The evening felt like the perfect way to ease into the new season. We ordered a full flight of wines from their portfolio and paired it with notable dishes such as the sweet corn risotto and nuoc cham hamachi crudo brought to the table by Chef Armando Navarro.
Before the month of June ends, I highly recommend you reserve a table at El Dorado Kitchen before June 30 as you will be in for a decadent treat. This is the perfect excuse for a fun date night or for a night out with the girls.
My Second Home, Sonoma County
Sonoma County is just an hour north of San Francisco, and it’s one of my favorite places to explore (as I’m sure you can tell). It’s the perfect escape from the city, with so much to offer. Every single town has its own flair and specialty. I love that there is an abundance of restaurants to dine in and that each town has their very own square. Not to mention, the wineries here produce some of the best wine that you’ll ever have.
El Dorado Kitchen Three Sticks Winery Takeover: What to Expect
The thing about wine that I love the most is that you truly appreciate it more when there is food by your glass. It heightens the overall drinking experience, allowing you to taste and feel the depth and love that was made into each bottle.
All June long, El Dorado Kitchen is hosting a special Three Sticks Wines takeover, featuring a by‑the‑glass menu and a curated flight that highlights some of their favorite Sonoma pours.
On select Thursday evenings from 5-8:30 PM, the team also offers a guided tasting experience, where you can taste through the flight while learning more about each wine and how it was meant to pair with the dishes on your table.
About El Dorado Kitchen
There’s nothing like walking into a restaurant for the first time and knowing you’re in for a treat. With its warm, lived-in interiors, it felt less like a new discovery and more like a place I’d somehow already known. El Dorado Kitchen is located right on the historic Sonoma Plaza and is known for their elevated California-style cuisine. It’s located inside the El Dorado Hotel, which I have actually yet to stay in.
The restaurant is led by Executive Chef Armando Navarro and offers a seasonal menu. You can dine in the main room with an open-kitchen view like I did or dine in the courtyard, surrounded by fig trees (perfect for summer evenings!!).
I’d like to take a sec to thank Filippe and the staff for making us feel well taken care of.
About Three Sticks Wines
What I love most about Sonoma County is that their wines are always made with integrity and love. A lot of the wineries you see in this region are family owned and backed by close knit teams. You can tell with each sip at how much work and intention was poured into each bottle.
Three Sticks Wines is a winery you should have on your radar and is worth the visit. They’re located right outside of the Sonoma Plaza. It’s owned by Bill Price III (Billy Three Sticks) and is recognized for their premium, small-lot wines and sustainability practices. They are best known for their pinot noir and chardonnay.
To say that this collaboration was a match made in heaven would be an understatement. The wines paired beautifully with all the dishes.
What to Order at El Dorado Kitchen
This dinner at the El Dorado Kitchen Three Sticks winery takeover turned out to be such a special one. Far too often I’m invited to wine dinners and I’m always moderately excited and impressed by the dishes, but to be completely honest – these dishes blew me away.
Let’s start with the hamachi crudo + nuoc cham. Hearing nuoc cham come out of our waiter’s mouth was already a big surprise to hear, especially in Sonoma. This paired beautifully with the pinot blanc. Forgive me as I am not a food writer, but I loved how the pinot blanc was able to cut through the pungyness of the fish sauce, making it an experiential bite all on its own.
The Liberty Farms duck wings were another winner. The bits of cumin sprinkled on the plate were my favorite part of the dish. It added a nice vibrancy and sweetness to the wings. They were cooked perfectly and went well with all of the light wines.
It’s always good to order a salad over dinner. I find it balances everything out and makes you feel good about what you eat. Is it just me? Lol.
I enjoyed the beet salad. I found it paired beautifully with the rose.
And of course, it’s always good to order oysters for the table no matter what the occasion is. I found that the oysters paired wonderfully with the chardonnay.
The soup of the day was the potato leek and smoked salmon soup. I’ve never had such an interesting combo for a soup. Every bite was delightful. I ate this so quickly that I didn’t bother seeing what wine paired best with it. Oops!
The risotto was my absolute favorite dish from the evening. It was bright, light, and tasted like a bowl of spring. It had spring peas, sweet corn, and mushrooms. I fear I might not ever have a risotto as good as this one ever again. And I also fear.. the portion wasn’t enough.
This paired so well with the pinot blanc.
Lastly, we had the paella. This paired really well with the reds that we had. You get two cabernet sauvignons for the reds. I will say they were both on the lighter end, which made it the perfect pairing for the paella.
Book Your Table Before June Ends
El Dorado Kitchen was lovely. I would absolutely go again. I’d love to stay there sometime this summer as well. I’m a bit embarrassed to say that I don’t know Sonoma as much as I do the other towns in the county, and I would like to change that.
Again, this collaboration will be ending at the end of the month, so be sure to book your table to experience the El Dorado Kitchen Three Sticks Winery Takeover.
If you love thoughtful wine dinners and want something easy to walk to from the Plaza, this is your sign.
