North Bay Brewery Tour and a creative dinner at Michael Warring - May 19, 2013

My cousin Sheri and her boyfriend (now fiance!) Chris, whom you've seen in prior blog posts, asked if we wanted to try out a 2-for-1 North Bay Brewery Tour that they found on Groupon.  Kaleb is a beer connoisseur, so it was a definite yes!

The tour pick-up spot was at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds parking lot in Petaluma.  It was a big place, so we weren't sure where the bus would be parked or if we'd be able to identify it.  An event was going on at the fairgrounds, plus there was a "park and fly" lot; multiple buses and shuttles drove by while we were waiting.  None of the other tour participants were around, making us question "Is that the bus?" every time one passed and worried that we were in the wrong place.  In the end, the shuttle bus on time, clearly labeled, and pick-up was near the front of the fairgrounds entrance.

not taken at the fairgrounds, but this is what the bus looks like

The shuttle bus held about 16 passengers, and it had a bar onboard with two beer taps, locked up when the bus was in motion.  Today's keg was from Lagunitas; it's been too long so I can't recall for sure, but I think the brew was New Dogtown Pale Ale.  There was also a cooler loaded with bottled water for re-hydration.

Each of the seating areas had cup holders on the wall to hold your beer.  Our area only had two working ones as previous patrons had gotten too rowdy.

getting our beer on before heading to our first stop

This tour was the regular "brewery bus tour", which included (as described on their website):

• Safe round-trip transportation to three different breweries over approximately 5 hours
• Beer Service provided on the bus – along with cold water for when you need to rehydrate!
• A short presentation on the ingredients of beer and how it’s made (if you’re interested)
• A fun party atmosphere with fellow like-minded beer drinkers
• At the end of the day we would be happy to call you a cab, drop you off at a nearby restaurant / hotel, or any other safe place nearby to sober up so you don’t need to drive

Our driver was also the tour guide and bartender; normally there would be two people running the tour but his partner was absent.  Since it was a one-man show, he had to drop us off at the location and leave us to our own devices while he parked the bus.  Today, there was some kind of festival or parade in town; he told us there would be too much traffic to get to the Lagunitas brewery, so he went to an alternate location.  The experience to me felt more like a pub crawl than a brewery tour.  There wasn't any sort of special treatment at the locations; we ordered from the bar like the general public.  I don't think it was worth the Groupon price of $75 per couple, which didn't include any beer outside the bus.  Regular price was $75 per person!  Perhaps under normal operating conditions (two tour guides and no traffic), the tour would have been more interesting.  If I were to do this again, I would consider the "VIP tour", which included beer tastings, lunch, and a behind-the-scenes brewery tour.  We tried to upgrade our tour to VIP, but it wasn't possible with the Groupon.

Our first stop was Hopmonk Tavern in Sebastopol.  It was not a brewery, just a regular bar with a large selection of beers on tap as well as a plethora of bottled beer.  There was an outdoor seating area called the "beer garden", with a few hop plants growing along the edges.  We tried a beer sampler and also ordered lunch.  The food was all right but I didn't take pictures.  This was where our driver/guide gave us the "short presentation" on beer.  It was a five-minute spiel about what goes into making beer, and he showed us a plastic tackle box filled with dry ingredients including hops and barley of varying roasts.

not a brewery

beer taster

Our second stop was to the Stumptown Brewery in Guerneville.  To get there and back, we needed to take the freeway, and we had the most fun then.  Passing cars could see us drinking beer in the bus so we'd wave or nod to them with our cups and they'd be smiling and giving us thumbs up.

At Stumptown, it had looked more promising as a stop as there was brewing equipment displayed, but there wasn't much else besides ordering beer.  A couple sitting next to us on the bus were home brewing hobbyists and spoke of their disappointment as they were hoping to add to their knowledge base.  They even hired babysitters for their kids and this was supposed to be a special outing for them.  They didn't purchase any extra beer and just looked at whatever equipment was on display at each location.

