Taste of Petaluma: Eating + shopping = love. Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015 is the annual dining stroll through downtown Petaluma.
Local shops pair up with more than 60 of Petaluma’s finest chefs, food purveyors, wineries and breweries for a concentrated taste of what’s great in Petaluma. Best bets to check out: Bistro 100 (140 Second St.), Wishbone (at the Phoenix Theater), Sauced BBQ (151 Petaluma Blvd. South), Seared (170 Petaluma Blvd North).
More details at tasteofpetaluma.org.
Don’t try to get a table anytime soon at Aaron London’s SF restaurant AL’s Place. The Graton native’s Mission eatery was named the best new restaurant in the country by Bon Appetit magazine on August 19, and reservations for the next eight weeks? Booked. The phone? Busy. And no doubt lines of eager hopefuls will snake around the blocks for weeks.
(London on Istagram celebrating the win for Bon Appetit Best New Restaurant 2015)
https://instagram.com/p/6jJk-Ml7PJ/?taken-by=alsplacesf
Earlier this year, London opened his namesake San Francisco restaurant, AL’s Place, with a focus on regional produce and seafood (other meat dishes are categorized as “Side dishes”. With even more attention being focused on plant-powered eating these days, it’s not a huge surprise that London’s quirky vision and omnivorous POV got some serious attention despite competing with hundreds of restaurants both nationally and from around the Bay Area —called “The Best Food City in the Country” by Bon Appetit.
Knowlton uses words to describe dishes like the 96-hour brined fries as “Genius!” and “Bonkers!”, adding “What deal with the culinary devil had chef Aaron London made in exchange for being able to produce such off-the-charts, flavor-rich creations? How was it coming from just three cooks working in a kitchen the size of a walk-in closet?” (Here’s a link to the menu).
London got his big break at Napa’s Michelin-starred vegetarian restaurant, Ubuntu, where he took over the kitchen following Jeremy Fox’s unexpected departure in 2010. London was named a Rising Star Chef in 2011.
Hailing from Sonoma County, London turned to cooking after a “run-in with the law” resulting in house arrest when he was 14, according to who tapped the 32-year-old London for the honor. (London has been mum on exactly what happened, but rumor has it his parole officers were fed well by the young chef.)
His early restaurant career, however, was less impressive. “Eventually, he started cooking at Mixx, a since-closed bistro in Santa Rosa where, in his own words, he “showed creativity but lacked discipline.” During one rough night on the line, the chef gave him some advice: “Stop sucking so much.”,’ said the Bon Appetit article.
So congrats to our local boy done good. Just don’t forget your friends in the North Bay…maybe you could save us a couple seats?
Long story short: Heritage Public House Brewery and Gastropub has great pub grub—now.
But the story behind the story? It wasn’t always that way.
In April veteran chef Josh Silvers took over the kitchen of the Santa Rosa bro-pub which had great beer, but somewhat lackluster dining. With 24 taps and their own recently-launched brewery, Bloodline Brewing, food wasn’t really the point.
That’s changed.
Despite some early fumbles taking over the 3-year-old pub’s management, kitchen and interior, Silvers has found his groove. With newly-trained staff, in addition to a focus on the up-and-coming Bloodline beers made onsite, Heritage Public House (1901 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa, heritagepublichousesr.com) is worth a second look. Here’s why…
Smoked Rocky chicken with bacon braised greens and maple sweet potato smash ($17.95): Silvers isn’t a subtle when it comes to big flavors. While you may think “fall” for this dish, the smoked chicken is juicy and smoky and perched atop a pile of ‘taters that should come with a warning: Butter overload. They’re nutso good, any time of the year.
Pig Ears, For Real ($9): Pig ears done wrong aren’t fun. But done right? Heaven. “It’s just a carrier for salt and fat,” Silvers said of the thinly cut strips of toothsome pig ear that come with lime aioli for dipping. Crispy, and perfect with a hoppy beer.
Burrata & Panzanella with heirloom tomatoes ($12.95): Summer perfection on a plate means a creamy ball of fresh mozzarella, crunchy bread and ripe summer tomatoes fresh off the vine.
Open faced slow smoked brisket with crispy onion straws on Texas Toast ($14.95): We were heartbroken on an earlier visit when this screaming marquee of awesomeness failed to live up to the hype. This triple-threat sandwich is finally ready for its close-up, with melty sweet brisket, crispy onion straws piled on top, and thick, buttery Texas Toast as the base. Potato and cole slaw are picnic perfect.
Bone Marrow ($12.95): A newcomer to the menu under the “Odd Things” category, beef bones are roasted, split, and served with slices of toast and salt. An acquired taste, perhaps, but when you know, you know.
