Category Archives: General

A Visit to the New Stella in Kenwood

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Grilled lamb ribs at the new Stella restaurant in Kenwood.
Grilled lamb ribs at the new Stella restaurant in Kenwood.

If Glen Ellen Star is like your favorite pair of comfy jeans, then Stella is like that new pair from the same cherished brand that’s just a touch more decked out.

The team behind that 13-year-old, Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant in Glen Ellen debuted its sister restaurant in Kenwood this past Saturday. The night before, I was fortunate enough to be invited in as a guest of the restaurant for a sneak peek and taste.

Both restaurants, which lean Italian with California influences, are owned and operated by Chef Ari Weiswasser, his wife Erin, and managing partners Spencer and Ashley Waite. Glen Ellen Star’s former Chef de Cuisine Bryant Minuche, who also cooked at Michelin three-starred New York City restaurants Eleven Madison Park and Le Bernardin, has stepped into that same role at Stella.

Chef Ari Weiswasser at the entrance to Stella.
Chef Ari Weiswasser at the entrance to Stella.

While Glen Ellen star has that cozy vibe that feels as if you’ve just stumbled upon a quaint gourmet hideaway in the woods, Stella presents a much more expansive feel with an open kitchen more than double the size, a large outdoor dining patio, and a main dining room with a fireplace, as well as a bar and chef’s counter.

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Sponsored Post: Overnight-Oats Pazazz Apple Muffins with Peanut Butter and Honey-Roasted Peanuts

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Pazazz apples star in these hearty muffins made with overnight oats and spelt flour.
Pazazz apples star in these hearty muffins made with overnight oats and spelt flour.

Peanut butter smeared on crunchy apple slices have got to be one of the easiest, most nutritious, and most deliciously satisfying snacks around.

Now, I’ve taken that dynamic duo one step further by transforming those irresistible flavors into a moist and hearty muffin. What’s more, they’re full of good-for-you whole grains and juicy pieces of Pazazz apples, and get fancifully finished with a drizzle of creamy peanut butter and a shower of chopped honey-roasted peanuts.

If that isn’t the perfect way to greet the day or perk up an afternoon, I don’t know what is.

Bake a batch of “Overnight-Oats Pazazz Apple Muffins with Peanut Butter and Honey-Roasted Peanuts” to celebrate National Peanut Month in March and to mark National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day that was March 1.

Pick up juicy, snappy, late-season Pazazz apples at your local grocery store.
Pick up juicy, snappy, late-season Pazazz apples at your local grocery store.

March also is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, a good reminder that a healthy diet full of fiber can go a long way to prevent what is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States.

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Fried Chicken Sandwich Bliss In A Napa Auto Lot

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The epic fried chicken sandwich at Joella's Deli.
The epic fried chicken sandwich at Joella’s Deli.

Chef Ian Rosenstrauch has a thing for fried chicken. And we should all be grateful for that.

A former line cook at New York City’s Rainbow Room, who then worked for three years as a butcher and gardener at The French Laundry in Yountville, he would go home at the end of his shift and crave fried chicken so much that he’d fry up a batch to eat. Even at 2 a.m. — when he had to be back at work at 7 a.m.

One day, he got the notion to come up with the ultimate fried chicken sandwich. And that was that. He jumped all in, quitting his job a month later, and buying a used food truck that he tricked out, himself, after watching YouTube videos.

He knew he was on to something when he was asked to cater the holiday party for the staff at Michelin-starred Press in St. Helena.

He served the fried chicken sandwich, of course. “They lost their minds!” over it, he recounted proudly. That was no easy feat when you consider that tough crowd included former colleagues of his from The French Laundry.

Chef Ian Rosenstrauch
Chef Ian Rosenstrauch

That’s how Joella’s Deli was born two years ago. He named it after his grandmother, whom he jokes, never cooked anything in her life, but nevertheless whose love had a profound impact on his life.

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A Twist on Chicken Pot Pie

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Creamy, comforting chicken pot pie -- with a different topper.
Creamy, comforting chicken pot pie — with a different topper.

Take your favorite fruit crumble — but skip the apples, berries or stone fruit, and give it a hearty savory filling instead.

That’s just what this chicken pot pie is delightfully like.

That’s because “Chicken Pot Pie with Savory Crumble Topping” swaps out the usual puff pastry or buttery pie crust topper for crunchy, toasty, Parmesan-laced crumbles strewn over the top that act almost like croutons — adding bits of crispiness that also deliciously sop up the creamy sauce underneath.

This recipe is from “The Savory Baker” (2022), of which I received a review copy.

Version 1.0.0

The cookbook by America’s Test Kitchen includes 150 recipes for baked items that lean savory, not sweet, such as “Manchego and Chorizo Muffins,” “Cast-Iron Skillet Calzone,” “Blue Cheese and Chive Popovers with Blue Cheese Butter,” and “Pizza Monkey Bread.”

If all you know is the mass-produced pot pies in your supermarket freezer case, this version will be a huge step-up.

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Messy But Good: Garlicky Roasted Shrimp with Cumin, Ginger & Sesame

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You'll need a stack of napkins to eat these, but they're worth it.
You’ll need a stack of napkins to eat these, but they’re worth it.

Not shrimp boil, but shrimp broil.

That’s what “Garlicky Roasted Shrimp with Cumin, Ginger & Sesame” encapsulates.

Prepare to get down and dirty with this quick and easy dish. That’s because not only do you have to rub seasonings all over and into slit, shell-on shrimp before broiling, but of course once cooked, you have to then peel them to eat.

But like Dungeness crab in-season, these shrimp are well worth the effort and cleanup afterward.

This recipe is from “America’s Test Kitchen 25th Anniversary Cookbook: 500 Recipes That Changed the Way America Cooks” (2024), of which I received a review copy.

Believe me, you’ll get a workout just lifting this 711-page book.

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