Bird & The Bottle

Bird & The Bottle Restaurant Review:

Owner-chefs Mark and Terri Stark (Willi’s Wine Bar, Bravas Bar de Tapas) have done it again with Sonoma's Bird & The Bottle. (The name refers to a warm “dish” and a cold bottle, pleasures sought by young men pre-WWI.) Blocks from downtown Santa Rosa, this contemporary-meets-retro gastropub in a refurbished Victorian is good for a first date or 20th anniversary. The popular bar --- that opens onto a convivial outdoor lounge --- provides the venue's heartbeat. Uniquely crafted cocktails with hand-chiseled ice are elevated by house-made vinegars and bitters. Impressive beer and Sonoma-focused wine selections are also offered. Eclectic small plates cover Asian-Jewish-Southern comforts, and make sharing easy. Try the shrimp wontons, each bite oozing with cheese, or the mini burgers replete with secret sauce. Must-haves include blackened, barbecued octopus, and cheesy grits with hen-of-the-woods mushrooms and fried duck egg. A handful of larger plates includes fried chicken with spicy "Nashville sauce" and smoked moo shu-style pork with garlic-chive pancakes and hoisin. Save room for desserts in a jar, such as the peanut butter fudge sundae with banana jam, toffee and fleur de sel. Quieter parties may prefer to sit upstairs and enjoy muted ambience.