We felt so lucky to be able to return to Sonoma. It meant we got to spend another wonderful evening with our friend Pam, an have dinner with her at Coyote Sonoma in Healdsburg CA.
The name has recently been changed from Coyote Den to Coyote Sonoma in Healdsburg CA
Coyote Sonoma in Healdsburg CA
Photo Credit: Website
After living in South Florida for 38 years, temperatures below 70º F feel quite chilly to us. Yes. I know. We are wusses!!! After experiencing weather cold enough for snow we high tailed it back to warmer climes. This gave us a chance to enjoy Sonoma a bit more, as well as time for a day trip to San Francisco.
Coyote Sonoma in Healdsburg CA
The enormous bar at Coyote Sonoma in Healdsburg CA
The first thing we did when we returned to Santa Rosa was to arrange dinner with our friend Pam. Luckily, at this point, outdoor dining had returned to most California restaurants. We met at one of the locations that is under the umbrella of Wilson Artisan Wineries, that Pam works for, Coyote Sonoma. Coyote Sonoma is in the heart of Healdsburg.
Live music has returned
Our dinner there was in mid February. Sorry. Now you know how far behind I am with sharing our adventures! It was a perfect night for patio dining and enhanced by soft music resonating from the stereo speakers. In March I received an email from Coyote Sonoma that live music has returned every Friday and Saturday. For a schedule of who is appearing click here.
As you can see the interior of Coyote Sonoma is also huge and includes a stunning bar and state for live music.
In fact now that the vines are budding, the flowers are blooming, and the sun is shining live music is back. In addition to great food created by Chef Tim Vallery and live music every weekend they also offer Wednesday Trivia and Thursday Karaoke nights!
Covered patio
Coyote Sonoma in Healdsburg CA is a huge facility when you combine the covered patio and the indoor space complete with stage. But as large as it is, it feels cozy and vibrant. Even with the current necessity of social distancing, the place feels like old times, before Covid. It’s a spot to grab a beer or a glass or two of wine with fully vaccinated friends and family. This is a place where you can just enjoy each other. More important that that though, the food and wines are the real stars.
Menu
Chef Tom Vallery
Photo Credit: Website
Entrées and wines from Coyote Sonoma
Photo Credit: Website
Their varied menu includes a couple of delectable entrées but we couldn’t resist the more casual side of the menu. It was those big, juicy burgers that were calling our names. Pam, Steve and I all ordered one of those yummy burgers.
Our meal
Pam ordered the same burger as Steve, complete with locally baked bun.
Steve’s Bacon Barbeque Burger with applewood smoked bacon, red wine barbecue sauce, lettuce, red onion and cheddar cheese was perfectly cooked to his liking!
My Coyote Burger with bacon and that creamy luscious Sonoma schmear
Pam and Steve both chose the Bacon Barbecue Burger which was topped with Applewood smoked bacon, red wine barbecue sauce, lettuce, red onion and cheddar cheese on served on a brioche bun from Costeaux Bakery, a local establishment. I had the fabulous Coyote Burger with onion relish, Sonoma schmear, Gruyere cheese and added Applewood smoked bacon. Because everything is better with bacon!!! All of us chose to accompany our burgers with their fabulous fries, but you do have the option of a salad instead.
Our 8oz Certified angus chuck beef burgers were each cooked to our preferred temperatures. They were the best kind of burgers. The kind that are so juicy that the juices run down your hand and drip onto the plate. I must note that the Sonoma schmear is pretty much exactly like Thousand Island dressing and a wonderful addition to the other flavors of my Coyote Burger.
Steve’s Bacon Barbeque Burger with applewood smoked bacon, red wine barbecue sauce, lettuce, red onion and cheddar cheese was perfectly cooked to his liking!
Speaking of perfect accompaniments – Pam selected a bottle of Zinfandel from one of Wilson Artisan Wineries that paired so deliciously with our burgers.
Apricot Sourdough Bread Pudding with Vanilla Creme Anglaise, Toasted Pecans and Raspberry
Yes! It was THAT good.
But what dinner out is complete without dessert? We were stuffed yet we managed to inhale the Apricot Bread Pudding made with sourdough bread, vanilla crème anglaise, toasted pecans and fresh raspberries. As you can see we scraped every delicious morsel from our plate.
RV fire in the night
This RV on fire was just across from our RV!
We returned to Ladybug expecting to have an uneventful night of TV. But that was certainly not the case. Steve and I had just gotten comfortable when I heard sirens in the RV park and the air was heavy with smoke. I opened our door to see what was going on and discovered that the Santa Rosa Fire Department was putting out an RV that was ablaze!
The fire burned for quite awhile until the Santa Rosa FD finally got it extinguished!
Stove recall
It was quite scary to see how easily a home could be destroyed. The RV was parked just opposite us on the park entry lane. We were told that something in the kitchen just spontaneously combusted. I have read about this happening with propane refrigerators and stoves. Just recently I learned of a Dometic stove recall that included 47,000 RV stove tops made from 2018 – 2020. Yikes. Glad we have an older RV with a leak free stove and a brand new household fridge!!!
Not sure it will be worth repairing this RV!
Santa Rosa Fire Department
The Santa Rosa Fire Department to the rescue
I think the firefighters did more damage to the RV than the fire did. They hacked a large piece of the exterior in order to vent the fire. Then they doused the entire interior with water. And they pulled out all of the furniture, clothes etc.
Didn’t look better in daylight
Sadly the situation didn’t look any better in the daylight.
In the morning the surrounding parking lot was strewn with the family’s belongings. To Steve and I the RV looked like a total loss. Very very sad. My heart goes out to the people whose RV it was. But thankfully no one was hurt. Stuff can be replaced. Lives cannot.
