Sonoma County eateries you'll want to try during Restaurant Week

Sonoma County Restaurant Week, March 9-15

Been working your core lately? We sure hope so, because it’s about to get a serious workout this week.

Sonoma County Restaurant Week starts Monday, with seven days of dining adventures awaiting you. Throughout the county, participating restaurants will feature two-course lunch menus for $10, $15 or $20 and three-course dinner menus for $19, $29 or $39. It’s always one of my favorite ways to check out new restaurants and revisit old favorites.

Knowing what I know (and you know I know), here are my top 12 picks for getting the biggest bang for your buck:

Backyard, $29 dinner, 6566 Front St,. Forestville. Wild mushroom soup, skirt steak with polenta and lemon-braised cabbage, chocolate budino or Candy Cap mushroom ice cream.

Cafe Lucia, $29 dinner, 235 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg. If you haven’t had a chance to try this chic Portuguese cafe, this is a great opportunity to sample some of the best of the menu, including the pork tenderloin “recheado”, stuffed with figs, almonds and olives, with cheese and potato croquettes in a port wine sauce.

Canneti, $39 dinner, 6675 Front St., Forestville. The weekly emailed menu from this Forestville roadhouse never fails to make my mouth water. Their prix fixe menu includes grilled calamari with purple potatoes, crispy-skin spring trout with yellow chickpeas and squash chips, beef cacciatore with olives over white-corn polenta, and chocolate mousse with cherries.

Best Farm to Table:

Mateo’s Cocina Latina, $39, 214 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg. True farm-to-table dining with meat and produce sourced from nearby farms, done seasonally. Asparagus soup, red wine-braised beef with celery root and horseradish, black cod with braised Napa cabbage in Meyer-lemon cream sauce, Downtown Bakery Sticky bun and Strauss milk flan.

Stark’s Steakhouse, $39 Dinner, 521 Adams St., Santa Rosa. Caesar salad, a 16-ounce ribeye with baked potato and warm chocolate soufflé cake? Um, yes.

Pullman Kitchen, $29 dinner, 205 Fifth St., Santa Rosa. Here’s your chance to check out the signature Pullman roast chicken with Parmesan pancakes and pan sauce with house-made ice cream. It’s a BiteClub fave.

Twisted2, $39 dinner, 29F Petaluma Blvd. North, Petaluma. I still haven’t been to what I hear is a real gem, but maybe this is the impetus. Hawaiian sashimi with Asian slaw, Brazilian pork shoulder with black bean cassoulet, strawberry shortcake with whipped cream.

Underwood Bar and Bistro, $39 dinner, 9113 Graton Road, Graton. Always a solid contender, three courses include flat iron steak frites, Bellwether Farms ricotta ravioli, pan-roasted salmon with apple Calvados brown butter, Meyer lemon cheesecake.

Worth a Try:

Village Inn, $29, 20822 River Road Blvd, Monte Rio. This sleeper has a new chef and a new attitude, and is looking to prove itself, which means a killer deal. Menu includes parsnip white-bean soup with porcini beignets, “Clams Casino” with saffron poached clams and pork belly, lamb shank with carrots and potato puree, apple cherry crisp with Marshall Farm honey gastrique or carrot cake with maple icing and butterscotch mousse. Impressive.

Wishbone, $15 lunch, $39 dinner, 841 Petaluma Blvd North, Petaluma. Worth a trip (if you’re not already in Petaluma), I’m in love with this funky little cafe. Dinner includes bacon jam bruschetta, duck and rabbit pasta with duck egg fettuccine, bacon carbonara and rabbit-lemon sausage or spring veggie risotto and chocolate truffle with peanut butter and caramel AND vanilla panacotta with lavender salt.

Zazu Kitchen and Farm, $39 dinner, 6770 McKinley #150 (The Barlow), Sebastopol. Grilled asparagus with preserved lemon aioli and duck egg, pork cheek pasta and kaffir lime pie in a jar.

