My three favorite restaurants in Sonoma, and those that I think come closest to what serves as local fare are:

- LaSalette Restaurant http://www.lasalette-restaurant.com/ - My favorite place in town, with many interesting Portuguese dishes.

- The Girl & The Fig http://www.thegirlandthefig.com/ - French country food.

- Depot Hotel http://www.depothotel.com/ - Northern Italian country food whose chef is involved with the Slow Food movement (which increases my respect for him.)

And a place in Santa Rosa that you have to try:

- Tex Wasabi's Rock-n-Roll Sushi-BBQ http://www.texwasabis.com # The name says it all. (Be sure to try the french fries.)

Unfortunately, probably because we're tourism ground zero, the prices at every place in both Sonoma and Napa have been steadily increasing. Even more absurd is the price of wine in the restaurants - it isn't unusual to be charged $10.00 for a FIVE-OUNCE POUR. Absolutely outrageous! A couple of weeks ago my wife and I ate at a new restaurant in Napa owned by a well-known chef and I was charged $9.00 for a five-ounce glass of wine which I could have bought at a local liquor store for $8.50 per bottle. That's more than a 5-times markup over RETAIL!

My advice to anyone traveling in the Napa-Sonoma wine country is to buy a bottle of wine at a winery or the local Safeway (much cheaper than the same bottle at a winery), check the "corkage" fee at the restaurant where you plan to eat (usually $10-$15), then bring your own wine. It's almost always a better deal # absolutely so for those of you that want to buy a special bottle at a favorite winery.

Regards, Al Sonoma, CA, USA