Chef Lisa Boisset is obsessive about making nearly everything at her tiny Sebastopol bistro from scratch. Stocks and sauces, dressings and focaccia croutons — the longtime caterer and classically trained French chef can’t imagine doing it any other way.
At her recently opened Porch Kitchen, even the ketchup requires a multistep process: tomatoes are charred, then simmered with warm spices, apple cider vinegar and balsamic vinegar. That kind of condiment commitment outside a three-Michelin-star restaurant can feel a little precious, because, let’s be honest, most people are perfectly happy with Heinz.
I’m reconsidering.
Boisset’s ketchup turns her Parmesan- and parsley-topped pomme frites into a hand-slapping, finger-licking scramble for the last bite.
“I don’t want to serve it if I can’t make it from scratch,” Boisset said, putting a fine point on a philosophy that’s run through her career.
A graduate of Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and a veteran of several Michelin-starred restaurants, Boisset has spent much of her professional life cooking through her catering company, The Cook & The Drummer, which she started with her husband, Kevin, in 2011. She knows what works. And what doesn’t.
Back to the table
Restaurant life was one thing that stopped working when Boisset became a mother. The grueling nighttime hours led her to catering, allowing her to keep cooking professionally while spending more time with her family.
Fifteen years later, she found herself drawn back to the restaurant kitchen.
“I wasn’t planning this, and it was a bit courageous and daring, but I felt like Sebastopol needed a little bistro like this,” she said.
Boisset is once again cooking the traditional French food she loved as a young chef, drawing inspiration from “Larousse Gastronomique” and Auguste Escoffier. The approach is classical without being fussy, and it seems to be resonating with the neighborhood.
“I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel here. It’s just a humble brasserie,” she said. “Something a little different for Sebastopol, and from my heart.”
The spot
The Porch Kitchen sits a pommes frites throw from The Barlow, tucked beside Patisserie Angelica and behind the Rialto Cinemas. Neither spot is especially visible from the main drag, which has helped make them local favorites while leaving them easy for outsiders to miss.
The space, a former barbecue restaurant that most recently housed Goatlandia Kitchen, is decidedly not white-tablecloth – or tablecloth at all. The open-air porch has a roadhouse feel, while the patio’s simple, umbrella-shaded picnic tables are more Sonoma west county than Paris Left Bank.
Boisset and her husband run most of the show, with help from a small staff of servers and cooks. During the day, the restaurant primarily operates as a grab-and-go cafe, though table service is available. In the evenings, an intimate happy hour and dinner service have quickly gained traction through word of mouth.
Kevin, a jazz drummer by trade, doubles as the bistro’s sommelier and host. The wine list leans toward affordable bottles from his native France, along with selections from Sonoma Coast and Dry Creek Valley wineries.
The daytime menu focuses on craveable salads, sandwiches and grain bowls. At night, Boisset stretches her classical French muscles with bistro standards, including salade lyonnaise, ratatouille, roasted chicken and crème brûlée.
The food is simple and comforting, without pretense or ego. Like any good caterer, Boisset keeps the focus on the food and the guest rather than the work happening behind the scenes.
But that, in part, is what makes The Porch Kitchen worth seeking out – everything is made from scratch, including the ketchup.
Best bets
Melted Normandy Delight, $22: Boisset takes melted cheese to another level with Schloss, an earthy, washed-rind cheese from Marin French Cheese Company. Bathed in flambéed French cider and topped with warm-spiced apple compote and thyme chutney, it arrives molten and fragrant with crisp focaccia crackers on the side. Christmas on a plate, any time of year.
Pommes frites, $12: Yes, the fries are excellent — and one of the few things Boisset doesn’t make from scratch, because even she has limits. But the housemade ketchup and garlicky aioli turn them into a table brawl over the last few crumbs.
Brussels sprouts with candied pecans, $14: Even Brussels sprouts skeptics can get behind these tiny cruciferous nuggets, studded with bacon and candied pecans and drizzled with lemon aioli. I’ll die on that hill.
Salade Lyonnaise, $18: A classic for a reason. Fresh frisée gets a generous dousing of warm vinaigrette and plenty of bacon lardons. Salads don’t have to be good for you.
Orange, fennel and beet salad, $18: Wine Country seems determined to put a beet salad on every menu, but this version gets it right. Lightly pickled beets mingle with butter lettuce, fennel, pea shoots, crumbled goat cheese, flower petals and citrus in a tangy vinaigrette.
Airline chicken breast, $28: Tender breast and thigh come with crisp skin and rosemary-garlic jus reduced to a flavor-packed syrup. Herb-roasted potatoes and baby carrots round out the plate. It puts Ina Garten’s holy-grail roast chicken in a corner.
Ratatouille, $22: This iconic Provençal dish shows just how obsessive Boisset can be, with perfect coins of zucchini, eggplant and tomato arranged in concentric circles in a French ramekin. It’s almost too pretty to eat. An herb-infused red pepper sauce adds a bit of Wine Country flair that isn’t strictly French but works beautifully.
Pan-seared wild salmon, $36: The salmon is delightful, but the real showstopper is the combination of buttery potato mousseline and citrus beurre blanc. It’s butter-on-butter ridiculousness.
Crème brûlée, $14: No notes. Just yes.
Happy hour
Beef sliders, $12: Happy little dry-aged burgers topped with caramelized onion jam. Tiny but mighty two-biters.
Salmon cakes, $14: I’m over crab cakes and their outrageous prices. Made with fresh salmon trim, these are tastier and more satisfying, especially sitting in a puddle of creamy remoulade. Take that, tired old tartar sauce.
Mac and cheese, $9: Four cheeses devoured by four forks. Breadcrumbs and ramekin left spinning empty on the table.
Hibiscus mint tea, $5: My go-to refresher every time I’m there. I’m considering asking for a punch card next time.
The Porch Kitchen is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, with happy hour from 3-6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday. Reservations are highly recommended. 6811 Laguna Park Way, Sebastopol, 707-494-0996, theporchkitchen.com