Golden Bear Station - Kenwood, California

anatte litvak

It's Christmas Eve. We just dined, drove 40mins home to Napa Valley, and felt the need to write this review. There just aren't enough superlatives to describe Heidy and Joshua's new place.

It was just two of us, but the menu looked so good that we ordered as much as we could possibly eat. The scallops, endive salad, cacio e pepe w/uni, margherita pizza, burger and panna cotta were all incredibly executed with balanced and unique flavors. You could tell how much trial and error, and how many iterations went into perfecting each dish (especially the pizza crust).

Having not eaten meat in nearly 4 years, I felt compelled to try the Harlan (burger) after reading a review criticizing the owners for refusing to make it without the bun - despite one of the diners being gluten free. After trying it, I get it. You simply can't (and shouldn't) modify this perfection of meat, tallegio cheese, kimchi, onion jam, and watercress that's held together by a deliciously non-gluten free bun. Named after their daughter and having been voted one of the best burgers in NYC at their ramen restaurant, I'm glad the owners stuck to their guns. While there are gluten free options, this is very much an Italian restaurant with Asian elements. I'm sure a menu will be posted in the upcoming weeks once it has been finalized.

This sounds like we're friends or family, but we're neither. We're just two enthusiastic diners who loved Animo and went into this dinner cautiously optimistic (since they've only been open for 4 days), and left blown away. In addition to the stellar food, the service & ambience were on point. We'll be back, and we'll be regulars.

Lisa Kondo

We had a lovely dinner and experience at Golden Bear Station. The decor indoors is simple, spacious, warm and inviting. They love their regulars who were half the customers and can be seen chatting with them.

Our servers were friendly and just the right amount of attentive. Heidy swung by to take our order and also give us recommendations. She did not steer us wrong!

We had their famous Bibb salad and yellowtail crudo for appetizers- excellent!

Also had their pasta with vodka sauce and the loup de mer (grilled sea bass with tomato tapenade) for the main. Very delicious!

For dessert we had their basque cheesecake and the croquembouche (mini cream puff tower). Divine!

Definitely worth it and highly recommend!! We will be coming back for sure!!

Margaret Wadsworth

Made an early reservation to eat at GBS on a Saturday night (I honestly just got home). I knew everything would be delicious, because dude and I were big fans of Animo, but Josh and Heidy exceeded my expectations.

It was hard to decide what to order as everything sounds delicious. We ended up sharing:
- ceasar salad - nice twist on a classic, I particularly liked the addition of dill
- scallops - light, refreshing
- Burrata - creamy w/ perfectly cooked squash
- hot honey pizza - the most glorious combination of flavors!
- The “Harlan” burger - buttery, perfectly seasoned and cooked
- panna cotta - like a tropical vacation

We left slightly too full but very happy.

The place is cozy but spacious. You immediately feel welcome when you walk in the doors.

Cannot wait to return to try more of the menu.

David Levine

Yes, you want to eat here, I don't care who you are. Go ahead and make a reservation now. Now for the review.

Food: The yellowtail sashimi with brown butter, white soy, and citrus was... kind of boring? The execution was flawless, and every single individual flavor was good, and the fish itself was slightly warm, which helped to bring out the aroma, but there just isn't much there to work with. Nothing wrong with it, just boring for my palette (but people call me the umami bomber, so I'm biased). Your taste buds may enjoy this, if you enjoy tasting raw fish relatively unflavored. I might even order it again - it's not bad, but nothing to rave about, except perhaps the audacity to plate such a simple dish here is notable. And thank you too for that simplicity.

I had the "Hot Honey" pizza, and let me tell you that the *only* other slice of pizza heaven within an hour's drive - known as PizzaLeah - finally has competition. My first slice passed my "will it stay erect?" test, which is where I hold a slice the way a New Yorker would when walking down the street, folded in half. This pizza doesn't droop and stands erect. That speaks to the structure of the dough and baking process. Beyond that, the flavor profile was off the charts awesome. Just the right balance of tomato sauce and toppings. This pizza also passed the most difficult test of being taken home in a box and then eaten cold for breakfast the next day and loving it.

Lastly, there is the side order of pastrami kimchi fried rice, a dish that remarkably echoed a dish I'd just made up a few days earlier for myself: Pastrami potato latke with kimchi (equally good, btw). The dish was well executed and I liked the taste, but I found the pastrami lost in the dish; I would have preferred larger chunks of pastrami, basing that off my own cooking experiments, but this is such a slight criticism.

For desert, we had the Basque style burnt cheesecake, which was refreshingly lighter than a traditional cheesecake and I thought it was a nice way to finish off with something sweet without being too heavy.

Service: The service was excellent and was the perfect balance of being attentive without being annoying or absent. The food came out quickly.

Atmosphere: was good, actually I could even call it great. Of particular importance: It's not noisy so you won't need to shout to talk across the table, and there's plenty of space between tables. It's very comfortable. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the atmosphere, and I love it. It doesn't get 5 stars because it didn't rise above being merely really good to being wow, 5-stars!

So, there it is. They are currently booking up weeks or months in advance so book early to get a spot.

Rosa Sheng

Josh and Heidy transitioned to the opening of GBS without skipping a beat. Hospitality, Food and Service are just as good as Animo with an entirely new menu of Italian fare and occasional Asian inspired dishes (pork tonkatsu).

Update - visit #2 - Stars aligned and I had a solo night for dinner - got a seat at the counter and ordered the bi-coastal famous burger named Harlan. Magically delicious - rich and decadent in every bite, yet each bit juicy, light and airy, and perfectly balanced. Didnt anticipate finishing it, but did and had room for dessert. I’m officially ruined! Bonus - play by play view of the amazing team delivering stellar deliciousness.

Chloe Tula

As huge fans of Animo, my husband and I were thrilled to come here on opening night. We are sad that Animo is on hiatus, but Heidy and Joshua’s GBS is such a needed addition to the area and we would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a relaxed, comfortable Italian meal with the same attention to detail that one would expect from Animo.

We enjoyed everything we ordered. The bucatini all’amatriciana was particularly wonderful. I was surprised at how much I truly loved the chopped salad, with its supremely good salami and a really nice ratio of ingredients. The pizza was excellent, and just as good (if not better) than any pizza we had while in Italy last summer. The interior is beautiful, and - as to be expected from Animo - the service was excellent and friendly. The wine list is well thought out and offers something for everyone.

I am so happy that Heidy and Joshua’s new location is closer to Kenwood and Santa Rosa, and wish them all the best!!

Wine Country JT

You found it!, my top pick for Italian food in wine country is Golden Bear Station in Kenwood! Pizzas and pastas are freshly made daily and I can taste the quality difference that makes compared to others. Go and enjoy, savor, and slow it down for a great dinner where you really can share a meal that is consistently good with each bite?

Brandon Moore

We had a fantastic meal at Golden Bear Station! I’d definitely recommend the dressed endives, the hot honey pizza, bolognese, and the cheesecake! The whole meal was fresh, well portioned, and delicious!