France Comes to Sonoma at the girl & the fig

Sondra Bernstein may have spent time learning restaurant management in Philadelphia and Los Angeles, but there’s no doubt that Sonoma is now her home. She spent years managing Viansa Winery and then opened up three restaurants in this wine country: the fig café, ESTATE and the girl & the fig.

ESTATE has an Italian flavor, which Bernstein says is very common in this area, while the others are quite different. She chose the French theme for the girl & the fig for the opportunity to branch out in cuisine, but also for the chance to show her love for the country.

“I have a huge affinity for France,” says Bernstein, when asked about the French menu and wine, ”I love Paris, I love the South of France.”

Bernstein says her trips were about doing what she loved and that was always a very simple day that she wanted to replicate in Sonoma, “I would head down to Nice. I was eating by myself and I would stop at these places. I would have wine with lunch.”

It was the Plat du Jour (which happens to be the name of Sondra Bernstein’s new cookbook) attitude in the food and the wine that put it all together. “It wine would come in a little glass and it was whatever they wanted,” she explained. “In the Rhone areas, going through Provence and going through the Rhone, I just really liked what I was drinking.”

The girl & the fig was born with that concept of Rhone varietals, and Bernstein is happy that many of the wines are made right here in Sonoma. “This was part of the recipe of the meal. I really thought in wine country it’s the right place to educate because people want to learn about wine, and I learned more as I decided that was the way we were going to go.”

The menu at the girl & the fig includes these Rhone varietals by the glass, bottle and in flights so customers can try some new things and see what they’d like. As for the food, if you are looking for a perfect quiche or crème brulee, you’ve definitely found your place.

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• France Comes to Sonoma at the girl & the fig