Inside Sonoma

The tiny town of Occidental, nestled in densely wooded hills in western Sonoma County, has long been one of my favorite places to end a summer day of road-tripping

The Historic Union Hotel in the beautiful Hamlet of Occidental. Photo by Andrew Collins.

along the coast or through the Russian River, or wine-tasting in nearby Forestville or Graton. The community of about 1,200 was established as a stop on the old North Pacific Coast Railroad, which used to chug through the region from Sausalito to Cazadero. Secluded though it is, Occidental is also easily reached from several directions, and all by scenic country roads – it’s just 12 miles south of Guerneville on the Bohemian Highway; 12 miles northeast of Bodega Bay via Hwy. 1, the Bodega Highway, and the Bohemian Highway; and about 10 miles west of Graton and Sebastopol, via several different routes.

There aren’t many key points of interest in this quiet, picturesque town with a small commercial district comprises just a few square blocks, but Occidental has been a popular dinner destination since its founding in 1879. You’ll find a few good places to eat here, from the romantic French Bistro des Copains to the bustling Barley and Hops Tavern, but the community is most famous for its two historic, old-school Italian restaurants, Negri’s and the Union Hotel, which have been doling out considerable portions of family-style red-sauce fare for generations.

These venerable dining operations are across the street from each other, the Union Hotel in a tan-clapboard building that was built in 1879 to serve railroad passengers, and Negri’s in an early 1970s building. Long-time fans routinely debate the merits of these competing eateries, both of which offer hearty, stick-to-your-ribs cooking: spinach lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs, baked polenta, pizzas, minestrone, chicken parmesan, and the like. Of the two, the Union Hotel has a slightly more contemporary options, such as Sonoma flat bread topped with pesto, tomatoes, mozzarella, and arugula, and more unusual pizza toppings like jalapenos and linguica sausage. Negri’s has a couple of house specialties of particular note, however: anitra arrosto (a half-duck slow-roasted with rosemary and vegetables and served with mushroom gravy) and Noni’s zucchini pancakes. What you can be sure of, regardless of which restaurant you choose, is that you won’t leave either establishment still hungry.