Wine Country Bounty

August 9, 2014

Destination: Earth’s Bounty Kitchen and Wine Bar

Cost: $10.82

Here’s another report from my recent road trip:

My friend, Sal, lives life with zest and has a special fondness for all things gastronomic. When I first met him he was running a restaurant in Mammoth Lakes, but he left for the Napa area to "up his game." Over the past decade or so, he’s been involved in many worthy food and wine ventures – and I was anxious to visit his newest enterprise: Earth’s Bounty Kitchen & Wine Bar on Highway 12 in Santa Rosa. This project is spearheaded by Chef Christopher Ludwick, who also owns and operates Grapevine Catering. Sal and Chris have been working together for years – and now Sal is General Manager of EBK.

I arrived on a hot Saturday in mid-afternoon and was disappointed to find an empty parking lot. The large interior space highlighted the fact that I was the only customer. Most days, the restaurant and wine bar don’t open until 5:00, so I had to content myself with the deli menu. The sandwich choices were very appealing, and I settled on Zoe’s Roasted Turkey Pesto. While waiting for my meal, Sal walked into the front deli, very surprised by my unannounced visit. He explained that the new restaurant is going through “peaks and valleys” in terms of customers – I was clearly there at a low point.

I’d love to help him along the road to success. The sandwich was memorable: tender focaccia bread provided a perfect base for the turkey with pesto aioli, topped with provolone, charred red pepper, Hobb’s bacon and arugula. It came with a side salad of ultra-fresh greens tossed lightly in Chardonnay vinaigrette. What a perfect picnic item to grab for a visit to a local winery. Instead, I sat on the shady back porch along a seasonal creek bed and enjoyed my late lunch alfresco.

Judging by reviews on Yelp, Opentable and similar sites – EBK guests are having a great experience. Besides the deli/restaurant, they sell wines, cheeses, charcuterie, and other delicacies – I picked up some salami and French olives to bring as a gift to my evening hosts.

I’m not an unbiased reviewer, but Earth’s Bounty Kitchen gets my hearty endorsement. I can’t wait to travel through Santa Rosa again to check out their dinner menu – hopefully among a crowd of happy patrons.