96 Old Courthouse Square
Santa Rosa CA 95404
(707) 573-9600
Parking: street parking and nearby pay parking lot
Hours: Breakfast - Saturday, Sunday 8am - 1:30pm
Lunch and Dinner - Sunday-Thursday 11am - 10pm, Friday-Saturday 11am - 11pm
Last Visited: 2008
Food: 4 to 5 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Price: $$ to $$$
Flavor Bistro features Sonoma County cuisine. It opened the day after Thanksgiving 2004 and has been the talk of Santa Rosa since. Located in the historic Topaz Room on Old Courthouse Square, the restaurant has a fresh feel. The front façade has a lot of windows and the frames are a blue tinted gray. The word Flavor is in maroon above the door.
Once inside, the high ceilings give the room an open feel. The ceilings and ducts are painted the same maroon and the walls are an earthy, but bright yellow. Art depicting vineyards is neatly arranged on the wall above the cushioned bench seating on the right side.
As you enter, on your left, you’ll see a fireplace, and the restaurant continues to extend to the back where you can view the open kitchen, a rarity, but certainly it’s great to see that Flavor has nothing to hide. Adjacent to the fireplace is a large bar, and there is a smaller one in the right rear as well. The center island contains the computer screens for the cashiers as well as a convenient spot for all the silverware. The left side of the room just past the bar has large rectangular mirrors. Between the art and the mirrors are wall lighting and hanging from the ceiling are large light fixtures. The overall feel is fresh and warm. The room is well lit with soft lighting, and the dark wood tables are rich in color, and simply decorated. Each table has a glass containing the silverware sets wrapped in brown paper napkins which serves as a centerpiece.
Once inside, we were promptly greeted by restaurant owners Stuart Patterson and Ron Zimmerman. After being seated, we were promptly served water and a plate of focaccia bread cut into large cubes. Several small plates with olive oil and balsamic vinegar were given to us to share amongst the group.
Flavor emphasizes their support of local growers in Northern California. Their proteins are all free from growth hormones and antibiotics. Seafood is wild and caught fresh. All of the produce is organic and pesticide free. All of their pastas are also handmade.
- Citrus Ginger Refresher – This was one of the specialty drinks listed on their menu. It didn’t have a description but sounded good. It tastes like a combination of lemon juice and primarily orange juice mixed with either ginger ale or ginger beer. Initially, it’s like drinking a big orange juice, but it has a stronger ginger aftertaste. It was a cold day when I tried it, so maybe I would have found it more refreshing in summer. I would have preferred a little less ice in my refresher since it waters down the drink. The taste of ginger lingers after sipping. Okay. $2.95
Half plates and full plates are both available for the majority of their salads and pastas.
- Bistro Style Salad – Escarole, frisee, and endive are tossed in a red wine vinaigrette and topped with chopped bacon and egg. Rarely do you find a salad without any sign of rust, but this salad certainly passed the test. The menu doesn’t state it, but I also had strips of radicchio in my salad as well which added good color. The combination of greens made for an unusual texture. There was a different kind of crunch from the escarole especially. The bacon and egg pack a punch of flavor and I particularly enjoyed the freshness of the whole salad. Great. Half $3.95/Full $5.95
- Gnocchi – Potato pillows are served with a roasted chicken sausage ragu and topped with marscapone and parmesan cheeses. The gnocchi was quite good – light and fluffy. The red sauce contains the sausage which is broken down so fine that I would never have guessed it to be chicken without the menu calling it out. The sauce is strong but pleasant, and the flavor lingers in your mouth after you have finished off the dish. A large dollop of marscapone is placed in the center of the gnocchi. Half $6.95/Full $9.95
The one thing I don’t like about half portions is that if someone else’s portion of the same dish is being cooked at the same time, the two halves won’t be equal. Inevitably, someone always gets more. That was the case at our table during this visit. I had received less than a fellow member of the table – enough that it could be noticed.
Tea is served loose leaf in French presses giving it a nice presentation. The press serves about one cup of tea.
