Posted By: JR (12/08/2008 2:56:15 PM)
Comment: DTA, thats great, you are now part of the cool kids club, But "he so called "pissed off" locals in Sebastopol that everyone is talking about are for the most part, in my opinion, a bunch of sloppy bonghitters who drench themselves in cheap patchouli oil and go about hating anyone with an opinion different from their own. Like the one person in this blog aptly noted, west county denizens are the type who won't be satisfied until they're eating out of a community trough on the floor." Are you kidding me, that why you are looking on Craigslist for a job. who do you think you are!!! To cool for Sebastopol! Buddy let me give you the U-haul number.

Posted By: Jay (12/08/2008 6:47:21 AM)
Comment: DTA, Congradulations, you have won the "Top Asshat" of the year award. No suprise the place went under with employees like you. I feel sorry for the next place your bitter butt lands in.

Posted By: DTA (12/08/2008 12:29:59 AM)
Comment: When I first came on board as a day bartender and server with West County Grill two months ago, I was admittedly dubious; I was aware of the reputation they had garnered in their first year -- deserved or not -- but soon I found myself very proud to be part of the "team," and now I can truthfully say that WCG was, hands down, the best restaurant I have ever worked in. Besides the fact that it was only six minutes away from my house (including walking time from the parking lot), I was delighted to discover that (1) the executive chef, Darren, was a talented and on-the-ball kind of guy with a remarkably cool and pleasant demeanor... such a far cry from the abusive jackasses I've had the displeasure of knowing in my time; that (2) the night bartenders weren't the typical psychotic trolls who derive perverse satisfaction from being rude and impatient with the hard working daytime guy, but were in fact the coolest people I've come to know in a while. That goes for everyone, really. The staff at WCG were tops. Everyone involved in the day-to-day operations of the place truly cared about doing a great job, and for good reason... the restaurant was slowly but surely emerging from the ashes of a bad rap; it was making a come back, pure and simple. But in my opinion, the "powers that be" had given up on the restaurant months ago, when it was clear that their initial vision for the place wasn't going to happen, that it had, indeed, pretty much backfired on them. I was not privvy to the finances, of course, but intuition tells me that a focused, creative marketing strategy could have really benefited West County Grill and perhaps given it a competitive edge with such admittedly top-notch restaurants as K&L Bistro and Underwood. The so called "pissed off" locals in Sebastopol that everyone is talking about are for the most part, in my opinion, a bunch of sloppy bonghitters who drench themselves in cheap patchouli oil and go about hating anyone with an opinion different from their own. Like the one person in this blog aptly noted, west county denizens are the type who won't be satisfied until they're eating out of a community trough on the floor.

Posted By: DREW (11/08/2008 10:00:15 PM)
Comment: I just wanted to say that a former employee of WCG that Darren, John. Heather, Spencer, and Jeff and all the other people that kept the place going did all that they could do. We all worked very hard to make the place as enjoyable as we could for all of Sonoma county to enjoy, not just "sebastopolians" or whatever this unfortunate subculture of yuppies, snobs, haters, and "do gooders" feel they need to say. Unfortunately restaurants sometimes just don't work out for no other reason than lack of support from a community thats too busy hating new ideas from people with any kind of recognition. I wish them all the best in their next endeavors.

Posted By: james (09/08/2008 12:42:04 AM)
Comment: buh-bye!!! won't miss you, WCG.

Posted By: Mike (08/08/2008 7:58:34 AM)
Comment: I'm sorry, but it did piss off a lot of locals, including me and many of my friends, mostly because of the incredibly rude service. All they had to live up to was Lucy's and they would have kept a great clientele. I tried eating there on 4 separate occasions, and besides the food being mediocre, the service was unfriendly and distant at best. They had a complete misunderstanding of Sebastopol culture, and if they were trying to become a destination like Cyrus, or K&L, they failed miserably. We eat at K&L regularly, and we've never been treated like we were at West County Grill. Good riddance.

