Three Sonoma Brunch Venues Worth Raving About

Entrance to Boon Eat along Main Street in Guerneville. Photo by Andrew Collins.

Whether to kick off a day of biking, antiques-shopping, or wine-touring, or perhaps to recover from an evening of excessive revelry, partaking of a hearty weekend brunch ranks among society’s (well, at least California’s) most cherished social and culinary rituals. It’s also a remarkably popular rite of Saturday and Sunday mornings among GLBT bon vivants and gourmands. Brunching is a big deal throughout Sonoma – here are three venues especially notable for these festive meals.

Boon Eat + Drink, Guerneville – The restaurant affiliated with the hip Russian River Boon Hotel + Spa, which is a half-mile down the road, Boon Eat + Drink is an inviting storefront space along Guerneville’s downtown shopping strip. The gay-popular brunch here features a delicious array of contemporary California treats: truffle-baked eggs with spinach, leeks, and herbed-cheese; baguette French toast withfresh berries and lemon-zest whipped cream; and radicchio salad with chevre, strawberries, toasted hazelnuts, and a light champagne vinaigrette. Brunch is Sunday only.

Fig Cafe & Winebar, Glen Ellen – I’ve written about this dapper, casually romantic restaurant before, noting the amazing dinner fare. But the brunches here also merit plenty of accolade. Brunch is served Saturday and Sunday. First, you might toast the occasion with a Fig Royale (sparkling wine with just a touch of fig syrup). Among the heartier meals, consider classic Croque Madame with comte cheese, ham, poached eggs, and mornay sauce over a crusty brioche; or the lunch-ier grilled butchers steak with blue-cheese herb butter, frites, and the vegetable of the day. When in season, the heirloom tomato pizza with a simple accompaniment of fresh basil and mozzarella deserves consideration.

Breakfast gnocchi at Flavor Bistro. Photo by Andrew Collins.

Flavor Bistro, Santa Rosa – Airy and art-filled Flavor overlooks downtown Santa Rosa’s grassy Courthouse Square – on warm mornings it’s worth grabbing at one of the handful of patio seats. The kitchen here turns out rustic Italian food and hand-rolls its own pasta daily – and noodles can figure most deliciously in the morning if you sample the breakfast gnocchi, with wild mushrooms, spinach, eggs, and Parmesan (there’s also a delicious sweet-potato gnocchi at lunch). Flavor uses organic dairy and fair-trade coffee, and always emphasizes local produce and foods. Brunch is served Saturday and Sunday.