Flavor Bistro

USCTrojanBrian

Maryland

4.33/5  rDev +1.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

This is a must-stop if you make it to Santa Rosa. Just down the street from the great Russian River Brewpub, I've been here for a late breakfast twice this week.

They've got a small outdoor seating area as well as a classy, clean interior with plenty more seating. The menu is small but with plenty of quality choices.

As noted by many people, the BeerAdvocate highlight angle to this place is its selection of Moonlight beers (about five when I've been there). Death & Taxes, Reality Czech, and a few others including a special offering that varies.

Great fun to sit outside and people watch along a busy plaza in the morning. Delicious and reasonably priced food. Very relaxed yet classy atmosphere.

06-13-2008 07:39:55 | More by USCTrojanBrian

MiScusi

California

4.65/5  rDev +8.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

Went to the Flavor Bistro about a year ago in Santa Rosa and forgot to Beerfly it till now. I plan on going back in June anyway and plan to update if needed.

When a place that is a block away from the Russian River brewpub makes you forget about the Russian River brewpub for a while, they are doing something very right. After our first night in Santa Rosa drinking away at Russian River we got up the next morning for a little food. We made it over to the Flavor Bistro because I had heard they carry a bunch of Moonlight beers I've been dying to try. We got there right when it opened at 11am and we're greeted by the man I believe is the owner, at the door. He welcomed us and we were seated.

The place really is nice, very clean, almost with an upper class cafe vibe to me. There is a little section to sit right outside the door covered with lots of greenery.

As for our lunch, I had a turkey/lettuce/tomato/avacado sandwich which was excellent, if not a little too much for me at 11am. I had a couple Moonlight beers, and the nice thing is you can order them in a small size (10oz), or large size (I forget but probably a full pint).

The whole ambience of this place is just really cool. Nice people, great service, great food. I guess the best word to describe it would be "Classy." On our way out we talked to the same man (who I assumed was the owner) for a few minutes about his unique beer selection. Great experience overall and if in Santa Rosa you have to hit this place.

05-17-2008 14:23:03 | More by MiScusi

4.08/5  rDev -4.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$

Stopped in for a late lunch.

Atmosphere was very comfortable, we picked an outdoor table to enjoy the afternoon, but there was plenty of seating inside. Stone floors, wood fixtures, stucco on the walls with lots of art. Type of place you could be wearing jeans or dress pants and be equally comfortable.

Quality of both the food and the beer was very good, no complaints about either.

Service was a bit slow, but it was that time of day between lunch and dinner that all restaurants struggle with. Once they got going, they did fine.

Selection was 6 taps of Moonlight, which was exactly what I was looking for. No real reason to explore a bottle list...

Food was very good. We tried the French onion soup, some hummus and a couple of salads (wanted to save some room for Russian River). All was very tasty and well prepared.

Overall, great place for a meal, and, oh yeah, the beer was pretty good too! I picked up a very cool Moonlight pint glass for dessert!

04-21-2008 18:36:05 | More by

spazaru

California

4.56/5  rDev +6.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | $

After reading all the good reviews, my wife and I stopped in on our trip through Sonoma county, and we're glad we did.

I had the Moonlight IPA and she had Moonlight Death and Taxes, which the menu called a black beer but was really a porter from what I could tell. Both were excellent.

The restaurant itself is a beautiful Italian villa style place, despite the purple neon sign on the outside that looked more like it was advertising a bar and grill.

Our bartender, Noah, had just moved to Santa Rosa from Maine and was very enthusiastic about the Moonlight beers, as well as the other Sonoma County craft brews, Lagunitas and Russian River. Nice surprise to find a beer lover working the bar at this restaurant.

If you're in the downtown Santa Rosa area, definitely stop in. Classy place with great beer; what more could you want?

04-06-2007 12:31:41 | More by spazaru

Talisker

California

4.28/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Beer aficionados visiting Santa Rosa must include three places on their list - in no particular order...

1) Russian River Brewing Company
2) Bottle Barn (wine shop)
3) Flavor Bistro

Flavor is a restaurant - an excellent one - with a small bar near the front door. They have an excellent low/mid-price wine selection - all California, with a surprisingly high number available by the glass.

They've also got a few beers available in bottles - Bear Republic, Lagunitas. No liquor.

But the glory of Flavor is their 5-6 beer taps - exclusively from Moonlight Brewing. Reality Czeck, Death & Taxes, Bombay by Boat IPA, Stoney Fingers. Whatever's available you absolutely must try. They'll pour 10oz glasses ($2.75 as of Feb-07) or full pints ($4.00). And the bartenders are happy to pour a taste, if you like - but you won't need it, because everything from Moonlight is worth drinking.

Only about 12 seats at the bar - this place is primarily a restaurant. Food is well-made wine country fare. Despite the name, there's some nod toward Italian pasta-ish fare, but the menu's all over the place in a good way.

Nice atmosphere. Casual, but a couple of notches above a brewpub. They don't take reservations. Can get loud inside. But none of that matters - you might find 1-2 Moonlights on tap at Toronado in San Francisco, but you have to come to Flavor for the full lineup. And you'll be glad you did.