Posted By: Pammel (07/08/2008 2:19:25 PM)
Comment: As an owner of a Sonoma County restaurant, I read with great interest the various comments regarding the alleged support for West County Grill in Sebastopol prior to its recent closure. I have read Heather's blog and while maybe not popular with WCG's fans, I think it was supportive and truthful. I have eaten at WCG on quite a few different occasions, always at the counter and received very comfortable service after walking in without a prior reservation on every single occasion I have been there. I have felt ever since a few months post opening that the WCG was headed for an early demise based upon the regularly empty dining room. Always people at the bar but not enough in dining room to sustain it long term for whatever reason; quality of food, service, pricing, menu options, etc. So as a owner, I can say the sentiments are nice but the bottom line is that if your fans are not there regularly (meaning multiple times a month), you are probably not going to make it unless you are a destination like Cyrus or French Laundry. So if you want to see your favorite restaurants stay in business go there as often as you can.

Posted By: Valerie (07/08/2008 11:52:32 AM)
Comment: My husband and I are so bummed! We always got GREAT service and even better food. Sebastopolians aren't going to be happy until a restaurant has everyone sitting around on the floor eating out of one pot.

Posted By: burned repeatedly at WCG (07/08/2008 7:38:49 AM)
Comment: kids, you're not fooling anyone: it's a bit late for employees and friends of WCG to start seeding the boards with false reviews and finger-pointing. all of heather's posts were supportive to a fault of WCG (did you people actually read them?!?), but legions of diner experiences said otherwise. i'm always sad to see people lose jobs, but am not really sorry to see WCG go. i'm a local who wanted nothing more than that place to be awesome, and it let me down over and over again. like so many others, i gave up on dinner altogether in favor of the bar--at least the cocktails were good.

Posted By: Jesse (07/08/2008 12:04:58 AM)
Comment: If I may comment on a comment... "Rosso West?" GOD FORBID. It's a big enough shame we have the culinary abomination that is Rosso "East." Oily salads? Check. Burned pizzas? Call is rustic all you want... it's burned. Check. Bad service? Check. Inexplicable lines? Sadly, check.

Posted By: kjackson (06/08/2008 9:21:23 PM)
Comment: I'm stunned by Heather's scathing and inaccurate opinion of West County Grille. I took out of town visitors there and was delighted by the gourmet food and the friendly dedicated staff. My son, a gourmet chef in San Francisco, couldn't stop raving about it. I find it outrageous that this place received even close to a negative review!!! Get real!! I would have loved to return there again and again and am sad to learn it closed.

Posted By: JT5 (06/08/2008 9:09:25 PM)
Comment: All the heather bashing aside (its really not her fault the restaurant closed), i think it's a little over board to say the restaurant pissed off a lot of locals. first off, that much emotion shouldn't even go into a restaurant you don't work at, unless maybe your husbands sleeping with one of the waitresses; if you don't like it, don't go, and then it won't affect you anymore. Seems logical, but obviously by some of these posts, not everyone gets that simple concept. on another note, just want to say i'm sorry about all the staff who are now unemployed; keep us updated on where all the chefs go next!!

Posted By: Michelle (06/08/2008 8:06:44 PM)
Comment: When I'm done ROFLMAO regardign Wojamo's comment..."get off your huffy bike" Then and only then can I say something productive :o) Very Cool!!

Posted By: westco girl (06/08/2008 4:18:39 PM)
Comment: As a regular, I for one am sorry to see the place go. The happy hour at the bar was always a warm and welcoming place. Spencer and Jeff will be missed! It was one of those places where you could always have a good drink, a bite to eat, chat with the bartenders, and meet friends. Good luck to the staff and hope to see you around town.

