The maximum rating is 5 stars.
5 stars = Excellent, Can’t Miss
4 stars = Very Good
3 stars = Good
2 stars = Fair
1 star = Mediocre
0 stars = Forget it

 

Anatolia - Mediterranean - CLOSED

527 4th St., Santa Rosa CA 95401
(707) 527-7799
Parking: pay parking in rear, street parking

Last Visited: March 25, 2006

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 4 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

Both Gayle and Fred recommended Anatolia to me.  It opened fairly recently in downtown Santa Rosa.  Anatolia’s coral/orange/red color scheme is earthy and fresh.  The restaurant has an open feel about it with lighting coming in from the front windows.  There is outside seating facing Fourth Street as well as indoor seating.  Mirrors inside give the room a spacious feel, and there’s a bar in the middle of the restaurant with seating across from it.  The decorations blend well into the atmosphere.

Upon our arrival for lunch, the waitress was just beginning to set up silverware on the tables.  She was pleasant throughout our meal and when we told her we wanted to visit a while before ordering, she was happy to accommodate us with drinks while we chatted.  With our drinks, we received a basket of warm pita bread triangles and a small ramekin containing hummus topped with a little olive oil and paprika.  The hummus has a nice texture, but was a bit on the mild side.    

- Meat Gyro – This gyro is filled with sumac seasoned onions, tahini, lettuce, tomatoes, and spit roasted layers of sirloin and lamb.  The mixture of ingredients is rolled burrito style in a flatbread much like a tortilla.  The roll is then cut grilled enough to show grill marks and cut on a bias.  I looked up sumac on the web and found that it’s a spice made with berries of a wild bush that grows wild in Mediterranean areas.  These berries are dried and crushed to form a purple red powder.  It’s preferred over lemon for its sourness and stringency.   Back to the dish - Choice of french fries or salad are available to accompany the gyro.   I selected French fries and found that they’re thin cut and perfectly crispy.  They’re lightly seasoned with salt and black pepper – very good fries.  Overall, the gyro was good – the lamb didn’t have that gamey taste and the red onions didn’t have a strong aftertaste – probably because of the sumac.  Filling and very good fries – great, though I wish I had more tahini on the side.  $8.50

My dining companion enjoyed the Spanakopita Pie which was comprised of squares of baked phyllo dough topping a spinach, feta, and onion mixture.  The pie is accompanied with a mixed green salad tossed lightly in a vinaigrette dressing.  This starter’s portion is great for a light meal and is presented on a white square plate.   

I’m not sure what the difference between some of the entrees and sandwiches with the same name were.  The menu doesn’t explain the differences except to denote that the price is a higher. 

Our server was very pleasant throughout our meal and came back to check on us just the right amount of times.  She also monitored our drinks and knowledgeably answered our questions.  The only thing that could have been improved would be to have her share the soup of the day as she brought the menus.  Also, when we asked about the tempeh, she told us it was tofu.  After searching the web when I returned home, I learned that tempeh is similar to tofu, but has a nutty mushroom flavor.  This would have helped distinguish the difference between the tofu and tempeh sandwiches offered.  Otherwise, her service was very good.

Overall, I enjoyed a good meal at reasonable prices.  Service was pleasant, and Anatolia seems like a great place to return to again.

   

Arrigoni's - Italian Deli

701 4th St., Santa Rosa CA 95404
(707) 545-1297
Parking: pay parking in rear, street parking
Hours: Mon-Fri 7am to 4:30pm, Sat 8am to 3:30pm

Last Visited: January 26, 2007

Food: 2 to 3 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$

Arrigoni’s has been around for quite some time.  Located at the corner of 4^th Street and D Street, they tend to get a lot of downtown traffic.  Walk into Arrigoni’s and notice the deli counter on your right, and the red and white checkered tablecloth covered tables to your left.  The dining area is surrounded by windows making for a bright room with lots of plants and greenery.  It feels like you’re in a picnic area. 

Arrigoni’s is known for serving Mediterranean specialities, salads, sandwiches, omelettes, soup, and dessert.  Upon arrival, you go to the start of the line located at the rear of the restaurant.

- The Beef Eater – Roast beef is topped with bacon and tomato.  A tart caper sauce is spread on the bread.  One thing I like about Arrigoni’s is that the sandwich makers will scrape out the center of the bread to allow for you to have a proper amount of meat and vegetables to bread.  However, I found the beef eater a bit bland compared to what I was expecting.  Okay.  $7.75

They have a variety of sandwiches, and the salads looked like they could feed a large group of rabbits – mounds of lettuce and whatever other accompaniments on a plate.  Overall, I found the deli to have a wide variety of drinks, main items, and nicely presented desserts, but based on the one sandwich alone – well, it was an okay experience.  I wouldn’t mind returning, but I’m not running back there wanting to try their entire menu either.  An okay place to go and a convenient meeting spot for lunch.

 

Bangkok Boulevard - Thai

6358 Commerce Boulevard, Rohnert Park CA 94928
(707) 584-5091
Parking: in shopping center parking lot
Hours: Sun – Thurs: 11am to 9:30pm, Fri – Sat: 11am to 10pm

Last Visited: November 7, 2004

Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 3 to 4 stars
Price: $ to $$$

Bangkok Boulevard is located in a shopping center. From the outside, it doesn’t appear particularly enticing, but once you enter, you’ll see its trendy style and décor.

Enter the room and there is a small waiting area. The rear of the restaurant contains a maple colored bar. The ceiling and all the ducts are painted black. Trendy blue lights hang from the ceiling above the counter and bar. The textured walls are a light orange color. The bottom half of the walls are covered with dark wood panels. There is also a large mirror with multiple rectangular shapes created by wood frames. This mirror gives the room a more open feeling. The tables are also dark rich wood and the placemats are tan and black straw mats with black trim. The chairs are cushioned and comfortable. On each table is also a wooden box with an animal painted in black. The tile floors blend well with the décor. The front of the room is decorated with fruit wreaths. The back of the room has tall green plants and display shelves decorated with flower garlands. The side of the room has a dance floor and stage where Thai dancers exhibit their talent on Monday evenings.

- Satay (choice of vegetables, chicken, beef, or prawns) – Served on a small rectangular wood tray were five pieces of skewered chicken (although the menu indicated that there would only be four pieces) along with a small plate containing Thai peanut sauce. Also accompanying the skewers was a small dish of pickled cucumber segments and chopped red onions and four triangles of toasted bread. The chicken is marinated in coconut milk and Thai ingredients. The chicken had grill marks and was tender and moist, and the peanut sauce gave it excellent flavor. This is the first time I have seen it served with the bread, but we ate it nonetheless. Good. – Chicken or Beef $5.95, Prawns $6.95

- Green Curry (choice of vegetables, chicken, beef, or prawns) – Spicy green curry is cooked with coconut milk, red bell peppers, green beans, zucchini, carrot, bamboo shoots, and basil leaves. The green curry chicken was served in an orange clay container on top of another container that looked like a flower pot with a hole near the bottom edge. In the old days, Asian dishes were often served this way except the flower pot portion of the container held charcoal, with the stand in the pot separating the hot charcoal from the ash. It certainly gave the presentation a unique look. The chicken is good, and the curry is spicy. Though marked with only one ‘splat’ (one indicating mild, with spicy and flaming curries also available), the green curry may be too spicy for some. The curry was certainly flavorful and I would recommend trying it. Chicken, Beef $7.95, Prawns $8.95, Vegetables $6.95

- Pad Thai (choice of vegetables, chicken, pork, beef, or prawns) – Thai noodles are pan fried with bean sprouts, egg, green onion, and topped with chopped peanuts. A large square plate is filled with wonderfully flavored rice noodles. We again selected chicken to go with this dish, and found it flavorful and delightful. A very traditional dish to try out. Chicken, Beef, Pork, $7.95, Vegetables $6.95, Prawns $8.95

- Jasmine Rice – Rice is served in a brown bowl. We found the rice a bit cold, but with good texture. Order rice if you select any curry since you’ll need something to accompany all of the sauce. $ 1.50

- Thai Ice Tea – Thai tea is topped with evaporated milk in a tall glass. Good. $2.50

Curry (whether red, yellow, or green), is a must try here. The dishes are flavorful and the atmosphere is pleasant. There are still many more entrees to try – check it out sometime.

Bangkok Thai

2770 Cleveland Ave, Santa Rosa CA 95403
(707) 576-0256
Parking: in parking lot
Hours: Mon – Fri: 11:30 to 3pm, 5pm to 9pm, Sat - Sun: 12pm to 3pm, 5pm to 9pm

Last Visited: September 21, 2005

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$$

Formerly the home of Las Casuelas, Bangkok Thai Cuisine has painted the once Mexican style restaurant a lilac purple and added some bamboo mats to cover the windows.  Along with some bamboo plants placed in the former candle holders, some new wood accents, and new plants, the place has now turned Thai. 

It’s still a spacious room with wicker table bases in addition to metal table tops.  There are dark green and dark blue cloth napkins folded and placed on each table next to the forks.  When we sat down, the staff brought us ice water and large dark green plates. 

There was only one visible staff member this evening, but there weren’t many people, so service was fine.  She was dressed in a bright green Thai silk outfit with gold borders.  For the appetizer, she brought us small plates and removed them when the main dishes came. 

- Chicken Satay – Two strips of chicken are skewered and marinated in satay seasonings including lemon grass.  Four skewers arrive on top of a lettuce leaf and are served with peanut sauce and two half slices of fresh orange.  Excellent flavors. $5.95

- Pork Pumpkin Curry – Pork is cooked in red curry along with pumpkin slices, zucchini slices, carrots, onions, and Thai basil.  There was plenty of ‘wok air’ as the dish came out steaming hot.  The creamy curry made for a pleasant accompaniment to the steamed rice.  Again, two half slices of orange decorated the plate.  Excellent flavoring.  Great. $8.95

- Pad Thai with Chicken – The pad thai is offered with either chicken or shrimp for an additional $2.  The pad thai at Bangkok Thai Cuisine isn’t as sweet as other places.  However, I found the noodles to be perfect – the texture was just right, leaving the noodles al dente.  With the chicken, the pad thai is cooked with bean sprouts and topped with crushed peanuts.  It’s a little saltier than I expected, but very good.  Great ‘wok air’ too.  Two half slices of orange decorated the plate.   $8.95

- Steamed Rice $1 per person

- Coconut juice – Refreshing juice, but the coconut could be a little fresher. $2.50

- Thai iced tea – Also very refreshing.  Great. $2.50

The only downside was that the restaurant faces west, so the sun pounds in during the summer and there isn’t quite enough ventilation.  It could get stuffy if they don’t have a fan or air conditioning on. 

My second visit was for lunch.  This time I came with a larger group of people and there were two servers attending.  Each of us ordered a lunch special combination.  Although the menu doesn’t state it, the lunch specials come with a small green salad made of romaine, red cabbage, and shredded carrots, topped with a peanut sauce. 

#1 Spring roll, Chicken Satay, Chicken Green Curry over rice – After the green salad,  a plated arrived with a large portion of green curry over rice, a spring roll cut in half along with dipping sauce, and two skewers of chicken satay topped with peanut sauce.  The chicken satay was consistent with that of my last visit, except there was only one piece of chicken per skewer.  The spring roll is crispy and fresh, but leaves you wanting for more.  The chicken green curry tasted good, but there were a lot of vegetables.  It probably should have been named vegetable green curry with chicken.  There were larges pieces of cabbage, carrot slices, mushrooms, onions, and more vegetables with only a small amount of chicken, but the overall portion was large.  Good, but because there were too many vegetables, the food rating dropped from 3 to 4 to just 3 stars.  $6.95

The service was also dropped from the 3 to 4 range to 3 stars.  During this visit, there were only about ten people in the restaurant including our table.  Unfortunately, despite the simple method of taking our orders in order, the server still made multiple mistakes.  It would have been better for him to simply ask who had what instead of guessing.  The kitchen also made an error and cooked one dish incorrectly, so had our friend not taken what was already cooked, there would have been a significant delay.

