma County for a grant to purchase prepared food, and to sonomavalleyvolunteers.org for helping to pick up the prepared food and take it at the Haven. Visit their website if you are under 60, and would like to volunteer

King said, 'Let's move forward together with care and compassion for each other and those in our community who have no place to call home.'

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