Posted By: JT (06/08/2008 2:19:27 PM)
Comment: HOORAY!!! Im glad the pretentious over priced, poor food and TERRIBLE service joint is out of business. Sorry excuse for a restaurant.....in my opinion...Id rather eat prime rib across the street at Jaspers then spend another penny at WCG

Posted By: Renie (06/08/2008 1:12:19 PM)
Comment: Excuse me - but I believe those of you who are accusing Heather of hurting WCG haven't read her reviews. Rather than being negative, she's been very supportive - honest, yes - but very supportive. It's due to Heather, in fact that my pal and I went for the first time. And - if you really read this column, you'll see that it's not Heather saying negative things about the establishment or its staff but her READERS simply reporting out on their disappointing experiences. As to the human side of the closing - sorry to hear about more folks on the unemployment line but hey - check it out - the help wanted websites are full of openings in the industry and why torture good people when a business (for whatever reason) just cannot get its act together? Better for staff to move on with their reputation in tact - and I wish them all The Best...

Posted By: Wojamo (06/08/2008 11:41:23 AM)
Comment: Wow! Some folks seem to be under the impression that Heather has some serious power to be able to single-handedly bring a restaurant down! Use the power wisely- young Skywalker. Would you all prefer that she not write honest reviews? Wow. Get off your huffy bike, people. Funny about that suggestion for a "Rosso West". A friend of mine said that same thing the other day. It would be great! Talk the Rosso folks into it, Heather. Use your Jedi mind trick on them!

Posted By: gina (06/08/2008 11:37:54 AM)
Comment: Regarding snide comments about "late night posters"...has anyone noticed the time posted always comes up a few hrs later than when the comment was actually posted? I just noticed this morning at 11:42 AM, a comment posted as 1:42 PM. FYI, for those who are making nasty remarks about times people are posting.

Posted By: reed (06/08/2008 10:42:06 AM)
Comment: MY, MY, MY-.what is going on here? A BLOGGER hunt? By the looks of the replies, someone was giving away drinks at the "I HATE BITE CLUB" posting party last night. Maybe that is why the doors at WCG are closed - giving away too many drinks. I know I have had more than my share of 2 for 1 (or 4 for 1) cocktails there. I've had fun at that bar, but to get so personal towards Heather Irwin is way out of line. Blaming a blogger on the demise of a restaurant is preposterous. I think all of you late night posters should look in the mirror and blame your holier-than-thou attitude rather than the locals and Ms. Irwin. But I'm sure all of WCG's final employees need a Blood Mary after last night and are looking a little rough around the edges anyway. Kind of the way the service at WCG always looked.

Response: Thing is, I'm not quite sure the late-night posters actually read the article(s) or the earlier comments. I'm merely the messenger, peeps.

Posted By: WC Local (06/08/2008 10:32:28 AM)
Comment: Heather take the neg comments with a large grain of sea salt. My thoughts...tried West County Grill twice. First time - food was good, service was not so. Second time - just plain bad and expensive which is a terrible combination for a restaurant. Truth is I miss Lucy's. Carl poured a beautiful cocktail while the owners brought you a warm meal that didn't break the bank. Put a bug in Kevin and John's ear at Rosso - great site for Rosso West.

Posted By: eat_gator (06/08/2008 9:37:23 AM)
Comment: Darren and John, I wish yall all the luck. I hope the restaurant gods are better to the both of you next time.

Posted By: jeff (06/08/2008 8:00:44 AM)
Comment: Why is everybody being so hard on Heather? She has merely commented on what what we all saw coming. Sonoma county is home to many many great small restaurants. Big restaurants, even in a city like Sebastopol, can't make it. Some are kept on life support by owners deep pockets. West County Grill is actually bigger than Barbuto, Waxman's restaurant in New York City... Anybody else see a problem here??

Posted By: Jay (06/08/2008 6:57:40 AM)
Comment: Heather, you got it spot on ! I am a local, and service there sucked, plain and simple. Seems the majority of the posters below need to get some sleep at the hours their posting.. bitter employees, maybe if they did their job better, the place would not have closed.

Posted By: Local diner (06/08/2008 1:21:44 AM)
Comment: Heather, here you go again spinning off some gossip here, there, everywhere. Just because you heard it through your reliable sources really doesn't mean much. Similar to your tunnel vision reviews of totally YUPPY, GUPPY institutions of boring old food that's been done over and over again from the 1970's, 80's, and 90's. Your review shows the lack of a true reporter's/critic's expertise in dealing with truly good reliable eating estabishments only to compare them to the over priced, over glammed, over done rididulous eateries. What cuisine experiences do you have in the hospitality industry other than your certificate really qualifies you to critique?

