Exploring California Wine Country: Sonoma Valley

Pleasures abound in California's historic birthplace

By Tim Fish

GLEN ELLEN INN RESTAURANT
13670 Arnold Drive, Glen Ellen
Telephone (707) 996-6409
Web site www.glenelleninn.com
Open Lunch, Friday to Tuesday; dinner, daily
Cost Entrées $16-$25
Corkage $13
Credit cards All major
Award of Excellence
In this secluded corner of Sonoma Valley, chef Christian Bertrand has been quietly producing some of the most consistently engaging food in the county for 15 years. Once a quaint cottage, the dining room has been expanded over the years by Bertrand and his wife, Karen. They've decorated it in warm and elegant hues, and accented it with an open kitchen, martini bar and oyster grill. During the summer, the restaurant takes things outside to a relaxed garden-dining area. Bertrand cooks California cuisine with a French accent, preparing appealing dishes such as Dungeness crab pot-stickers and braised lamb shank pot au feu. The wine list of about 600 selections is exclusive to California but includes key producers and several verticals. Prices are fair, even for the many older selections; for example, a bottle of Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2001 is $79.