The server had a good sense of humor and was attentive, but the lack of order caused the service rating to fall slightly.  Still, the portions were excellent, and the food is good, so I would still return and recommend it for others to try.

For my most recent visit, the funny server mentioned above seemed to have disappeared.  I found out that if you order one of the vegetarian lunch specials, you only get one skewer of tofu satay, but you get six half rolls of the Spring rolls. 

#4 Spring Roll, Chicken Satay, Pork Red Curry over rice - This was much like the lunch special mentioned above, but the curry was red and the meat was pork.  The meat was tender and much like before, there is an abundance of vegetables.  The veggies were also similar to last time.  Three stars. $6.95

Overall, I found the portions at Bangkok Thai Cuisine a lot larger than their competition with more vegetables.  The prices for dinner are about two dollars more than lunch prices.  Great food and great flavors.    

Bear Korean

8577 Gravenstein Hwy, Cotati CA 94931
(707) 794-9828
Parking: in shopping center parking lot
Hours: Tues - Sun: 12pm to 9pm

Last Visited: May 25, 2007

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

I first went to Bear Korean when it opened around 2000.  People talked about the small plates (panchan) offered, the Korean bul go gi, and how nice it was to have a new cuisine to try in Sonoma County.  Since then, I haven’t seen any other Korean restaurants stick around nearly as long.

The walls recently got a new coat of paint.  Now it’s a bright rusty orange color.  The restroom has some fluorescent green paint on the cabinetry.  I’m not sure what happened to their previously muted color scheme, but they have undergone some new decorating even though the ownership remains the same.  The photography once on the walls is now replaced with more typical Asian paintings of mountains and hillsides.  Yellow silk flowers hang from a basket that hangs on the wall.

The door to the kitchen in the rear is blocked off by curtains although you can still catch a glimpse of the cooking taking place.  The tables are wood laminate and the chairs are covered by green cushions.  Upon arrival, we were told to sit anywhere.  Several of the tables had not been cleared, but most were available.  We were asked if we wanted anything to drink, and then left to the menu.  

Once you have ordered, the panchan comes out.  Panchan varies depending on lunch or dinner.  For my recent dinner visit, we received small plates of: marinated daikon (spicy), kim chee (marinated spicy cabbage), potato salad with apples, spicy marinated tofu, marinated cucumbers, mung bean sprouts with sesame oil, spicy shredded turnip, glass noodles (jap chae), and spinach.  Depending on what’s in season, you may find some of these dishes a little different.  During the spinach scare, the spinach plate no longer appeared.  Kim chee is a staple, and the potato salad seems to be a regular also.

The bul go gi has always been the primary dish here, but I once saw hot steaming dumplings and had to try that out. 

- Chin Man Du - Originally priced at $6.95 (at least on the most recent menu), the menu has now been marked up and shows a designation of small (4 dumplings) and large (8 dumplings).  These little dumplings are filled with pork and vegetable, along with glass noodle, and steamed over a cabbage leaf.  They are brought out in a bamboo steamer.  The dumplings are tiny, but they taste good.  They’re not like those you find in San Francisco, but okay flavor and okay for Cotati.  $3.50 small, $5.95 large

- Bul Go Gi – Also known as Korean Style beef, beef is sliced thinly, marinated, and sautéed with onions and some mushrooms.  The presence of the vegetables is hardly visible since you get a heaping mound of beef.  It’s good stuff, though to an Asian palate that is not familiar with this style of beef, it may seem overcooked.  The marinade used tends to be slightly sweet tasting. Good. $13.95

- Tofu Bi Bim Bap – The rice with assorted mixture section is separated into hot and cold.  Primarily, the same ingredients are used in these, but there is a very slight variation in meat.  The tofu bi bim bap came with a bottle of hot sauce for us to stir in, and the tofu, carrots, spinach, bean sprouts, zucchini, and other items topped rice and all was presented in a little stainless wok.  A fried egg is placed on top of the dish contents.  Since the vegetables and tofu were cold, the dish quickly became cold too.  Very simple combination, but great.  It’s a bit pricey for what you’re getting, so opt for a hot bi bim bap for more interesting presentation. $9.95

- Dol Sot Bi Bim Bap – The dol sot version is similar to that above, but it comes in a stone pot.  The pot is extremely hot, and this one also had beef.  The combination of flavors is accentuated by the heat, and the heat also causes the hot sauce to distribute its flavor more evenly.  The fried egg is great too.  I like to break up the egg and stir it into the rice and vegetables until everything is coated.  Terrific. $10.95

- Jap Chae – Jap chae is glass noodles that have been pan fried with vegetables.  The sauce is light in texture, but each noodle is coated with a soy sauce/sesame oil based sauce.  The vegetables tend to be spinach, carrots, bean sprouts, and zucchini.  Great. $10.95

- Rice – The rice comes in a small stainless steel bowl with a cover.  It’s a cute container, but it’s a bit pricy for the amount of rice you are getting.  $1.75

During a visit several years ago, there was one woman on staff who explained to us that she was helping out the family.  Unfortunately, she ended up spending most of our meal standing over our table stirring the Bi Bim Bap as she talked to us, which left us with a sense of lack of privacy.  However, my 2007 visits have been fairly quiet.  I have heard that owner sometimes comes and introduces himself – but this hasn’t happened to us yet, although I did see him chatting with a table nearby.

For a recent lunch visit, I received a smaller amount of panchan – kim chee, mung bean sprouts, potato salad, japchae, and one other item. 

- Korean Style Beef Lunch Special – See the description for bul go gi above.  On a square white plate, one corner is covered with bul go gi.  Adjacent to that is a corner containing a large scoop of rice.  Two fried dumplings, goon man du, cover one of the remaining corners, and a salad comprised of lettuce and a slightly sour dressing fill the other corner.  In the center of the plate is a small little plate for dipping sauce.  The lunch special is a bargain, but the quality of the salad was fair.  Some of the lettuce was fresh, some had been refrigerated to the point that the lettuce looked translucent, and some of it had rested.  The dressing was a bit too sour for my tastes, considering it was a creamy dressing.  The goon man du didn’t have as crispy an outer layer as I had hoped either because the dumpling had been fried much earlier or the oil wasn’t as fresh, but the meat was good.  I still think it’s a good value and would be even better if everything was up to par.  $6.95

It’s hard to find another Korean restaurant in Sonoma County, and I think Bear Korean is a good place to check out.  Try the Bul Go Gi, Dol Sot Bi Bim Bap, and the Jap Chae to have a taste of authentic dishes.

 

Betty's Fish and Chips

4046 Sonoma Hwy, Santa Rosa CA 95409
(707) 539-0899
Parking: in  parking lot

Last Visited: June 17, 2006

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

Enter Betty’s and you’ll see that it’s a cozy family place.  There are blue and white colors all around the room along with sea faring decorations.  Booths are available as well as regular tables.  If you sit at a booth, you’ll receive a placemat with a scene of the sea on it.  If you are at a table, the placemat can be seen through the glass on top.  The usual items arrive once you order fish – ketchup and tartar sauce.  Since they make their own tartar sauce, you might think it’s ranch, but it’s just a non-chunky tartar sauce.  Our waitress was extremely efficient with drinks, checking back after our order had come, giving us the check and just keeping an eye on all her tables.  She had her system down pat.

- New England Clam Chowder Cup – The clam chowder has great flavor with lots of clams – I think almost every bite had some clams in it.  It’s creamy, but not starchy, and it’s accompanied by a package of oyster crackers.  Although it’s not the very best clam chowder I’ve ever had, it is good stuff, and would be welcome on a cold day.  Cup $3.75, Bowl $4.95

- Icelandic Cod and Chips – The pieces of cod are very lightly breaded and deep fried until dark brown.  I was a bit surprised by the color since the chips came out a more golden brown.  The chips are fantastic – crunchy on the outside, a little soft and tender on the inside – these fries are very yummy.  The fish is fresh and has a mild flavor, but the darker color is a little unusual, and it would be better if the fish were lighter in color (but it’s easy to get past this after you taste it).  Good portions and a jumbo could fill up two people.  Small (1 piece) $7.25, Medium (2 pieces) $9.95, Large (3 pieces) $12.95, Jumbo (4 pieces) $15.50

- Homemade Coleslaw – The slaw has a natural sweetness about it, given to it by pineapple.  Perhaps I just like pineapple, but it made me want to eat more and more.  It wasn’t too salty or too sour, but more on the sweet side, and yet, not too sweet.  A nice combination of cabbage and the like.  Good.  Medium $1.25, Large $1.75

Other offerings include Seafood sandwiches, both cold or from the grill, fried seafood, and don’t forget Betty’s Lemon Cloud pie.

The only thing I would improve besides the coloring of the fish is the tartar sauce.  The woman at the table next to us brought her own and seemed happy.  If you’re accustomed to chunky tartar sauce, you may find this one too smooth for your taste.  So perhaps you should bring your own too.  It all depends on your preference.

I was most impressed by the gal who handled our section.  Despite all the hustle and bustle, she saw us leave and yelled out a thanks and good night.  Although some may find yelling inappropriate, this is a casual place and her greeting was most welcome.  It shows that Betty’s has that special something.  It shows that they’re on top of things.  I would definitely go back to Betty’s to try out more of their seafood delights.

Bistro des Copains - French

3782 Bohemian Hwy, Occidental CA 95465
(707) 874-2436
Parking: in  parking lot
Hours: Sun-Thurs 5-9pm, Fri-Sat 5-10pm

Last Visited: August 5, 2006

Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere:  4 stars
Service:2 to  3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

The earthy and friendly colors of their Bistro sign against the forest green building drew me in.  Copains means buddies in French, so that was an even more welcoming thought.  As you enter the restaurant, you’re greeted by an open bar, fresh flowers, and warmth from the delightful yellow and burgundy reds.  The tables have white paper over dark red tablecloths with olives displayed on them.  The back wall contains pictures of farmland (photos from Michel Augsburger’s ancestral farm back in France).  The open kitchen allows the aromas to permeate into the dining area.  White cloth napkins sit between a fork and knife and the bread plate.  A bouquet of lavender is tied with a ribbon and each table contains one laid on its side at the center of the table.  We received water upon our arrival.

Food from Provence is known for its use of local foods.  The food is fresh at Bistro des Copains and quite light.  This was a lunch visit, and the windows brought in lots of sunlight and gave us a view of the happenings in Occidental.  At first glance, their menu is quite high priced – they were serving the same menu as dinner for lunch, with a few exceptions. 

