FORK & SHOVEL
Restaurants
ESTATE in Sonoma, is a relatively new dining experience set in one of Sonoma Valley's most historic buildings. ESTATE serves a blend of contemporary and traditional regional Italian cuisine prepared with fresh, seasonal, locally sourced ingredients. In fact, many of the ingredients will come from the property's own ESTATE gardens. Sondra likes to call it Sonoma cuisine with an Italian accent. The name ESTATE reflects Bernstein's philosophy of growing and producing local foods. The restaurant is located in a Victorian Farmhouse that is a historic landmark in Sonoma. It was built in 1864 and has ties to General Mariano Vallejo, a key player in California's transition of ownership from Mexico to the United States. The house was refurbished and opened in 1993 as a restaurant called The General's Daughter. Today, the property sits on one and a half acres of lush gardens which in the season includes six varieties of apples, fava beans, more than 20 tomato varieties, olives used to make olive oil, pomegranates, squash and blossoms, muscat grapes, lemons, peppers, herbs and artichokes. Because we are not an actual farm with acreage, we are unable to supply ESTATE just from the produce that we grow, so finding a local source is important to us.
