Affronti Courtyard- Dining-Wine Bar is conceived as an oasis of casual dining only steps away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Healdsburg’s busy town square.From its lush dining courtyard to the Mediterranean “mix and match” small plates appeal of the locally sourced ingredients presented, Affronti will offer western Sonoma residents and visitors a sense of place of sophisticated comfort and goodwill.
Chef Owner Jude Affronti, backed by a team of accomplished Bay Area restaurant specialists, will focus on creating a wine country gathering spot that is amenable both to visitors and locals; offering small plates, inspired beverage choicesandunique community special events. This is a dining and entertainment combination heretofore not available at the affordable price point today’s price conscious consumer is increasingly seeking out- and one that our market research indicates will be well received by local tastemakers whose support is invaluable for long term success.
Nibble. Sip. Visit.
The menu will reflect both the passions of the chef and the area’s local foods bounty, while drawing on culinary traditions from around the world. The restaurant and wine bar will offer boutique wines by the glass, primarily from Northern California,in line with the restaurant’s eat and drink local focus - featuring select, well priced vintages from nearby counties and a handful of international “New World” selections not often seen;all selected to compliment specific flavor pairings.We will also feature local micro brew beers and a tea selection that will offer an afternoon respite, especially appealing to locals in the wintertime.
With staff meticulously trained in the fine points of hospitality, Affronti’s team will ensure that guests feel well taken care of - whether for a snack at the wine bar, a relaxing lunch on the patio, afternoon tea and pastries or a satisfying light dinner. With events including summertime BBQ cookouts, courtyard movie night, weekend high tea and Sunday jazz brunch, Affronti intends to be both a dining venue with a national reputation and a place that locals can call their own.
Ambiance
We want Affronti Courtyard-Dining-Wine Bar to be one of the top ten destination spots in Healdsburg and a design-driven business concept is the formula to achieve this.
Design is built-in to every part of our concept - it is the choreography.We believe one drives growth through the quality of the overall experience. People actually care more about design than they realize and we’ll provide that every step of the way.
Our focus:Good Service, Exceptional Food, Wine, Art, Jazz, Fun and all things Healdsburg.
We’ll be the secret little find you’ll come to Healdsburg for time and again.Slightly off the main square, under and through the archway, down the curiously long corridor, you can already see the sky and the greenery of the courtyard as you approach.You quickly realize it is everything you were told it would be and more.
A chic lush courtyard rests between the wine bar bistro and the art gallery.A gorgeous sculptural art piece is displayed to take advantage of the line of sight when you enter through the peep-hole entry, flanked by trees.The space has a classic wine country casual feel with a decided modern edge.Comfortable clean-lined outdoor lounge and seating, umbrellas, and the soothing sounds from an organic water feature set the stage.Large windows allow the eyes to flow from the distinguished art pieces in the gallery to the hip low-seated lounge area in the wine bar bistro with it’s sleek “bio-green” linear fireplace that is easily viewed from the patio.At night the spaces feel magical with clear string lights overhead, the soft breeze of the trees, the warm glow of low lighting, the fireplace and candlelight on each table.You’ll never want to leave. One evening you can enjoy the deep melodic sounds of jazz in the air, the next a neighbor-friendly alfresco movie night.
Inside, the space has an uncomplicated sensibility.It’s a clean, comfortable, organic in feel.Great lighting too.Floor to ceiling wine cases flank each side of a long soft banquette on the left side of the room; the bar and small tables surround the middle; and, to the right is more seating and the chic lounge area surrounding the fireplace.
In partnership with the gallery, Affronti Courtyard- Dining-Wine Bar will display artwork from talented local artists throughout the space.
Every element in the space is chosen with the customer’s ultimate experience in mind, from the moment they arrive until the moment they leave.
Playful, Relaxed, Simple, Memorable - good design feels wonderfully effortless and that is the experience we want to share with those who discover us.This is a cool hip space made for an easy afternoon or evening with family, friends and colleagues.