- Souffle au Chevre – Goat Cheese souffle with mixed greens – A goat cheese soufflé is placed on top of a bed of mixed greens.  Let’s start with the greens – the vinaigrette was wake you up sour.  What does this mean?  If you didn’t know it was going to be very sour, you would wake up at first bite.  When I took the first bite, I was so surprised.  After follow on bites or after being warned, it’s still more on the acidic side, but more than bearable.  Fresh greens – I think only one piece had a little rust, but overall, good.  The soufflé was white, light, and fluffy.  The top had been browned and just lightly crisp, but the center of the soufflé was still a bit cold.  Warming closer to room temperature would have made it perfect, but it melted in my mouth.  Great dish.  $7.50

- Salade de Betteraves – Roasted beet and walnut salad – There were about eight beets – four of regular red beet variety and four of a smaller red beet variety – served on a small white plate.  The smaller one was more dense.  It was topped with an herb leaf and crushed walnuts were sprinkled around it.  A drizzle of olive oil over the beets completed the salad.  Sweet, fresh, and simple.  Good. $6.75

- La Pissaladiere – Caramelized onions, goat cheese, and black olives pizza (with anchovies optional).  Served on a white plate, this thin crusted pizza was topped with anchovies, then caramelized onions acted as the cheese, covering the entire dough, then goat cheese chunks and black olives.  The pizza toppings are on the sweet side due to the caramelized onions, but the anchovies really balance out the sweetness well.  Good. $10

Other offerings included risotto, roasted chicken, duck, oysters, roasted fish, and raviolis.  The general sense of the menu is that the food is simply made, but the essence of each dish is filled with local flavor.

There were a few things that were uncomfortable about my visit.  Besides waiting forever to get water (and trying to be subtle by putting the glass near the edge of the table) and then still having to ask for additional water despite being only one of two tables in the dining room for lunch, my glass had lipstick on it.  When I looked behind to see if I could find another glass, the table behind me also had a glass with lipstick on it.  I noticed that the server was wiping all of the wine glasses.  I’m not sure they wipe all of water glasses.  I am fairly certain that the silverware doesn’t get a good wiping since mine had spots.  The other item was the bread plate.  When I have a bread plate that is sitting on the table upon arrival, I make the assumption that bread will be served, but no bread was in sight.  I’m not sure why they bother with bread plates if each table doesn’t receive bread.  If I hadn’t shared the salad and pizza, I don’t think I would have used the bread plate at all – bizarre.

Overall, the service was friendly, but it wasn’t very good in terms of coming to check on how we were doing with our food, or filling water.  There were four people working in the restaurant while I was there, but only one attending to the dining room.  However, with only two tables of two each, I felt the server should have been more prompt and alert about water glasses being filled.  Good simple and fresh food, but so-so service; however, the food may still get you to go check it out.

Boathouse Sushi - Japanese

6278 Redwood Dr, Rohnert Park CA 94928
(707) 588-9440
Parking: in parking lot

Last Visited: September 25, 2005

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Price: $$$ to $$$$

Boathouse Sushi is self-described as serving innovative Japanese cuisine California style in a modern bistro setting.

Boathouse Sushi definitely has a modern feel.  The ceiling which shows the painted ducts, the burgundy color, and the black give the room a romantic elegance.  The light fixtures look like cones of crinkled paper.  The silver beads that hang from the ceiling covering the hall to the restroom add to the look.  The room is separated by a divider painted black.  On one side, the windows bring in natural light.  On the other side are the bar and the sushi bar.  The sushi bar is decorated with an area for sushi boats to pass.  Six boats traveled the waterway, curved and winding.  The island is decorated with metal sculptures.  The boats are empty and only filled when a dish is ordered.

When we arrived, we were asked if we would like to sit at the sushi bar or a table. 

We decided to sit at the sushi bar this evening, although from the height we were sitting at, we couldn’t actually see any of the sushi preparation.  The glass display case is lined with green plastic bamboo which blocks the view, so you only see the finished plated product placed on top of the case.  The setting is serene, but since I’ve been to restaurants where the boats are full and you can endlessly select dishes from the boats, something just felt like it was missing.  Blank boats.  No dishes.  It looked like empty ships.  On each table is a bottle of soy sauce in a modern bottle and the cocktail/dessert menu featuring their specials. 

The food rating would have been a solid four, but there were a few flaws this evening.  Not only is it the more frequent you eat at a place, but the more dishes that you order that you’ll find more room for flaws.  So instead of a solid four, Boathouse receives a three to four rating for food with great potential for upgrading their rating in the future. 

- Green Tea – Considering the amount I typically pay for tea, I thought this was a little expensive.  It probably wasn’t so much the price, but that I paid eight dollars in fluids alone, and that doesn’t fill you up much.  What was probably more frustrating was the teapot.  It was clear glass with the tea basket inside, but it constantly spilled when I poured it.  I thought it was the way the lid was placed on the pot, but after making the adjustment, the teapot was still spilling.  I’m surprised the staff wasn’t aware of this.  Maybe I just got a bad teapot, but it would have been better for it to have a napkin wrapped around it or under it.  Fortunately, there was a clean napkin next to me, but I must have spilled more than 1/3 of the contents simply because of the teapot.  Pretty teacups are used to serve the tea.  Each of the cups looked different – one was on a pedestal, the other was a larger cup.  $2 per person

- Miso Soup – The miso soup is served in a bowl with tofu, seaweed, and green onion.  The tofu is diced so tiny that I had a hard time finding it.  The size is about ¼ of a sugar cube.  It’s not sweet nor overly salty.  Just right, but a little more tofu would have been nice.  It could also come a little hotter in temperature, but still okay. $2

- Black Cod baked with Shiro Miso – Past experiences with fish cooked with shiro miso have been terrific.  The flavor of the miso complimenting the delicate layers of the fish.  However, they didn’t have any available this evening.  I was disappointed that we didn’t find that out until after the order had been placed.  Besides, couldn’t they sacrifice some salmon to replace the cod?  Nevertheless, no such luck tonight.

Nigiri Sushi (two pieces each) – All were plated on white rectangular plates.

- Unagi – A large piece of warm unagi is placed on top of the rice.  Excellent.  Clean fresh flavor, great temperature.  Just perfect.  $4.75

- Garlic Maguro – The server recommended the garlic maguro as a must try if we liked maguro.  This special was described as sushi grade maguro topped with ponzu sauce.  The rice was seasoned with a spicy red oil and lightly drizzled on top with a few green onions.  I felt the ponzu sauce overwhelmed the fish.  It overwhelmed my palate and covered the fresh flavor of the fish.  I think true maguro lovers wouldn’t like this one, but if you like to spice up your sushi, it might be a good option.  I recommend eating it after you’ve eaten your other sushi and rolls if you’re going to try it.  $5.95

- Rainbow Roll – A roll with salmon, shrimp, halibut, tuna, and red snapper over rice.  Within the roll was crabmeat.  The roll was cut and separated into four groups, two pieces in each group.  This was also served on a white rectangular plate.  The roll itself is a bit on the small size, but it’s not primarily rice.  The fish is delicate in flavor and texture.  Good.$11.95

- Vegetable Tempura – Eight pieces of tempura are plated over some salad greens comprised of lettuce, red onion, and carrot curls.  The tempura is served with a cup of warm dipping sauce.  There were two young corns, two broccoli flowerettes, two pieces of diagonally sliced zucchini, one onion ring, and one slice of pumpkin.  Each is lightly breaded and the coating is just the right thickness.  I wasn’t too keen on the broccoli since I don’t think that should be a tempura vegetable.  To me, it’s a filler vegetable.  Even the young corn is borderline.  However, the amount of tempura coating was just perfect, so that rescued it.  This is one of the reasons for the 3 to 4 star rating.  I would have liked another slice of onion at minimum, and another slice of pumpkin would have been great. $4.25

- Panko Fried Tonkatsu – Pork loin cutlet is dipped in panko crumbs, cut into strips, and served over rice.  Along side is a salad comprised of lettuce and red onion lightly tossed in a soy sauce/sesame oil dressing.  Three mandarin oranges decorate one corner of the plate.  A tonkatsu dipping sauce and another lightly spicy orange colored sauce accompany the tonkatsu.  The tonkatsu is breaded just right with the panko crumb covering being light and golden brown.  The flavor of the sauces are a nice compliment to the pork and though I prefer my tonkatsu sauce to be on the thicker side, this one was fine.  I wasn’t as crazy about the orange colored sauce, but it was okay too.  Although the tonkatsu would get a rating of very good on its own, the salad had wilted lettuce and not because of the dressing.  This is another reason for dropping the rating from four stars to the 3 to 4 range.  $12.75

Overall, I was happy with the quality of the sushi and the thickness of batter for both the tempura vegetables and the tonkatsu.  All of the food was very fresh with the exception of the salad.  Although there’s no filler rice (in my mind that means excess rice) with the sushi, the broccoli in the tempura would be considered an excess vegetable.  It’s good quality food in a nice setting, and  I would certainly go back for the sushi.  Service on the whole was fine, but it would be great to see the sushi chefs smile more.  Offering additional dishes via the floating boats would also be a great improvement.  Boathouse has a few things to work on, but pretty good for the most part.

After I talked to friends about my visit, several people expressed some discontent with their own visits.  One mentioned lack of freshness for the sushi, and another found the rice to be excessively sticky and broken.  For now, the rating stands, but be cautioned.

   

Cafe Europe - German

104 Calistoga Rd. (in St. Francis Shopping Center), Santa Rosa, CA 95409
(707) 538-5255
Hours: Closed Mondays. Lunch: 11:30a - 2:00p (Tues-Sat), Dinner: 4:30p - 9p (Tues-Sat),4:00p - 8p (Sun)
Parking: in shopping center

Last Visited: January 21, 2007

Food: 4 to 5 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 4 stars
Price: $$$

Don’t let the shopping center fool you. You walk into Café Europe greeted by Herbert Zacher in his black pants with white vertical stripes, and with the German almost polka type music on the speaker system and the beer mugs on the wall, it’s a whole other world. This quaint German restaurant will aid in soothing the senses. Note if you’re under 60, you’re probably going to be part of the younger crowd of patrons. Chef Robert Buchschachermair whips up a treat.

Reservations recommended for dinner. The earlier the better if you don’t have a reservation. Early patrons get more attention and the food comes faster. Go with an empty stomach and save room for the apple strudel which comes a la mode. The staff is friendly and know what they’re doing. They keep an eye on everything and make sure that the water glasses are filled. The staff also helps each other out so that if one person is busy, another will take your plates – they work well together.

The entrees include choice of salad or soup. These days, it’s a bargain to get salad or soup included at these prices. The house salad is mixed greens with tomatoes and cucumbers on the side. House dressing is great. Other dressings are available. Most dishes come with garden vegetables and some sort of sauerkraut. The great thing is that the garden vegetables aren’t overcooked. They’re done just right and have a nice natural flavor.

- Cream of Asparagus soup – A nice blend of asaparagus and potato, this soup is not overly rich, but just the right texture and flavor.

- Cream of Mushroom Soup – Shitake mushrooms and cream make up a delicious soup that has just the right texture and flavor.  The scent of fresh herbs only add to the perfume of the soup.  Wonderful.