Malt ice cream with peanuts and caramel ($7): Sweet malt (part of the brewing process) mixed with ice cream, caramel and peanuts. Think sundae with a beery twist.
“Puffed Rice” Mac and Cheese ($7.95): Another initial miss, now a hit. Buttery Rice Krispies are given a quick toast atop Josh’s killer mac and cheese. The man knows mac and cheese, and everybody know it.
Pork belly with lentils ($13.95): Pork is Josh’s oeuvre, transcending trends. So when he does pork belly, he does pork belly. Paired with black lentils you can almost believe you’re eating healthy.
Brewer’s Yeast Fries ($7): No. Frozen. Fries. Ever. You won’t find bags or boxes of frozen fries in any of Josh’s kitchens. He’s a bit of a nut about fresh Kennebec fries. That can mean some fluctuation in quality, by its very nature, but ours were crisp enough to stand up to the bowl of aioli we pretty much decimated.
The beer: Nice-price sippers like the California Livin’ Kolsch ($5), Beach weather saison (15oz $4) and Hay-Fuh Hefeweizen ($6) are perfect for the patio.
A mea culpa (priceless): It’s a rare chef who will admit a stumble, big or small. But ultimately it’s his neck on the line, and Josh doesn’t mince words when it comes to the close shave he got in taking over an existing kitchen and staff. Now, the bugs are worked out, and the food is worth another look. I’ll put my neck out on that one.
Heritage Public House Brewery and Gastropub: Open daily from 11:30a.m., 1901 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa, heritagepublichousesr.com.
Brassy mariachi music and vibrant piñatas, big tubs of guacamole and salsa, carne asada marinating in citrus juice and chicken smoking on the grill. Sound like a Sunday afternoon fiesta?
Actually, it’s the everyday shopping experience at Mexican markets all over the region, from traditional neighborhood tiendas including El Brinquito Market & Meat in Sonoma to large Latino supermarkets such as Rancho Mendoza in Santa Rosa. They offer a wide range of products, from marinated beef and chicken to more specialized items such as dried chiles, tres leches cakes and frozen, tropical fruits from Central America.
At Castañeda’s Marketplace in Windsor, shoppers are greeted by colorful, hand-painted murals alongside mounds of fresh produce and unusual herbs including fresh epazote and yerba santa (also known as mountain balm and sacred weed).
Once a shopping destination largely for Latinos, local Mexican markets now appeal to a wide range of cooks seeking exotic ingredients to spice up their dishes.
“What we have is a lot of ethnic stuff that’s hard to find,” owner Jose Castañeda said. “We also have the 20-pound bags of flour and 50-pound bags of cranberry beans. In the bulk section, we have maize for posole, beans and rice.”
In the La Cocina taqueria at the rear of the market, Castañeda serves paella dinners at 5 and 7 p.m. every Saturday, which include tapas, salad, sangria and dessert. The former high-tech salesman also serves a free breakfast for veterans on Saturdays.
The restaurant, which has long, wooden tables, also serves traditional Mexican items and some hybrid dishes that blend different foods from Mexico with those from around the world. The “chiladillas,” for example, combine the body of a quesadilla with the sauce of an enchilada.
Although he is a native of Michoacan, Castañeda is a big fan of Oaxacan food and tries to get as many ingredients as he can from that mountainous region south of Mexico City.
“It is so diverse and the food is unlike the rest of Mexico,” he said. “It’s a huge surprise.”
To help people learn how to use unusual Latino ingredients, Castañeda has started giving cooking classes at the marketplace, showcasing everything from the different kinds of dried chiles to unusual cuts of meat, such as pork feet.
“Toward the end of September I start the holiday cooking series, where we focus on tamales and the holiday foods,” he said. “On our Facebook page, there are how-to videos, and that seems to help people, too.”
“I probably shop here twice a week,” said Shari Quick of Santa Rosa, while perusing the overflowing produce aisle at Lola’s Market on Santa Rosa’s Petaluma Hill Road. “Even if I don’t speak Spanish, they are always able to help me, and they are very friendly. It’s a good alternative to Safeway.”
Meanwhile, Lea Barron-Thomas was picking up lunch at the prepared foods counter at Lola’s, which included cooked beans, chiles rellenos, chicken mole, salsa and tortillas.
“If I could pick one food to eat every day, it would be tacos,” the Santa Rosan said. “If you put something in a taco with salsa, it’s delicious.”
Because it’s so close, chef Liza Hinman of The Spinster Sisters in Santa Rosa often shops at Lola’s for the restaurant kitchen’s needs, but when she’s cooking for her family, the Healdsburg resident stops by the Lola’s store on Healdsburg Avenue, Panaderia Costa Chica across the street or Casa del Mole just north of the Plaza.