From conversations with other people I know who have visited Flavor, it sounds like the service can vary. These other folks told me that they got almost too much service, and the servers wanted to remove dishes before the entire amount of soup or drink had been finished. My visit was on the other side of the spectrum. Our lunch took about 45 minutes before we received food, and unfortunately, we didn’t receive any refills on bread. For some, the water glasses weren’t filled frequently enough. The lack of bread and water made us think of the time more, and was a bit frustrating, especially since it was a weekday lunch. This is difficult for business folks.
The other issue was a certain member of the waitstaff who needs more training. He had an attitude problem where when he had stood too close to a patron, and the patron bumped into him as he leaned backwards, the staff member responded in a not so pleasant way. He didn’t say anything rude, but certainly could have handled it better. Also, when he brought a dish around and one of our table members didn’t know that it was his, the staff member seemed upset and shook his head.
I spoke with one of the owners after our experience and mentioned my experience to him. He took the comments very well, and I think they will be corrected. Flavor seems to be working out the kinks of being a new restaurant, and should come into itself in a fine manner.
The restroom is nicely decorated with a simple topiary. The colors are similar to the front façade of the building, with a bit of gray blue tones. The walls are tiled with stone in a black, white, and gray mixture. Spacious and clean.
My second visit almost a year later found the food to still be of excellent quality. The service was much better than the first time, though there was still room for improvement. The service rating has been upgraded from the 2 to 3 star range to 3 stars now to reflect the change. The flaws mainly lie with the amount of time it takes waiting for staff to take an order and once ordered, how long it takes for food to arrive.
After receiving our menus, it was at least ten to twelve minutes before a waiter came to our table. Fortunately, we were given water during this time. After taking our order and providing bread, it was at least another twenty minutes before the appetizer arrived. The main dishes arrived about ten minutes after that. All in all, it took over an hour and a half from walking in to completing our meal and walking out, and most of the time was not spent dawdling. Flavor’s forte is definitely not getting its clients in and out for a quick lunch, but it’s fine if you have leisure time.
- Bruschetta – A large slice of toasted bread is cut into long triangles. Each is spread with soft cheese, topped with a slice of prosciutto and topped with sliced figs. Although the menu online says pears, I didn’t order this one, so I don’t know if the actual menu correctly stated the fruit. In any case, it makes for an unusual looking bruschetta, but certainly creative with delicate flavors. The prosciutto and cheese create just enough saltiness to balance the figs. The bruschetta is accompanied by some salad greens tossed in a sweet dressing and topped with a slice of peach. The peach adds color to the dish. Interesting and fresh. Not your typical tomato topped bruschetta. $5.95
- Grilled Pork Chop – A grilled pork chop is served on top of a rectangle of parmesan/gruyere potato which is placed on top of a veggie ragout. Sundried fruit compote is served atop the pork chop. This dish is available in small (1 pork chop) or regular size. Since I ordered a small version, I don’t know what regular equates to. The pork chop had those recognizable criss cross grill marks. Although I asked for it to be medium, it came closer to being done. It was still juicy, and the sundried fruit compote (I recognized raisins and cranberries in it amongst other fruit) was nice complement adding sweetness to each bite. The potatoes are great if you like potatoes au gratin. They’re so thinly sliced that they take on all of the flavor from the cheese. The potatoes come with a very creamy sauce. There are also small diced ham (which I’m not sure if they’re part of the sauce or the potatoes) in the mix. There is a thin layer of vegetables which soak up all the flavors from above which makes them lose their own flavor distinctness, but there’s a lot of color on the dish. Good, but I would have like the chopped to be more on the medium side. $11.95/$14.95
My third visit was for dinner. This evening, the restaurant was packed, but fortunately, we arrived early into the dinner session and didn’t have to wait to get a seat. My fourth visit was for lunch. I had similar dishes, so I’ll combine the information.
- Soup of the day – $2.95 cup, $3.95 bowl
Potato and Leek soup – The potato leek soup is more of a potato soup with a hint of leek. The soup was creamy and rich, full of potato flavor. The bacon in the soup reminded me of a warm baked potato, but the soup would have been better named potato soup with bacon. The leek flavor didn’t come out until more than several spoonfuls, and even then, the bacon overpowered the leek. Good soup, but not well named.
