Story and Photos by Lee Daley. Freshly reopened after a thoughtful renovation, Santé at Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn has returned with renewed style, vibrant seasonal cuisine, and an elevated wine country menu. My spouse and I recently experienced dinner at Santé and enjoyed it so much we have highly recommended the experience to friends and family. In a peaceful setting overlooking the outdoor pool area and gardens, the menu highlights modern California-French cuisine inspired by Mediterranean flavors and crafted with seasonal, locally sourced ingredients from nearby organic farms enhanced by wild-foraged herbs along with sustainably caught seafood.
Intimate and convivial, Santé Restaurant at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn, celebrates farm-to-table cuisine in a luxurious setting.
Once relaxed, you may start to really take in the renewed elegance of Santé. While dining, our congenial waitress mentioned we might enjoy the upcoming Sunday Supper Club, a new monthly dining and live music experience. See below for more information on the upcoming outdoor Blues Series as well.
Delectable Dungeness Crab: a signature dish. At Santé, all seafood is sustainably sourced.
The Sunday Evening menu features a seasonally driven, four course family-style prix fixe menu often featuring fresh local seafood and sun-kissed California flavors, paired with acoustic-forward live music. Ongoing monthly through the rest of the year, we were inspired to book a return visit soon to enjoy the Sunday Evening Menu. To top it off, we soon discovered another upcoming Summer treat.
Side dishes meant for sharing include roasted Delta Asparagus and provincial herb lemon cream potatoes,
provincial herb lemon cream potatoes
Warm and gracious service, signature dishes, and chef-driven ingenuity have created a memorable culinary journey at Santé. Chef de Cuisine, Jennifer Venezio’s creative approach displays itself in dishes such as the Pacific Bouillabaisse which features local black cod, Kauai shrimp, mussels, Dungeness crab broth, clams, and Rouille, a classic Provençal thick, peppery sauce. Served with a side of grilled bread, perfect for dipping, this is just one dish that highlights Chef Jennifer’s menu where many of the dishes blend the elegance of approachable Mediterranean tradition with the abundance of regional, local ingredients.
Outdoor Music: While at our recent visit to Santé, I learned that beginning in late May, the Sonoma Summer Blues series returns to the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn. What better way to combine the enjoyment of Santé dining along with a before or after indulgence in live music? Complimentary, the outdoor Summer Blues performances take place on the front lawn of the hotel every Friday evening from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 PM beginning May 29 and run weekly through September. Here, you can settle in under the open Sonoma skies while relaxing around one of the resort’s fire pits. Sip Sonoma wine and beverages as the blues usher in the coming weekend. Light bites will be available at the concerts but we just might consider the indulgence of a post-blues concert dinner at Santé with its servings until 9 PM along with its added warm weather outdoor seating.
Inviting entry to Sonoma Mission Inn and the newly renovated Santé Restaurant.