“My husband and I both love to cook,” she said. “I like to make a red posole with the dried chiles, and he likes to do a braised pork stew with the chiles.”
The unusual items on Hinman’s shopping list include dried hibiscus to make agua fresca fruit drinks for parties, sour limes for cocktails and fresh garbanzo beans in the shell.
“You can roast the garbanzos in the shell, and they kind of steam,” she said. “We pass them with lime zest and sea salt. It’s like Mexican edamame.”
Most of the Hispanic markets also house a taqueria, where hungry folks can sit down for ceviche or pick up a rotisserie chicken with rice, beans and tortillas to go.
Sonoma resident Bryan Jones, chef at St. Francis Winery in Santa Rosa, likes to stop at El Brinquito Market & Meat in Sonoma, where the intoxicating aroma of grilled chicken wafts across Highway 12 on weekends.
“Inside, there is a large meat counter that sells Mexican-style cuts of meats,” he said. “They make their own chorizo and morcilla (Spanish blood sausage), which is amazing … and there’s a taqueria in back. But you go there on weekends for the famous grilled chickens.”
(Check out Farm to Fermentation Festival founder Jennifer Harris in this awesome show, Spoiled To Perfection. They’ll be at the event.)
Farm to Fermentation Festival 2015 : Bigger and badder (meaning gooder) than ever, this celebration of all that ferments happens Aug. 22 at the Finley Center in Santa Rosa.
Taste and learn about homemade miso, turmeric fermentation, beet kvass, cheese, chocolate (now we’ve really got your attention) along with VIP tastings of local craft beers and ciders.
Tickets are $50 for VIP (includes Libation Lounge); $30 for general admission. Special classes range from $18 to $45. More details online at farmtofermentation.com.
Want to get more involved in the fascinating (and good for your gut) world of fermentation? Jennifer Harris hosts a monthly meeting of fermentation education and enthusiasm at the Sebastopol Grange. Find out more at farmtofermentation.com/learn/
Whether you’re an omnivore, flexitarian, Paleo, vegetarian, plant-powered, vegan, some combination, or just someone who’s curious about health-conscious and sustainable food, here are Ten Reasons to go to the VegFest this Saturday, August 15, 2015 from 10am to 5pm at the Finley Community Center (2060 W. College Ave., Santa Rosa).
1. Vegan Gelato: Gelato is pretty awesome no matter how you cut it, but Vixen Kitchen’s cashew-based treats come in flavors like Chai, Mint, Mocha and Pumpkin Pie (and it’s made in Northern California)
2. Eat Vegan Cheese without flinching: Vegan Cheese? Oxymoron, right? So, okay, it’s actually “cultured nut product”, but vegan chef Miyoko Schinner’s French Winter Truffle, Mt. Vesuvius Black Ash and eight other flavors pay homage to traditional cheeses of the world. Miyoko’s Kitchen Creamery Products and are made in nearby Fairfax.
3. CHOCOLATE: Caramel and peanut butter topped with whole peanuts and coated in creamy melk chocolate. Sjaak’s Chocolate, based in Petaluma, makes vegan chocolate bars and truffles using organic plant-based milks (rice, almond, etc.) for a choco-fix without (as much) guilt.
4. Meet Jessica Chastain’s Mom: Okay, that’s not the only reason to hit the Seed on the Go Vegan Food Truck, although Jerri Hastey is, in fact, Chastain’s mom. Go for the Chia Seed Parfait, guaranteed to make you movie star beautiful. Or at least really happy.
5. Luxe vegan: Chef Matteo Silverman takes plant-based eating upscale with Chalk Hill Cookery
6. No Your Momma’s Finger Sandwiches: Muir’s Tea Room in Sebastopol is a pinkies-up teahouse with vegan and vegetarian sandwiches, salads and baked goods. And I mean, as long as there’s clotted cream, who needs meat?
7. Sneak a Peek at SF’s Newest Plant-Powered Restaurant: There’s already tons of buzz about Citizen Fox, an upcoming Mission restaurant focused on meatless eating. Get a peek at what they’ll be serving at the restaurant/brewery even before all the hipsters (and hour long lines!)
8. As seen on Shark Tank: Chia Seed nacho Cheese from Heidi Ho. Because no one actually knows what’s in that fluorescent stuff at the baseball games.
9. Use a pressure cooker without fear: Veggie Queen Jill Nussinow shows how to make one pot beans and rice with summer veggies from 1-1:45p.m.
