Walter Hansel Wine & Bistro
3535 Guerneville Rd.
Santa Rosa
(707) 546-6462
Wine Country Cuisine
Dinner Wed.-Sun.
Entrées: $15.50-$28
Lovely wine list
The roadhouse once known as Zazu has a new incarnation—and it’s delicious. Walter Hansel Wine & Bistro (named after owner Stephen Hansel’s father, it’s also the name of his winery) is an intimate space with a long wine bar at the entrance, a small dining room in the rear, and paintings and mirrors of all sizes on the walls. The house wines are by the proprietor (if you haven’t tried them, you’re missing out), and there’s a nice selection of others as well, including some international labels (mostly Burgundian).
Chef Philippe Colasse began his extensive culinary career in France and has also worked in Los Angeles as a personal chef for many celebrities. He now brings his talents for working with seasonal, sustainable and organic products to Sonoma County, where he works with Sous Chef Saul Barragan to create a menu that’s French-influenced but truly spans the globe. The restaurant also plans to start a vegetable and flower garden on the property this year.
An amuse bouche of Romanesco broccoli purée with Moroccan spice, served warm in a shot glass, was a fun way to start the meal. Meantime, we ordered a flight each of the house Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, which were served on wine barrel “coasters” that held three glasses each. There was enough wine for both of us to last throughout the meal, and it was interesting to see how different they were from each other.
The rich, hot lobster bisque “en croute” came in a golden brown puff pastry (fully enclosed) and had nice chunks of lobster in it, with an infusion of Cognac and of a medium consistency. The romaine and goat cheese salad came with toasted and buttered focaccia crostini that was long enough to cover the length of the plate and had whole-leaf hearts, toasted hazelnuts and warm cheese crumbles.
A special entrée seafood platter had lobster, shrimp, oysters, mussels and little neck clams served atop ice with fresh lemon as well as mignonette, cocktail and aioli sauces. Everything was super fresh and we especially enjoyed it with the 2010 Estate Chardonnay and the 2010 Cahill Lane Chardonnay.
The Liberty Farm duck breast agrodolce (which means “sweet and sour” in Italian) was thin-sliced and surrounded with roasted fingerling potatoes, shiitake mushrooms and topped with compressed Nashi pear and a circle of hibiscus gastrique. It went extraordinarily well with the 2011 Cuvee Alyce Pinot Noir (named after Stephen’s mother).
Dessert was Valrhona chocolate mousse with hazelnut cocoa cream, a wafer almond tuile, along with coffee from Melody Roasters and complimentary dessert wine (a tawny port and a Sauternes). Thanks also to our server, Jason, who did a wonderful job.
[Photo by Brennen Powers]
