Preserved lemon couscous, toasted almonds, and arugula. $15
Willi’s Wine Bar, Santa Rosa CA

Mmm, these lamb chops were really tasty! They were tender and juicy and really easy to eat. I loved the flavorful glaze and the crunch from the almonds. The bright couscous was provided a nice balance to the meaty chops.

With five spice and shiitake mushrooms. $11
Willi’s Wine Bar, Santa Rosa CA

I did not like this at all. First of all, I hate it when fried pot stickers are served in a broth. It just ruins the texture of the fried dumpling to me. Second, the shiitake mushrooms just soaked up all the fat from the pork belly so it felt like you were biting into mushy packet of fat. After a while, the dumpling became soggy and limp, and that made the dish even worse. Yuck!

Sweet and sour figs, tonka bean salt. $10.50
Willi’s Wine Bar, Santa Rosa CA

This tasted good, but it was too wet for my taste. They also needed to serve it with more pieces of toasted bread for that amount of rillettes. I liked the sweet and sour fig spread though.

Scallions, smoked bacon, creme fraiche. $12
Willi’s Wine Bar, Santa Rosa CA

This tasted wonderful! It was simple and packed with flavor. I thought that it was a bit wet and limp though; maybe too much butter brushed on top which I don’t know why I’m complaining about, hehe.

Apple, cucumber, mint. $13
Willi’s Wine Bar, Santa Rosa CA

I thought that the curried crab tasted good, but it was almost too wet. The taco shells were also soft and almost squishy, not crispy as they should be.

Pinot Noir Staff Picks. Flight $18
Romililly, Russian River, 2013. Wild Ridge, Annapolis, Sonoma Coast, 2012. Black Kite, “Kite’s Rest”, Anderson Valley, 2013.