I’m a fan of all comfort food, elevated or not, and Blue Ridge Kitchen succeeded on all fronts with its Southern-ish inspired menu. Blue Ridge took over the old Zazu Kitchen and Farm space in the Barlow, and despite opening in the pandemic has emerged as a new Sonoma County favorite. It’s also great to see The Barlow bustling with people out and enjoying the various restaurants, breweries, distilleries and wineries after being flooded in 2019.

All the cocktails we sampled were amazing — and the fried chicken was probably the best I’ve had in recent memory. Another hit was an appetizer of burrata, stone fruit, and toasted bread. Definitely coming back soon — and we really appreciate that they have a great outdoor dining space.