- Potato pancakes are crispy and light, golden brown, served with applesauce. A yummy treat. Two pancakes $4.50

- Nuernberger Combo - Two veal and three pork Nuernbergers served with homemade mashed potatoes. They give you the mustard and all the accompaniments. It’s great for sampling different sausages. Warm and light – these are a far cry from what you would find packaged on a shelf. They’re delicious. $14.50

- Wiener Hackbraten/ Vienna Meatloaf - Lean ground beef and pork herb sausages mixed with other goodies served with a creamy mushroom sauce and mashed potatoes. More of that homemade taste the way it should be. $13.50

- Schweinelende mit Pilzen / Pork Tenderloin and Shitake Mushrooms – Grilled pork medallions with sautéed mushrooms and a potato pancake and red cabbage sauerkraut. More of the same of what is listed above and below. $15.95

- Lamb Loin Chops - One great thing is that you get really nice pieces of meat. Café Europe doesn’t skimp. You get nice cuts of meat, all tender and sweet.  The chops are grilled to perfection. $18.50

- Bayrischer Sauerbraten – Top sirloin marinated in red wine and vinegar roasted and so tender it melts in your mouth. It comes with spaetzle which is oh so good. I hear that with Germans, sauerbraten is the dish of choice and they do a great job of it. $17.50

- Kalbs Wiener Schnitzel – Four pieces (or three pieces depending on the size) of veal are breaded and pan-fried and served with a potato pancake. Again, it’s those pieces of thin, tender, and juicy meat that hit the spot. They are served with a wedge of lemon and the lemon juice brings out the flavor even more. $17.50

- Jaeger Schnitzel – Much like the Wiener Schnitzel, except this one is served with spaetzle instead of the potato pancake. This one comes with that homemade creamy mushroom sauce with large white mushrooms cut thick and placed on top of the veal.  The spaetzle, which has been ever so lightly browned on one side, soaks up the sauce and has a lightness about it.  My side vegetables during this last visit included marinated carrots, marinated red cabbage, and a cauliflower floret.  I love how the attention to detail is present in every dish.  The veal contains light brown grill marks along the diagonal.  Delicious and tender.  $17.95

- Hungarian Goulash – This flavorful beef stew is served with wide egg noodles. It’s a treat because it’s on the specials menu and not always available.  The second time I tried it, the noodles were replaced with seasonal vegetables – carrots, pureed spinach, and red cabbage.  The pieces of beef are tender and can be broken apart with a fork.  It still maintains its form and pairs well with the flavorful sauce.  The many spices fuse together to create a rich dark red sauce that tastes delicious.

- Hassenpfeffer/Roasted Rabbit – The rabbit is deboned for the most part is topped with lingonberries and gravy. This dish is served with spaetzle and fresh vegetables. Out of all the dishes I’ve tried at Café Europe, I probably liked this one the least. If you like chicken breast, then you might find this one a favorite, but it was on the dry side for me.

Note: The salad was wilted once out of the six or seven times I’ve been there. Otherwise, it’s been pretty close to perfect. Unfortunately, the bread is cold, but it’s always soft. Don’t let this deter you, but the chain smoker out front is more than likely your host.

During this last visit in 2007, the salad was very fresh and the house dressing, creamy dill, seemed a bit thicker than usual.

On Sundays, the rolls are warmed which make them absolutely delicious.  Why they don’t do this the rest of the week, I don’t understand, but the just make the experience that much better.  Café Europe is a great place to get an old world experience with first rate service and food that is hearty and delicious.

Caffe Giostra - Italian

1390 N McDowell Blvd. #L, Petaluma CA 94954
(707) 664-9441
Parking: in shopping center

Last Visited: 2003

Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 to 4 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

Caffe Giostra is located in the same shopping center as the OSH Hardware store. It’s a small place, but the food is excellent. In particular, I enjoy their lasagna of the day. You can’t go wrong, especially if it’s one that has meat in it.

The restaurant is small. Upon entering, to your right is a raised seating area. Further back are additional tables, and on the left is the open kitchen. There is a bench in the waiting area, but reservations are recommended since there is limited seating.

Since it has been a while since my last visit, I’ll write generally about the dishes.

- Pasta dishes – Pasta is freshly made and sure to please. I have tried a number of dishes and am always impressed by the sauce and the quality of pasta. If you’re looking for lighter fare, you may consider splitting dishes (I split a seafood pasta) which is allowed for an additional charge.

- Lasagna of the day – Upon entering the restaurant, you’ll see a specials board. Each day is a new lasagna. I have separated the lasagna from the pasta dishes because their lasagna is exquisite. Knowing that it’s so good, I always have a difficult time deciding whether to get the lasagna, or take the chance to try another item. The lasagna is hand rolled, making the layers so thin that the sauce is wonderfully absorbed in each layer. Excellent.

- Profiteroles – These pastry puffs were filled with vanilla ice cream decorated with chocolate sauce. The presentation is great, but I didn’t find the profiteroles outstanding, though they were good.

Service at Caffe Giostra varies depending on the server and the time you arrive at the restaurant. During peak hours, though the staff does a good job of checking on you, I did feel neglected several times, but I have made many visits, and as always, when you visit a restaurant multiple times, there are more chances for patrons to find something wrong. Overall, Caffe Giostra has excellent food and flavor and is certainly worth a try.
 

1940 Piner Road #600, Santa Rosa CA 95403
(707) 570-0688
Parking: in shopping center parking lot

Last Visited: November 16, 2004

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$$

China Bowl, located in Piner Square Center next to TCBY Yogurt, recently opened in November 2003. They specialize in Chinese cuisine, Japanese cuisine, and sushi. There is a variety of dinners to select from – both Japanese style and Chinese style.

We met the owner, Mr. Yu, and he was very friendly and thanked us for coming into his restaurant. It’s a small operation, but you’ll find the décor filled with lots to look at. Upon entering the restaurant, you’ll see a large aquarium containing a variety of koi fish. To your left is a sake barrel. Mirrors on the right side of the restaurant give the place an open feel. The bright green box lanterns are fresh looking. The table has the typical sushi photos labeled with both the English and Japanese name of the fish. Also on the table is a bamboo container holding many chopsticks, and you’ll also find a beautiful blue teacup and water glass. For those who wish to have tea, a teapot matching the teacups will be brought to your table. During my most recent visit, there was also a square based porcelain box with a spout containing soy sauce.

In the back of the restaurant is the sushi bar where you can watch the sushi chef prepare your requests. The walls are adorned with old style Chinese characters that look reminiscent of Chinese hieroglyphs. They range from large letters to small lettering. The wall to the left has three beautiful individual wood shelves that hold miniature teapots. Two of these shelves are shaped like teapots themselves. There are also a few Asian draperies in black, green, and blue that are embroidered with beautiful designs and displayed on the wall.

To have a better feel for the food, we tried both Chinese and Japanese dishes. The owner recommended that we try the Stir Fried String Beans and Agedashi Tofu. The California rolls were recommended by the local radio station, and we selected the other sushi.

- Stir Fried String Beans – These string beans were very crisp and flavorful. Unlike dry fried string beans, this dish is more moist. The string beans are cooked with Chinese preserved vegetables, shallots, and dried chili peppers for a little spiciness. They are also a beautiful green and not overcooked. Not the same style as that which you find in San Francisco, but certainly a worthy effort. I would put this on the must try list. $6.95

- Agedashi Tofu – Small cubes of tofu are deep fried to a golden brown and served with Soya sauce. They are stacked in a pyramid and topped with very thin flakes of dried fish. Don’t let the dried fish deter you – it enhances the flavor. The tofu was crispy and very good. Another must try. $3.95

- Unagi Maki – I actually meant to order unagi nigiri sushi, but was staring at the maki sushi menu. This was an okay dish, but I think I would have enjoyed the nigiri sushi version more. The sesame topping the unagi maki was very flavorful and presentation was nice.

- California Roll – Imitation crab California rolls are available for $3.95 and for only a dollar more, you can get fresh crab California rolls – The cucumber and avocado slices make this crab roll very sweet. It’s also rolled in an orange fish roe for a great presentation. Portions are generous. Another must try $4.95

- Spicy Tuna Roll – This roll is indeed spicy. It looks a little more red than typical maguro because of the presence of the spicy sauce. The flavor is reminiscent of salsa due to the jalapenos, and I found it spicier than expected.

All sushi is served with wasabi and pickled ginger.

Since there is only one waitress caring for the entire dining area, service can sometimes feel frazzled. She is kind and sweet, although it seems she was a bit overwhelmed as the restaurant began to fill up.

During my recent visit, I enjoyed a lunch bento box. They also had a new special – Teriyaki Bowl for $3.95. This special doesn’t actually come in a bowl, but they have four choices (chicken teriyaki, peking tofu, and more) available at this price.

- Tonkatsu and Beef Short Ribs Bento Box – This reasonably priced lunch special includes miso soup as a starter. The bento box contains salad, two pieces of gyoza, short ribs, and tonkatsu. A bowl of rice accompanies the box. The tonkatsu has a nice panko bread crumb crust and was deep fried until golden brown. The short ribs are flavorful and tender. The gyoza is petite and a little crispy, but nicely done. Good. $7.95

My most recent lunch visit was quite slow. With only one server attending to the entire room, our ten person party was quite neglected. The soup took a long time to come, and the service seemed to neglect all tables in the room. The food however was still good, in particular the combo. See comments below.

- Moriawase Lunch Sushi Combo – Maguro (tuna), Hamaichi (yellowtail), Ebi (shrimp), Saba (mackeral), Sake (salmon), Tai (red snapper), and six pieces of Tekka Maki are served with miso soup. The miso soup was lukewarm, and though the flavoring was right, the temperature made the soup lack what was needed to make it good. Although the menu lists the combination above, the plate came with unagi (eel) instead of ebi. This was a welcome substitution. The sushi was served with pickled ginger and a small mound of wasabe. All of the fish was fresh and the flavors were very distinct. Very good. $ 11.95

China Bowl gives a good effort. I would definitely go back to try more of both their Japanese and Chinese cuisine. It’s more typical than many other Chinese restaurants in the area, and they are true to their word about not adding MSG. There is a wide seafood selection too. Check out China Bowl.

127 N McDowell Blvd, Petaluma, CA 94954
(707) 763-6699
Parking: shopping center parking lot
Hours: Mon-Thurs 11:30am to 9:30pm, Fri-Sat 11:30am to 10pm, Sun Noon to 9pm

Last Visited: October 29, 2006

Food: 2 stars
Atmosphere: 2 to 3 stars
Service: 3 to 4 stars
Price: $ to $$

The food rating was once 3 to 4 stars and has since dropped down to two stars due to my recent visit.  I really used to enjoy their food a lot.  I have joked about China Dragon’s healing power to many of my friends.  It’s a strange coincidence, but I have gone to China Dragon when I happened to be feeling sick.  After every visit where I ate their buffet when sick, I have always gotten better very quickly.  I joked that it was something to do with their hot and sour soup.  I couldn’t explain it.  Unfortunately, during my last visit, I got an enormous MSG headache.  I called the establishment to tell them this when the headache came on, and they told me that next time, they wouldn’t use MSG.  This is hard to believe considering that first, their menu says “NO MSG” on it.  Why would there need to be a ‘next time?’  Second, how do you not do it next time when it was used on buffet items for which the patrons don’t specify that they don’t want MSG.  For those that don’t know, MSG is short for monosodium glutamate.  It’s a flavor enhancer.  When used in small quantities, it can be very effective, but when used in large quantities, it tends to create dry mouth, thirst, and sometimes, headaches or stomach aches.  I had a headache.  I think MSG was used in the salad.  You can often see it in spice mixes when it hasn’t fully dissolved. 

- Lunch Buffet – The lunch buffet is a steal at this price.  There have many customers which means a very fresh buffet.  Some of my favorite items included the hot and sour soup, beef with broccoli, tofu with fresh vegetables, fried squid, salty/spicy shrimp, and on and on.  The usual pot stickers and egg rolls are available too.  They also offer seasonal fruit in abundance – orange wedges, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew and the like.  $7.30

Service is always good with servers clearing plates frequently and checking to see if you need anything.  Tables are available without long waits and the servers are efficient getting everybody in and out in a quick, but not hurried fashion.  Too bad that they don’t live up to their claims about not using MSG. 

