Page 182 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SPRING 2025 GRAND VOYAGE

A few days later, I landed at a locals’ Les Pascals Patisserie & Boulangerie in
favorite: Valley Bar & Bottle. Don’t be Glen Ellen is best known for its buttery
fooled by the name. This place is primarily French pastries and fresh-baked breads –
a restaurant – offering some of the tasti- but it’s a fine place for soups and sand-
est food in town. It opened during the wiches, too. I savored a neighborhood fa-
pandemic, and since then Esquire named it vorite: a rich gooey crock of French onion
one of the best bars in the country; last soup. And, yes of course, a melt-in-your-
year Michelin awarded it Bib Gourmand mouth macaron. Opens 6 a.m weekdays,
status. 7 a.m. weekends, closes 4:30 p.m.
“Valley,” as locals call it, promises Closed Wednesdays. www.lespas-
“California home calspatisserie.com.
cooking – simple For dinner one night, I
food driven by sea- met a friend at 38 North
sonal produce and Wine Bar, the casual,
our personal histo- woodsy-warm bar/lounge
ries.” The menu de- at the Fairmont Sonoma
pends on what’s Mission Inn.
available fresh and Named for the Earth’s
who’s cooking. I met 38th parallel, which runs
a Sonoma resident through some of the
for midweek lunch world’s most notable wine
and let him do the regions, the bar promises
ordering. We shared an extensive wine list,
plates. Everything I craft cocktails and “Cali-
tasted was a deli- fornia-inspired bites.”
cious adventure. We were surprised to
Think noodles in find a full menu with an
dashi with nettles, array of appetizers, salads
tofu, chili oil and a and mains ranging from
perfectly soft-boiled butternut squash ravioli to
egg; crispy rice with scallion ginger sauce a salmon filet. We were happy with our
and Dungeness crab; duck breast wrapped ravioli, served with dollops of goat cheese
in house-made tortillas with house-made and bits of crunchy granola – and more
hoisin; fresh ricotta with figs and roasted than content to share dessert: a decadent
grapes. The hometown favorite dessert: trio of chocolate zeppoles stuffed with an
olive oil cake with sour cream and rasp- irresistible lemon ricotta cream. Open 11
berry coulis. Breakfast 9-11 a.m.. Week- a.m. – 9 p.m. Sundays through Thurs-
day lunch and weekend brunch 11 a.m. – days, till 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
Dishes from 38 North Wine Bar.
3 p.m., dinner 5-9 p.m. Closed Tuesdays www.fairmont.com/sonoma/dining/38-
and Wednesdays. www.valleybarand- north-wine-bar.
bottle.com.

182 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE SPRING 2025