I recommend China Village on Solano.

El Pollo Loco does some good and inexpensive catering options.

Costco sells it ready to bake. Probably not as fancy as you need, though...

My recommendation exactly. Last year we ate an organic free range Willie Bird, but this year we're planning the 4H route.

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Willie Bird's Restaurant
1150 Santa Rosa Ave, Santa Rosa, CA 95404

Fenton's is worth almost any drive.

PG Tips is good if you like milk in your tea. For a straight-up tea drinker, the tea is a bit on the harsh side.

Why not support a local company?

Might Leaf out of San Rafael makes a very good English Breakfast. The cost for their loose leaf is not bad at all and it's organic:

http://www.mightyleaf.com/loose-teas_top-rated/organic-breakfast-loose-black-tea/

I also second Cicely's love of Harney & Sons' tea. I actually don't like their English Breakfast, but their Earl Grey Supreme and Black Currant are amazing.

http://www.harney.com/Earl-Grey-Supreme-Loose-tea-in-4-ounce-tin/productinfo/44002/
http://www.harney.com/Black-Currant-L...

Mo Joe Cafe in Berkeley has a KILLER bacon (I think they use pancetta) and brie sandwich. It's served with a well-done, but typical cafe salad. They serve great coffee and Mighty Leaf teas, too.

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Mo Joe Cafe
2517 Sacramento St, South Berkeley, CA 94703

Willie Bird (turkey producer in Santa Rosa) sells boneless smoked turkey breasts. I know they're free-range, but you'll have to check to see if they're organic. I got an organic turkey from them for Thanksgiving and it was great.

http://www.williebird.com/smoked_turk...

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Willie Bird Turkeys
5350 Sebastopol Rd, Santa Rosa, CA

Good question! I would suppose reliability?

The best instant yeast is made by SAF.

King Arthur Flour current has SAF instant yeast for $5.95 with free shipping:

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/i...

You can't go wrong with that!

I've purchased off-season rhubarb at the Nob Hill in Alameda. Perhaps other Nob Hills or Raleys also carry it?

If the word "amazing" is used, then I think Village Bakery's baguettes are ruled out. :(

I've been meaning to checkout Nightingale for nearly a year now. Might have to make that happen this weekend. It's just up the road.

I haven't seen any cider doughnuts at the Sebastopol farmers market.

Patisserie Angelica's almond and marzipan croissant, however...

I second Masse's.

They did an excellent job on our wedding cake and they always have some whole ones in their case. We had a chocolate raspberry cake covered in white chocolate.

My favorite stock cake there is the passionfruit, though. It's amazing. Go taste it!

I know you're looking for a restaurant, but humor me:

1 lb ground beef (or 1/2 beef 1/2 pork), 1/2 chopped onion, few slices bread chunks, salt, pepper, 1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce.

Mix. Ball. Bake at 425F until brown.

That's how the Swedes in Northern MN do it. Easy as pie. Or meatballs.

Otzaez in Alameda has great food, serves groups with ease, and has a private banquet room upstairs that sure to be free for a weekday lunch.

They also have a full bar.

The Giusto flour is excellent.

I purchase it in bulk bags at Andy's Produce in Sebastopol.

Their phone: 707-829-9040

I don't know offhand what their bulk rate is.

What you're looking for is Miller's Candy Emporium in downtown Sebastopol. They have barrels upon barrels of bulk candy. Even bulk M&M's.

http://www.millerscandy.com/

I don't know about wine, but Juan's Place in Berkeley has a different, but amazing fish taco that's grilled instead of fried. It's a big hunk of fish in a large crispy taco shell. The fish is nicely seasoned. It's all I can ever order there. Even Juan's Place detractors I've taken there like the fish tacos.

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Juan's Place
941 Carleton St, Berkeley, CA 94710

I had the exact same experience at Ole's. Their gravy is TASTELESS. I tried adding tons of pepper, but it just didn't work. Horrible.

The best chicken fried steak I've ever had was at the Black Bear Diner in Gilroy. They're a tiny CA chain with the closest locations in Walnut Creek and Rohnert Park. The Walnut Creek location is better.

Their coating is cruncy, spicy, and oh-so-perfect. The breakfast potatoes are charred, spicy, and contain the right mix of tiny veggies. The gravy is peppery. The biscuits are moist.

Just an all-around great breakfast and the best chicken fried steak I've ever had.

I've been twice.

1st: Sunday Brunch

Yes, it's a tad spendy at $17/each. However, you receive tea/coffee/icedtea, juice, bread, fruit, and an entree of choice. I had the eggs benedict and it was great. A wonderful start to the day out on their patio.

2nd: Dinner

I had their burger, which begs for comparison to the unbeatable Hopmonk burger. While not as good as the simiarly-priced (~$12) Hopmonk burger, it was still pretty good: 4/5 star burger I'd say. A guy at the next table ordered the half-rack of ribs and was enjoying them greatly, which made me regret getting the burger. I will certainly order the ribs next time. A large family a few tables away was sharing the giant pot of fondue and had nothing but compliment to the waitress about it.

Overall, the food there is good and I appreciate how they're trying to make great food both affordable and casual in an area with too many upscale restaurants.

I look forward to trying the BBQ night (August Wednesdays) this month.

Ah, Sam's Log Cabin.

Home of the $7 orange juice.

I actually have several favorites at Picante.

Their chicken mole burrito is really good. The sweetness comes from pineapple. My wife and I like to order a side of those delicious, but narrow chips and dip some of the goodness out.

They have perhaps the best pinto beans I've had. I think it's because of the lard. A sad trend in Berkeley is to make all the beans vegetarian, but they really are better with the lard.

But if you're vegetarian, they have a good take on the veggie burrito, Picadillo de Legumbre. I always prefer roasted veggies in the burrito instead just plain bean and cheese if I'm going the meatless route. Theirs are always quite tasty, though one time when we visited right before close (like 9:45, they close at 10) they were a bit mushy.

I've also always been impressed with their non-alcoholic drinks. Iced tea is (I think) hibiscus or some other fruit-laced blend that's refreshing. I've also enjoyed all the agua frescas I've had there, though they sometimes run out of a flavor or two during busy times.

They make their own corn tortillas fresh and I've never had a raw one.

One of the plusses to going during warmer days is the outside patio to the side with the fence and fountain. When I've stressed out, there's nothing like digging into a place of rice and beans while the fountain is going.

I have only two complaints about Picante:

1. It can often get very crowded during dinner time, with lines out the door. It's best to visit for lunch or a very late dinner.

2. While you can tell that they source quality ingredients, it does make them a bit more expensive than say Gordos.

My wife have been there many times (in fact, they were quite accommodating when we asked to have our rehearsal dinner there, making sure that we had a good menu and allowing us to take over the side patio for a couple hours). We intend to visit many more.

Berkeley Bagel is *the* place for bagels in the East Bay.

My favorites are the jalapeño cheese and the olive.

Plus there's just something about those bagel dogs...with the huge natural beef hotdogs inside...

I recommend the Cooks Illustrated high-roast chicken with potatoes.

http://www.recipezaar.com/23275

The brining makes it better, but it's still awesome w/o the brine.

Saint Benoît, folks, Saint Benoît.

http://www.stbenoit.com/

Best yogurt in the Bay Area. My French mother-in-law swears by it.

A bit pricey, though.

They're now called Berkeley Bagel.

Great bagels.

(and one of the best cafe mochas I've ever had, somehow...)

I second Acme.