235 Healdsburg Avenue - Healdsburg, CA 95448
Off the corner of Matheson, a half block from the town plaza Follow the hallway next to the La Crema Tasting room
Parking Lots across the street and around the corner off Matheson
Continuous Service
Sunday 11:30am-9:00pm
Monday 11:30am to 9:30pm
Closed Tuesdays except for Private Parties
Wednesday 11:30am to 9:30pm
Thursday 11:30am to 9:30 pm
Friday 11:30am to 10:30pm
Saturday 11:30am to 10:30pm
“Social Hour Specials ” 4pm-6:30pm in the Bar
$7 all wine cocktails
ABC’s exclusive coverage of The Finals Game 7 — Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Lakers — delivered an 18.2 overnight rating, the highest-rated NBA game since 1998 (Bulls/Jazz). The overnight rating for last night’s Game 7 marks the highest-rated NBA Finals game ever on ABC (surpassing Lakers/Pistons, Game 5, in 2005 — 15.5 overnight rating; ABC overnight records go back to 2003).
Last night’s Game 7 overnight rating was up 32 percent compared to the last Game 7 in 2005 (Pistons/Spurs — 13.8 overnight rating).
The Finals led ABC to win the night in prime time for all seven nights of the series. Thursday’s Game 7 broadcast was the highest-rated show of the night for all of television, as was the case for the previous six games. The game peaked with a 23.7 rating from 11:45 p.m. to midnight ET.
In Los Angeles, Game 7 delivered a 39.7 metered market rating to become ABC’s highest-rated NBA game ever in the market. Boston’s 33.9 rating is ABC’s second highest-rated game locally, trailing only the Celtics’ championship-clinching victory in 2008 (Game 6).
Through six games of national ratings, The Finals on ABC have averaged 16,434,000 viewers and a 9.7 rating, the highest six-game averages since 2004 (Pistons/Lakers).
Lenny Kravitz and Sean “Diddy” Combs will guest star on an upcoming episode of the HBO Comedy “Entourage.”
Kravitz and Diddy are set to play themselves in the episode. “Turtle [Jerry Ferrara] is starting a business, and he’s trying to get them to invest in it,” says the shows creator Doug Ellin. “He’s going to a lot of people about this investment.”
A new group of entertainment professionals in motion pictures, television, live theater, and recording have been selected to receive stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, it was announced today by the Walk of Fame Committee of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Oprah Winfrey, Will i. A and Bebe and Cece Winans are among the individuals scheduled to be honored with a star on Hollywood Blvd. These individuals were chosen from among hundreds of nominations to the committee at a meeting held on June 14, 2010 and ratified by the Chamber’s Board of Directors.
The Walk of Fame recipients for the year 2011 are:
MOTION PICTURES: Penelope Cruz, Bruce Dern, Laura Dern, Diane Ladd, Ed Harris, The Muppets, Kenny Ortega, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ridley Scott, Sissy Spacek, Donald Sutherland and Reese Witherspoon.
TELEVISION: Danny DeVito, Tina Fey, Simon Fuller, Neil Patrick Harris, John Langley, Ed O’Neill, John Wells, and Oprah Winfrey.
RECORDING: Melissa Etheridge, Los Tigres Del Norte, Rascal Flatts, Go-Go’s, Slash, Will i. Am, and Bebe & Cece Winans.
Posthumous: Buddy Holly and Louis Prima
LIVE PERFORMANCE/THEATRE: Joe Mantegna
“It was not an easy job to winnow down the extra large number of nominations this year to reach these 30 names,” said John Pavlik, chair of the Hollywood Walk of Fame Committee, “and many deserving names were left for future consideration. But the placement of stars for these famous celebrities will give fans and tourists some fun and exciting close encounters next year, such as a rare family dedication, when three stars will be placed during the same ceremony for actors Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd and their daughter Laura Dern. Next year will be another exhilarating year on Hollywood Boulevard.”