500 Mission Blvd #E, Santa Rosa, CA 95409
(707) 539-5570
Parking: in parking lot

Last Visited: August 15, 2005

Food: 2 to 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$

There is a small entranceway that immediately shows the dining room. The ceiling has molding that is highlighted by some teal trim. The creamy color of the wall pairs well with the teal and natural wood molding. All of the plates are from a matching set featuring blue and pink flowers on a white background. The large windows in front bring in natural light.

The lunch specials are a bargain. The lunch special menu is divided by pork, chicken, beef, vegetable, and seafood. Included with each meal is a choice of hot and sour soup or wonton soup, one egg roll, and choice of steamed white rice, fried rice, or chow mein.

For this meal, I dined with a large group of people and was pleasantly surprised at their speed and attentiveness.

- Orange Sesame Beef – With this lunch special, I selected hot and sour soup and chow mein. The hot and sour soup was hot in temperature, but too strong with sesame oil flavoring to be close to authentic hot and sour soup. Not bad for Sonoma County, but not authentic. The egg roll was served on a plate with sweet and sour sauce and a small amount of hot mustard. It was nice to have the egg roll served on its own plate, but it certainly made for a large number of dishes on the table. The egg roll was crispy on the outside and there was an average amount of filling on the inside. The egg roll was average to above average and would get a higher rating if it had more filling inside. The orange sesame beef was served with the chow mein. The beef is first lightly battered and deep fried. Then it is cooked in a dark sauce made with some onion and orange rind. This concoction is then topped with sesame. The flavor was light with orange, but what was surprising was the level of spiciness. The menu had a pepper next to the dish, indicating that it would be spicy, but I didn’t find it spicy at all. Overall, the flavor of the orange sesame beef was fine, but I would have liked it better had it not been battered and fried. The chow mein was served plain with only a light soy sauce flavoring. The noodles were soft and not overcooked. For the quantity of food, the price was extremely reasonable. $6.95

- Kung Pao Chicken – Free range chicken is cooked in a spicy sauce and served with the choices listed above.  The portion was again large, but I didn’t find it to be particularly impressive.  The flavor was okay, but I believe they use MSG since I was quite thirsty afterwards.  Okay for Sonoma County.  $8

Fortune cookies are served after the meal. During my second visit, we also received cut oranges.  My overall impression of China Room was okay. It’s not bad for Sonoma County Chinese food, but certainly not up to par with San Francisco Chinese food. The service was attentive throughout the meal. The staff came to fill water glasses and remove dishes frequently.

After talking with another member of the dining party, I found his experience to be quite different despite us dining at the table at the same time. In his teacup, he found a piece of corn, and as his water glass was being filled, he noticed that the staff touched the top portion of the cup which he found to be inappropriate. The dish he selected was not made authentically either.  Fortunately, during my second visit, the dishware seemed to be cleaner.   

Based on my own experience and the comments above about cleanliness, the three stars for food became two to three stars. The service which was originally three to four stars dropped to three stars despite the very quick arrival of food.  Quick food arrival remains a consistent feature of China Room.

China Room still offers a great bargain, but check your dishes and teacups before using them and you may want to watch your water being filled to see where your cup is being held.
 

The Chippery - American/Burgers

1021 Hahman Drive, Santa Rosa, CA 95404
(707) 579-2447
Parking: in parking lot
Hours: 11am to 7pm

Last Visited: January 18, 2007

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$

Scott suggested I try the Chippery.  Known for being at the Farmers market and their fresh chips, it seemed like it would be a great one of a kind place, but of course, chips alone just isn’t enough.  So the Chippery sells burgers, shakes, and sodas too. 

Located next to the Boys and Girls Club, the Chippery has a main counter where the menu is posted behind the register.  They offer multiple sandwiches including the All American burger, Jesse James Burger (described below), chicken sandwiches, and more.  Of course, the basic additions for burgers are available including bacon, avocado, and the like.

Walking into the Chippery, it’s a clean establishment with bright colors and not a lot of frills.  As you enter, condiments in little packets as well as paper napkins are in small containers on a counter.  You can see the chips being cooked to the left rear of the restaurant in a large stainless apparatus.  There are two, but I only saw them operating one of them.  Each chip was taken out as it browned by a person holding large tongs. 

Since I had read about the Jesse James in some articles, I thought I would give it a try.

- Jesse James Burger – A large patty topped with cheese, mayo, an onion ring, and smothered in sweet barbecue sauce.  Choice of chips (sour cream and onion, sea salt, white cheddar, and more) available.  I opted for sea salt since it was my first visit.  The burger was rather large and wrapped partially in paper.  The bun had been grilled, but it was also slightly burnt – enough that I was peeling away part of it.  The burger was juicy, though the flavor had been hindered by the other fixings on it, but all in all, it was quite satisfying.  The onion ring was crisp and added more flavor to the burger.  The chips were delicate – not quite as thick as kettle chips, but not thin like the kinds you find from most brand name manufacturers.  Nicely seasoned, not too salty and not soggy – they had a nice crisp.  Good. $6.95

- Chocolate Milkshake – A 24 ounce shake is available with whipped cream or not.  Other flavors available included vanilla, strawberry, and coffee (though my dining companion said the coffee one was just okay).  I found my milkshake good, but a bit light on the ice cream – it wasn’t as creamy as I would have preferred and melted fairly quickly despite the cool temperature this day.  Okay. $3.95

The service was friendly, but there was room for opportunity.  I had told the woman at the register that I would need a few minutes to look over the menu since it was my first time, so she sat down at the register and started to snack on chips.  Professionally speaking, I wouldn’t mind the sitting down, but don’t snack when a customer is there.  She was nice about coming to check on us during our meal to see if we needed anything, so that added a personal touch and I decided to give three stars for service.

They also offer a kids meal which includes a small soft drink, chips, and half of a plain burger. 

It’s not the best burger I have had, though the portions are hearty.  The milkshake isn’t the best either, but both are okay and I wouldn’t mind going again to try some of their other chip flavors.  My chip experience was better than I expected as some of the reviews of their chips at the Farmer’s market were not so favorable – primarily talking about soggy chips, but I attributed that to freshness and being right out of the oil – not allowing enough time to dry and expose to the air to set.  A good restaurant to check out if you want to satisfy your burger cravings.

701 Sonoma Mountain Parkway, Petaluma, CA 95954
(707) 775-3325
Parking: in shopping center parking lot

Last Visited: April 9, 2005

Food: 2 to 3 stars
Atmosphere: 2 stars
Service: 2 stars
Price: $ to $$

Chunky’s, located in the same shopping center as G&G Market, was recommended to me by  one of trAde’s readers who I’ll refer to as cywang.  Enter Chunky’s and find that it’s bright from natural lighting coming in through the windows.  The establishment contains about ten tables.  The menu contains combination plates, tortas, tacos, burritos, and a grill menu.  So if you don’t like Mexican food, you can also opt for burgers and fries.   

4618 Old Redwood Hwy, Santa Rosa CA 95403
(707) 527-7768
Parking: in parking lot

Last Visited: July 29, 2005

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 4 stars
Price: $$

Cricklewood’s sign says that it’s an ‘eating and drinking place.’ It’s been established at that spot for quite some time. The outside is dark brown wood. Inside is similar, with a large bar and dim lighting. Cricklewood also has a large patio in the back which is great for dining on a nice day. The patio has some sun protection while letting in the light, so it’s quite comfortable.

One nice thing about the entrees is that they are all accompanied by salad or soup, available during lunch and dinner. You can make one trip to the salad bar and fill your plate with either choice of soup or salad. It seems rare to find this available in restaurants nowadays. The salad bar isn’t huge, but offers enough variety with the basic fixings for a salad and offerings of premade pasta salad too. The freshness of vegetables ranges from slightly below average to average. It has a lot to do with preparation – lettuce being cut more than likely the night before or at minimum, hours before, causes some of it to dry out wilt or rust. It’s not severe, but you’re bound to find a few pieces in this state.

- Clubhouse sandwich – The bread for all the sandwiches were the same – some variety of multigrain. The bread was cut into thick slices, but I found it to be a bit dry. My sandwich was made with turkey (like that in a roll, not fresh turkey slices) and bacon, lettuce, and tomato. It was served with a pickle. Overall, I found it to be a bit dry and lacking in flavor.

- French Dip sandwich – Thinly sliced pieces of roast beef are layered in a soft French roll and served with au jus.  This sandwich came with garnish and a very small slice of honeydew. Some at the table found the meat to be on the rare side, but mine was okay.  The roll was slightly crusty on the outside, and soft on the inside.  I was satisfied with this dish.  After having this sandwich, I upgraded the food rating to 3 stars from the 2 to 3 range.  Good.  $7.50

This experience was in line with my past experiences at Cricklewood. It’s interesting to go for its atmosphere as it’s been around for a while, but it’s not a place that I choose to go to. For me, it’s more of a place that other people select, and I’ll go to be part of the group. Depending on what you’re looking for, you may find it to be your new hangout or just another place to go. That’s why the atmosphere is in the 3 to 4 star range.

Note that the staff was extremely good at attending to the drinks, and since our party was rather large, this in itself was quite a task.  In past visits where larger parties (greater than fifteen or more), if you call ahead, the service is typically very good, although drinks may not get refilled.  This alone brought service to a 4 star level. As always, try it for yourself and decide.
 

56 E Washington St., Petaluma, CA 94952
(707) 782-1130
Parking: in shopping center parking lot

Last Visited: 2000

Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 4 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

It’s been a while since I visited Cucina Paradiso, but it’s not because I didn’t like it. I just haven’t had a chance to go back yet. From the outside, it doesn’t look all that impressive, but once inside, you’ll find it has a romantic setting and is quite cozy. The staff gave good service, and the food was great. I remember having very hot steaming tomato bread soup. It was the first time I had tried it anything like it, and I enjoyed it a lot - very hearty, but not overly filling. I don’t remember what dishes we tried, but I’m sure one was a pasta. Cucina Paradiso made a great overall impression on me.

As expected, since I’ve only been to this restaurant once, I didn’t have much opportunity to try other food, so it just means I’m just going to have to go back sometime to try more out and give a more complete review.
 

Daphne's Greek Cafe

2280 Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
(707) 566-6736
Parking: in shopping center parking lot

Last Visited: May 5, 2005

Food: 2 to 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$

Although I don’t normally rate chains, this one was recommended by so many folks, and it’s a rare one in this area, I made an exception.  Located in the new shopping center next to Blockbuster’s, Daphne’s is getting attention in Santa Rosa for it’s fresh food.

Enter Daphne’s and you’ll see the signs above the counter showing the menu.  The restaurant has a fresh look – lots of light neutral colors.  Although it’s a restaurant chain, it’s one that I’m not familiar with, and the Greek cuisine makes it unique. 

- Daphne’s Gyro Pita - The gyro meat is 80% beef and 20% lamb.  The meat is roasted on the rotisserie and shaved off of the rotisserie for each serving.  The meat is served wrapped in a soft warm pita shell with fresh lettuce, a tomato slice, and red onion slices.  The pita is accompanied with Tzatziki sauce on the side.  I found the meat to be a bit too strong in flavor my tastes.  It tasted almost wild or gamey, and I doubt it was the lamb.  Normally I can eat lamb without detecting any of this flavor, so I suspect whatever it is to be the marinade and/or spices.  The portion is large.  Your typical person will have trouble taking a full bite of the pita.  $4.99

- Make it a plate - Add Greek Salad and Rice Pilaf to any pita sandwich. Add $1.99

The Greek Salad is comprised of romaine lettuce, feta cheese, tomato chunks, and olives.  It’s very fresh and comes with a zesty dressing.  The rice pilaf is yellow in color and doesn’t have a very distinct flavor. 