Stumptown's location along the Russian River was nice

The third and last stop was to the Bear Republic Brewing Company in Healdsburg.  It was pretty crowded.  We ordered beer and some snacks.  The home brewery couple ended up strolling the area and getting a bite to eat at a Mexican restaurant!  I felt bad for them and hoped they didn't pay $75 each for the tour.

Afterwards, the tour bus returned to the fairgrounds, and we made our way to Vallejo for dinner at Michael Warring.  Originally, we had considered a restaurant in Napa Valley, but it was a long drive from Petaluma in the wrong direction.  I searched the map for cities we'd pass through, used Yelp to find highly-rated restaurants in the area, and found Michael Warring with almost all 5-star ratings.  I made reservations at the opening time of 5:30pm as the tour was supposed to end at 4:30pm.  However, as we were late getting back to the fairgrounds, plus traffic getting to Vallejo, I called the restaurant along the way to tell them we'd be late and they said it was no problem.

In the many years of driving over the desolate rolling hills between Fairfield and Vallejo on Interstate 80, I finally had a reason to take that lone American Canyon/Hiddenbrooke exit.  It lead to a master-planned residential community, with a non-descript strip mall just inside the main entrance.  It was hard to believe that a highly-rated restaurant was tucked in there.  The exterior was also non-descript, no signs except the name "michael warring" on a dark tinted window.  When Kaleb and I entered the restaurant, there was no one there, which was probably why it was okay we were late!  Our hostess/server Ali said that normally it would be busy on Sunday nights, but there must have been a major event in town.  We were seated at the counter with a direct view of the kitchen.  Sheri and Chris arrived ten minutes later.

The restaurant was very intimate; I would estimate a maximum occupancy of 20 people, made up of 2-tops that could be pushed together for larger groups, plus counter seating.  I think there might have been a round table for six as well.  The menu was different every night, consisting of a four-course tasting for $49 with options to add a wine or beer pairing.

view of the kitchen and Michael's back

Our first course was the most inventive of the four; a glass jar lined with panna cotta at the bottom, topped with chunks of raw salmon, garnished with mini waffle croutons and seaweed, then capped with the lid and filled with smoke.  It was delightful to mix the mildly sweet, medium-dense texture of the panna cotta with the fresh salmon.  It was a bit odd to mix dessert with sashimi and breakfast, but it really worked since I enjoy both sweet and savory foods equally.  I kept scraping little bits of panna cotta into my spoon, putting it into my mouth, and thinking, "Wow, this is awesome!"

The second course was a soft polenta topped with an egg and arugula salad.  I had asked when we got the menu if Michael could substitute anything for the polenta as I am mildly allergic to corn products, but all he could do was give me a smaller portion of polenta and more arugula, which was okay with me.  The polenta was creamy and was balanced with the spiciness of the arugula.

this was Kaleb's regular portion of polenta

The main entree was a coulotte steak (fancier term for top sirloin cap) with the most amazing morel mushrooms and accompanying sauce.  The morels were soaked with flavor and the beef was perfectly cooked and tender.

lots of effort using tweezers to put the flowers onto the plate

During the meal so far, we were the only patrons, so we took the opportunity in between dish preparations to ask Michael questions about the restaurant origins, the food, where he came from, etc.  He was very nice and it felt like we were old friends.  When Michael resumed cooking and plating the food, he was really intense and focused on perfecting each dish.

To finish, we were served a tasty pain perdu (aka fancy French toast) surrounded in creme anglaise.  The air was filled with cinnamon and butter while he was preparing it.  At this time, a couple came into the restaurant, and it was interesting to watch Michael start the menu over again for them while we were enjoying our dessert.

In the end, I didn't have to unbuckle my pants but each dish tantalized my taste buds.  Based on the recent Yelp reviews, Michael had changed the menu to a five-course meal for $59 and added an amuse-bouche, so those who have bigger stomachs may be more satisfied.  However, I thought that the portion sizes were just enough to enjoy each element and any more would have destroyed Michael's intent.  Less can be more..an exercise in restraint is good for all of us.  Enjoy each bite.

It was so refreshing to find this gem of a restaurant that saves 30 minutes driving into Yountville or St. Helena.  Next up, a 9-day jaunt to London, Dublin and the surrounding area!