John Ash & Co.
Opens The Front Room with Flair

by Millie Howie
THE FRONT ROOM – the exciting new bar and lounge at John Ash & Co. – salutes the three Cs – Comfort, Class and Camaraderie. Starting in the fall of 2004, Pat Kuleto, designer/restaurateur and friend of Don and Rhonda Carano owners of John Ash & Co., pushed out walls, chose harmonizing colors and materials for room furnishings, and called on craftsmen from several lands to contribute inspired touches such as the mosaic bar top of tiny cobalt blue glass tiles and the Italian floor tiles in rich earth tones. Then he added leather chairs and couches by the fireplace of hand-cut limestone blocks and finished the walls in textured marmorino. From the world of antiques, Kuleto chose beaded lamps and homey accessories to create a setting reminiscent of the front room of an old-fashioned farm house – the warmly welcoming center of activity and friendly gatherings.
French doors lead to a charming sunroom lifted right out of Sonoma Country’s agricultural past, with gleaming plank floors, and casual rattan furnishings, including a pair of old-fashioned porch swings. It has instantly become a favored spot for after work, pre-dinner cocktails and makes an ideal setting for small private parties.
Executive Chef Jeff Madura has created a light-hearted small-dish menu exclusively for The Front Room. Leading the list are River Dog Farms French Fries with white truffle aioli and cranberry ketchup, a Deep-Fried Eggplant and Prawn Sandwich and Italian Sausage and Wild Mushroom Pizza. To accompany these tantalizing small dishes there is a large, award-winning wine list, a choice of four martinis – Blackberry, Mango, Wild Strawberry or Apple, some classic cocktails from the decades of the ’30s and ’40s – Manhattans, Rob Roys, Side Cars and Old Fashioneds, along with dazzling Sparklers and half a dozen signature drinks. One, a blend of tequila, Cointreau, fresh lime juice and egg white, shaken and served on the rocks is called Rhonda-Rita as a salute to owner Rhonda Carano.
Dinner is served at John Ash & Co. seven days a week from 5:30 till nine p.m. Lunch hours are Monday through Friday 11:30 a.m. till 2:30 p.m., with Sunday brunch served from 11 a.m. till 2:30 p.m. Service in The Front Room continues until ten pm weeknights and 11 p.m. on the weekend.
John Ash & Co. is located at 4330 Barnes Road, off River Road in Santa Rosa. For information or reservations, call (707) 527-7687.

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