02-19-2007 09:11:17 | More by Talisker

Goldorak

Quebec (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev -9.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$

What can I say about the Sonoma and Napa valley? Nothing wrong with the weather, that’s for sure. Beautiful scenery, nice enough people, most wines we sampled were good or even great, vinification processes were interesting and innovative (you Yanks are a crafty bunch, although I suppose not having restrictive regional appellations, not to mention the crushing weight of 50+ generations of your forefathers who produced wine the same exact way for hundreds of years can’t hurt either), but I really didn’t like the whole Disney-fied way the industry seems to showcase itself. Paid tours? 10 bucks for 3 1oz samples and you get to keep the glass? Some places had so many people around I felt like cattle. In others I felt like they cared more about selling corkscrews and T-shirts than the actual wine. But the thing that really put my nuts in a vice was the ridiculous practice of selling the wine on-premises at a higher price than at the liquor store two towns over. Thankfully, there are places around like the flavor bistro.

I didn’t give much detail about the place to my girlfriend, who followed me half-heartedly expecting yet another serving of pub grub burgers and fries, I totally caught her with her pants down, she even scolded me a bit saying that she was underdressed for such a nice looking restaurant. Local artists’ paintings and photographs sparingly set on the walls, the look of the place was pretty refined.

Our waiter was in his twenties, and his friendly, easy-going attitude helped to make the place seem a lot more casual. He helped Mel pick out her wine, and gave me a taster of one the Moonlight Beers I was hesitant on trying. He was spot on with his advice, her wine and my Beer were very good, tasted totally fresh.

Great looking menu, focusing on regional products, like the bread made by a local bakery, I even think the olive oil was from the valley. I had to restrain Minou from eating the whole thing, she has a tendency to spoil her appetite. I ordered the fish special, which was salmon served with barley and a ratatouille veggie side, she went for the risotto. My food was perfect, hers was a little too peppery and couldn’t finish it, but I think the bread played a role in it too. Deserts looked great, but I having dusted off both my plate and part of hers, I didn’t dare. Prices were quite reasonable for what you got. It’s not cheap, but it’s reasonable for the quality of the food you got. And it’s a short walk from Russian River, too.

09-28-2006 19:11:30 | More by Goldorak

Georgiabeer

Georgia

4.18/5  rDev -2.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

Only six taps and as everyone has already mentioned, its all Moonlight. The place is pretty nice, with pretty well dressed people having nice wine country dinners. The back of the place looks a little busy with all the serving people congregating there and had a little bit of a chain Mexican restaurant feel. The middle and front of the restaurant had a more appropriate wine country decor and feel. The place is shockingly inexpensive for this kind of place in wine country. Most entrees are in the $12 range, and the most expensive thing on the menu the evening I was there was a combo grilled prawns and halibut served over mashed potatoes and with a fennel broth studded with various vegetables. This was $17 I believe. The service was quite good and attentive, and the beer was kept well. A great place for dinner in Santa Rosa and/or to have a few Moonlights. Btw, they serve by the half glass as well. Especially helpful if you are continuing on to Russian River.

08-22-2006 02:15:22 | More by Georgiabeer

TheLoneGunman

Illinois

4.63/5  rDev +8.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Flavor Bistro is an outstanding restaurant on the square in Santa Rosa. Their name suits them well. Bold flavors and high quality ingredients will rock your taste buds with some of the finest beer in the world to wash it down.

That's right, as you all know by now, Moonlight on every tap! I think it was every tap. Like six of them or so. My God I was in heaven. By just glancing I noticed others decided to try the butternut squash. I feel the same way, outstanding. Everything was outstanding AND reasonably priced.

The service was excellent and the place has a very comfortable feel to it. High ceilings and a rather casual attitude considering the quality level we are dealing with. Great prices! Get there!

05-10-2006 19:02:17 | More by TheLoneGunman

VegasBill

Nevada

4.4/5  rDev +2.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $$$

This is more of a restaurant than a bar, with a small bar in the front corner. As stated previously the beer is from Moonlight, but their beers are outstanding and somewhat difficult to find so they are a treat.
On my last visit I tried the Butternut Ravioli which was wonderfull. The food is more Bistro style than pub fare and the menu is large so it would be hard to tire of the selection.
Russian River is one minute away so a stop there before or after your meal makes for a great afternoon or evening.
If you park in a metered spot be carefull as they watch the meters and tickets are easy to come by.

05-03-2006 04:41:15 | More by VegasBill

carln26

Missouri

4.08/5  rDev -4.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5 | $$$

Last time I was in Santa Rosa, I couldn’t find Flavor (don’t ask). There was no way I would miss it this time. It’s well located in the Courthouse Square in downtown Santa Rosa. Nice high ceiling with an open feel. The bar is a bit small, but the bartender and management are very attentive.

The only beers on tap are the Moonlight beers. I had the Czech Pils, and the APA. Both were wonderful, exactly what I hoped they would be. What other bistro do you know of where they blow a keg, and call the brewer directly to have a fresh one delivered?

The food is bistro fare. Everything from light salads to sandwiches, soups, and pasta. My first dinner I had a cup of tomato soup, and some pasta. My second trip I had some spicy thai noodles. All of the food was fresh and delicious.

My only knock on the place is the noise. The first night I was there at a peak time, and the voice levels were quite high. Other than that, this is a wonderful spot.

04-07-2006 14:24:49 | More by carln26