“We’re always trying to enhance the dining experience.” —Percy Brandon
It can sometimes be a challenge for a restaurant that’s located on the grounds of a hotel to establish itself as separate. But John Ash & Co., located at Vintners Inn in Santa Rosa, conquered that challenge long ago. “Of course we cater to our [hotel] guests,” says Vintners Inn General Manager Percy Brandon, “but we’re also here for locals. A lot of Sonoma County residents come here for special occasions.”
Helmed for the past six years by Chef Tom Schmidt, John Ash & Co. has two distinct dining options. The first, the Front Room Bar & Lounge, is a casual, welcoming space as perfect for winding down after a day of sightseeing as it is for celebrating a successful workday. “The Front Room is an amazing bar,” agrees Brandon. “Something is always happening.
“It’s packed most days. It’s really a fun space to come over and have happy hour. We have a lot of business people, especially many businesswomen, come to the happy hour specifically because it’s a comfortable, respectful place. They finish their day’s business in the lounge.”
Monday through Friday, Front Room hosts a business happy hour from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., featuring small plates, specially priced cocktails and selected wines for $4 per glass. Wednesdays is “Crush the Rush” day, with discounted cocktails and food from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Saturdays is Pinot & Pizza happy hour; every month, a different local winery is paired with wood-fired pizzas. And on Sundays, the focus is burgers and beer. “That’s $10 for a burger and fries and two-for-one beers,” says Brandon. “A lot of families are coming to that.”
It’s also worth noting that the hotel’s breakfast room is now open to the public from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. daily. Says Brandon: “What better place is there to conduct your morning meeting?”
Looking for a more elegant option? Step into the restaurant proper, where Chef Schmidt and his team (including sous chef Devin Kellogg and pastry chef Casey Stone) create Wine Country cuisine that changes seasonally to take advantage of the abundance of locally grown foods, working with more than 30 Sonoma County farmers and food producers to secure the best and freshest ingredients.
Schmidt also oversees (with culinary gardener Annya Maskey) the restaurant’s own onsite fruit, vegetable and herb gardens, and his innovative recipes are designed to complement the restaurant’s extensive, award-winning wine list. “There are so many wines, we need to be able to tell the stories so our guests can choose,” says Brandon. “We’re always trying to enhance the dining experience.”
The restaurant partners with local wineries to host six to eight winemaker dinners each year, and Schmidt creates a specially paired menu for each one. And Ferrari-Carano Winery (owned by Don and Rhonda Carano, who also own Vintners Inn and John Ash & Co.) does a weekend getaway four times per year for its wine club members. “They get experiences at the winery and here at the hotel,” says Brandon, “as well as a winemaker dinner here.”
So bottom line: What makes John Ash & Co. Best?
“I think when people are voting, they realize this is such a comfortable place to come and do business—in both environments,” Brandon concludes.
“Where’s a better place to land a deal than here?”
