Brunch

Eastside Road, August 14, 2011—

SUNDAY BRUNCH IS AN unusual event in this household, but if they were all like this one I could get used to it. First of all it was a splendid morning: warm, still, fragrant; perfect for sitting on a terrace under an umbrella. What a pleasure, to eat civilly while wearing a hat!

Then too we were brunching with a favorite couple of friends, who were just as pleased as we were. I started out with a Negroni, quite refreshing with its orange zest. Then a nice bowl of mussels in Pernod sauce, continuing a vaguely Nizzese theme, with a fresh butter-lettuce salad on the side; and for dessert a far Breton, a kind of plum clafoutis, a favorite dessert of mine, one that resists description. I must say, the meal was thoroughly professional, beautifully conceived and executed.

House white

• French Garden Restaurant, 8050 Bodega Ave., Sebastopol; 707.824.2030