After months…and months…and months of waiting, a new Cafe des Croissant/Grateful Bagel has opened on the corner of Brookwood and 4th St. One of the few bakeries in the SR (why is that, anyway?), their croissants never fail to leave the bag, my fingers, most of the inside of my car and several handfuls of napkins delightfully greasy–a pretty good sign that they’ve used plenty of butter.

If you haven’t been in a while, check out their mini croissants, which, at the very least, make you seem like less of an oinker when you order three…or four…or, well, six.

They’ve also created the new “Sweet Laura” croissant, a cinnamon sugar filled confection with icing on top. Though it’s plenty sweet, the story behind it is heartbreaking: Laura Leslie was a young mother who, after a 5-year battle with cancer, died this summer and left behind three young children. For the next 4 years at the new location, they’ll donate all proceeds from the sales of this croissant to the family.

I don’t speak Spanish. I do speak Fried. As in chicken, mozzarella sticks, zucchini, the occasional Blooming Onion, and once a Twinkie. In the universal language of crispy deliciousness, I am fluent.

And pupusas, a duo of thick, fried tortillas with meat and/or cheese stuffed between them, have recently become a new part of my vocabulary–despite the fact that my waitress snickered when I tried to order them in my best Spanglish.

Last Friday, I discovered Pupusaria Salvadorena by the fairgrounds (check out my previous post for details). Nestled next to a Joyeria and a Mexican grocery, the newly invigorated storefront isn’t much–plastic-covered tables, a view of several women in the back patting corn tortillas, and a few newspapers scattered about the tables.

The menu is simple (and all in Spanish, so I can’t tell you everything on it…though the staff are happy to help out): Sopas (soup); Almuerzos (heartier lunch meals); Desayunos (breakfast) and Antojitos Salvadorenos (Salvadorian specialties), including Pupusas. The best I can compare them to, and don’t laugh, are a sort of savory, flattened jelly donut. Okay, that’s a terrible comparison, but as the cheese oozed out a hole, it seemed an apt comparison.

Regardless, I can steer you confidently toward the Pupusas Revueltas (a meat and vegetable-stuffed tortilla) and the Pupusas de Ayote con Quesa (zucchini and a light, fresh cheese). Both are under $2 each.

My kid snapped up most of the Pasteles de Carne con Papa, declaring them among the best things he’d ever eaten. Best I can tell, they’re football-shaped fritters stuffed with potatoes and veggies. Again, the theme here is fried deliciousness.

The pupusaria also serves up tamales, yuca frita and empanadas, but hey, you’re here for the Pupusas. Just tell them the gringa sent you.

Pupuseria Salvadorena
1403 Maple Ave., Santa Rosa
707.544.3141

TGIF: It’s nearly 5pm on Friday afternoon and I’m headed out the door to a brand-spanking new Salvadorian restaurant at the intersection of Brookwood and Mt. Olive (near the fairgrounds in the former China Gate location). The main dish at the tiny storefront location is Pupusas, a thick, handmade corn tortilla filled with cheese, zucchini or pork. They’ll be open until 8pm tonight, if you’ve got a craving. Stay tuned for more details.

UPDATE: Can I show my ‘gringoness’ a little more? Apparently Pupuseria Salvadorena is not the first place with pupusas in town. There is at least one other at the far end of Santa Rosa Avenue. See further details of the meal in my next blog.

I’m not a cash-carrying kind of gal. The green stuff just ends up stuffed in a pocket somewhere, or worse, spent. This is rarely a problem until I end up walking into a restaurant, ordering my meal, and only then discovering they don’t take Visa. Or checks. Or my sweet smile as collateral. (Actually, that worked once.)

In fact, I usually make a mental note to avoid places that don’t take credit cards. There is one exception, however: the In-N-Out in Rohnert Park. That is where I’ll actually spend half the cost of my lunch in ATM fees just to get some quick cash for my Double Double. And as much as I hate doing that, it beats getting the stink-eye from the eight people in line behind you while digging for pennies in your pocket. If you’re feeling my pain at all, join me in a moment of elation over the fact that they now take ATM cards.

Also on the In-N-Out tip: A Petaluma branch recently opened off Highway 101 at the Lakeville St. exit, making it possible to stop three times for your Animal-style between SR and SF.

Speaking of Animal-style, need a primer on the secret menu? Here’s the 411:

– Animal Style: Gets you a burger with a grilled, mustard-covered bun; grilled onions (instead of raw); pickles and extra special sauce.

– Protein Style: Atkins is so over, but hangers-on like their burger between two pieces of lettuce. No bun.

– Grilled Cheese: Cheeseburger, hold the burger

– Double Meat: Double Double, hold the cheese

– Wish Burger: Veggie burger

– Flying Dutchman: Two meats, two cheeses, nothin’ else

– 3×3, 4×4-100×100: Three meat patties, three cheeses-up to 100-which someone recently actually ordered and ate with several friends-who later puked in the parking lot.

Wanna talk food? Email me at biteclub@pressdemo.com

 
Good things never last.
Takeshi Uchida, who’s been serving up reasonably priced takeout sushi every Monday, Wednesday and Friday out of Santa Rosa’s Oddfellow’s Hall is packing up his knives and moving on.
Since last spring, he’s been my secret sushi fix, hidden away in the industrial stainless steel kitchen every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. No lines. No annoying music. No waiters. Just amazing sushi. Probably the best in the area.
But as of next week, he tells me, he’ll be splitting his time between Rohnert Park’s Hana Japanese Restaurant (where he’s worked nights since January) and his boss’ new digs over in St. Helena–Go Fish. Arrrrgh.
Uchida says the combination of somewhat lackluster foot traffic (hey, this is the Oddfellows Hall) and his increasingly busy schedule between Hana and Go Fish has dictated the move. He’s considering re-opening in the spring, however.
You can wish him well through next Friday (10/20) at 545 Pacific Ave. from 11am to 1pm. After that, you and I will have to our sushi fix in public, like every body else.