Luxe hamburgers are my official food of The Economic Downturn. Straddling the increasingly disparate worlds of white tablecloths versus paper plates, they’re comfort food with class. A little bit PBR, a little bit Grey Goose.
Gobbling upscale hamburgers made with pedigreed beef, drizzled with aoili, tarted up with house made pickles and truffled fries feels like a ridiculous indulgence at a bargain-basement price. Consider them your entree into some of the area’s best restaurants on a lunchtime budget.
Not that a good burger won’t run you upwards of $10-$15 — an eye-popping amount for the Mickey D’s set. A cost-per-bite steal for Michelin-rated restaurants.
What’s worth the price? BiteClub navigates the grills to get the lowdown in a continuing investigation. Keep in mind that many of these burgers are only available during lunch.
Mike’s at the Crossroads KRUSH burger
It’s hardly haute, sitting on ripped vinyl and sipping out of a “Stolen from Mike’s” tumbler, but the KRUSH burger
brings a touch of class — and Zinfandel glaze — to this
hole-in-the-wall joint. Extra credit: Fries on Friday, really flavorful
meat, sauteed mushrooms, onions and garlic. Minus: Buns can’t withstand
all the deliciousness. You’ll do better to lose the top bun and eat it
with a fork. $9.25
Mike’s at the Crossroads: 7665 Old Redwood Hwy., Cotati, (707) 665-9999

Lots of eating to be done this weekend and BiteClub’s on the case.

Taste of Petaluma
If you don’t get down to P-town nearly as often as you should, call this a perfect opportunity to see what you’re missing in the dining department. If you’re a local, consider this a convenient smorgasbord of hometown faves. Either way, this weekend’s Taste of Petaluma has more than 30 opportunities to nosh and nibble your way around town.

Here’s the 411: Things kick off on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 11:30am and run until 4:30pm. For $40 ($35 in advance) eaters get 10 tickets (along with some other goodies) to sample small dishes, local wines, beer or other beverages. One ticket, one taste. A handy map directs you to the grub, along with what’s on the menu.

Well worth a ticket to try:
– Zoe’s Meats (killer charcuterie) at Aurora Colors Gallery
– Kashaya’s wood fired pizza next to Vino Grigio
– Pazzo’s goat cheese tart
– Kay Baumhefner’s tomato and bread soup at I Leoni
– The old school is new school Chicken Cordon Bleu (a favorite last year) from De Schmire at Sienna
– Out to Lunch Catering at Jungle vibes

Dessert
– Divine Delights petits fours and Korbel champagne at Haus Fortuna
– Gelato at Powell’s Sweet Shoppe
– Viva Cocolat’s house made milk toffee truffles with Valley of the Moon port

Check out the website for a full menu of all the deliciousness and tickets. And as you’re stuffing yourself silly just remember that it’s for a good cause — that being the Cinnabar Theater in Petaluma.

Farm Trails
I’ve become a serious CSA junkie. As in my Friday delivery from Canvas Ranch is cause for a weekend of eating and cooking celebration: Roasted kale! Carrot soup! Zucchini bread! Homemade tomato sauce! I’ve never been so giddy with joy at getting a hefty bag of fruits and veggies (and bread and cheese and flowers) in my life.

Whether or not you’re among the CSA converted or just farm-curious, this weekend’s Farm Trails is a choice opportunity to visit local producers of fruits, veggies, cheese and meat who aren’t often open to the public as well as a handful of restaurants. Gush about organic greens, play with the goats or just wander about.

Some of my top picks;
– Angelo’s Meats/Bud’s Custom Meats: For the inner carnivore in all of us
– Canvas Ranch: Walking tour, pick strawberries, CSA gushing
– Crane Melon Barn: The famous melons
– Gabriel Farms: Pear and apple tasting & a Ska Klezmer band from 3-5pm on Sunday
– Healdsburg Walking Tours: HIdden Culinary Treasures
– Spring Hill Jersey, Peter’s Pumpkin Patch: Pumpkin ice cream, cheese and a petting zoo
– Tierra Vegetables: Because I never get there often enough
Get maps and details on classes, workshop and visits from the Farm Trails website.

Bonus: Handcar Regatta

Erasmus P. Kitty presents the Great West End and Railroad Square Handcar Regatta and Exposition of Mechanical and Artistic Wonders. Oh my goodness the fun you’ll have (for free!) including music performances by the Lemon Lime Lights and the Hubbub Club marching band, Uni and her Ukelele as well as Mister December, Dr. Solar and plenty of sideshow curiosities. The vibe is 1860’s medicine show meets groovy crafters, tinkerers and creative types. Get your imagination (and perhaps a costume) on from 11am to 6pm on Sunday in Railroad Square. Stark’s Steakhouse will be serving up grub and the Roshambus is scheduled to be pouring. And wherever the Roshambus is…that’s where the party is. Did we mention it’s free?

There’s an undeniable charm to eating in a railway car.
Chummy quarters, dim lighting and feeling transported to a slower, more
romantic time when travel didn’t include pat-downs and families in
sweat pants.