If I were to visit again, I would probably try something besides gyro meat, perhaps chicken or maybe just a salad.  Daphne’s was accompanied by a little too much hype, so when I tried it, I expected something better than what I got.  The place is decent in atmosphere and offerings, and it’s a good alternative to typical fast food, but not quite the right thing for me.  I would prefer the authentic version more.

Della Fattoria - Bakery/Cafe

141 Petaluma Blvd North, Petaluma, CA 94952
(707) 763-0161
Parking: street parking
Hours: Tuesdays through Thursdays and Saturdays 7am to 3pm
Fridays 7am to 9pm, Sundays 9am to 3pm, Closed Mondays

Last Visited: May 12, 2007

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 2 to 3 stars
Service: 1 star
Price: $$ to $$$

Della Fattoria’s new bakery had been mentioned in the local newspaper several times, so I thought Mother’s Day would be the perfect day to take mom to try some sandwiches made with wonderful bread and possibly enjoy a few scrumptious pastries

I was expecting a treat – if not for service, at least for the food.  Unfortunately, my Della Fattoria left me disappointed, not so much with the food, but with the entire experience.

Dempsey's - Brewery

50 East Washington Street, Petaluma, CA 94952
(707) 765-9694
Parking: in shopping center

Last Visited: August 2, 2006

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

Dempsey’s isn’t much to look at from the outside. In fact, if you’re still in the parking lot, you might think it’s a store, not a restaurant. The entrance is on the side facing the Petaluma River. There is outside patio dining available. Inside, it’s fairly dark. It is a brewery after all. The bar has a television, and inside there is ample seating.

It’s been a while between the actual visit and the review, so the details of the dishes are going to be a bit vague, but the overall impression is still here.

- Cheese Burger – It was a good burger, but a bit pricey considering what you get. You’re paying restaurant hamburger prices for sure, and the portions are average.

- Pizza of the Day – I was a bit disappointed by this pizza. The size and presentation were nice, but the flavor wasn’t unique. This pizza was topped with sausage that had a special sauce, but it wasn’t to our tastes. The crust was thin, so that was nicely done, but as a whole, the pizza wasn’t all that good.

- Root beer – This is their special brew of root beer. It was nice and smooth. Not unlike other brewery root beers. Good, but not exciting.

- Beer – The overall review on the beer is that it wasn’t outstanding, but maybe we just didn’t care for the ones that we chose.

During my 2006 visit (as opposed to my last visit three years ago), Dempsey’s seems to have changed its menu to have a more seasonal flare.

- Flat Bread Sandwich - Today’s flat bread sandwich contained smoked salmon, chive spread, red onions, and tomatoes.  It’s served with a side green salad of spring mix.  The sandwich is basically homemade pita bread – thin and crispy and well seasoned.  In fact, it was a bit salty for my taste – the bread would have been good alone, but the encrusted cheese on it coupled with the spread and the smoked salmon just piles on the salt so that by the third bite, you’re looking for something to cleanse your palate which is where the salad comes in.  If you like your sandwiches on the salty side, you’ll love this.  The combination of ingredients was nice, but one of the halves of my sandwich contained salmon that was tough and had some sort of thing about it that prevented the meat from being pulled apart.  The green salad was fresh and seemed to be a good accompaniment. $9.95

- Pork Chop – The dish was described as a Dempsey’s classic.  It’s marinated with hoisin and served with mashed potatoes and sautéed seasonal vegetables.  Although I didn’t eat the sides, I tried a bite of the pork chop when it was served and found it to be fairly juicy.  I’m not sure if it maintained the same juiciness as the meal went forward.  It didn’t taste marinated with hoisin sauce to me, but it did have a light sweetness about it. $14.95

- Side of Homemade Fries – The fries are cut and deep fried until golden.  Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, they had good flavor and there was certainly an ample quantity.  My only suggestion is to get a larger potato cutter.  These pieces were about the size of my pinky finger or shorter.  Great flavor, but longer fries would be better. $4

My overall impression wasn’t great, but wasn’t bad either. I thought brewery food here was better than others I have tried. The problem was that there was too much hype. I had heard all these wonderful and outstanding things about Dempsey’s that maybe I had set my expectations too high. So you’ll have to decide for yourself. Nothing screams at me to try it again, but I’m not avoiding it either.

701 Sonoma Mountain Parkway, Petaluma, CA 94954
(707) 763-4644
Parking: in shopping center parking lot
Hours: Tues-Thurs 11:30am to 9pm, Fri-Sat 11:30am to 10pm, Closed Mondays

Last Visited: February 12, 2006

Food: 2 to 3 stars overall, 4 star burgers
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 4 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

Walk into Eastside Grill, located in the G&G Marketplace, and notice the rich colors and light streaming into the restaurant from the windows.  As we were taken to our table, we walked past a glass case filled with luxurious desserts.  The décor is modern with stainless steel ducts showing, lots of mirrors placed around booths and on the wall, and opaque glass.  There’s also a lot of rich wood color and track lights.  The artwork displayed colorful cubes.  Music that is somewhat loud blares from the speaker systems.  I would have preferred some soft jazz to complement the decor.  Outside, there are tables surrounded by fresh citrus trees.

We were seated in one of the booths near the rear.  One of the booth backs was a mirror while the other was glass.  The seat was black and brown with sleek lines.  On the table was a tealight candle holder and sugar packets in a container.  This was my first experience receiving a menu on a clipboard – a long clipboard was used for the main menu and a regular clipboard for the dessert menu.  The menu includes a variety of salads, sandwiches, grilled meat, and pizzas.

After ordering, we received water with a lemon wedge, and a plate containing a warm wheat roll with a packet of butter.

- Chef Salad – Ham, turkey, roast beef, jack, cheddar, American, cucumbers, roma tomato, red onions, dressing – we ordered a full size salad and our server was kind enough to have the kitchen split it for us.  The portion is hearty and the price is very reasonable especially if you split it.  It comes on a beautiful coral colored triangular dish and all of the ingredients were fresh.  Not too special in terms of how it is made up – though the cheese is chopped in tiny squares, but fresh.  Good.   Half $9.95, Full $12.95

  Wild Mushroom, Spinach, and Prosciutto Pizza (wood-fired) – This sounded really yummy.  There were shiitake mushrooms along with other woody flavored mushrooms, small sprinkles of spinach and small pieces of prosciutto.  I had envisioned something different.  I had hoped for slices of prosciutto laid on top of the pizza and that’s where I was first disappointed.  Next, the flavor of the sauce didn’t go well with the mushrooms.  Typically, those no sauce pizzas have gone very well with mushrooms as toppings, especially when there are few ingredients.  The crust was extremely thin, and more like cracker crust, which was fine, but the sauce just didn’t complement the mushrooms well.  Fair. $13

Service was very good.  Our server was polite and frequently checked on us after each course was served.  He had a pleasant demeanor, though there is room f or improvement, so that’s why only 4 stars.  He initially thought I said bruschetta when I ordered the prosciutto pizza, and as I asked why the pizza would be served first, he caught himself and said he was glad he double checked.  This was good, but perhaps it would be better to go over what we had ordered after our order was complete.  At the end of our meal, he asked if we were the table that had brought in a coupon.  We were not.  This made me think, I didn’t even know you had coupons.  In this case, he could have kept better track of the table number to avoid this question.  The assistants are quite helpful to their servers.  Overall, I was satisfied with the service.

Look for the coupon to receive some savings.  Food is generous, but I would need to try out more from the grill to determine how well their overall menu offerings and food truly are.

 

 
Eddie's Lunches - American

412 Larkfield Center, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
(707) 545-1658
Lunches only available weekdays
Parking: in shopping center parking lot

Last Visited: June 6, 2005

Food: 2 to 3 stars overall, 4 star burgers
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

Eddie's has been a local institution for 27 years. It's a bar that serves lunches, and you'll only find lunch available on Monday through Fridays. First, let's talk about the atmosphere. When you walk in, you'll notice it's very dimly lit, and you'll find that everything around you seems dark brown from the wood panels on the walls to the furniture to the floor. It might seem a bit shocking to those who frequent elegant dining establishments, but remember, you're in a bar. It's also surprisingly clean. The bar is on your immediate right and on the left are the lunch tables. The middle of the room has a pool table underneath a well lit Budweiser light/sign. The decor is typical of a bar with photos of local sports figures as well as a painting that we'll call 'not so conservative'. Check out the painting. Some might describe it as risque, but it's all part of the atmosphere. The most contemporary thing about this bar is the new flat screen television behind the bar itself. The tables and chairs are dark brown and along the wall is the cushioned seating. There are also of course trophies around the room.

Service is certainly friendlier when you go with frequent patrons. It's okay when you're a new visitor. Don't ever ask what kind of beers they have available. Just name the one you want, or you'll be scolded by the waitress. Most of the standard brews are available.

Onto the food. It's simple, but delicious. Certainly not health conscious. There cheeseburgers are reasonable priced - available for under $5 with fries. They have a wide selection from grilled cheese to BLTs to turkey club sandwiches to of course, Eddie's Bacon Deluxe Cheeseburger, an extra larged sized regular burger on a toasted bun. The fries are deep fried in fresh oil until light golden brown and crispy - always good. I particularly enjoy the club and the cheeseburgers. Their lunches always hit the spot.

Let me forewarn you though, avoid the following: Hot roast beef sandwich. If you think you’re getting hot roast beef, you’re not. You’ll get cold roast beef on top of a slice of bread with hot gravy poured on top. There is a choice of fries or mashed potatoes. More gravy if you select mashed potatoes. Stick with sandwiches like those mentioned above and you’ll be safe. Eddie's is a winner.

El Charro - Mexican

1529 Farmers Lane, Santa Rosa, CA 95405
(707) 570-3287
Parking: in shopping center parking lot

Last Visited: July 21, 2006

Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $ to $$

El Charro is located in a shopping center and recommended by my fellow foodie Emily.  At first glance, you may miss it, but the food is quite good with homestyle quality.  The large windows in the front allow you to see the whole restaurant.  In the rear is the kitchen with a semi-circular opening for easily placing plates to be served.  Above the bar were metal lizards and a sun figure on the wall.  There are also three lamps, one red, one green, and one white, hanging in the semi-circle.  Near the rear is a dark wood bar.  Throughout the room are hanging lamps and lights on ceiling fans.  Mexican music plays in the background.

There are very large tables with bench style seating.   All of the seats look like large wicker style chairs with leather covering the backs.  On each chair, the light tan brown leather is painted with the El Charro name and a horse with its rider.  The same leather is used on the tables, but the tables are covered with plastic.  The table tops have salt, pepper, sugar, and hot sauce.  Many tables also have a large candleholder with a sun sculpted on the side of the holder. 

When we arrived, we received fresh salsa and a basket of chips.  Some of the chips vary in freshness, but overall, it’s good.

