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Sonoma County is a food lover’s paradise, especially now, as several new eateries have popped up celebrating the valley’s abundant biodiversity. So, what are the hottest new dining destinations? Here’s a duo we can’t stop talking about, including a re-imagined roadside favorite in Sonoma and a bar-focused, fine dining restaurant inside The Barlow, Sebastopol’s 12-acre outdoor market district featuring local food, wine, beer and spirits.
Boxcar Fried Chicken & Biscuits
Formerly the Fremont Diner, this Southern-inspired roadside diner reopened last September with a new name and a tighter menu that focuses on what they do best: Crunchy, super-flavorful fried chicken and those sweet, buttery warm biscuits.
Gone are the burgers and barbecue, but you’ll still find beloved starters — like pimento cheese with crackers and pickled onions ($7) — and sides, including thick, hand-cut onion rings ($5). But it’s the heaping fried chicken sandwiches and platters that keep this charming, tiny fast-casual eatery super-packed, especially on weekends.
Go for a touch of heat with the Chicken Biscuit ($9.50), with a slab of that ridiculously juicy fried chicken with pepper jelly and crisp coleslaw, or take it up a notch with the Nashville Hot Platter ($12.45 for leg and thigh) with zesty house pickles, coleslaw, white bread and cheesy grits. The chicken is coated in chili oil before frying, but don’t sweat it: There’s plenty of beer, wine and Straus Organic soft-serve milkshakes ($5.55) in distinctive flavors like malt and horchata to cool you down.
Details: Open from 11 a.m. Monday-Saturday at 2698 Fremont Drive, Sonoma; https://boxcar-friedchicken.com
Fern Bar
True to its name, this chic, bar-focused restaurant, which opened in December, is filled from floor to ceiling with greenery, from the green onyx in the marble-topped bar to the floor-to-ceiling plants and handsome wraparound olive banquettes. It feels like a you’re dining in a conservatory. Add in live jazz and relatively affordable prices and Fern Bar is a not-to-be-missed stop.
That garden vibe starts at the bar, where Sam Levy, former bar director of the Restaurant at Meadowood, heads up a team crafting some pretty innovative farm-to-table cocktails ($13 each), such as an Armagnac-based Naughty Toddy made with roasted kabocha squash, and the ethereal, spirit-free Blue Dream featuring kava root, passion flower, blue spirulina and ginger.
The American small plates crafted by Joe Zobel (former chef of Lowell’s) celebrate the region’s bounty, with a menu divided into Nibbles ($5-$10), Crop Share ($9-$15) and Animal Share ($12-$29). Stunning, beet-hued Pickled Quail Eggs ($7) stoke the appetite for heartier fare, like Fry Bread ($20) with aged beef, New Mexico chile, cotija and herbs, or the artfully-plated Winter in Sonoma ($14) with root vegetables, schmaltz, benne seed, rice crackers and apple preserves.
Details: Open from 4 p.m. Thursday-Monday at 6780 Depot St., Suite 120, Sebastopol; www.fernbar.com
The Farmer’s Wife
The extreme flooding that hit parts of Sonoma County this week hit Sebastopol’s The Barlow, as well. The water never reached the Fern Bar, but several businesses, including the new Farmer’s Wife, sustained heavy damage. It is not yet known when that restaurant will reopen. Call before you go.
If you’ve experienced her epic, layered sandwiches at The Ferry Building or Outside Lands in San Francisco, you know all about Kendra Kolling, aka the Farmer’s Wife. Kolling opened a brick and mortar at The Barlow last fall on the anniversary of the Wine Country wildfires. The restaurant offers a full breakfast menu alongside nine crusty, delicious melts ($9-$16 with petite greens), such as honey lavender bacon with a drippy farm egg, and a toasted fennel sausage version with apple quince mostarda. Also look for open-faced tartines, soups and salads, all made with sustainable ingredients from local farms.
The cafe is counter-service and offers outdoor patio seating, so bring a jacket for blustery cold days. Oh, and leave room for sweet treats, including gluten-free granola brownies ($3.50 each) or the legendary bittersweet chocolate chip cookie with rye, poppy seeds and sour cherries ($3).
Details: Currently closed due to flooding, the restaurant is normally open from 11 a.m. daily. Call them at 707-827-3306 before you go. 6760 McKinley St., Suite 120, Sebastopol; www.thefarmerswifesonoma.com