John Ash’s defining legacy of wine country dining lives on at the Vintner’s Inn, where ingredients are drawn largely from the lodge’s own gardens and relationships with some 30 local farmers. Meant for expense accounts and special events, the entrees are expensive and tend to the aerie of foie gras, short ribs, and veal, but are executed with care. Locals know that the excellent and inexpensive happy hour staged daily in the Front Room bar area is a wonderful way to unwind and enjoy some of the same views and quality care that the expense account seats get.

Peruvian cuisine — as interpreted through Sazón’s kitchen — appeals to all tastes with six types of ceviche and main dishes heavy with plantain, cassava, and sweet potato. Native Peruvian aji amarillo sauce touches many dishes brightly. Don’t miss a chance to have a purple corn drink. Meanwhile, the Deli by Sazón, adjacent to the dining room, offers traditional deli sandwiches as well as some more Peruvian-inflected to-go fare.

Happy Hour, oysters, and steaks are the defining nouns for this retro meat palace, part of the Stark family’s Sonoma County dynasty of dining. Dark and masculine, the moody bar hosts weekday happy hour with martini specials and a range of reliably fried and doused snacks. The dining program centers around different a la carte meat cuts with sauces, veggies, and sides available on a per-dish basis. With banquets and plenty of dark reds, the restaurant has an up-do, date-night feel to it.

Chef-owner Josh Silvers named this place for his son and it does his boy good stead, offering consistent American food ranging from salads to burgers to wood-fired pizzas. The full bar area, set in dormer windows at the restaurant’s front and the lively crowd there make this a good first date meeting place. Plus: beignets and Nutella pizza for dessert, including a gluten-free version.

Spinster Sisters, open for dinner inside and in the garden weather permitting, helped revive the South A Street neighborhood and Santa Rosans longing for interesting choices. Chef-owner Liza Hinman works with the seasons and her own award-winning palate to keep veggie-rich menu regulars as well as hamburgers, an extensive seafood menu, and cheeses. There are always great wines on tap, a comfortable wooden bar wraps the room, and winemakers come to hang out every few weeks.

Reminiscent of LA’s famed Canter’s, this traditional Jewish deli has had everything crave-able, from lean brisket to matzo ball soup to fresh rye bread, available since 1952. The menu numbers well over 100 items, including a pastrami sandwich with a side salad and a glass of beer. So very civilized. Breakfast and lunch only.

Its counters crowded with plates of freshly frosted cinnamon buns, Dierk’s is a place to indulge. Make certain to include the Country Benedict, which builds upon a thick baguette slice and flows into mushrooms, bacon pieces, roasted tomatoes, and sautéed spinach all napped with a fresh hot hollandaise and nestled next to crispy home fries. Breakfast and lunch only, but look for the occasional special dinner event.

Occupying the historic 19th century “White House” in the downtown residential district, Ca’ Bianca exudes a date night charm that beguiles even the food, about which there is nothing particularly notable or poor to report. The white tablecloth service, handsome wooden bar, and rose-heavy gardens add enchantment to the expected array of pastas and meat dishes sourced from all corners of Italy.

This successful local chain with the hidden acronym in its name (SEA stands for South East Asian) reinvented Thai food for North Bay eaters with an emphasis on fresh, seasonal, organic ingredients, particularly salads and noodles. Understanding local palates, chef Tony Ounpamornchai has his kitchen adjust the heat without complaint. Now located in Montgomery Village with a huge bar weighting the center of the room, the glass sculptures hanging down from the ceiling suggest both Dale Chihuly and Jules Verne.

Cascabel Santa Rosa is worth the slight hunt it requires to find. Deceptively large, with a covered side patio and a deep interior dining room, this informal Mexican-style house offers freshly fried chips and three types of salsa as a welcoming gesture, assuring guests that they’re in good hands from the start. Specializing in tequila and mezcal, Cascabel has a lively bar, but it’s the fresh food that makes it a hit.

Gary Chu gave up his eponymous Chinese place in 2017 to focus exclusively on sushi at his small fish house and sake bar. Featuring robato open-grill cooking as well as numerous rolls, sashimi, and nigiri, Osake is a beloved favorite, as admired for the freshness of the food as for Chu’s friendly presence at the counter. The sake menu is divided into four categories, ranging from “Deep & Earthy” to “Clean & Elegant” and is available in single and double pours as well as by the bottle.

Formally Santa Rosa Avenue landmark Willie Bird’s, the Bird is its similarly old-fashioned reincarnation, located across town on Sonoma Highway. Willie Bird’s was known for offering Thanksgiving dinner all year round, and it’s still all turkey, all the time here, just with additional sandwiches, entrees, appetizers, and barbecue on the menu, as well as a full bar. The Bird hosts live music every Friday through Sunday.