The Zina Lounge

I’m surprised there’s only 5 reviews for this place! We were a party of 6 and came here for birthday dinner. Everything about this place was just spot on. I’d definitely make this a regular spot for my yearly Sonoma trip.
Pros:
Intimate dining room, beautifully decorated. It felt like they shut down the whole place just for us!
Great price for dinner food/​wine pairing.
Amazing wine and food.
Personable host and chef. He even came out at the end of the dinner to talk to us!
Good location facing the square and surrounded by tasting rooms and shopping.
NO CONS!

Amazing time tonight at Zina. Todd was the perfect host and the food Chef Yoshi put together was some of the best I’ve had in Sonoma. Sat next to the fireplace for the gf’s bday and left with the Viognier and Cab. Perfect night.

One of the friendliest, least pretentious, least corporate, best value tasting rooms on the square. Highly recommended!
The wines are excellent — for instance, the Redwood Valley Old Wine is a great value red, or the 2012 Stagecoach which is simply fantastic — and the room itself is absolutely beautiful.
Worth a trip for the tasting. I’m only disappointed I didn’t make it out to the vineyards, or to the food pairing!

Fantastic meal with my friends. We had the 4 course food and wine pairing and we are still talking about the dinner. Todd Lake was a wonderful wine steward. The chef, Yoshiharu Sogi prepared a brilliant menu pairing items like pan roasted Muscovy Duck Breast with a 2011 Redwood Valley Estate Old Vine Petite Syrah and a seared Hawaiian Ahi Tuna/​Strawberry& Kalamata Olive Tapenade with a knock your socks off 2011 Russian River Pinot Noir «Shalee». The chef’s training as a sommelier is quite evident. Cannot wait to return! This is an absolute «must go to» dining experience.

My in-​laws enjoyed their meal here so much that they gifted a meal to my husband and me. We, too, stayed upstairs in the hotel and enjoyed this private dining experience. I’ve never been the sole diner in an establishment before and it felt like the dining equivalent of flying a private jet!
I wrote a full review on Chowhound, which I’m not going to repeat here, but let me share a few main points. We’ve dined in some of the most well-​regarded gourmet restaurants (e.g., Daniel, Jean-​Georges, Le Bernardin, Eleven Madison Park, Meadowood, French Laundry, Manresa, etc.) that are at much higher price points so I came in with lower expectations for Zina Lounge. Yet I was incredibly impressed by this meal. I had a few quibbles, but overall I would rate this a «must-​do» and plan to return to enjoy it again.
Chef Yoshiharu Sogi prepares a multi-​course seasonal menu that he’s designed to flatter Zina Hyde Cunningham and Ledson wines. They market it as a «Private Wine and Food Pairing.» The general manager, Todd Lake, serves as sommelier/​waiter. The «restaurant» is really just a few tables in the lobby of the Ledson Hotel in Sonoma. Chef is very talented and showcased his skill in both preparing excellent courses and in pairing them with Ledson wines. We will definitely be back to try his seasonal spring menu.
This was a 6 course meal (5 savory items and 1 dessert) plus wine pairings for $ 150/​diner. I believe it is an amazing value given the superb execution. The third course was the stand-​out hit of the night: Soy Marinated Bodega Bay Black Cod, Cow Girl Creamery Mt Tam Ravioli, Slow Blanched Turnip, in a Sweet Soy Cranberry Sauce. The Black Cod was cooked perfectly – perhaps one of the best fish entrees we have ever had (I’m looking at you, Le Bernardin!). The fish had exceptional flavor and was well-​balanced, despite my initial hesitation when I heard it was paired with a sweet cranberry sauce. I will say that I found the Ravioli had a peculiar texture – I can’t recall what Todd said about it but I think that Chef used a wonton skin instead of a traditional pasta. I’m not always a fan of fusion and I think in this case, I would have preferred a traditional ravioli. The fish was paired with a Zina Hyde Cunningham 2012 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir, which had just the right body to stand up to the strong sauce.
All in all, I strongly recommend this experience for those who love food and wine!

We stayed in the hotel and also had THE MOST amazing dinner and wine pairing here — the Chef is amazing and he is also a Sommelier so everything was paired perfectly. This is a do not miss in Sonoma! Well worth the price!