Posted By: W (06/08/2008 12:40:15 AM)
Comment: i agree with everyone else. Don't assume you speak for the public Ms. Irwin. Get over yourself.

Posted By: cmg (05/08/2008 11:21:56 PM)
Comment: It's unfortunate that you have such a low opinion of such a great place. The staff at WEST COUNTY, by the way, not WEST COUNTRY, went out of their way to make every customer feel comfortable and important. My heart hurts for those who lost friends there, but it hurts more for those who lost their jobs. I'm really going to miss it.

Posted By: "upset local" (05/08/2008 10:48:41 PM)
Comment: I'm curious to know, how you can make a blanket statement that we-- the locals-- were pissed off by West County Grill. Pissed off at what-- that they used nothing but local, organic, sustainable food and produce that suppored our community, rather than outsource from another country?? Like many regular patrons, I have enjoyed many meals and times there with family who have come in from out of town, and have always been treated warmly by staff. In case you haven't noticed, times are tough for ALL restaurants these days-- people aren't eating out as much as they used to. I just heard on Food Network that one out of four restaurants will not make it, just because of today's economy. You've done nothing but trash West County in your column, and I'm sorry, but that is YOUR opinion-- not everyone else's. So speak for yourself, and don't presume to represent us-- the locals, by saying "we are pissed." I know for a fact, there are many regulars who are absolutely devastated to lose West County Grill.

Posted By: "pissed off local" (05/08/2008 10:30:53 PM)
Comment: Yeah I am a pissed off local...but only because my favorite restaurant/bar just closed. You should bite your tongue lady, its people like you that give sebastapol a bad name. Do your homework, the staff was our like an extended family to a lot of us. Thanks for making light of their unemployement...make you feel better?

Posted By: SES (05/08/2008 9:19:30 PM)
Comment: I have worked as a manager at West County Since we have opened. I have seen just about every mistake we have made in our sixteen months and to everyone who had a bad experience at the west county I would like to say I am sorry. For all the problems with the restaurant, the one we did not make was a lack of trying. I have worked side by side with some of the most dedicated industry people I have ever known. We have given everything we have and caused a huge strain on our families and personal life. In the end we fell under the large expectations brought on by people who were really never apart of the restaurant that we called our own. Thank you to everyone who made me and my co-workers so loved. Farewell West County? I'm sad to say yes. Farewell Heather Irwin's of the world? I'm not.

Posted By: rhl (05/08/2008 6:57:36 PM)
Comment: I find it upsetting that your blog has such an insensitive tone to it. Many fine people lost their jobs when that place closed. This is not a time to belittle unemployment. To top it off Sebastopol lost a gem of a restaurant and you are more worried about a fake celeb chef. Shame on you! I for one am very sorry to see West County go,I had nothing but great meals and good times there. The staff was always friendly and professional, the food was top notch and made with care and the bartender made great cocktails! Maybe if you had gonr there more then once you would know that.

Posted By: Crow Magnum (05/08/2008 5:56:14 PM)
Comment: We ate there several times and really enjoyed the food and service. The vibe was miles above local dumps like the so called "French Garden" and Peter Lowell's. Sad to see them go.

Posted By: Valerie (05/08/2008 4:14:15 PM)
Comment: What a disappointment. We were regulars because of Spencer. We ate at the bar and he always provided top notch service. The food was simple but fresh and always well done. Sad to see this place go.

Posted By: HK (05/08/2008 3:12:10 PM)
Comment: We here at West County Grill would like to extend a very heartfelt thank you to all of our loyal patrons. It's always sad to say goodbye. Even more so, we love our employees, and thank them for all of their hard work, devotion, and support. We would like to thank Bite Club for their continuing support and kind words of encouragement to all of us here who have worked so hard to dispel the negativity.