- Carne Asada Burrito – The carne asada burrito is one of the specials highlighted on the menu. It’s filled with grilled steak, sour cream, rice, beans, guacamole, cheese, lettuce, and pico de gallo.  All of the contents are wrapped in a warm flour tortilla and topped with a warm ranchera sauce and cheese.  I’ve been eating a lot of burritos lately, and the quality of this one is great.  It’s juicy on the inside even without the ranchera sauce.  There is a lot of meat and everything is very fresh.  Even if you take home leftovers, you’ll still find the leftovers enjoyable.  Excellent.  $7.75

- Flautas – Three flautas are filled with shredded beef and deep fried until crisp.  The flautas are laid on a bed of lettuce and topped with pico de gallo, sour cream, and guacamole, and cheese to create a platter of color reminiscent of the flag of Mexico.  The flautas are served with rice and beans topped with cheese.  The flautas are fresh and crispy.  Good. $7.95

- Soft Tacos – Two soft tacos are served with rice and beans.  The choices for meat include al pastor, carne asada, chicken, fish, or lengua.  This evening, I tried the chicken and the lengua.  The lengua has a nice quality – fresh and flavorful.  The chicken is good too.  Both tacos are topped with pico de gallo, cilantro, and served with guacamole. Good.  $7.95

Service is fair.  The gals can be a bit slow to come to your table, but they do remember to check on you.  At the end of the meal, refills on the water glasses would have been helpful.  The little touches that make great servant are absent, but they’re friendly.

Of all of the burritos I’ve tried recently, and I’ve tried about five or six in a row, the burrito at El Charro is one of the best.  Juicy with tender meat and a great sauce, it’s sure to fill your belly and leave you with pleasant thoughts.  The other items are fresh as well (I preferred the tacos over the flautas, though the flautas were okay), but so far, nothing tops the burrito. 

During a recent visit with a large party, we found that service was again only fair.  With thirteen people, the one person serving could not attend to the entire room.  We were constantly asking for more chips.  Since the salsa bowls are rather large, there wasn’t a need to ask for additional salsa, but we were repeatedly asking for more chips.  There was also a mix up when it came to the dishes being served, and they didn’t keep track of who had ordered what.  This casual style was okay, but not impressive.  There is lots of room for improvement, but the server was still friendly.  Also, the dishes were probably all served within a ten minute period after the first dish had arrived.  One of my fellow dining companions also commented on the tamales – lots of masa and not a lot of meat.  My experience was better though.

- Enchilada Suiza – Two soft tortillas are rolled with either shredded beef or chicken inside.  Jack cheese top the enchiladas which are covered with chile verde sauce.  The enchiladas as served with rice and beans.  The rice and beans were great – the rice was moist and the beans had great texture.  The enchiladas were also delicious – soft and warm.  Between the shredded beef and chicken (I selected one of each), I preferred the beef because the texture of the enchilada as a whole was not as dense creating more of a melt in your mouth feel.  The chile verde was seasoned just right.  Great. $10.95

My most second recent lunch visit was good in terms of service and food.  Service was much more attentive and the food came out incredibly fast.  As the restaurant filled up, we were neglected in terms of service, but service was still better than past experiences. 

- Quesadilla – Choice of meat.  This quesadilla is grilled until crispy and the meat and cheese inside are fresh.  I selected steak.  It came with a small serving of sour cream, guacamole, and pico de gallo, all topping shredded lettuce.  Very good, though the portion is just okay.  The supreme quesadillas are very large.  Great lunch deal.  $5.45

Today’s salsa was very fresh – blended, but lacking salt which is good for those who have a low in sodium diet.  The chips were fresher, but they’re on the thick side.  By the end of the lunch period, the room was entirely packed.  So get there early.

My most recent visit also had good service.  The food on the other hand – well, the portion was large, but the bread was burnt.  The salsa was still good.

- Mexican Torta – The Mexican torta is basically a large bun, cut in half, coated with butter and grilled.  Inside, your choice of meat is sandwiched between the bun with beans, lettuce, pico de gallo, mayonnaise, and tomatoes.  It’s warm and the sandwich is huge.  I selected carnitas and it had been fried crispy until the fat was crunchy.  The flavor was very good, but the bread had been burnt.  Some of the bread had been scraped out since it must have gotten too burnt to serve.  The contents get 3 to 4 stars, but the bread which would have been in the same range gets 1 star.  Eat at your own risk for burnt bread. $5.95

Despite the issues with service, the food is still great.  It’s also unclear whether the menu has changed in style, or if there is a lunch menu and a separate dinner menu.  Heartwarming and homestyle, they serve up a great plate.  El Charro is definitely a place I would visit again.

 

 

El Patio - Mexican

901 4th St, Santa Rosa CA 95404
(707) 571-2222
Parking: in parking lot and street parking

Last Visited: August 22, 2004

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$

From the outside, El Patio is very simple looking. Almost like the old fashioned style burger joint. There are tables outside on the deck that are surrounded by a rectangular fence and around the other side is an awning covering more tables. The restaurant itself only has three booths inside.

It’s very simple with a menu above the counter. The kitchen is in the back and they’re quickly cooking up orders. After ordering, you are given chips in a basket and you take the number on the plastic stand to your table. Once your order is ready, they serve you by searching out your number.

- Regular Taco with Shredded Beef – Two flour tortillas are filled with shredded seasoned beef. Adjacent to the wrapped taco is a bed of shredded lettuce topped with a little salsa and cheese. It’s a simple dish, but nicely done. Don’t let the beef sit too long because the juice from the meat will soak into the tortillas. Fresh and good, the meat is not overseasoned, but nice. Other meat choices are available. $2.25

- Regular Burrito with Shredded Chicken – A large burrito filled with rice, beans, cheese, choice of meat, and cheese is topped with enchilada sauce. It’s a hearty portion, and the filling is fresh. Simple and good. The chicken is indeed shredded and lightly seasoned. $ 5.25

Food comes only a few minutes after ordering, and the salsa is bottomless. They put the salsa into little plastic containers and you can enjoy as much as you like. It’s a self serve place for drinks and salsa, but it’s simple and good. Fresh food for inexpensive prices, El Patio is the place to go.

Flavor - California Cuisine

96 Old Courthouse Square, Santa Rosa CA 95404
(707) 573-9600
Parking: street parking and nearby pay parking lot
Closed Sundays

Last Visited: May 18, 2007

Food: 4 to 5 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

Flavor Bistro features Sonoma County cuisine. It opened the day after Thanksgiving 2004 and has been the talk of Santa Rosa since. Located in the historic Topaz Room on Old Courthouse Square, the restaurant has a fresh feel. The front façade has a lot of windows and the frames are a blue tinted gray. The word Flavor is in maroon above the door.

Once inside, the high ceilings give the room an open feel. The ceilings and ducts are painted the same maroon and the walls are an earthy, but bright yellow. Art depicting vineyards is neatly arranged on the wall above the cushioned bench seating on the right side.

As you enter, on your left, you’ll see a fireplace, and the restaurant continues to extend to the back where you can view the open kitchen, a rarity, but certainly it’s great to see that Flavor has nothing to hide. Adjacent to the fireplace is a large bar, and there is a smaller one in the right rear as well. The center island contains the computer screens for the cashiers as well as a convenient spot for all the silverware. The left side of the room just past the bar has large rectangular mirrors. Between the art and the mirrors are wall lighting and hanging from the ceiling are large light fixtures. The overall feel is fresh and warm. The room is well lit with soft lighting, and the dark wood tables are rich in color, and simply decorated. Each table has a glass containing the silverware sets wrapped in brown paper napkins which serves as a centerpiece.

Once inside, we were promptly greeted by restaurant owners Stuart Patterson and Ron Zimmerman. After being seated, we were promptly served water and a plate of focaccia bread cut into large cubes. Several small plates with olive oil and balsamic vinegar were given to us to share amongst the group.

Flavor emphasizes their support of local growers in Northern California. Their proteins are all free from growth hormones and antibiotics. Seafood is wild and caught fresh. All of the produce is organic and pesticide free. All of their pastas are also handmade.

- Citrus Ginger Refresher – This was one of the specialty drinks listed on their menu. It didn’t have a description but sounded good. It tastes like a combination of lemon juice and primarily orange juice mixed with either ginger ale or ginger beer. Initially, it’s like drinking a big orange juice, but it has a stronger ginger aftertaste. It was a cold day when I tried it, so maybe I would have found it more refreshing in summer. I would have preferred a little less ice in my refresher since it waters down the drink. The taste of ginger lingers after sipping. Okay. $2.95

Half plates and full plates are both available for the majority of their salads and pastas.

- Bistro Style Salad – Escarole, frisee, and endive are tossed in a red wine vinaigrette and topped with chopped bacon and egg. Rarely do you find a salad without any sign of rust, but this salad certainly passed the test. The menu doesn’t state it, but I also had strips of radicchio in my salad as well which added good color. The combination of greens made for an unusual texture. There was a different kind of crunch from the escarole especially. The bacon and egg pack a punch of flavor and I particularly enjoyed the freshness of the whole salad. Great. Half $3.95/Full $5.95

- Gnocchi – Potato pillows are served with a roasted chicken sausage ragu and topped with marscapone and parmesan cheeses. The gnocchi was quite good – light and fluffy. The red sauce contains the sausage which is broken down so fine that I would never have guessed it to be chicken without the menu calling it out. The sauce is strong but pleasant, and the flavor lingers in your mouth after you have finished off the dish. A large dollop of marscapone is placed in the center of the gnocchi. Half $6.95/Full $9.95

The one thing I don’t like about half portions is that if someone else’s portion of the same dish is being cooked at the same time, the two halves won’t be equal. Inevitably, someone always gets more. That was the case at our table during this visit. I had received less than a fellow member of the table – enough that it could be noticed.

Tea is served loose leaf in French presses giving it a nice presentation. The press serves about one cup of tea.

From conversations with other people I know who have visited Flavor, it sounds like the service can vary. These other folks told me that they got almost too much service, and the servers wanted to remove dishes before the entire amount of soup or drink had been finished. My visit was on the other side of the spectrum. Our lunch took about 45 minutes before we received food, and unfortunately, we didn’t receive any refills on bread. For some, the water glasses weren’t filled frequently enough. The lack of bread and water made us think of the time more, and was a bit frustrating, especially since it was a weekday lunch. This is difficult for business folks.

The other issue was a certain member of the waitstaff who needs more training. He had an attitude problem where when he had stood too close to a patron, and the patron bumped into him as he leaned backwards, the staff member responded in a not so pleasant way. He didn’t say anything rude, but certainly could have handled it better. Also, when he brought a dish around and one of our table members didn’t know that it was his, the staff member seemed upset and shook his head.

I spoke with one of the owners after our experience and mentioned my experience to him. He took the comments very well, and I think they will be corrected. Flavor seems to be working out the kinks of being a new restaurant, and should come into itself in a fine manner.

The restroom is nicely decorated with a simple topiary. The colors are similar to the front façade of the building, with a bit of gray blue tones. The walls are tiled with stone in a black, white, and gray mixture. Spacious and clean.

My second visit almost a year later found the food to still be of excellent quality.  The service was much better than the first time, though there was still room for improvement.  The service rating has been upgraded from the 2 to 3 star range to 3 stars now to reflect the change.  The flaws mainly lie with the amount of time it takes waiting for staff to take an order and once ordered, how long it takes for food to arrive. 

After receiving our menus, it was at least ten to twelve minutes before a waiter came to our table.  Fortunately, we were given water during this time.  After taking our order and providing bread, it was at least another twenty minutes before the appetizer arrived.  The main dishes arrived about ten minutes after that.  All in all, it took over an hour and a half from walking in to completing our meal and walking out, and most of the time was not spent dawdling.  Flavor’s forte is definitely not getting its clients in and out for a quick lunch, but it’s fine if you have leisure time.

