If a restaurant door closes, another opens

Even in the best of times, restaurants come and go. A few featured in my book (The Insiders' Guide to California's Wine Country) have now closed, such as Bleaux Magnolia, Piccolino's Italian Cafe, Tuscany, Wappo Bar & Bistro, Deuce, Alice's Restaurant. They were victims of the recession or bad luck, or helmed by chefs who wanted to move on to other ventures. But several great new joints have opened that are worth mentioning. In Yountville is Bottega, the latest Italian-inspired eaterie from famed chef Michael Chiarello. There's also Norman Rose in downtown Napa. Smaller and more downscale (read: a favorite of locals) is El Coqui, on a busy corner in downtown Santa Rosa. It's Puerto Rican food –– bring on the Sangria and plantains!

Duskie

I'm pleased to report that Duskie Estes, a fabulous chef and genuinely nice person who co-owns two restaurants in Wine Country (Zazu and Bovolo) with her husband, John Stewart, will be competing on the upcoming season of "The Next Iron Chef" –– along with other serious-looking, driven contestants –– for that coveted title. I interviewed Duskie for my book and also featured one of her and John's tasty recipes suitable for any home cook to try (see page 100). The Iron Chef website misspells Zazu, but we'll forgive their blunder for the time being. Catch the season premiere of The Next Iron Chef on the Food Network on October 3, and tune in each week to root for Duskie. Please.

Guy in a familiar pose

Meanwhile, another Sonoma County chef who became famous a few years back for his domination of the Food Network is now more of a character than a cook. Guy Fieri's prime-time game show "Minute to Win It" on NBC has nothing to do with the restaurant industry, but people seem to dig his over-the-top, dude-on-steroids persona anyway. Go figure. Santa Rosans like myself are scratching our heads, wondering when Guy's long-closed Tex Wasabi restaurant downtown will reopen after major "remodeling." Or perhaps he's become too famous to return to Sonoma County for good. Even the master, Anthony Bourdain, told Guy to grow up and clean up his act, in front of a SRO crowd in Santa Rosa. Stay tuned.