A gourmet guide to Sonoma County: three restaurants that champion local California produce
- Three restaurants – Edge, Backyard and SingleThread – all use locally grown produce, in some cases their own, and serve Sonoma wines
- Their menus are heavily influenced by the seasons and change regularly
Just 45 minutes’ drive north of San Francisco, Sonoma County in California is a paradise for gourmet travellers, especially those in search of clean air, fresh produce and world-class wines.
Sonoma also flies under the radar compared with its better-known, smaller and brasher neighbour, Napa. A three-night culinary exploration of the county showed how and why locals and in-the-know visitors prefer to keep it that way.
Off the elegant central square in the town of Sonoma, with buildings dating back to 1823 when Mexico still owned much of what became the western United States, you could walk past Edge and not give the restaurant a second glance. Behind a neatly trimmed green hedge, it looks like a modest single-storey home.
Only a discreet sign marked “Private” suggests there is something more to discover – and what a discovery it is.
Edge is the private club of Stone Edge Farm winery, but happily, the public can dine alongside members during scheduled weekly lunches and dinners.
Three courses, all-inclusive and paired with estate wines, will cost you US$125.