12 Sonoma County restaurants earn ‘Bib Gourmand’ Michelin awards

As an amuse-bouche to the big announcement of Michelin star winners coming over the next week, the venerable Michelin Guide announced 75 “Bib Gourmand” winners Tuesday in the greater Bay Area.

Categorized as restaurants “serving high-quality food on their menus (that) make it possible to order two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for $40 or less,”meals at that price point can be as rare as Yeti sightings throughout the Bay Area. But the awards were spread among the East Bay, South Bay, North Bay and Peninsula, with about a third in Napa, Sonoma and Marin counties.

Twelve of the winners were newcomers to the list, including Wine Country’s SHED, Bravas and Two Birds/One Stone.

Healdsburg’s Bravas is the second Bib Gourmand restaurant acknowledgement for the Stark Reality Group headed by Mark and Terri Stark. The Spanish-inspired tapas restaurant opened in 2012. The Stark’s Santa Rosa restaurant, Monti’s has been on the list since 2011.

“We are so proud to be among such great company in this year’s Bib Gourmand,” said Terri Stark.

Chef Perry Hoffman of SHED Cafe was awarded the Bib Gourmand a little more than a year after taking over the kitchens of the Healdsburg marketplace. SHED Cafe has been hailed by critics for its steadfast dedication to farmers and seasonal menus. Hoffman garnered a Michelin star for the now-shuttered Etoile Restaurant at Domaine Chandon for 2010, 2011 and 2012, the youngest American chef to receive the award.

A “Famously Anonymous” Michelin critic tweeted praise for the restaurant in April saying, “Enjoyed a seriously outstanding meal @healdsburgSHED cafe featuring a beautiful carrot salad that sang of spring!”

St. Helena’s Two Birds/One Stone, which opened in July, is a high-profile Japanese izakaya restaurant from former Cyrus chef Douglas Keane and LA’s Sang Yoon. Keane received two Michelin stars for his Healdsburg restaurant, closed in 2012. Now, the Top Chef Master’s winner said he tries to keep a healthy distance from stars and critics.

“I’ve found that I can’t run a healthy business or life if I care what they say, so I just let it go. It’s made me a much happier and a better cook,” he said.

Other 2017 Bib Gourmand restaurants in Sonoma County are: Backyard, Forestville; Bistro 29, Santa Rosa; Chalkboard, Healdsburg; Diavola, Geyserville; Glen Ellen Star, Glen Ellen; Monti’s Rotisserie, Santa Rosa; Ramen Gaijin, Sebastopol; Risibisi, Petaluma and Scopa, Healdsburg.

Wine Country restaurants that fell off the Bib Gourmand list this year were Santa Rosa’s La Perla (closed) and Sazon (both Peruvian spots), as well as St. Helena’s Farmer and The Fox (closed).

Bib Gourmands are not eligible for Michelin stars.

Owned by the Michelin tire company, the earliest Michelin Guides were distributed free to French motorists to encourage travel - and thereby tire usage - expanding throughout Europe.

The first American Michelin guide was published in 2005, focused on New York. The San Francisco Bay Area Michelin guide debuted in 2006.

Staff Writer Heather Irwin can be reached at 707-526-8544, by email at heather.irwin@pressdemocrat.com or on Twitter at @biteclubeats.