Greek, Portuguese and Spanish fare will be added to dining mix
This fall, not only will Healdsburg be known for some of the top restaurants in the county, now the town will finally have bragging rights about their diverse cuisine.
Several new eateries are scheduled to open over the next month adding Greek, Portuguese and Spanish fare to the long list of restaurants that until now has been mainly dominated by Italian food.
First on the calendar, Taverna Sofia is scheduled to open their doors at the end of October, serving authentic, rustic, Greek and Mediterranean dishes for breakfast, lunch and take home dinners.
Chef Sofia Petridis-Lim learned to cook authentic Greek and Mediterranean dishes from her grandmother while growing up in Thessaloniki in northern Greece.
“Taverna Sofia is my vision for being able to share authentic Greek and Mediterranean food with everyone who walks through the door,” says Petridis-Lim. “I also want people to have a place to pick up a delicious, healthy meals and enjoy it here or take it home to your family on busy nights.”
Taverna Sofia will offer traditional foods of the region, including fresh baked goods. For breakfast look for Bougasta, a Greek pastry made of flaky phyllo dough. Choose from sweet, filled with custard and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, or a savory version filled with a mixture of Greek cheeses, including Mizithra. Pair breakfast with freshly brewed traditional Greek coffee or local Taylor Maid Farms tea or coffee served in a special single-serve pour-over brewing pot.
For lunch customers will find traditional Greek dishes such as Spanakopita, house made Dolmas served with Tzatziki made with Greek imported yogurt, Baba Ghanoush, and Petridis-Lim’s signature dish, Moussaka. End the meal with a sweet bite of one of Taverna Sofia’s fresh baked pastries, including Petridis-Lim’s own recipe for Baklava. Local wine and beer will be offered alongside Greek imports.
You can’t miss the restaurant as you head down Healdsburg Avenue (where Bovolo once was) and you will spot the brightly colored mural of the Greek island of Santorini, created by local artist, Brooks Anderson.
The patio offers seating for 40 and inside up to 20 diners will find cozy modern, wood topped tables, with comfortable cushions in the traditional Grecian blue and white colors and patterns. Taverna Sofia will be open Thursday through Tuesday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. closed on Wednesdays located just off the Healdsburg Downtown Plaza, behind Copperfield’s Bookstore at 244 Healdsburg Avenue.
Just across the street, another woman is showcasing her heritage, opening Café Lucia for diners interested in modern Portuguese food.
Brother and sister partners Lucia (Lucy) Fincher and Manuel Azevedo describe the café as a casual dining spot, which will of course be open to visitors but highly targeted at locals looking for full entrée eats and a family friendly space for lunch and dinner.
“Lucy said that being a local, there has been a lot of activity in the restaurant scene in Healdsburg, which is exciting and I am thrilled to be apart of that as a chef but Lucy felt there needed to be something that was more locals oriented and that is not pizza,” Azevedo said about his sister’s vision.
Lucia has lived in Healdsburg for more than twenty years and her husband is a Healdsburg native. She said that she has always followed the restaurant scene with the dream of opening one herself one day but was afraid she wouldn’t be able to open something in her hometown until she found the open space where Affronti used to be on Healdsburg Avenue.
“I was so excited, I love this location, I have always thought this was a great location with the all-season patio,” said Fincher.
As executive chef, Azevedo will get the kitchen going eventually turning the reins over to a young Chef de Cuisine, also Portuguese, so he can return to his restaurant in Sonoma, La Salette.
Expect to see many specialty made in-house items served including homemade sausage, lupini beans, bread, farmers cheese and ice cream.
Portuguese items such as blood sausage, pasta with scallops, pork tenderloin stuffed with olives, almonds and figs will be served and even though Café Lucia claims they will be “bringing the entrée back,” they will also offer traditional tasca, individual tasting items.
“If you like real Italian food, you will love Portuguese food. It is the same ingredients really, if you take away the pasta and pizza,” said Azevedo. “And what makes Portuguese cuisine so interesting is that it draws from the rich Portuguese history, they were the ones that brought tomatoes, peppers and spices back to the old world,” said Azevedo.
Café Lucia is located at 235 Healdsburg Avenue and will be open for lunch and dinner. Try them out this fall during ‘Healdsburg Strolling Dine Around’ in December or ‘Four Acres Feast’ in February.
For the locals who are keeping track of the restaurant scene, the long awaited Spanish tapas bar, Bravas has announced their opening for late October (in the former Ravenous spot).
Husband and wife restaurateurs Mark and Terri Stark are creating a Spanish experience for guests at this restaurant, their fifth in Sonoma County, after being inspired by a recent trip to Barcelona.
A unique fixture of the restaurant will be Sonoma County’s first “Ham and Cheese Bar” – a manned station at the indoor tapas bar where skilled “Hamboners” will slice to order paper-thin slivers of Spain’s incomparable Jamón Ibérico, along with a carefully selected variety of Spanish and local cheeses, and Tortilla Española with aioli.
The menu features classic Spanish tapas including pan con tomate, creamy chicken croquetas, gazpacho shooters, and escabéche of mussels. To highlight quality ingredients in an authentic Spanish manner, Bravas will serve seasonal items a la plancha (on sizzling iron platters), like local maitake mushrooms with smoked paprika salt or razor clams with parsley oil. The menu will offer different styles of Patatas Bravas, a beloved fried potato dish and the inspiration for the restaurant’s name and a few unique dishes such as crispy pig ears, oxtail and salsa verde bocadillos, and chicken wing “lollipops.”
The dessert menu will include local Straus Creamery soft serve ice cream with a choice of distinctive finishes; olive oil and vanilla bean sea salt, goats milk caramel, roasted seasonal fruit, or chocolate-potato crispies.
The lively ambience at Bravas will extend to the restaurant’s newly renovated back patio area. Bar Bravas in the backyard, complete with a full bar, a covered deck and a large patio dining area, is the perfect setting for sipping sangría and Spanish inspired cocktails and grazing through the extensive tapas menu.
“‘Bravas’ actually means ‘spicy or wild,’ and the atmosphere will live up to the name. We can’t wait for everyone to enjoy the new restaurant,” says Terri Stark.
