Songbird Parlour's atmosphere harkens back to Glen Ellen's mid-20th century heyday.
Songbird Parlour might be the Glen Ellen-est of Sonoma County restaurants. The wooded, creek-centered northern outpost of Sonoma Valley evokes an aura of elegant timelessness—as if visitors today are getting the same basic eyeful of the enclave as roustabout author Jack London enjoyed when it served as his rustic stomping grounds more than a century ago. Songbird Parlour carries the same vibe of classic modernity—30-foot-tall ceilings, pine-green walls dotted with wine bottles, an oversized mural behind the open kitchen where chef Miller McRae’s team works its wares. It’s a modern-day “parlour” in the best sense, spelled with a U to drive home its Victorian street cred.
The 40-plus-seat dining room was filled on our weekend visit. We sat at a small table near a corner, allowing for ample views of the plush surroundings in the 2,000-square-foot space in Jack London Village, the leafy creek-side row of tony shops, tasting rooms and eateries that’s become Glen Ellen’s primary visitor destination. Songbird’s 1940s-era cinderblock building was originally the home of Pagani Winery; more recently it was Olive & Vine, until that restaurant shuttered in 2016. Lauren Kershner and partner Kenneth De Alba took over in 2020, initially offering event services while putting the space through a detailed remodel. Songbird Parlour opened as a five-nights-per-week restaurant in 2022 and hasn’t looked back.
Our meal kicked off with a dish of the Pacific halibut crudo ($25), a colorful blend of avocado, pickled chiles and sweetened by a cantaloup granita—nicely refreshing on our warm-evening visit. Next, the roasted beet salad ($18) balanced red beetroot with fresh strawberries and gorgonzola from Grazin’ Girl out of Valley Ford. Songbird’s dedication to local ingredients is all over the menu—after Grazin’ Girl, you’ll find Sunray Farm, Vella cheese and Sweet Scoops ice-cream namechecked on the Sonoma Valley-heavy list, not to mention Bohemian Well-Being mushrooms out of Occidental. The delightfully concise wine menu also keeps it local, centering on local labels from Alexander, Napa and Knights valleys, plus a healthy dose from Kershner’s own Sonoma Valley (Passaggio, Sixteen600, Hamel, Hamilton, Schermeister and Beltane, plus a sparkling from natural wine crusher Fres.co).
The Glen Ellen vibe extends beyond the interior hardwoods and deep greens. The restaurant’s entryway is strewn with framed pictures of the village’s most notable residents—Jack London, of course, but food-writer MFK Fisher, WWII Gen. Hap Arnold and gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson also line the wall, a reminder of the diversity of characters that have sought refuge over the years in the solitude of the townlet.
Our server next brought pork belly ($24), braised in a cabernet vinegar and accompanied by sauteed greens, and a plate of grilled salmon (the steelhead advertised on the menu wasn’t available) topped by shaved celery and livened by a tangy herbed yogurt sauce ($38). The meal came to a sweet conclusion with shared dish of Sweet Scoops’ vanilla, topped by a drizzle of fennel-pollen honey, and a brown butter chocolate chip cookie.
Songbird Parlour not only serves up a delightful, modern farm-to-table menu, but does so while capturing the cozy salon vibe of mid-20th century Glen Ellen. “First we eat, then we do everything else,” MFK Fisher famously said. She’d have gotten off to a good start at Songbird Parlour.
Songbird Parlour
14301 Arnold Drive #3
Glen Ellen
707-343-1308
Songbirdparlour.com
Friday and Saturday, 5 to 9 p.m.
Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, 5 to 8:30 p.m.
Did You Know?
Hunter S. Thompson rented a cabin on Bennett Valley Road in Glen Ellen for about a year in 1964. With wife and newborn son in tow, Thompson wanted to be near the emerging counter-culture scene of San Francisco, while reporting on the American West for the National Reporter and National Observer. Unlike Glen Ellen’s other literary luminaries Jack London and MFK Fisher, Thompson wasn’t a fan of the hamlet, deriding it as “Tulsa with a view.” By the end of the year, he and his family had moved to San Francisco where he began writing Hell’s Angels.
