By Emma Krasov. Photography by Yuri Krasov
Have you ever tried a heavenly concoction of silky Buttermilk Stracciatella, kohlrabi, kumquats, and walnuts on sourdough baguette? Chances are, you haven’t even heard of it!
Imagine the freshest stracciatella cheese, originally from the Italian region of Puglia, created of shredded mozzarella mixed with heavy cream—but now housemade in Sonoma, with buttermilk curds from Belfiore Cheese, a Berkeley, California, producer; its natural sweetness counterbalanced with the gentle citrusy tartness or tiny bright-orange kumquats, native to China, but grown in Sonoma Valley; the crispiness of the cruciferous kohlrabi—a Northern Europe’s vegetable, named in German after both cabbage and turnip, but also grown here, on California farms; and tangy walnuts, that came to the American soil from the Caucasus Mountains!
Such amazingly harmonious combination of disparate tastes and textures is only possible in a place of extreme culinary creativity. This place is the newly relaunched, beautifully reimagined, and now open to the public Santé, the resort’s signature restaurant at Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa.
The restaurant self-identifies as “California French cuisine inspired by the bounty of Sonoma Valley,” and it surely lives up to the claim with the new Executive Chef Michael Quigley at the helm, and classically trained and remarkably innovative Chef de Cuisine, Jennifer Venezio, who combines her high technical skill with the use of locally sourced and sustainably raised ingredients, from meats and seafood to seasonal vegetables and foraged herbs.
Upon entering the renovated, breathable space of the refurbished Santé, you immediately feel welcomed not only because the attentive staff is adhering to the highest standards of hospitality, but also because the dining hall is decorated in the calming silvery-sage and earthy half-tone color scheme, with tastefully painted panels of California foliage next to the wine library glassed shelves, and circular chandeliers of soft lighting. Sturdy tables and wonderfully comfortable armchairs are conveniently placed the way that you feel cozy, but never crowded. Muted table lamps, linen napkins, custom-made dishes, and elegant glassware—all elements converge in your field of vision to lead you to the sensory experience like no other—dining at Santé!
“Dining at Santé is designed as a shared experience, encouraging guests to gather, discover, and savor together,” says Brice Giannotti, Santé General Manager, who recently joined the resort team, praised by Karim Ikrimah, Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa General Manager for “his depth of experience, leadership style, and passion for guest connection.”
“Signature offerings include thoughtfully composed tasting experiences complemented by Sonoma County wines,” says Giannotti, and the long, comprehensive wine list at Santé indeed, features numerous California wines alongside French and Italian labels.
California sparkling wines, chardonnay, pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, zinfandel, and other varieties grown in our wine country are plentiful by the bottle, but you can have sparkling from J Vineyards (Russian River Valley), Roederer Estate (Anderson Valley), and the famous cabernet sauvignon from Silver Oak (Alexander Valley) as well as many other exceptional wines by the glass.
With the help of your knowledgeable server, the wines can be paired with the dishes on the menu, inspired by French culinary traditions and bright California flavors, and made with fresh ingredients from organic farms within a 100-mile radius.
In the vein of constant innovation, the restaurant kitchen does a lot of on-site fermentation, makes house-made miso, and uses heritage sourdough starters for baking. Its partnerships with regional micro-farmers, winemakers, and foragers bring seasonal finds to the table, benefiting hotel guests and Santé diners.
This spring, on the Starters menu there are such seasonal favorites as Roasted Delta Asparagus with cured egg yolk, rhubarb-radish relish and pistachio cream, Grilled Little Gem with County Line greens, peppered pecorino, dates, sliced almonds and citrus Dijonnaise, and Grilled Kauai Prawns with olive gribiche and fermented hot sauce. It’s worth noting that County Line Harvest is an organic California farm, same as Liberty Duck in Petaluma, from where comes Pan Roasted Petaluma Liberty Duck Breast with orange and citrus gastrique, braised fennel, heirloom carrots, and duck confit on the Mains menu, while Painted Hills Chateaubriand with Bordelaise sauce, and choice of two sides on the Signature Plates Meant for Sharing menu originates as grass-fed beef in the neighboring state of Oregon.
Other impressively delicious dishes include Seasonal Roasted Fish (in our case, rich and buttery kampachi with white flesh and delicate texture), and very original and memorable Spring Pea Rollatini with Laura Chenel [another Sonoma Farm] Goat Cheese, Seasonal Mushrooms [spring morels] and Cream.
The Sides menu is definitely on par with Starters and Mains, studded with extremely satisfying choices, like Provençal herb lemon cream potatoes; Miso bagna cauda cauliflower in a “hot bath” of a traditional Italian dip from the Piedmont region; Heirloom baby carrots, and especially Kouign-amann popovers with herb butter. This buttery, caramelized pastry, invented in Brittany, France, is somehow made less sweet than usual, and so much more suitable for the health-conscious California table. And how about Haricort verts maître d’ butter! These fancy-named green beans are simply irresistible dressed with a classic French compound butter, softened and mixed with finely chopped parsley, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Desserts are light, seasonal, and always worth leaving some room for them, like Paris Brest praline mousseline, almond; Strawberry Shortbread Tart vanilla pastry cream, tahini shortbread crust; Lemon Lavender Cheesecake blackberry coulis, candied lemon, and Chocolate Kiss warm soft center chocolate cake, raspberry sauce, crème.
Come to Santé, bring your family and friends, and raise a glass to your health, and to Sonoma hospitality, so perfectly expressed in this fine establishment!
Santé Restaurant is open for breakfast daily 7:00 am – 11:00 am, Sundays until 1 pm, and dinner Thursday – Monday, 5:30 pm – 9:00 pm.
On select Sundays each month there’s Sunday Supper Club at Santé, a new fine dining and live music experience with optional wine pairings curated by a sommelier team: May 17, “Tide & Table,” inspired by the coastal Mediterranean and the bounty of the Pacific Ocean. “Enjoy a seasonally driven, family-style prix fixe menu featuring fresh local seafood, bright citrus, and sun-kissed California flavors, paired with acoustic-forward live music—it’s an evening to relax, share, and savor the vibrant flavors of the coast,” June 28, July 19, August 23, September 20, October 18, November 15, December 13.
Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa is located at 100 Boyes Blvd., Sonoma, California 95476 For reservations and additional information, call (866) 540-4499 or visit www.fairmont-sonoma.com/dine/sante/
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