Tomato Soup – The water based tomato soup was rich with lots of tomato puree. It’s rich red was topped with foamy cream. Warm and satisfying, it was perfect for a winter day. The only issue with this soup was the seeds from the tomatoes that were mixed amongst the puree. Had the tomatoes been seeded prior to cooking, it would have been a perfect soup.
Cream of Butternut Squash – A light and almost velvety soup with lots of pureed butternut squash. Atop the bright soup with lots of herbs is a dollop of cream topped with cut chives. Not too sweet nor too salty, it was a very smooth blend that warmed me up on this cold day.
In 2006, Soup of the day prices remain the same.
- Sauteed Dungeness Crab Cake – A single crab cake is sautéed until golden brown, served over basil aioli, and topped with crispy fried shoe string yams. It’s a beautiful presentation with the luscious cake over green landscape on a white plate. The yam adds height to the dish. The combination of flavors is terrific. The crab cake contained red peppers, celery, onions, green peppers, and of course crab. There were no shells or pieces that shouldn’t have been there, so they did a great job with that. The crab cake is served very warm with each bite being a treat. The basil aioli has just the right consistency and flavor that doesn’t overpower, but compliments the crab meat. The shoe string yams offer a bit of sweetness and excellent color to the dish. The yams do become slightly difficult to eat since each string may be long. Alone, they would be great as an appetizer or finger food. With a fork, the yam is more difficult to eat. This is a must try. Ordering this during a second visit, I found the crab cake to be slightly smaller, but still excellent flavor. As a coworker mentioned, you only wish there were two cakes because it’s so good. $7.50
- Autumn Mushroom Pizza – The pizza is plated with a pizza cutter to allow you to cut to size as you please. The homemade dough is light and soft. If you prefer thin crust pizza, this might not be for you, but if you like your pizza with soft dough, then it’s just right. A blend of button, shiitake, and other mushrooms give this pizza a nice flavor. Fresh grated parmesan tops the pizza. It was not quite what I was expecting, but it definitely has a freshness to it. The cheese is not overwhelming and the red sauce has good flavor. Additional pizza condiments were not provided, but I didn’t check to see if they were available upon request. The pizza is large enough to share for as an appetizer for several guests or for one person as a meal. $9.95
- Center Cut Short Ribs – I was disappointed that they were out of lamb this evening, but my disappointment was quickly turned into satisfaction as I tried the center cut short ribs. For the small plate, boneless short ribs were plated on top of a medley of stewed vegetables (eggplant, zucchini, etc). All are braised in a red wine and herb reduction. The short ribs are accompanied by a warm butternut risotto. The ribs are tied by a string, so you have to remove it yourself. Once you’ve made it through that obstacle, you can enjoy the wonderfully rich meat that falls apart with ease. If it were on a bone, it would be falling off. It’s so tender and juicy, that each bite is just enjoyable. The vegetables that accompany the dish and the risotto are fine, but the star is the short ribs. This is an excellent choice for a main course. Must try. I ordered this again in 2006 and found that it was still delicious. This time, it was served with slightly different stewed vegetables – carrots and the like, but it had that recognizable rich flavor. The price also increased $3 more on the small and $2 more on the large. $14.95 small/17.95 large
- Sweet Potato Gnocchi – Gorgonzola, White Wine, Cream, Parmesan Cheese – This is a great appetizer to share since the sauce is so very rich and the gnocchi absolutely sweet. The natural sweetness from the sweet potato is further enhanced by the creamy gorgonzola, wine, and cream sauce. Spinach is included in the sauce to accent the bright color of the gnocchi. Each gnocchi is light and fluffy. Delicious. $7.50
- Spicy Garlic Ginger Chicken Wings – Served with Blue Cheese dressing on the side and endive leaves for decoration, the seasoning on these chicken wings reminded me a bit of Asian chili sauces – sambal and sricha. Chili flakes are seen on the three whole wings cut into six total pieces. The ginger is light in flavor and the wings are tender. I prefer my wings a little crispy on the outside and a little spicier, but these were still fun to eat. $6.95
- Caramelized Quince and Huckleberry Tart with Chantilly Cream – For dessert, this tart described as a free form pie had the same shape as the warm apple tart that folks at our table ordered. Unlike the apple tart which was topped with vanilla gelato and caramel sauce, this one was topped with a dollop of Chantilly cream and a sprig of mint. Filled with slices of quince and tiny huckleberries, the overall flavor was very light and not too filling. Light flaky crust with bits of caramelized sugar that added crunch, it was a nice dessert, but not likely something I would order again. Okay. $5.95
- Burger and Fries - I had a burger with jack cheese and avocado. The burger was good, but it was piled so high that you really couldn’t put the entire thing in your mouth. Since it started to fall apart, it made eating rather difficult. Although the flavors were nice, I wouldn’t recommend having a burger here if you need to eat delicately or are having a business lunch. Fries were ok, but not wow. $8.95/ Add $1 cheese / Add $1 Avocado / Add $1 bacon
Prices listed above are reflective of the time I ate them, so some of the prices may need to be adjusted unless otherwise specified.
