Layla's interiors balance a contemporary design, while retaining elements of its original 19th century barn structure.
Quality restaurants that cater to both locals and visitors in Sonoma County are few and far between—and that’s why Layla holds a special place in Sonoma Valley.
Not that there aren’t plenty of stellar spots to nosh in the 95476 ZIP code. But they tend to be one or the other—a winery or resort counting on the high season to finish in the black, or a modest place on the outskirts of town surviving off word of mouth and a loyal base of regulars.
Layla, the restaurant at MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa, somehow straddles the line as both—a neighborhood happy hour hot spot, as well as a must-visit destination for fine dining. Situated within the grounds of the resort, Layla naturally draws guests from the popular 29 E. MacArthur St. hotel—founded in the late 1990s by longtime Sonoma resident Suzanne Brangham, who established the inn on the 7-acre site of a Victorian-era manor. Yet it also benefits from being in the heart of an active residential neighborhood, where locals meet for lunch, after-work cocktails and a tasty bite. Sonomans have learned to expect a mix of both new and familiar faces when visiting Layla.
On our recent visit we were seated in the patio, a relaxing tree-lined courtyard with a centerpiece fountain and warm strings of overhead lights that create an inviting glow as the day turns to dusk. As our server James brought us menus, we kicked things off with an amaretto sour ($17), a lemon-infused combo of Disaronno and bourbon, and the night’s bar special, an Italian margarita, which finds the classic summer cocktail livened by limoncello. Stiff and citrusy on a balmy August evening, the elixirs started the meal off on just the right note.
For starters, James steered us toward the lamb meatballs ($26), a generous plate of rich and slightly spicy merguez livened by a lemon aioli and sharing centerstage with a bed of fregola sarda, a couscous-like pasta native to Sardinia. We balanced the hearty lamb starter with a leafy salad featuring Little Gem lettuce and a tangy Caesar dressing ($18). With marinated white anchovy and parmesan, the salad was both light and savory—the meal was off to a very promising start.
The restaurant is named for Leilani Burris, the great-granddaughter of prominent landowner David Burris, and the last of their family to reside on the property, before her passing in 1971. (The spelling was altered to Layla for easier pronunciation.) Leilani was renowned for throwing elaborate Luau-style dinner parties on the property; from the breezy open-air patio one can almost imagine the kitschy Polynesian bacchanal in its 1950s heyday.
The interior’s contemporary design retains much of the original 19th century barn structure with subtle hints of the site’s ag roots, when horses, vineyards and extensive gardens were fixtures of the original 300-acre homestead. (That said, Layla presents a welcome modern upgrade from its prior incarnation as Saddles restaurant, whose look leaned closer to Cattlemens than one would expect from such an upscale location.) MacArthur Place as a whole has undergone significant renovations since Brangham’s investment group sold the boutique hotel to Lat33 Capital in 2017. The 64-room hotel has since been reimagined by Livermore-based SFA Design, while RDC Architecture handled structural remodeling as part of a reported $20 million overhaul. And the hotel is still on the upswing; a new pool and hot tub area is planned, along with an expansion of the existing spa and fitness center—perfect for guests to follow a workout with a meal at Layla, no doubt.
For entrees, we sampled Layla’s porchetta, a generous cut of roast pork—boneless but with skin and a thin layer of fat on the outside, as the Italian staple is traditionally served. The juicy meat was livened by a dash of pork jus and served with tender broccolini and duxelles, the classic French mince of mushrooms, onions and various herbs. As a second dish, our server recommended the fusilli, whose long, corkscrew pastas are served in a savory sauce with braised rabbit and dandelion greens. Both dishes were delightful, with the salty flavors of the tender roast pork as the meal highlight. We saved room to round the meal off with the almond-butter ice cream sandwich, which is as decadent as it sounds with its “sandwich” decked with blackberries, churro bites and hot fudge. An overall excellent dining experience.
As Layla continues to evolve along with MacArthur Place, visitors to the hotel and neighborhood regulars who prefer to avoid the traffic on the nearby town square—excuse me plaza, as townies insist—can rest assured they have one of the Sonoma Valley’s best restaurants only a stone’s throw away.
Leilani’s extravagant summer dinner parties may be gone, but the spirit lives on.
Layla at MacArthur Place
29 E. MacArthur St., Sonoma
707-938-2929
Text at 707-600-2848
Dinner, Friday and Saturday, 5:30 to 10 p.m.; Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, 5:30 to 9 p.m.
Breakfast, Monday to Friday, 7:30 to 10:30 a.m.; brunch, Saturday and Sunday, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; lunch, Monday to Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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Your place is valueble for me. Thanks!…