One of my best friends, Joshua, loves a surreptitious hang at the Sonoma County Airport restaurant for a glass — or three — of overpriced mass-market wine, chicken wings and a heaping helping of local gossip. The roar of jets on the outdoor patio drowns out our cackling, and the people-watching is priceless. It’s kind of our thing.
Over the last two years, the former Tap & Pour Taproom has undergone a transformation and recently relaunched as Flying Ace Kitchen & Taproom. Located outside security, it’s open to anyone.
Feeling compelled to pass judgment on our former haunt, Joshua and I spent three hours on a warm Sunday afternoon kicking the tires of our revamped rendezvous spot. After a $68 bottle of juicy Kendall Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Rose (retail, $17), we passed our slightly tipsy judgment.
The vibe: The interior has been overhauled with dark wood, creating a wine cave vibe. Two 5-foot-tall plastic Kendall-Jackson wine bottles flank the doorway. Along a back wall, lighted letters spelling out “SONOMA” are embedded in faux vegetation — catnip for social media types looking to prove they’ve been to Wine Country. The once “rustic” outdoor patio has a shady pergola with two televisions, lounge seating and bar seating — a nice upgrade — with a view of the runway…