10. Taste test vegan food of the future: Healing Meals, a new vegan food manufacturer, is looking for your input on their new products, 2:35-2:50p.m.
Details: $5 per person at the door, kids 13 and under free. More online at socovegfest.org
Dick Blomster’s Korean Diner is expanding to Santa Rosa!
If you haven’t been to the original Guerneville eatery owned by David Blomster, famous for its Seoul fries, “Korean Fried Crack” (aka fried chicken), bimibap rice bowls, kimchi pancakes and other American-diner-meets-Korean-BBQ fare, you’re in for a treat. Popping up nightly at Pat’s Restaurant and Bar (16236 Main St., Guerneville) Dick Blomster’s is an under-the-radar sake-fueled funfest. And now that Korean BBQ spot is coming to Santa Rosa.
Following the same model at its West County sibling, the Santa Rosa Blomster’s will take over Don Taylor’s Omelette Express (112 Fourth St., Santa Rosa) Wednesday through Sunday at 5p.m. starting Oct. 1, 2015.
The larger-than-life Taylor has hosted a number of pop-up restaurants in his breakfast/lunch-only space over the years, but after hearing about his successful Korean diner, Taylor reached out to Blomster to see if there was interest.
The two clicked. “He has a great track record and very interesting food,” said Taylor.
“Much of my current kitchen will be spending a few days a week in the new location and we will be serving the same menu,” said Blomster. And that’s great news for late night Korean-BBQ and sake cravings.
Menu details at dickblomsters.com or on their Facebook page at facebook.com/dickblomsters
Step back in the John Ash and Co. time machine for a week of menus from founding chef John Ash’s recipe archive (hint, there’s Brie involved). Celebrating the 35th anniversary of the restaurant (which also recently won Best Restaurant for a Romantic Meal in the Press Democrat’s Best Of Sonoma County contest)the $35 prix fixe menu August 10-15, 2015 will feature lobster, corn and wild mushroom risotto with carrot-corn broth, orecchiette pasta with tiger prawns, asparagus, Brie cream sauce, sun dried tomato pesto and deep-fried capers (I’m suddenly transported to 1986!) and venison loin in blackberry sage sauce.
The restaurant will also have a regular menu with dishes from the past 35 years. Considered the father of Wine Country Cuisine, Ash’s farm-to-table philosophy was groundbreaking when he opened in 1980. Imagine that.
Details online at vintnersinn.com, and reservations can be made by calling (707) 527-7687.
Healdsburg’s Bistro Ralph will soon transition to Ralph’s Martini House.
We’ve seen the menu, which focuses on smaller plates and lots of seafood. Yes the chicken livers, fries and chicken Paillard are still on the menu, but we’re jonesing for dishes like hand-chopped ahi tartare, sweetbreads with brown butter, foie gras with nectaries, pork tamales, cauliflower steak with salsa roja and animal sundae with vanilla gelato, caramel, chocolate, espresso, toffee and whipped cream.
“It’s more modern and more relaxed,” said owner Ralph Tingle. “That’s the way we’re dining now and we have to be competitive,” he said. To boot, the restaurant will feature a full bar, rather than just the classic martinis they’ve served for 23 years.
With a few odds and ends to still finish on the revamped restaurant, Tingle said they’re still in *very* soft launch mode, but will have a grand opening by late August 2015.
Ralph’s Martini House, 109 Plaza St., Healdsburg, (707) 433-1380.
Charcuterie to become Persimmon?
Lots of buzzing around the Healdsburg Square as details about the new Southeast Asian fusion restaurant, Persimmon, comes into focus.
Executive Chef Danny Mai, formerly of the Sheraton Tolay, is still working on the menu, but told BiteClub that it will definitely include a few Vietnamese staples. “Of course I’ll have pho on the menu. If it’s not there, people will laugh me out of town,” he said, adding that banh mi sandwiches with house made pate and “soulful” dumplings are in the works. Mai, who was a Vietnamese refugee, has embraced a variety of cooking styles throughout his career, including a stop at La Folie in SF, and most recently…Mexican.
The kicker to this story is that Healdsburg’s Oaxacan culinary giants, the Diaz family (Agave, El Farolito and Casa Del Mole) are the financial backers of Persimmon.
“The only way we can grow is to diversify our cuisine. There are so many Mexican restaurants already, and we want to do something different,” said Octavio Diaz, of Agave.
Until the restaurant opens this fall, Mai is doing menu consulting for the Diaz family restaurants which, he said with a laugh, often makes for some curious looks when he steps out of the kitchen. “They’re like, wait, are you the chef here?” he giggled over the phone.
Charcuterie closed in early 2015 after more than a decade on the square.
