Sonoma Resort Announces New Chef, New Menu & New Look at Its Carneros Bistro & Wine Bar

SONOMA, CA--(Marketwire - Sep 14, 2011) - Carneros Bistro & Wine Bar, located at The Lodge at Sonoma, a Renaissance Resort & Spa, and a staple amongst Sonoma wine bars, is starting a new chapter just in time for its 10-year anniversary.

Chef de Cuisine Andrew Wilson brings his signature style highlighting seasonal ingredients with European techniques. The Sonoma resort welcomes the new Chef in time for the region's bountiful fall harvest. Andrew comes to Carneros with 20 years of restaurant-industry experience, cooking in internationally-acclaimed kitchens from South Carolina to San Francisco and has earned accolades in Esquire, The Wine Spectator, The New York Times, Food & Wine and Gourmet.

The New Chef
Spending summers as a child at his grandmother's house in Greenwich, CT, Andrew's passion for fresh vegetables and simply prepared food sprouted at an early age. No stranger to the Bay Area, Andrew graduated from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco and worked in a handful of San Francisco kitchens early in his career. Cooking with a clay tandoor oven alongside internationally-recognized chef Alan McLennan at Cypress Club eventually led to a role as Chef de Cuisine at Cafe Kati -- one of the first and original Asian Fusion restaurants in San Francisco.

Departing California first to Chicago for the legendary Tru restaurant, Andrew then spent 10 years in South Carolina as Executive Sous Chef at McGrady's, and Sous/Pastry Chef at FIG. "My time in Charleston, SC, taught me a great deal about cooking with a seasonal, regional viewpoint," Andrew admits. "However, I spent a most formative decade in San Francisco. I have family here, friends here, and the products and quality of life are awesome. The citizens of Sonoma have already welcomed my wife and me with open arms. Returning to the Bay Area is a sort of homecoming for me," says Andrew.

The New Menu
Andrew will celebrate Sonoma's agricultural bounty using fresh ingredients from local farmers, foragers, fisherman, and artisans and an organic kitchen garden on property that supplies the restaurant. Simple, straight-forward bistro cooking allows the purity of ingredients to come through while fostering a strong sense of place. Hints of Andrew's experience in Asian, European and Southern kitchens add subtlety to the bold, hearty food that will be available at the Napa Valley winery hotel restaurant.

Andrew will work closely with Sommelier Christopher Sawyer to create dishes to accompany the extensive wine list of over 400 bottles, 90% of which are from Sonoma, including 35 wines by the glass and eight different thematic wine flights.

The New Look
A recent re-fresh lightened up the Sonoma resort's dining room while building a visual bridge between the open kitchen and the outdoors. French doors along two walls open onto the 480 square foot kitchen garden and onto two separate seasonal dining patios. Taupe-colored walls provide a neutral backdrop to highlight the surroundings, while bright watercolor paintings by local artist Anne Rae add bright pops of color. Wrought-iron light fixtures and chandeliers with exposed Edison bulbs provide additional light to the airy space. Dangling hammered bronze pendants are suspended over the bar and wrap around counter seating looks over the pizza oven and grill. A separate fire-pit patio provides dining space for up to 45 guests. The restaurant and wine bar provide an even more beautiful touch to the connected Sonoma resort.

Chef Andrew Wilson at Carneros Bistro & Wine Bar at The Lodge at Sonoma, an elegant Napa spa resort, cultivates ingredients from surrounding Wine Country to create bold, hearty bistro cooking. His straight-forward flavors exhibit a contemporary California flair. The dining room opens onto an organic garden inspiring the menu. Sommelier Christopher Sawyer works with the chef to develop an extensive wine list of over 400 bottles, featuring pre-dominantly Sonoma vintners and growers, to complement the menu. Over two dozen wines and eight different flights guide guests through new wine discoveries.