Zazu Restaurant and Farm

The Zazu kitchen is inspired by the thoroughly American and deep Italian roots of Sonoma County's wine growing families. The food is innovative but approachable, yet heavily based in combinations that have a culinary history and that work. The nightly changing menus are put together after much thought and research. Duskie likes to update comforting American classics with the best local ingredients Sonoma has to offer (like making an "It's It" with her own ice cream and oatmeal cookies dipped in Berkeley's Scharffen Berger chocolate, tomato soup with a Petaluma's Bellwether Carmody grilled cheese sandwich, a banana split with a bruleed banana and ginger ice cream, a celadon salad - a wedge of iceberg lettuce with green goddess dressing, avocado, cucumber, and pea shoots). After training with a Tuscan couple, John likes to prepare authentic and rustic Italian foods. He makes Zazu's pastas daily with eggs he gathers from his own chickens. He is also an avid gardener, growing all the ingredients that go into his ribollita in Zazu's garden to highlight olio nuovo fresh from the press in November. Other Italian inspired dishes have included: vin santo braised rabbit with chestnut pappardelle and thumbelina carrots; seared sonoma duck with laura chenel goat cheese gnocchi, black mission figs and saba; or vin santo ice cream with biscotti di Prato. Finding themselves in the agricultural and viticultural mecca of Sonoma County, with the best ingredients and wine in the world, Duskie and John focus on a menu that is wine friendly and uncomplicated. They are committed to the philosophy of finding ingredients as close to the restaurant as possible, harvested at peak ripeness, and doing as little as possible to alter their natural perfection. ZAZU was named a TOP 10 best new restaurant of 2002 and has been listed in the San Francisco Chronicle's TOP 100 restaurants in 2003, 2004, and 2005. ZAZU was also rated TOP 50 restaurants in the Bay Area by San Francisco Magazine. ZAZU has been featured in Wine Spectator, Decanter, Art Culinaire, Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, The Press Democrat, Los Angeles Times, Elle, Marie Claire, and San Francisco Magazine to name a few. See us also on http://fo.odie.us Best Restaurants