Dates have not been scheduled for these stars. Recipients have five years to schedule cermonies from date of selection or they expire.
The business mogul recently gave her O magazine employees $10,000 each and an Apple iPad.
“As a thank you for their hard work and dedication, Oprah Winfrey surprised the staff of O, The Oprah Magazine with an Apple iPad and a check for $10,000, to commemorate the magazine’s 10th anniversary,” a magazine spokeswoman said.
The bonus was given as a gift to celebrate the magazines 10 year anniversary.
In other Oprah news, the mogul’s Harpo Production is developing a show for Jenny McCarthy.
Alice Tan Ridley, New York subway singer and mother to Academy Award® nominated actress Gabourey Sidibe (“Precious”), moves forward in the audition process of “America’s Got Talent.”
On Tuesday the singer impressed judges with her rendition of the Etta James’ classic “At Last.”
“America’s Got Talent” judge Sharon Osbourne calls the performance “unbelievable” and then goes on to ask “Millions of people must have gone back and forth on that subway over 20 years, how come nobody signed you?”
The singer will next show the judges that she got talent in Las Vegas for the next round.
A few weeks before “Karate Kid” hit the big screen FX acquired the rights to the early summer hit. The network will pay the standard 12% of the total domestic box office.
When FX obtained the rights “Karate Kid” was expected to make about $25 million in its opening weekend, as of Tuesday the kung-fu like film has made $67.7 million and is expected to peak as high as $200 million. This means the network could be paying as much as $24 million for the film.
In addition to “Karate Kid,” FX has also picked up the recent releases “A-Team,” “Date Night,” and “Tooth Fairy,” which is part of their strategy to grab the rights of high-profile movie releases. In 2008 and 2009, the network bought 11 out of the top 20 box office hits.
“It is safe to say that we are the dominant basic cable network in acquired theatrical films,” said an FX spokesperson.
FX has also snabbed the rights to “Iron Man 2,” “Shrek Forever After,” “How To Train Your Dragon,” and the upcoming “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.”
Actress Rosie Perez (Fearless, Do the Right Thing, Pineapple Express), Benito Martinez (The Shield, Saving Grace), Chad Michael Murray (One Tree Hill), Christoph Sanders (Ghost Whisperer), Martha Higareda (Street Kings) and Yul Vasquez (The A-Team) are set to star in the Lifetime Movie Network Original Movie “Lies in Plain Sight.” The film, which starts production this month in Los Angeles, is scheduled to premiere in the fall on Lifetime Movie Network, Lifetime’s sister network.
“Lies in Plain Sight” tells the story of Ava and her blind cousin Sofia (Higareda), who were inseparable as children, with Ava the loyal companion who helped Sofia through her tough adolescent years. When Ava suddenly commits suicide, Sofia rushes home to her father Hector (Martinez) and Ava’s parents Marisol (Perez) and Rafael (Vasquez) to find answers. But as she delves into Ava’s life, questioning her past boyfriends Ethan (Murray) and Christian (Sanders), the more Sofia realizes that their childhood was actually filled with dark disturbing secrets.
“Lies in Plain Sight” will be produced by The Konigsberg Company and Fish/Corb Films S.L. for Lifetime Movie Network. Frank Konigsberg, Yan Fisher-Romanovsky and Roger Corbi executive produce. Patricia Cardoso directs the script by Teena Booth. The original movie is based on the acclaimed Israeli feature film Out of Sight.
“Karate Kid” hasn’t even been in theatres for a week yet, and Sony Pictures is already meeting with writers to pitch their ideas for the film’s second installment.
The film, starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan grossed $56 million in its opening weekend, surpassing the films $40 million budget.
Harold Zwart, director of the “Karate Kid” remake, tells MTV that he wants the film to have a new story rather than to follow the storyline of the original “The Karate Kid” sequels.
“I personally think it’s now so much on its own two feet, given the success, that it would be interesting to see where we could take it without ever thinking about the old ones,” says Zwart.
LA.COM 
