Bistro Time: Flavor and Wappo

Have been out-and-about of late (surprise, suprise!) and by chance recently visted two self-proclaimed bistros: Flavor Bistro in Santa Rosa, and Wappo Bar and Bistro in Calistoga.

Wappo is a California-cool place, set nicely off the Calistoga main drag and, while the dining room is so-so in terms of look and feel, it has a lovely outdoor garden setting where most of its tables are located. I ate there this week with my friend j., and we had a great meal. Started with the fresh flatbread with three (count em) Middle Eastern dips, and then I had the grilled skewered chicken with orzo pasta and a delicious Greek salad (can you say 'pinenuts' and 'feta cheese'???) while j had the duck carnitas yucateco, complete with pumpkin seed mole.

Wappo has a great wine list (it is the Napa Valley), and a very cool dessert and sweet wine list, too. It's a bit of a strange place, though, with the mix of foods and such (Middle Eastern, Yucatan, a Tarte Demoiselles Tatin, etc.) and while the prices are a bit steeper then similar places (it is the Napa Valley), it's a great location, particularly for a lazy afternoon lunch under a sunny sky.

Wappo Bar & Bistro

1226 Washington Street, Calistoga 94515
707-942-4712

My other Bistro journey of late was to Flavor in downtown Santa Rosa, which is located right on Courthouse Square beneath one of my favorite night spots: Upper Fourth. G. and had a wonderful dinner among the throngs of Flavor-goers, as the restaurant has that French-bistro-noisy-cramped-quarters feel. I think the food is excellent, and best of all, they have different things on the menu. I quite happily enjoyed my Martin's Ragu and-- get this--Hess cab by the glass. You can't go wrong with Flavor, in my opinion.

Flavor Bistro

96 Old Courthouse Square, Santa Rosa, 95404

707-573-9600

Calistoga Cool

Recently I wrote about the trendy Upper Fourth bar in Santa Rosa's Old Courthouse Square. I love Upper Fourth's stylish decor and focus on high-end drinks and appetizers.

Now, there's a relatively new place in Calistoga with a very similar up-scale, trendy, and chic (or, what I call "Calistoga Cool") vibe: BarVino.

BarVino is located right on Calistoga's main street. It's a small place with the bar the main emphasis (in the middle) and tables around. I love the cool decor and, especially, the 10-speaker sound system. Nice!

While Upper Fourth tends to focus on high-end well drinks, BarVino is all about, of course, food and wine. Executive Chef Dominic Orsini has a small but enticing list of pastas and entrees, including: pumpkin risotto, Spanish bouillabaisse, and steak Florentine. I've been in several times and am now hooked on the Vino Fries--delicious spuds with Sicilian spiced sea salt and chianti ketchup.

The wine list, of course, rocks, with a rock star-like listing of high-quality Napa Valley wineries featured. My personal favorite to date? Mmmmmm... I'll save that for my next post. (Sorry!)

Anyway, check out BarVino in downtown Calistoga as quick as you can.

1457 Lincoln Avenue, Calistoga

http://www.bar-vino.com/

P.S. And if you happen to be in when a tall brunette is bar tending/hosting, DON'T bet her a glass of wine that she can, serving a volleyball, knock a glass off the end of the counter at 30 paces. That's Aja, and she's Sonoma State U vb player, and well, let's just say that anything having to do with a round white ball that she can kick our a** and leave it at.

Cool in the Clouds

Wow, had a great time earlier this week with my friend G. at the ultra-trendy, ultra-hip -- and extremely welcoming -- Upper Fourth bar in downtown Santa Rosa. Upper Fourth, owned by locals Molly Gallaher and Ivan Richard, is celebrating its one-year anniversary this month.

I love the feel of the place: leather chairs, fireplace, great lighting. Plus in addition to the central room complete with bar, there are two or three other small rooms for more intimate gatherings -- including a "game" room with full-sized poker table. Too cool!

Upper Fourth of course specializes in hip drinks, and has a nice wine list. Food options are limited, though the two appetizers I had -- Spanish-spiced almonds and a wonderful red pepper humus -- were awesome.

Definitely check out Upper Fourth, which gets its name from being on the second floor. (And yes, it has some great views of the city down below.) It's a hip crowd, but hey, I hung out there and didn't get kicked out so you can too.

G.: Whispers in the Dark

Upper Fourth

96 Old Courthouse Square (next to Flavor Restaurant)

573-0522