Plats du Jour : The Girl and the Fig's Journey Through the Seasons in Wine Country

At the girl & the fig restaurant in the heart of Sonoma Valley, the Plats du Jour, a set weekly menu that includes a starter, main course, and dessert or cheese course is one of the highlights of the menu. We began the "Plats du Jour" concept as an innovative way to offer our guests a great value utilizing the best of the season. Plats du jour is a very traditional concept in France dating back to the 1800's when restaurants served only one meal each day. (It literally means "plate of the day.") Each year we work to create 52 new, three-course seasonal menus to show off the best of what's available in Sonoma County at that time. In PLATS DU JOUR we've distilled those down into a more manageable 28 menus for the home cook. As I often say, the Plats du Jour menus are an ingredient tour through the year. The 28 three-course menus are arranged by season, and include a cheese pairing for each menu. All of the recipes serve six people, allowing for a weekend dinner party or a weekday dinner with a day or two of delicious leftovers. This stays true to my philosophy that friends and family should gather over a great meal!While we're devoted to the ingredients and wine from Sonoma, California, the restaurants' recipes and wine lists are influenced by regions around the world. Our travels to Spain, Italy, and France educate and inspire us and bring a global perspective to the restaurants and our approach to food. I like to say that while the girl & the fig is located in Sonoma, it would work just as easily in any wine region in the world. The devotion to seasonality and the respect for the land are universal and reflect the spirit of wine country. The plethora of farmers and year-round access to local produce allow us to create seasonally inspired recipes that embrace casual yet sophisticated wine country cooking. Every dish is a celebration of the local abundance.