As soon as we picked Sonoma as a destination, one of the first things I had on my must do list was a meal at The Girl and The Fig. This classic restaurant of Sonoma has been around for 17 years – originally in Glen Ellyn but now located in Sonoma Plaza. It’s goal is the same though- celebrating Sonoma seasonal bounty with French countryside preparations. Because of that, the menu changes every week – as does the pairing wine flight they always offer. They were open on Thanksgiving so we decided to make this venerable restaurant our special destination for our holiday meal.

It was a little weird to not be cooking this year, but it freed us to have a very laid back Thanksgiving day that included time for getting a takeout breakfast, watching the Thanksgiving parade, a hike, reading, watching a little Netflix, and even wine tasting at two wineries that were open! And, this was a meal that stuffed me just as much in celebrating American bounty while also spending quality time with people I care about.

For Thanksgiving, each of us was given a complimentary amuse bouche, a choice of starter, entree, and dessert if we wanted to dine from their special Thanksgiving menu (which we all chose to do). I took a bite of the bread as I was enjoying a cocktail called Fig ‘n Awesome with a local fig infused spirit, sweet vermouth, chinato and orange peel. It was a serious sipper with nice layers of flavor. As for the bread, I guess I’m a bit spoiled because I prefer my bread to be soft, and these were a bit hard for me.

Another interesting cocktail they had which I almost got was the She’s Complicated that includes gin, St Germain elderflower liqueur, melon, cucumber, basil and lemon, as well as a “fig fashioned” and “fig kiss”, so you may want to consider perusing the cocktail list carefully and not just the wine list. They do have a bar and lounge area in the front area (the restaurant is also located as part of the Sonoma Hotel), and as a plus you can also see the cheese and charcuterie plates being made at a station right there! Watching him put it together convinced me that I had to have some at dinner.

The amuse bouche for the girl and the fig Thanksgiving 2014 menu was a cute little country biscuit with house cured ham and mustard aioli (the fourth one, the vegetarian one is on a separate plate without ham).

Not part of the Thanksgiving dinner menu, we ordered separately a cheese and charcuterie selection that also included spiced nuts, olives, fig cake and compote. We asked for meat to be on a separate plate from the cheese for our vegetarian.

Next, for our starters our group ordered the famous Fig and Arugula Salad with toasted pecans, pancetta, Laura Chenel Chevre and a Fig and port vinaigrette, Butternut Squash Soup with Pt Reyes blue cheese croutons, and the incredibly beautiful Roasted Beet Salad with mache, chevre crema, grated horseradish, and tarragon vinaigrette

It was a really tough choice for our entree. You had the choice of traditional Thanksgiving with a Roasted Turkey Roulade with cornbread stuffing, delicata squash, spiced cranberry sauce and pan gravy…

Or go with the always holiday or special event classic of the Slow Roasted Prime Rib with caramelized brussels sprouts, potato gratin and natural jus. Man, this was monstrous!

Even the vegetarian had a choice, with the Wild Mushroom Ravioli with housemade ricotta, sweet onion puree, and watercress and black truffle

And then desserts! Pumpkin Cheesecake with chocolate graham cracker crust, creme fraiche, and pumpkin seed brittle, Pecan Tart with brown sugar crema, and Apple Tarte Tatin with buttermilk ice cream and salted peanuts.

Cheers, Happy Holidays – Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year’s, all of them!

Do you cook or dine out for Thanksgiving – and which did you like better and why? What about Christmas?

This post is fourth as part of my series on visiting Sonoma, previous subjects include

• Arriving in Sonoma – kick off with Gloria Ferrar and Viansa right at the entrance on Route 121
• The gorgeous castle of Ledson Winery and Vineyards
• Continuing south on Highway 12 with visits at St. Francis, Chateau St Jean, Kunde Family Estate, Arrowood Vineyards and Winery, Imagery Estate Winery
• Thanksgiving dinner at the girl and the fig
• My favorite winery in Sonoma that I visited, the sparkling of Iron Horse Vineyards
• Visiting breweries in the Sonoma area: Lagunitas, Russian River, and Bear Republic.
• Love cheese? Recommendations for visiting local cheesemakers in Sonoma
• The sister wineries of Cline Cellars and Jacuzzi Family Vineyards