Waltz into the new year at Petaluma’s Viennese ball

Sky Hill Cultural Alliance brings Petaluma “A Magical New Year’s Eve in Vienna.”|

Nobody celebrates the New Year quite like the Viennese, which is why Sky Hill Cultural Alliance brings Petaluma “A Magical New Year’s Eve in Vienna.” The doors to the 2017 Viennese Ball will open at Hermann Sons Hall immediately following the New Year’s Eve Gala Concert at the Petaluma Historical Library and Museum.

The hall is always transformed into something truly classy, and after a gourmet buffet dinner of traditional Viennese dishes and desserts, revelers can listen and waltz to a live Strauss orchestra.

However, non-waltzers do not despair. The San Francisco Waltzing Society is putting on a two-hour waltz workshop on Dec. 17 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Hermann Sons Hall for $15. Even if you show up at the ball with no experience, there are plenty of veteran waltzers around the dance floor that will make sure you enjoy as many spins around the room as you desire.

Even non-dancers should take part in the introduction “waltz,” which is a very cool experience, involving a simple walk around the room in ever-growing rows of waltzers to the sounds of Strauss. Suggested dress is white or black tie and ball gowns, but any dressy attire will be fine. Visit skyhill.org for more info.

Sonoma Coast Spirits

Whether you want to impress at your next holiday party, or are simply looking for a great gift for the cocktail drinker in your crew, Sonoma Coast Spirits has added vodka to their already popular line of craft cocktails and grappas. Along with their Original Vodka, other flavors include Jalapeno-Lime, Espresso, Sweet Ginger, Citrus Basil, and Rosemary.

They are available at Petaluma Market, where VP of Operations and alcohol buyer Tina Shaw is rumored to have said that SCS’s vodka is one of the best she has ever tasted. All of SCS’s products are also available at Wilibees, where apparently it is flying off the shelves.

A huge hit at both the Festival of Trees Gala and at the Petaluma Yacht Club during the Lighted Boat Parade, Sonoma Coast Spirit’s “Peppermint Holiday” cocktail is just as delicious to the eyes as it is to the palette. Mix the chilled ingredients of 1½ ounces of SCS Original Vodka, ¾ ounce Peppermint Liqueur, and ¾ ounce White Chocolate Liqueur into a red sugar rimmed martini glass. Garnish with a candy cane (or crushed candy canes sprinkled on top).

Sonoma Coast Spirits has also teamed up with Monarch Bitters to offer a delightful Holiday Mixology Basket, available at Wilibees. The kit includes a bottle of vodka, tonic syrup, and cherry vanilla bitters, along with a recipe card for the refreshing Winter Sea Breeze Cocktail. Offer this refreshing beverage on your holiday brunch menu, or whip up a batch at your office holiday party as a special treat.

Petaluma GAP

After years and years of hard work, the Petaluma Gap Winegrowers Alliance has finally been recognized by the federal government as the newest American Viticultural Area. This is no easy feat considering the strict criteria for introducing a new AVA.

We have a different climate than other areas, which helps give our grapes and our wine a different flavor. Thanks to the Petaluma wind gap, our vineyards are constantly buffeted by the cool ocean breeze, which leads to thicker skins, and overall, less production.

This also makes for some pretty fine wine and now the Petaluma Gap can make it easier to spot their labels. This may seem minor to non-wine drinkers but this not only properly recognizes what all our family vineyards have been doing over the past few decades, but also yet again puts Petaluma on the map for something culinarily significant.

A huge thank you to everyone at Petaluma Gap who put so much hard work into this, but especially to my favorite Gap member and a huge part of what makes Petaluma such a great place to live, Ana Keller of Keller Estate.

Mariposa Ice Creamery

Ice cream in the winter? Why not?

There’s no bad time for ice cream, especially the incredibly creamy concoctions that Pilar comes up with at Mariposa. She will hold her last warehouse sale before Christmas on Friday, Dec. 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. and again on Saturday, Dec. 16 from 10 to 2 p.m., at her 431 Payran St. commercial kitchen, along with neighbors Creativ Cashew Cream and Mama Mel’s Gluten Free Bakery.

After borrowing one of theirs the last few times I’ve visited, I actually bought my first cooler ever, with wheels and all, for last month’s warehouse sale, because I needed to stock up on Mariposa for my birthday weekend. Closed for the month of January, I’ll be packing my cooler full again in order to get through the dark, cold, Mariposa-less month of January.

