If you’ve ever stood in line at Petaluma’s Sarmentine Bakery, you’ll know that the baguettes go fast and the éclairs even faster. The French patisserie that began as a pandemic pop-up has been winning over the hearts and taste buds of Sonoma County with its flaky chocolate croissants, lemon tartlets and fancy Financiers.
Now, husband-and-wife owners Alexandra and Louis Zandvliet are tackling brunch.
The new Petaluma-only menu, which launched last week, is a siren song of fluffy brioche sandwiches, salmon-laden croissants with hollandaise sauce, and bread pudding in a pool of crème Anglaise.
“We want people to love us,” said chef Don Provencio, who recently joined the Sarmentine team and handles the brunch menu. He became a fan of Sarmentine while working as a chef at Château St. Jean winery in Kenwood and was eager to collaborate on a heartier menu.
It’s not hard to love Provencio’s thick-cut French baguette toast soaked in vanilla custard, griddled and topped with kisses of mascarpone and fresh berries, or bread pudding made with canele (pastry thimbles of caramel), raisins and custard.
All brunch dishes feature the bakery’s breads and pastries. A few lucky day-olds make it into French toast or bread pudding — age-old recipes that turn simple loaves into sweet dishes.
Savory dishes include a croque madame topped with Emmentaler cheese and a poached egg; a salmon or vegetable croissant Benedict with scalloped potatoes; a Provencal-style tuna sandwich with capers and olives; and salade nicoise.
Because every brunch menu is required to include avocado toast, Sarmentine uses its seeded sourdough as a base for smashed avocado, goat cheese, sprouts and cherry tomatoes. You can also peruse what’s in the bakery cases, adding chocolate croissants, Paris-Brest or a brownie to your brunch.
Alexandra Zandvliet, a former midwife, began her baking career as a pandemic hobby in her home kitchen. She quickly gained a following, opening her first bakery (52 Mission Circle) in Santa Rosa. The bakery and patisserie became a beacon for the croissant and café au lait set with an ever-expanding lineup of cream puffs, éclairs, butter and ham baguettes, croissants, olive bread and dozens of other sweet and savory treats. A bakery at The Barlow in Sebastopol followed, and the Petaluma location opened in 2024.
The bakery won a Snail of Approval award in 2024 from two local chapters of the Slow Food organization — Russian River and Sonoma County North. The award is handed out annually to restaurants, food producers and farms that honor the practice of making good, clean and fair food for all people.
Brunch is served from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday through Monday — only at the Petaluma location. 840 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma, 707-623-9595, sarmentine.com
You can reach Dining Editor Heather Irwin at heather.irwin@pressdemocrat.com. Follow Heather on Instagram @biteclubeats.