Other contenders:

Beer-A-Misu at Bear Republic (345 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg), lunch and dinner menu includes tiramisu made with Bear Repubic Big Bear Stout

Bistro 29, $29, great French bistro fare food, and never a disappointment. Bistro 29, $29, 620 Fifth St., Santa Rosa

THE CONTINUING TO GROW FULL LIST (alphabetical, will continue to be added to throughout the week)

Agriculture Public House at Dawn Ranch, $20 lunch, $39 dinner, 16467 Hwy 116

Andy’s Kitchen and Sushi Bar, $15, $20 lunch, $29 dinner, 212 Western Ave, Petaluma: Atomic noodle soup, tuna poke, 7-piece sushi combo.

Applewood Inn, Restaurant and Spa, $39 dinner, 13555 Hwy 116, Guerneville

Barley and Hops, $29 dinner, 3688 Bohemian Hwy., Occidental: Cream of sunchoke soup, lamb chop lollipops.

Belly Left Coast Kitchen and Tap Room, $15 lunch, $29 dinner: Wild mushroom truffle pizza, braised pork belly, Campfire Stout Chocolate Mousse

Big 3 Restaurant, $20 lunch menu, 100 Boyes Blvd., Sonoma: Steak frites, blackened fish tacos

Bistro 100, $20 lunch, $29 and $39 dinner, 140 Second St., Petaluma

Blue Water Bistro, $20 lunch menu, 21301 Heron Dr., Bodega Bay: sparkling wine or beer plus clam chowder, fish and chips, fish tacos or house made tiramisu.

Boathouse Sushi, $15 lunch, $19 dinner, 6278 Redwood Dr., Rohnert Park and 2630 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa: Tokotsu ramen, ahi tuna slider.

Brasa Brazilian Steakhouse, $29 dinner, 505 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa: Sparkling wine, parade of eight different cuts of meat.

Brasserie

*Breakaway Cafe, $19 dinner, 19101 Highway 12, Sonoma, curried butternut squash bisque, braised pork shoulder with polenta, citrus pound cake.

*Ca’Bianca, $39 dinner, 835 Second St., Santa Rosa: Polenta with meat sauce and Bechamel, sea bass, beef tenderloin on black truffle risotto, vanilla bean panna cotta.

Cafe Citti, $15, $20 lunch, $19 dinner, 9049 Sonoma Hwy, Kenwood, Caesar salad, penne with funghi porcini sauce.

Cafe Europe, $19, $29 dinner, 104 Calistoga Rd., Santa Rosa, Bavarian sausage platter, pork shank, Austrian apple strudel.

Cafe La Haye, $39 dinner, 140 E. Napa, Sonoma: Mushroom arancini, skirt steak.

Carneros Bitsro, $39 dinner, Lodge at Sonoma Resort: Roast butternut squash soup, hangar steak, creme brule trio.

Cattlemens Steakhouse, $29 dinner, Petaluma and Santa Rosa: Dungeness crab cakes, 14oz. ribeye.

Charlie’s, $29 dinner, 1320 19th Hole Dr., Windsor: Shrimp tostada, maple brined pork chop, calamari rellenos, crepes with caramelized bananas.

City Limits Restaurant, $29 dinner, 5012 Petaluma Blvd. North: Shrimp cocktail, grilled salmon, ribeye steak.

Corks at Russian River Vineyard, $39, 5700 Hwy 116 North, Forestville: Country pate, rabbit sugo with dried porcinis, pear and apple crisp.

Cricklewood, $15 lunch, $29 and $29 dinner, 4618 Old Redwood Hwy: Burger, prime rib, Maine lobster tail.

Daily Grill, $29 dinner, 630 Park Court, #4, Rohnert Park: Tuscan brick chicken, shrimp pomodoro, key lime pie.

Della Santina, $20 lunch, $29 dinner, 133 East Napa, Sonoma, cannelloni Florentine, tiramisu.

Dry Creek Kitchen, $39 dinner, 317 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, 317 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg: Sweet gem lettuce, crispy trout, chocolate peanut butter bar.

Eight Cuisine and Wine, $15 lunch, $29 dinner, 7501 Healdsburg Ave., Sebastopol: Devil’s Gulch Lamb stew, seafood bird’s nest.

El Coqui: $10 lunch, $29 dinner, 400 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa: Citrus ceviche, pollo al horno, flan.

Equus Restaurant, $39 dinner, 101 Fountaingrove Pkwy, Santa Rosa: Beet salad, Moroccan spiced cod, creme brulee.