Steak frites
$$$, Outdoor Seating, French, Full Bar,
"Classically prepared and served with a generous portion of fries and mayonnaise."
ChefAri Weiswasser
Sonoma
About Ari Weiswasser
Weiswasser, a Food & Wine People’s Best New Chef 2015, spent his formidable culinary years in numerous fine-dining establishments in New York City and Philadelphia, mastering the fundamentals of elevated cuisine and service before moving to California and deciding to do things differently at Glen Ellen Star. He then spent two years at Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry in Yountville before opening Glen Ellen Star across the street from his wife’s family’s Benziger Family Winery, planting gardens in the vineyard to provide much of the kitchen’s produce. Weiswasser also works on expanding the restaurant’s private party operations, under the name Stellar Catering.
My Venues
- Glen Ellen Star
- 13648 Arnold Dr
- Glen Ellen, CA
Accolades
- Nominee for Best New ChefFood & Wine
- People's Best New Chef, CaliforniaFood & Wine
- Bib GourmandMichelin Guide
- ChefsFeed WinnerOne of the Best Things to Eat in Napa/Sonoma
Where I Go Out
Chips and salsa
$$, Happy Hour, Outdoor Seating, Mexican, Full Bar,
"These chips with lime salt pair well with a margarita. I get mine on the rocks."
Smoked duck breast sandwich
$, Outdoor Seating, Reservations, Modern, Breakfast,
"Sunflower is a Sonoma Square lunch destination with an awesome patio. They have duck that they smoke in-house, slice thin, and serve on warm bread with aioli, lettuce, and tomato. It's a great alternative to turkey."
Double cheeseburger
$$, Outdoor Seating, Burgers, Full Bar, American,
"This is my three-year-old daughter, Noa's, favorite place to lunch. The burger to bun ratio is perfect."
Charcuterie
$, Deli / Bodega, Embarcadero
"I love all the charcuterie they do here because it's all made in-house and it's creative, but at the same time, still traditional combinations."
Tacos al pastor
$, Food Truck,
"This is my late night stop after work. Savory salsa verde, not too spicy, and the pineapple and avocado make it really great."
At My Venues
Roasted corn "elote"
$$, Outdoor Seating, Reservations, Modern, American,
"If there's a perfect dish, this is it. GES's take on elote, perfectly roasted creamy corn, a cloud of cotija, a dash of chili and a squeeze of lime.
Flavor bomb like no other. I don't even order and entree - just two of these."
Wood oven roasted vegetables
$$, Outdoor Seating, Reservations, Modern, American,
"The Heirloom baby carrots with oaxacan mole and sesame brittle is just one of the many awesome vegetables they do out of their wood oven. The combination of roasted carrots with mole is one I never would have thought of but works really, really well."
Stuffed Squid
$$, Outdoor Seating, Reservations, Modern, American,
"Ari is a very talented chef who creates deceptively simple food in Glen Ellen Star's postage stamp-sized kitchen. If the stuffed squid is on the menu, order it! Extra points for PBR."
Wood oven roasted vegetables
$$, Outdoor Seating, Reservations, Modern, American,
"The chefs here have their own garden, where they grow vegetables and other curiosities. Whenever I can find time to drop in for a few dishes cooked in the wood fired oven, I do."
Spring lamb ragu
$$, Outdoor Seating, Reservations, Modern, American,
"Lamb ragu with gnocchi, fava beans, and Calabrian chile. Just a wonderful dish packed with flavors, and to be honest, I’d enjoy anything off that entire menu."
Spaghetti squash carbonara with pepper, marjoram, pecorino, and egg bottarga
$$, Outdoor Seating, Reservations, Modern, American,
"Spaghetti squash carbonara, black pepper, marjoram, pecorino, hen egg bottarga blanccreatives"
