For years, Charlie’s Restaurant was the spot for a burger after nine holes, a glass of Sonoma chardonnay on the patio or brunch with friends by the lake. Then things went sideways. Under new management, regulars noticed changes they didn’t like — staff walking out, familiar menu items disappearing, service slipping. Members of the Sonoma County Foodies group were blunt. One diner posted that they ate there twice in a week and “both times were awful.” Another complained the wine list had shrunk to “a couple of bottom shelf choices” and said a $17.95 Reuben was “just sad, like the salad.” By spring, the group was full of warnings that “everyone walked out” and “new management was bad and so was the food.”
Charlie’s tried to right the ship with a new menu rollout in May, but the damage was done. By summer, the chatter was mostly disappointment and nostalgia for what the place used to be. The Windsor Golf Club owners made a decision: close the book on Charlie’s and start fresh.
That fresh start now has a name: Jimmy’s Lakeside Café, opening Oct. 1 under local restaurateur Jim Goff…