First Look: Hazel restaurant in Occidental heats up West County

An 800-degree wood-fired oven isn’t for the faint of heart. Burning embers, live fire and blistering surfaces can be a logistical challenge, especially in a busy restaurant where pizzas, braised octopus and short ribs commingle inside not one, but two searingly hot wood-fueled ovens.

But they’re also the muscle of Jim and Michele Wimborough’s new Occidental restaurant, Hazel. Left by the previous owners of long-time French restaurant, Bistro des Copains, the ovens are being pressed into service for everything from house-made sourdough loaves to whole braised branzino and perfectly-cooked pizzas - and every so often, pastry chef Michele’s chocolate chip cookies.

Far from the buzz of San Francisco and the East Bay, where the chef-couple worked at high turnover urban restaurants like Zut! on Fourth, Boulevard, upscale Greek restaurant Kokkari, and Zuni Kitchen, the Wimboroughs are settling into the country life in West County. With their hearts set on raising their fourth-grade son in the quieter reaches of Sonoma County, the couple fell in love with Occidental on a birthday trip for Jim. When the owners of Bistro des Copains announced their retirement, the couple pounced on the spot.

After several months of renovation, the restaurant opened in July to plenty of local fanfare - one of only a handful of eateries between Sebastopol and the North Coast.

A creative mix of rustic Mediterranean and California cuisines, Tzatziki and grilled eggplant spread with pita, olives and feta ($11) are on the menu next to citrus-cured scallops with grapes, radish, lime and Calabrian chili ($9). And it works perfectly, tied together by hyperlocal ingredients and bold Mediterranean flavors.

“We want to keep it really simple, something everyone can understand and enjoy,” said Jim, adding that dishes like the sweet and savory eggplant dip that’s a simpler cousin to baba ganoush, with smoky eggplant and the addition (in this version) of raisins, are inspired by his time at Kokkari. For the tzatziki, a creamy cucumber dip, Jim uses Kefir cheese from Greece, giving it a creamy, almost sour-cream-like flavor.

You’ll find that many of the dishes featured on the menu are best-sellers from their past restaurants, while, as Jim said, they feel out the locals to see what resonates.

“People eat a lot more meat here than in Berkeley,” he said. “I thought I would be making a lot more vegetarian dishes, but everyone and their mom orders the ribeye ($29),” said Jim. Surprisingly, he added, whole branzino (head, bones and all, $26) is also popular. “It’s a really cool dish that shows off what we can do with our oven,” he said.

More must-try dishes:

Polenta with anything: After a family field trip to their neighbors at Valley Ford Cheese, the Wimboroughs fell in love with their Fontina-style Highway One cheese, especially when a batch was a bit “funkier” than the usual aged cheese. “It adds so much flavor,” he said. We say: Cornmeal is almost an afterthought to this cheese- and butter-laden side dish that will make you swoon. Piled with braised short ribs ($25), its almost too good to be legal, with plenty to share with your dining partner, I mean, if you’re generous like that.

Roasted Octopus ($11): Braised in red wine and rosemary, then seared, it’s tender and flavorful with white beans, grapefruit, orange, fennel and olives.

Mushroom Pizza ($14) A newcomer to the menu, roasted crimini mushrooms are blended into a sauce, with maitakes, Brie and truffle oil. Thicker than Neopolitan-style pizza, the fermented dough has plenty of crispness without the burnt taste. Valley Ford Gorgonzola with caramelized onions, walnuts and fig balsamic ($13) could benefit from some prosciutto, but maybe that’s just us.

Pork Schnitzel ($24): A forearm-sized schnitzel of pounded pork that’s breaded, fried and served atop smashed potatoes with creme fraiche and bacon-braised cabbage. Grab an Anderson Valley Boont Amber ($5) and you’ll wonder where the oompa band is hiding.

Roasted branzino ($26): The couple get this white-fleshed fish, prized in the Mediterranean, cooking daily from Bodega Bay. A simple roast, with potatoes, leeks, tomatoes and white wine keep this dish really simple.

Sourdough Bread Pudding ($8): Desserts, breads and pastries are also made in-house by Jim’s wife, Michele. If it’s Friday, it’s Pie Day, so grab whatever she’s cooked up. We loved the sourdough bread budding with Bourbon caramel, chocolate, bananas and whipped cream, made with leftover sourdough she’s baked in the back oven. Most popular? The Hazel Sundae with salted caramel, hot fudge, whipped cream, candied almonds and Amarena cherries, ($8)

If you go: Free corkage on Thursday nights if you bring a local bottle. The restaurant will begin serving brunch within a few weeks (call first), with Jim’s Great Grandma Hazel’s cinnamon rolls. (She’s the restaurant’s inspiration and namesake.) Located within stumbling distance of the popular bike route along Occidental Road, it will no doubt become a favorite morning ride refueling spot.

Oh, and remain calm if you hear the siren wailing across the street. It’s just the local fire alert system, which locals are used to.