3 Best Nightlife in Petaluma, Napa and Sonoma

Ramshackle Ernie's shares a corrugated tin building with a frozen-in-time roadside garage, with part of the bar actually in the garage. Mounted stag heads and a toothy wild boar watch over this rural-neighborhood hangout with a long, narrow bar, a patio outside, and Pliny the Elder and another 20 or so brews on tap. Signs everywhere ban cell phone use, though patrons and even staffers occasionally flout them.

A GM involved with over-the-top Las Vegas Tiki establishments and a chef with a mission to promote authentic Hawaiian cuisine teamed up on this hypertropical bar. Saturated colors out of the Day-Glo school of lighting illuminate a decor heavy on bamboo, rattan, and intricate wood carvings. The rum-leading lineup includes updated takes on Trader Vic's mai tai and Don the Beachcomber's Zombie, along with newer cocktails with equal verve. All play well with the Asian-influenced bar bites.

Sahar Gharai's downtown wine bar highlights boutique producers worldwide. You can sip by the glass or order a themed flight, perhaps of whites and reds from Italy or comparing Sauvignon Blancs from France, New Zealand, and Mendocino. The kitchen turns out small bites, pizzas, soups, sandwiches, and desserts.