Flavor has a wide selection of local wines by the bottle and as well as by the glass. They also have a variety of lemonade and other non-alcoholic drinks including vintage grape juice by variety. I enjoyed Arnold Palmers and Raspberry Lemonade during past visits, both $2.75.
verall, the food at Flavor was very good. Not quite outstanding, but close. Fresh and flavorful. Be sure to allot plenty of time in your schedule to enjoy your dining experience. If you’re going for lunch, be sure you’re not in a hurry. Two hours should be sufficient for a large or small party (does not include dessert time). Check it out - they offer great atmosphere and eats at a good value.
8492 Gravenstein Hwy 116, Suite J, Cotati CA 95931
From Agilent to Mai’s Vietnamese, the owners have been through their fair share of local technology booms and bust. And so, they are now starting out on their own in a simple restaurant – lots of yellow and brown in décor, you’ll find that each table has fresh colorful flowers on it, and that there is lots of greenery all around the restaurant – from bamboo to other plants. Asian musical instruments are on display and gentle music from string instruments play on the sound system. Vietnamese art can also be found in the room.
- Pho Dac Biet – Special Combo Beef Rice Noodle Soup – We ordered a large bowl to split, and when we mentioned that we wanted to split it, the owner was quick to respond that it wouldn’t be pretty if we took it apart at the table, so she would go ahead and split it for us. This is how Mai’s originally got a four star service rating (now down to two to three stars). The impeccable attention to detail made it stand out from the rest. The soup contains rice noodles, meatballs, eye of round steak, well done brisket, flank steak, tendon, and tripe. It was accompanied with a plate of fresh Thai basil still on its stem, fresh bean sprouts, jalapeno slices, and quarter lime wedges. The flavorful beef broth contained the usual thin slices of onion and fresh cilantro and green onions. Another item of note – the food is plated very nicely – we received our bowl with a plate underneath it, and these particular spoons have an extended back so that it can use the edge of the bowl as a ledge so the spoon doesn’t fall into the soup. When we ordered, the condiments also came in a very simple and elegant holder. Great through April 2010. During my most recent visit in October, the quality of the meat had declined (lots of fat and gristle) and the price had gone up two dollars to the prices shown here. I was also really thirsty after dinner, a sign of monosodium glutamate and a lot of it. Aack - this is what dropped the food rating so much. Regular $8.50, Large $9.50
- Bun Tom Thit Nuong Cha Gio – Grilled BBQ Pork, Shrimp, and Egg Roll over Vermicelli – Slightly warm vermicelli is topped with crushed peanuts, shredded lettuce, an egg roll, three grilled shrimp, and pieces of grilled barbecued pork. Marinated turnip/daikon pieces and carrots strips accompany the meat along with bean sprouts, chopped mint, and cilantro. A fish sauce based dressing comes on the side to mix in with the noodles. The freshness of the dish comes through with the contrast of the warm meat and the cool noodles. Unlike other restaurants, the noodles haven’t been in the refrigerator and so they aren’t hard or as dense as other places giving it a better texture. Very good. In the past, I’ve had bun at other places and didn’t feel so good after. Mai’s cleanliness and the temperature of the noodles gave me more confidence about the bun. $9.50
