January 24, 2013

Sonoma: bits & pieces

There are other things to do in Sonoma besides wine drinking.

The town is super cute, and we got a view of it all by walking the Overlook Trail, a nearly 2-mile walking path that zigzags up and down a hillside, offering a killer view of the town of Sonoma and Sonoma Valley. On the clear day we went, we could see all the way to San Francisco!

Sonoma Overlook Trail | Mountain Cemetery at First Avenue West | Sonoma, CA


The historic plaza downtown is a picturesque place to stroll and do some window-shopping (but not any serious looking) at the various specialty stores, art galleries and gourmet shops. The best part was the old-timey movie theater: big marquee, one screen and a "now playing" sign made with hand-cut felt letters on posterboard. That's some serious movie love. 

Sonoma is a foodie town, with plenty of great restaurants to complement its fine wine. We learned the hard way that dinner reservations are a necessity on a Saturday night, so plan better than we did. Some places we checked out and loved:

The Fremont Diner
Chicken and waffles. Biscuits and homemade marmalade. Ridiculously good milk shakes. This hipster diner does brunch right. Plus, there's no doubt they stand by their farm-to-table philosophy when there's a chicken coop out back. Those are some fresh eggs.
2698 Fremont Drive | Sonoma, CA | 707.938.7370

Harvest Moon Cafe 
We had our fancy dinner at this family-owned restaurant with a kitchen staff of two and a daily-changing menu. I enjoyed my steak and Dan made quick work of his polenta, and the Nepalese waiter told us incredible stories of being a Sherpa. He's hiked to the Everest base camp like 20 times. No big deal.
487 First Street West | Sonoma, CA | 707.933.8160

Murphy's Irish Pub
Good place to sip hot toddies while listening to some live music. We caught a great local bluegrass band.
464 First Street East | Sonoma, CA | 707.935.0660

Tortilleria Jalisco
If you want something different than the plaza (or just didn't make a rez), check out this no-frills, 100% authentic taco joint with homemade tortillas. Dan had his with tongue (ew?) but you can also order pollo, carne asada or carnitas like the rest of us did.
897 West Napa Street | Sonoma, CA | 707.935.7356

And then there is Hank, who is possibly one of my favorite sights in Sonoma. Though I don't know if he's taking visitors at the moment. :)

4 comments:

his little lady said...

Yep, Hank is fabulous! Love this list of places to go! Great post, girl!
xo TJ

Yvonne said...

Hank IS fabulous. Thanks for stopping by ;)

Brian said...

FREMONT DINER FTW! I went there in December and had chicken and waffles.

Willy The Prince said...

Looks like so much fun. Thanks for sharing.