Captivated by romantic visions of the past (if not
the long-term practicality of having a an entire restaurant, bar and
kitchen in a space not much larger than a tour bus) SoCal transplants
Ted and Heather Van Doorn have been fronting Sebastopol’s funky Starlight Cafe & Wine Bar for the better part of three years. The cafe is a former Southern Pacific lounge car parked permanently in Gravenstein Station.
And though he was never intended to be their permanent chef, New
Orleans’ Thaddeus Palmese has taken over the helm (literally),
transforming it into a functional kitchen.

The restaurant has flown mostly under the radar despite an enthusiastic local fan-base. With
hard times hitting many eateries around the North Bay, It didn’t escape
BiteClub’s attention that the trio have recently been plugging the
space, garnering a Best Of nod from the Bohemian and KGO radio time.
Honestly, you can’t help but want to cheer for this hard-working,
hipster crew who’ve had their share of uphill battles since opening.

Continue reading “Starlight Cafe & Wine Bar”

There’s an undeniable charm to eating in a railway car. Chummy quarters, dim lighting and feeling transported to a slower, more romantic time when travel didn’t include pat-downs and families in sweat pants.

Captivated by romantic visions of the past (if not the long-term practicality of having a an entire restaurant, bar and kitchen in a space not much larger than a tour bus) SoCal transplants Ted and Heather Van Doorn have been fronting Sebastopol’s funky Starlight Cafe & Wine Bar for the better part of three years. The cafe is a former Southern Pacific lounge car parked permanently in Gravenstein Station. And though he was never intended to be their permanent chef, New Orleans’ Thaddeus Palmese has taken over the helm (literally), transforming it into a functional kitchen.

The restaurant has flown mostly under the radar despite an enthusiastic local fan-base. With hard times hitting many eateries around the North Bay, It didn’t escape BiteClub’s attention that the trio have recently been plugging the space, garnering a Best Of nod from the Bohemian and KSRO radio time. Honestly, you can’t help but want to cheer for this hard-working, hipster crew who’ve had their share of uphill battles since opening.

Now settled in, there’s a lot to like about the haute homey-ness of Palmese’s food, a clever but compact wine list, the Van Doorn’s constant presence and unforced cross-table discussion with pretty much anyone within fork-shot. Meaning that chances are good you might get a bite or a sip of your neighbor’s homemade pot pie, penne macaroni or BBQ shrimp if you play your cards right.

Much of the menu nods to Palmese’s New Orleans culinary roots, making it one of only a handful of southern-influenced restaurants in the region. (They keep disappearing.) Starlight also prides itself on adopting the Slow Food mantra, using local produce and meats when possible. Daily specials don’t disappoint — a luscious cut of pork belly on creamy (creamy!) polenta with peach jus and grilled fennel or seared scallops atop a bed of corn and bacon relish, topped with a nest of fried sweet potatoes. Presentation is spot-on and impressive for the small kitchen.

There are also misfires. The restaurant doesn’t have a liquor license, so cocktails (though tasty) are made with Soju (rice wine) rather than hard alcohol. The 40’s swing vibe just cries out for martinis and Manhattans. On a recent visit, Chef Thad veered into croc-infested waters when deconstructing a Caprese salad. The texture and flavor of olive oil ice cream — though a noble idea — just didn’t work, especially when sitting atop a tasteless tomato (no excuses this time of year). I truly wanted this dish to be summer on a plate, which it just couldn’t be with the inclusion of sharp Parmesan and pine nut flavors and crumbly ice cream. It’s a dish that could work beautifully with a few changes.

The price tag at Starlight can also get steep rather quickly, with the majority of dishes in the $15-20 range. Wine flights — a fun way to taste a variety of wines with dinner — range from $16 to $18 with three generous 3oz pours. Cocktails and desserts run about $7. Expect to hit triple digits if you indulge. To keep things reasonable for the less-indulgent among us, Starlight offers a three-course $25 prix fixe early-bird menu until 7pm on weekends. There’s also brunch on Sunday.

Dessert redeems dinner’s hiccups and sometimes painfully slow service: Banana’s foster, a banana creme brulee or a bourbon-soaked brownie slathered with caramel and a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream (much better than the olive oil). Again, here’s where making friends with nearby tablemates comes in handy, seeing what looks best and getting an honest thumbs-up or down before sharing a rousing round of multi-table singing wineglasses.

You’ll be hard-pressed to leave Starlight’s platform without at least a few goodbyes and well-wishes from your new pals. And the bon-temps go on until late on the weekends and raised tables and a four-person bar make for comfortable eating (or just sipping) if you’re on your own. All aboard.

Starlight Cafe & Wine Bar, open Tuesday through Thursday noon to 10pm; Friday noon to 11pm, Saturday 5:30pm to 11pm, Sunday brunch 10am to 2pm. Closed Monday. 6761 Sebastopol Ave., Sebastopol, 707.823.1943. Check out the website for upcoming winemaker dinners and other events at www.starlightwinebar.com.