Bragging on Bistro Des Copains

OK, all of you who read Our House in Provence blog regularly probably get a little tired of my mentioning the little French country bistro called Bistro Des Copains that I co-own with friends in Occidental, California.

Well two weeks ago, we received an unexpected visit from the food critic for the Press Democrat, our local newspaper here in Northern California. We figured out who the diner was pretty quickly because of the number of dishes they ordered to eat. I say "they" because Mr. Cox came into dine with John Ash, one of the most recognizable chefs, authors and teachers in Northern California.

Chef John Ash is known as the “Father of Wine Country Cuisine”. In 1980 Chef John Ash opened his namesake restaurant, John Ash in Santa Rosa, CA. It was the first restaurant in Northern California wine country to focus on local, seasonal ingredients used to create dishes that complemented the wines being made in the region.

We have been waiting on pins and needles since that night for the review to appear. Then last Friday, the Press Democrat sent out a staff photographer to take pictures of the Bistro and some of the dishes we serve. So we knew that the review would be on the paper's website and in the Sunday edition soon.

Well here it is folks; the review was posted on the Press Democrat's website this morning and will appear in print on Sunday in the Living Section. Except for the Apple Tart Tatin which was obviously not good the night he was there, I am pleased with Jeff Cox's review. Make sure you check out the photo gallery with his review. What do you think? When you read the review and see the gallery pictures, you will see why I posted a picture of our Pissaladière; looks pretty good, no?

Have a great weekend. À bientôt.

A little bragging on our Bistro Des Copains

As those of you who have been reading my ramblings over the past few years know, I am co-owner with my good friend Cluney of a small bistro in Occidental, California called Bistro Des Copains.

We opened the bistro a little more than five years ago. For those of you who own or may have owned restaurants know, it is not easy to make a go of a restaurant especially the last few years with the bad economy. That certainly holds true for us.

However, despite the ups and downs of the economy and associated challenges that brings to the restaurant business, we have always tried to make sure we are serving up great food and good time for our guests who come to the bistro, many so frequently, they are now dear friends.

Every year, in major cities in the United States and some foreign countries, Zagat, who was just bought by Google, publishes an annual dining guide with ratings and lists based upon feedback they get from restaurant diners.

We have a very hard working and loyal staff and we are very proud to say that the just published 2012 dining guide for the San Francisco Bay Area included our little bistro in its list of Top Spots in the San Francisco Bay Area.

We don't do super refined cuisine like the other Top Spots. We just try to deliver fabulous bistro cuisine using the best ingredients we can find with a generous welcoming spirit.

So you can imagine, it is very gratifying to get formal recognition that diners appreciate what we do at Bistro Des Copains. Here's my wish to you that all of your dining experiences are great ones. Bon appétit et à bientôt mes amis.

Stephanie's Birthday at Bistro Des Copains

Last night, daughter Stephanie and two of her BFF and spouses invaded Bistro Des Copains, the small French bistro I co-own with friends Cluney and Ferney in Occidental, California to celebrate her 29th birthday. Wife Shirley and I were invited too.

I think it is fair to say we all had a great time. I didn't take any pictures of the food but as I recall starters included butter leaf salad with creamy vinaigrette, dungeness crab beignets, escargots, and roasted beet salad with micro greens.

Main courses included steak and frites, rabbit in a mustard sauce over noodles, roasted red beet and Redwood Hill Farm goat cheese ravioli with braised chard and a lemon sage butter sauce, braised lamb shank over lentils and pan roasted duck breast over mashed potatoes with a blueberry sauce.

In the picture below, daughter Stephanie in the middle with BFF Andrea on the left and BFF Katie on the right.

Darling daughter Stephanie and husband Earl.

BFF Andrea with husband Richard. Richard is a fellow blogger and writes on healthy living at Richard's Health Musings. They have an adorable baby girl named Zori.

BFF Katie and husband Brandon. They have an adorable baby boy named Brady. They are looking for tips on how to get a baby to sleep through the night.

Shirley and me. Besides darling Stephanie, we have another beautiful daughter named Tricia and we have four adorable grandchildren; Avery, Dylan, Caedon and Madison.

Stephanie with her new baby Madison. Madison was so sweet and a huge hit with the diners last night at Bistro Des Copains. Brother Dylan was home with a friend.

Stephanie is the planner in the family and makes sure we never have a chance to get bored, and that we are always looking forward to the next family vacation. She loves to eat and have a good time so it was nice to have her and her BFFs at Bistro Des Copains.

Life has been great for the first 29 years but I am quite sure the best years are still ahead. Happy birthday dear Stephanie. We love you.

Bonne journée et a bientôt.

Bistro Des Copains, Occidental, California

If you are a regular reader of Our House in Provence blog, you know that I frequently mention Bistro Des Copains, the small French bistro I co-own with my friends Cluney and Ferney in the small charming west Sonoma County town of Occidental, California.

We are foodies and winos and like to cook and entertain, especially Cluney and me and somehow this translated into opening a French bistro in June 2006. None of us had any previous experience with restaurants except Ferney who worked as a server in New York City years ago and we (Cluney and I) eat out a lot.

Prior to opening the Bistro, I traveled a fair amount for my work at Chancellor Health Care. I used some of my down time during my travels to produce a menu and a plan for a fantasy French bistro, never really thinking that someday we would actually open one.

Finally, probably sick of hearing me talk about my fantasy, wife Shirley and kids encouraged me to take the plunge. While we (my partners and I) certainly can't say we've had financial success (due to the economy), we can say with assurance that we have a loyal following and the Bistro has received consistently great reviews from the critics who have visited.

We have endured one of the worst periods economically for restaurants but we continue on because of the wonderful group of hungry diners who show up every night to eat the classic bistro dishes prepared by chef de cuisine Ty Wong and Joe Clark and their kitchen team.



The town of Occidental, actually more a small hamlet, is tucked in the redwoods between Freestone to the south and Monte Rio to the north on the Bohemian Highway, just a short distance from the notorius Bohemian Grove.

The Bohemian Highway is one of the most scenic drives to be found anywhere in California. This 10 mile roadway winds through towering redwoods, gorgeous pastures, and rocky ravines linking three charming townships seemingly forgotten by time: Freestone, Occidental and Monte Rio.

Originally the last stop west for the Pacific Railroad, there are approximately 200 people who now live within Occidental's town boundaries.



The building which houses Bistro Des Copains dates to 1911 when the Pacific Railroad came to town. The building has been the site for a variety of businesses including offices, warehouse, bike shop and a beauty salon prior to being converted for use as a restaurant.

Bistro Des Copains has 46 seats in the dining room plus we can seat an additional 12 diners between the pantry bar, wine bar and wine table. We also seat diners on the sunny terrace behind the Bistro and on the front patio. We are open for dinner seven nights a week.

The small dining room and pantry bar are shown in the picture below before the start of dinner service. The linens for the table cloths and curtains were purchased at La Victoire in Aix-en-Provence and the pictures on the wall were taken at the Metairie Neuve, the small family farm near Viane in the Tarn region of Southern France.



The wine bar and wine table in the back corner are pictured below along with three of our wonderful front of the house staff; Annelise, Debbie and Kari. We hope you will stop in to dine at Bistro Des Copains if you are ever in Sonoma County. It will be our pleasure to serve you.