Sonoma, California, is one of golf's hidden gems. A mixture of breathtaking hill country and vineyards, there is no more ideal place to find your golf game than here. While courses such as Rooster Run, Windsor and Sonoma Golf Club challenge the game during the day, with the exception of the Sonoma Golf Club at the Fairmont, the palate will be less than thrilled. But there are some excellent restaurants in Sonoma where your taste buds can find nirvana as well.
Sante Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn
If you've come to Sonoma to stay and play, the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn is perfectly positioned for a great golf getaway. You're on the course. You're surrounded by shopping and restaurants. You really have no reason to leave, and once you eat at Sante, you may not want to. Sante is a AAA Four Diamond Award-Winning restaurant located in the hotel. The atmosphere is wine country casual and the food is a lesson in simplicity that allows natural flavors to dominate. And if it's wine you want, Sante features more than 500 wines from the Sonoma and Napa valleys.
Sante at The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa
P.O. Box 1447 100 Boyes Blvd.
Sonoma, California 95476
(866) 540-4499
The Girl and the Fig
Despite the funky name or perhaps as a follow-up to the funky name, the Girl and the Fig is a one-of-a-kind restaurant that features incredible food and a complete wine list. If you can get there when the weather is dry, it has a fabulous outside seating area complete with table umbrellas and rattan chairs. The restaurant advertises country food with a French passion. They also have an award-winning Rhone wine list, which is peculiar because the restaurant is in the heart of California's wine-growing region.
The Girl and the Fig
110 W. Spain St.
Sonoma, California 95476
(707) 938-3634
http://thegirlandthefig.com
The Red Grape
How befitting of a place where grapes are a way of life to have a restaurant named after a grape that is really a tomato. The Red Grape brings a little taste of the east coast to the heart of California wine country. It's pizza, but it's not New York style. It's New Haven, as in New Haven, Connecticut, and it makes quite a meal after a day on the links. Of course, the pizza comes with a California twist, with fresh toppings such as scampi, clams and barbecued chicken.
The Red Grape
529 First St. West
Sonoma, California 95476
(707) 996-4103
http://theredgrape.com
About The Author
Patrick Cameron is a freelance writer with 10 years of diverse experience in consumer goods branding, promotions and retail communications. He works out of his home in Denver, Colo. He received his Bachelor of Arts in mass communication from the University of Minnesota.
