It was a brutally hot July summer day in Sonoma ~ 100 F by noon and approaching 115 F by mid afternoon. The streets were deserted and people were either in their air conditioned homes or fighting the traffic to the beach ~ about two hours away.

Thank God the humidity was low but it was still unbearable and I knew it would stay this way deep into the evening.

It was late afternoon with the temperature still above 113 F when I jumped in my air conditioned Honda Civic EX and headed west toward the ocean but I did not want to fight the traffic ~ so I picked a location atleast 50 miles west of me but hopefully much cooler ~ Occidental.

The temp guage on my car registered the decrease in temperature as I headed west ~ Sonoma 113 , Santa Rosa 100, Sebastopol 95, Graton 90 and finally Occidental 90 ( a full 23 degrees cooler than Sonoma ). And as I pulled into Occidental ~ there tucked into a shady hill was Pignoli's with all it's windows open and a slight breeze from the ocean making it even more inviting .

But imagine my surprise and good fortune when I realized that this restaurant was a worthy destination in itself. It is quaintly appointed in a venerable old building with a full bar on one side and a dining room on the other.

Owners Diana and David Dalbrach have created an interesting menu featuring American and some Italian comfort foods as well as an excellent eclectic wine list ~ featuring local Russian River and Alexander Valley wines as well as some unusual treats from Austria, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Napa.

The pan seared Salmon was my choice for entree but the starters and small plates were almost a meal in themselves ~ Dungeness Crab Cakes and a most unusual Moroccan Spinach and Red Lentil cakes with African Spiced Curry Tomato Sauce ~ YUM !

Needless to say, I immensely enjoyed not only the food but also the cool friendly ambiance and the service was impeccable.

They also play Eva Cassidy verifying that it is truly, in essence, a wonderful world ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_maoqac708

I told Diana and David when I left that the Press Democrat had given it three stars ~ but I'm giving it four stars.

So that's how to beat the heat and find a cool treat ~ head west to Occidential and Pignoli's * ~ and tell them that you read it on my
weblog. ( By the way this is an unsolicited Review )

Allen L Roland


* Pignoli's / 3688 Bohemian Highway, Occidential, Ca (707) 874-9012