Fried select oysters in a pleurotte, fennel, oyster and celery root stew, over a crisp polenta cake with crème fraiche is typical of the fine fare found at Sonoma Bistro and Wine Bar.

SONOMA CALIFORNIA BISTRO AND WINE BAR Location: 129 W. Trade St. Phone: 704-377-1333 Fax: 704-377-8002 Web site: www.sonomabistro.com Details: Award-winning wine list; corkage fee, $15 - waived if you buy a bottle; private dining rooms; valet parking; in-season patio dining; occasional wine tastings and wine dinners. Prices: Entrees range from $18-$26 Hours: Lunch, private parties only. Dinner, Monday-Thursday, 5:30-10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5:30 p.m.-11 p.m. Bar opens at 5 p.m.

It's not hard to write about all that is good at Sonoma. The restaurant is one of Charlotte's premier dining spots and there are few among Charlotte's wining and dining public who would disagree.

What is hard is listing specific dining suggestions and recommendations for Sonoma. Chef Tim Groody changes most of the menu weekly, featuring the finest of what is available at the marketplace. What I love about the way Groody cooks is that as much as he can, he cooks with hormone-free and organically raised beef, chicken, fish, pork, lamb and game, in addition to locally grown, organically produced seasonal fruits and vegetables and an interesting variety of pastas and grains. Groody's fare is not complex, his menu is not full of hard-to-understand culinary lingo and catch phrases. Menu offerings are well done, yet uncomplicated, honest fare. Not over the top, just out of this world.

The venue at Sonoma is cool, hip and very "Uptown." Sonoma's owner Pierre Bader was a front-runner in establishing Uptown culinary offerings, openng his award-winning restaurant as a dining destination at the corner of Trade and Church streets more than three years ago.

The venue is casually elegant. The large wine bar offers seating both at the bar and in cozy conversation groupings by the front windows, which serve as a backdrop for Sonoma's patio, offering al fresco dining in seasonal weather. In addition to the large, open dining area, private dining is available.

My most recent Sonoma dining experience was a birthday celebration in a private dining area with a party of 10. Sonoma is the perfect spot for such a celebration. Several private dining areas are available at Sonoma, and the superlative service in the dining room and at the bar is even more focused and attentive in a private room. If you're not interested in cooking or calling a caterer, inviting friends for dinner in one of these more secluded spaces is a great way to entertain. Groody and Bader will help you plan a menu, with wine for each course, or your guests can order from the menu. There's no extra charge for private dining, but call ahead for reservations.

The wine room at the front of the restaurant is available for up to eight people. Here guests are surrounded by about 1,500 bottles of wine featured on the award-winning Sonoma wine list. Sonoma offers over 350 selections, many by the glass, most by the bottle.

RATING SCALE Excellent, a must try. Above average, worth consideration. Average, but nothing spectacular. Just okay. Poor, not recommended.

Two other areas off the main dining room offer private dining for 10 to 20 guests.

The restaurant is regularly closed for lunch, but if you're entertaining at noon or conducting a business meeting away from the boardroom, Sonoma can accommodate private parties of 20 or more. If you have fewer people, call Bader to discuss the possibilities.

Satisfying selections
So, you're sold on the venue, but what about the food? At the dinner party I attended, each guest ordered off the menu, and with 10 of us eating and enjoying, there was a lot to taste. We started with a round of hummus for the table. This dip, made from chick-peas and tahini, a thick paste made of ground sesame seeds, comes to Sonoma via an old Bader family recipe, although Groody confesses he's changed it slightly. Served with grilled pita wedges and drizzled with Mediterranean olives and olive oil, it is a tasty way to start.

Top-notch flavors throughout the evening are in the guise of fried oysters served atop a thick polenta cake and under a ragu or stew of braised oysters, pleurotte or oyster mushrooms, celery root or fennel. Equally wonderful is the foie gras. This night the seared, slices of rich goose liver came dressed with a syrup of tangerine and orange. Entrees ranged from seafood to game and included a seared scallop special of the evening, a slightly sweet fillet of North Carolina trout grilled and served on a soft bed of cooked wheat berries, and a hind quarter and tenderloin of rabbit, grilled then braised in a light broth and served with linguini dressed with spinach. Desserts change as frequently as the rest of the menu, but the chocolate soufflé, a dense, rich chocolate cake presented in a pool of vanilla crème anglaise is always available, as is an exceptional selection of cheeses from this country as well as France, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland and Spain.

Start your evening at Sonoma with a delicious warm Camembert and ruby grapefruit salad served with New Town Farm baby greens, pomegranate seeds, wild rice and a toasted pine nut vinaigrette.

Well-known Charlotte restaurant critic, food writer, cooking instructor and connoisseur of food and wine, Heidi Edidin writes "South Charlotte Weekly: Culinary Corner," a restaurant review or food feature that appears weekly. Contact Heidi with questions and restaurant, food or story ideas by email at heidi@southcharlotteweekly.com.

SCW photos by Sean Busher.

This article first appeared in "South Charlotte Weekly" on January 17, 2003. "South Charlotte Weekly" is a free, locally owned, independent newspaper that's "About the Community, For the Community," available every Thursday in South Charlotte and Uptown.

Copyright 2003 by South Charlotte Weekly and WSOCTV.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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