City: Santa Rosa, CA

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (707) 523-4814

Address: 3535 Guerneville Road

Description: When it was the Willowside Cafe, loyal droves from as far away as San Francisco came to partake of the cuisine. Reincarnated in the same location, Zazu offers familiar food with a twist. Owners/chefs Duskie Estes and John Stewart have created a great place with a dedicated following. Everything here is incredibly fresh, from the eggs collected from the couple’s own chickens for creating the pasta, to the produce growing out back, picked at the peak of flavor. The menus change with the seasons, and there are small plates and big plates to choose from. Choices might include an antipasto plate brimming with Stewart’s own hand-made salumi (under the Black Pig label); Hog Island oysters; butternut squash hash with quail eggs; wild salmon with corn griddle cakes; duck soup with white truffle oil; and venison, swordfish, and flatiron steak. Zazu is open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday. A recipe by these chefs is featured in a close-up in this chapter. (John and Duskie also own and operate Bovolo in Healdsburg; see the listing in this chapter.)