The ladies were extremely sweet during my November visit, gifting me a special birthday package, which included a few pints and bars of ice cream and my very own ice cream scooper. Of course I had to chuckle because Mariposa is so soft that it rarely needs a scooper, and also I don’t think I have ever scooped Mariposa ice cream into a bowl. As soon as I’m clear of the lid, it’s pretty much spoon to mouth until the pint is kaput.

This is actually the reason why I usually buy quarts - I have an easier time stopping myself half way through a quart than a pint, leaving a bit for the next person, or next the next time I have a spoon in my hand and am passing the freezer.

My favorite flavor is back by popular demand - Peanut Butter Pretzel, along with most of the other regulars, like Cookies n’ Cream, Butter Pecan, Brandy Caramel, Salted Caramel, Spicy Mexican Chocolate, Lemon Zest, and Coffee Caramel Crunch. Caramel Apple, Peppermint Swirl, and a few quarts of Black Licorice are still available for the season, along with a couple of new bars for the holidays, including Chocolate Dipped Peppermint, Chocolate Berry Cheesecake, and Dark Chocolate Orange.

The last is made with orange infused dark chocolate with bits of candied orange. I have a feeling I’ll be eating a lot of this one as Chocolate Oranges are my favorite holiday treat.

Red Brick

Although I usually suggest a break in service when a restaurant changes hands, at least Red Brick plans on officially introducing themselves with a grand opening on Jan. 18. They are taking over the space formerly occupied by Graffiti, at the corner of B and 2nd Streets.

I met the new owners this past weekend and was thrilled to hear that they are not only local, but have another downtown business. We can only hope this means they already have their fingers on the pulse of downtown dining. Listed as a tapas bar, their sign out front advertises “superior bar food.”

The menu ranges from fish tacos to New York strip, with salads and oysters in between. It’s rarely a good idea to keep dishes from a former restaurant, but if the avocado and ahi tartare is that favorite Graffiti dish of so many Petalumans, Red Brick is already off to a good start.

It is hard to tell what else they have planned for the space, but right off the bat they knocked out the main interior wall, which has not only opened up the space, but allows the whole restaurant to benefit from the restaurant’s riverfront location.

Stockhome

Shree is out and Stockhome is in at 220 Western Ave. Set to open in the first few months of the new year, Stockhome is owned by long-time Petaluma residents and owners of San Francisco’s PLÄJ Restaurant.

Slated as a Swedish restaurant, I can appreciate the levity in their choice of spelling. It shows that they don’t take themselves too seriously, and that’s a good thing considering they are not only introducing Petaluma to a new cuisine, but it sounds like they will aim to be a casual dining spot, featuring mostly Turkish street food, which is quite popular in Sweden.

Along with Kabab plates and wraps, they promise vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free options. It looks like they are going to have counter service, like Chicken Pharm, which Petalumans seem to take offense to, but if the food is good, we should be able to get past that. They will also specialize in Swedish candy, which of course I look forward to learning more about. Coincidentally, I just found out that the Swedish Fish I consume in ridiculously large quantities are made in Turkey and Canada.

Lunchette

Lunchette is open on weekends, at least through the holidays, and is even offering warm breakfast rice bowls all weekend long. This is great news for those of us that only make it downtown on the weekends. We recently tried their warm “Mediterranean” bowl, with chickpeas, tahini, tabbouleh, and few other things, along with a topping of warm chicken.

I actually didn’t realize that’s what was in it until just now when I looked it up, which makes me even more surprised that I liked it so much. It was not only delicious, but it was hearty enough that we had leftovers.

Healthy food classes

Check out the Drawing Board’s website for an incredible array of upcoming glasses, including the Dec. 18 Winter Potion class, where you will not only get to enjoy herbal cocktails and dinner, but will learn how to make tinctures, tonics and shrubs with locally foraged herbs.

Guests will also receive gift cards for signing up for more than one class. Other upcoming classes will visit the topics of cheese making, vegan cheese making, preserves, fermentation, natural body products and “The power in your pantry - medicinal qualities of everyday herbs.”

Champagne Dinner

Chef Travis Day of Thistle Meats is throwing a champagne dinner on Sunday, Dec. 17 at 7 p.m., just in time to celebrate the holidays. Enjoy three exquisite courses, featuring local and seasonal ingredients, while learning about the Champagne region of France through four biodynamic Premier Cru champagnes from Lelarge-Pugeot, courtesy of Clémence Lelarge.

(Contact Houston Porter at houston@avant-larde.com.)

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