Kenwood, CA — With soaring white rafters, furry throws on the bar seats, and a menu of specialties that skew Asian and Italian by way of Wine Country, Golden Bear Station not surprisingly attracts a packed house of locals and visitors.

Even on a Wednesday night, which is when I decided to dine there recently for the first time.

But when you have a husband-and-wife team at the helm whose reputation precedes them, that’s to be expected.

Chef Joshua Smookler and Heidy He opened Golden Bear Station, which takes its name from the original gas station that once stood on the spot, in late 2023, right around the same time they decided to close their critically acclaimed, more upscale Animo in Sonoma.

Smookler, who was born in Korea and adopted by a Jewish family in New York, worked previously at Per Se and Bouley in New York City. The couple then ran their well-regarded Mu Ramen in New York City (the New York Times heralded it as the best ramen in the city), before closing it during the pandemic to move with their young daughters to Sonoma County.

If you happen to be staying at the Kenwood Inn & Spa as I was, Golden Bear Station couldn’t be more convenient, as it’s a mere 3-minute drive away.

There are four seats at the counter, which is where my husband and I sat. It affords a clear view of the line cooks in action, who will have you marveling at their prowess in handling countless pasta orders, as well as appetizers and grilled mains all at once.

We started with the tuna crudo ($26). The rosy slices of raw fish were arranged in a pool of tomato water dotted with green drops of basil oil and finely julienned shiso, making for a light and refreshing dish.

The Caesar salad ($20) gets a Korean touch with plenty of chrysanthemum leaves and sesame seeds mixed in with the romaine, buttery croutons and sharp dressing. The chrysanthemum leaves add a floral, grassy, and slightly peppery taste.

Meaty hen of the woods mushrooms ($20) get marinated in soy sauce, then seared for a long time on the flattop, turning its frilly edges crispy and imparting a wonderful smoky taste. It’s arranged on the plate with what looks like a sunny side-up egg, but is actually a playful creme fraiche foam flavored with onions and yuzu that surrounds a creamy egg yolk. Simply delicious.

Smookler worked on perfecting his pizzas for a while, and it shows. The leopard-spotted crust on the hot honey pizza ($30) is tender, chewy and light with a puffy rim. It has a noticeable sourdough tang that adds an extra depth. This pie is strewn with spicy, porky sweet soppressata slices whose edges get blistered in the pizza oven, milky puddles of buffalo stracciatella, and a drizzle of habanero honey for a winning marriage of sweet and spicy.

Golden Bear Station makes its own pastas, too. The gometi or large ridged elbow macaroni-like shape ($26) make for a fabulous supple and chewy pasta tossed with plenty of sweet Italian sausage crumbles in a sweet-tangy tomato sauce with fennel and Swiss chard that we polished off in a heartbeat.

We also shared a main of pork chop ($42) that’s breaded in panko and fried tonkatsu-style. It comes sliced with the bone (which my husband happily gnawed on) afloat in a sea of sweet onion dashi with ribbons of scrambled egg, giving it an almost a chicken donburi taste, but with juicy pork instead.

The pastrami kimchi fried rice ($25) was the only dish that disappointed a little. It had plenty of smoky flavor from the bits of pastrami, a nice funky backbone from the kimchi, and a perfect fried egg covering it, but the rice itself was more fluffy and missing the coveted crispy grains here and there that we all love in a good fried rice. We brought the leftovers home and fried it up in a wok the next day to coax a more satisfying texture.

For dessert, the Basque cheesecake ($16) is a sight to behold with its nearly charcoal top, which gives it a deep burnt caramel sugar taste. It’s redolent of vanilla custard, and its creamy, smooth texture turns oozier the closer you got to the center, which is exactly what you want in this style of cheesecake.

The next time you swing through Kenwood, stop in at this charming, bustling, former gas station to fuel up most delectably.

More: Check Out the Nearby Kenwood Inn & Spa’s Renovation