- Bruschetta – A large slice of toasted bread is cut into long triangles.  Each is spread with soft cheese, topped with a slice of prosciutto and topped with sliced figs.  Although the menu online says pears, I didn’t order this one, so I don’t know if the actual menu correctly stated the fruit.  In any case, it makes for an unusual looking bruschetta, but certainly creative with delicate flavors. The prosciutto and cheese create just enough saltiness to balance the figs.  The bruschetta is accompanied by some salad greens tossed in a sweet dressing and topped with a slice of peach.  The peach adds color to the dish.  Interesting and fresh.  Not your typical tomato topped bruschetta.  $5.95

- Grilled Pork Chop – A grilled pork chop is served on top of a rectangle of parmesan/gruyere potato which is placed on top of a veggie ragout.  Sundried fruit compote is served atop the pork chop.  This dish is available in small (1 pork chop) or regular size.  Since I ordered a small version, I don’t know what regular equates to.  The pork chop had those recognizable criss cross grill marks.  Although I asked for it to be medium, it came closer to being done.  It was still juicy, and the sundried fruit compote (I recognized raisins and cranberries in it amongst other fruit) was nice complement adding sweetness to each bite.  The potatoes are great if you like potatoes au gratin.  They’re so thinly sliced that they take on all of the flavor from the cheese.  The potatoes come with a very creamy sauce.  There are also small diced ham (which I’m not sure if they’re part of the sauce or the potatoes) in the mix.  There is a thin layer of vegetables which soak up all the flavors from above which makes them lose their own flavor distinctness, but there’s a lot of color on the dish.  Good, but I would have like the chopped to be more on the medium side. $11.95/$14.95

My third visit was for dinner.  This evening, the restaurant was packed, but fortunately, we arrived early into the dinner session and didn’t have to wait to get a seat.  My fourth visit was for lunch.  I had similar dishes, so I’ll combine the information. 

- Soup of the day – $2.95 cup, $3.95 bowl

Potato and Leek soup – The potato leek soup is more of a potato soup with a hint of leek.  The soup was creamy and rich, full of potato flavor.  The bacon in the soup reminded me of a warm baked potato, but the soup would have been better named potato soup with bacon.  The leek flavor didn’t come out until more than several spoonfuls, and even then, the bacon overpowered the leek.  Good soup, but not well named.

Tomato Soup – The water based tomato soup was rich with lots of tomato puree.  It’s rich red was topped with foamy cream.  Warm and satisfying, it was perfect for a winter day.  The only issue with this soup was the seeds from the tomatoes that were mixed amongst the puree.  Had the tomatoes been seeded prior to cooking, it would have been a perfect soup. 

Cream of Butternut Squash – A light and almost velvety soup with lots of pureed butternut squash.  Atop the bright soup with lots of herbs is a dollop of cream topped with cut chives.  Not too sweet nor too salty, it was a very smooth blend that warmed me up on this cold day.

In 2006, Soup of the day prices remain the same.

- Sauteed Dungeness Crab Cake – A single crab cake is sautéed until golden brown, served over basil aioli, and topped with crispy fried shoe string yams.  It’s a beautiful presentation with the luscious cake over green landscape on a white plate.  The yam adds height to the dish.  The combination of flavors is terrific.  The crab cake contained red peppers, celery, onions, green peppers, and of course crab.  There were no shells or pieces that shouldn’t have been there, so they did a great job with that.  The crab cake is served very warm with each bite being a treat.  The basil aioli has just the right consistency and flavor that doesn’t overpower, but compliments the crab meat.  The shoe string yams offer a bit of sweetness and excellent color to the dish.   The yams do become slightly difficult to eat since each string may be long.  Alone, they would be great as an appetizer or finger food.  With a fork, the yam is more difficult to eat.  This is a must try.  Ordering this during a second visit, I found the crab cake to be slightly smaller, but still excellent flavor.  As a coworker mentioned, you only wish there were two cakes because it’s so good.  $7.50

- Autumn Mushroom Pizza – The pizza is plated with a pizza cutter to allow you to cut to size as you please.  The homemade dough is light and soft.  If you prefer thin crust pizza, this might not be for you, but if you like your pizza with soft dough, then it’s just right.  A blend of button, shiitake, and other mushrooms give this pizza a nice flavor.  Fresh grated parmesan tops the pizza.  It was not quite what I was expecting, but it definitely has a freshness to it.  The cheese is not overwhelming and the red sauce has good flavor.  Additional pizza condiments were not provided, but I didn’t check to see if they were available upon request.  The pizza is large enough to share for as an appetizer for several guests or for one person as a meal.  $9.95

- Center Cut Short Ribs – I was disappointed that they were out of lamb this evening, but my disappointment was quickly turned into satisfaction as I tried the center cut short ribs.  For the small plate, boneless short ribs were plated on top of a medley of stewed vegetables (eggplant, zucchini, etc).  All are braised in a red wine and herb reduction.  The short ribs are accompanied by a warm butternut risotto.  The ribs are tied by a string, so you have to remove it yourself.  Once you’ve made it through that obstacle, you can enjoy the wonderfully rich meat that falls apart with ease.  If it were on a bone, it would be falling off.  It’s so tender and juicy, that each bite is just enjoyable.  The vegetables that accompany the dish and the risotto are fine, but the star is the short ribs.  This is an excellent choice for a main course.  Must try.  I ordered this again in 2006 and found that it was still delicious.  This time, it was served with slightly different stewed vegetables – carrots and the like, but it had that recognizable rich flavor.  The price also increased $3 more on the small and $2 more on the large. $14.95 small/17.95 large

- Sweet Potato Gnocchi – Gorgonzola, White Wine, Cream, Parmesan Cheese – This is a great appetizer to share since the sauce is so very rich and the gnocchi absolutely sweet.  The natural sweetness from the sweet potato is further enhanced by the creamy gorgonzola, wine, and cream sauce.  Spinach is included in the sauce to accent the bright color of the gnocchi.  Each gnocchi is light and fluffy.  Delicious.  $7.50

- Spicy Garlic Ginger Chicken Wings – Served with Blue Cheese dressing on the side and endive leaves for decoration, the seasoning on these chicken wings reminded me a bit of Asian chili sauces – sambal and sricha.  Chili flakes are seen on the three whole wings cut into six total pieces.  The ginger is light in flavor and the wings are tender.  I prefer my wings a little crispy on the outside and a little spicier, but these were still fun to eat. $6.95

- Caramelized Quince and Huckleberry Tart with Chantilly Cream – For dessert, this tart described as a free form pie had the same shape as the warm apple tart that folks at our table ordered.  Unlike the apple tart which was topped with vanilla gelato and caramel sauce, this one was topped with a dollop of Chantilly cream and a sprig of mint.  Filled with slices of quince and tiny huckleberries, the overall flavor was very light and not too filling.  Light flaky crust with bits of caramelized sugar that added crunch, it was a nice dessert, but not likely something I would order again.  Okay. $5.95

- Burger and Fries  - I had a burger with jack cheese and avocado.  The burger was good, but it was piled so high that you really couldn’t put the entire thing in your mouth.  Since it started to fall apart, it made eating rather difficult.  Although the flavors were nice, I wouldn’t recommend having a burger here if you need to eat delicately or are having a business lunch.  Fries were ok, but not wow.  $8.95/ Add $1 cheese / Add $1 Avocado / Add $1 bacon

Prices listed above are reflective of the time I ate them, so some of the prices may need to be adjusted unless otherwise specified.

Flavor has a wide selection of local wines by the bottle and as well as by the glass.  They also have a variety of lemonade and other non-alcoholic drinks including vintage grape juice by variety.  I enjoyed Arnold Palmers and Raspberry Lemonade during past visits, both $2.75. 

verall, the food at Flavor was very good. Not quite outstanding, but close. Fresh and flavorful.  Be sure to allot plenty of time in your schedule to enjoy your dining experience.  If you’re going for lunch, be sure you’re not in a hurry.  Two hours should be sufficient for a large or small party (does not include dessert time).  Check it out - they offer great atmosphere and eats at a good value.

101 4th Street (at C Street), Petaluma CA 94952
(707) 762-6424
Parking: in parking lot and ample street parking

Last Visited: June 11, 2005

Food: 4 to 5 stars
Service: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Price: $ to $$

Fourth and Sea, formerly a Foster’s Freeze, has kept the soft serve and added fish and chips making it a fine combination to be enjoyed by all. My aunt and uncle recommended this place and gave it high accolades.

The blue checkered curtains can be seen from outside. Enter Fourth and Sea and you’ll find the orange booths are still reminiscent of its former life as a Foster’s Freeze. There are six booths seating four and four booths that seat two. Nautical decorations fill the dining area - from oars to buoys to numerous lighthouse figurines. The locals have contributed to the atmosphere by bringing in their own ocean finds. The place has a family style feel with all of its knick knacks on display. A bell is attached to the door and sounds as people enter and exit. Jazz from a local radio station plays in the background. One can order from the window outside or the one within. Large bright yellow menus are posted along the wall near the window.

The menu includes cod, chicken tenders, prawns, and oysters available a la carte or as a meal served with fries and cole slaw. Sandwich choices include chili dogs, burgers, Philly cheese steak, and chicken sandwiches. A children’s menu is also available. For the adventurous, there is a SeaBiscuit – a deep fried twinkie served with whipped cream and berry sauce.

Tonight’s fare was something from the classic menu. A lemon wedge, tartar sauce, and cocktail sauce are available with all fried seafood items.

- Two Piece Cod Meal – The fish is caught in Iceland and frozen within two hours of the catch. This makes for flaky cod and excellent clean flavor. The oil is fresh and hot giving a crisp outer coating that is fried until golden brown and not greasy. The fish is large with generous sides. The coleslaw was crisp, not soggy. The chips are lightly seasoned potato wedges. Again, you can tell that the oil is fresh because the chips are hot in temperature and also not soggy. Very good. $8.75

- Fish Sandwich – A deep fried piece of cod is placed in a soft roll with lettuce and tartar sauce. If you like soft rolls, you’ll be pleased. Again, the cod is done perfectly. Very good. $4.95

On my second visit, which was for lunch, I tried a few different items.

- Deep Fried Calamari – Calamari rings and tentacles are lightly battered and deep fried. The calamari pieces are then tossed in a mixture containing garlic and parsley. It’s like garlic fries, but it’s calamari. I was a little surprised at the extra flavoring, but found it refreshing and good. Be forewarned that the flavor of garlic will stay with you. $6.95

- One Cod, Two Oyster combo Meal - The fish was deep fried just as nicely as the first time. See above. The oysters are large and also available as a side for $1.75 each. These oysters were lightly battered and deep fried. The batter could be thinner, but I still found the oysters above average in size and quality. They’re so hot that you should use care in eating them. Very good. The fries and cole slaw were just as good as my initial visit. $8.50

- Clam Chowder – The New England style clam chowder is homemade and served with oyster crackers. It’s creamy and rich with lots of clams, diced celery, and diced potatoes. It has excellent consistency and I didn’t find a single lump of flour. Very good. Cup $3.75, Pint $5.95, Quart $8.95

- Shakes – The strawberry shakes are rich and creamy. The ice cream is so thick that it helps to let it sit and melt a little so you can use a straw to drink it. It had a very strawberry flavor, not too sweet, but just right. Excellent prices too. Small 12oz $1.75, Medium 16oz 2.25, Large 20oz $2.75

- Onion rings – The onion rings are thick and served with ranch dressing.  The ring itself is fresh and the batter for this visit was on the thick side.  See more about the batter below.  Available in half order for $3 or regular size for $5.

When I visited in 2005, I noticed the prices had gone up.  Also, this last visit wasn’t quite as impressive as previous.  Although the batter was still crisp, it was a bit too thick.  This doesn’t mean I won’t return, but I will be more cautious about what I order and how much of it.  In some cases, the batter was so thick that it just was soft.  The ingredients are still very fresh, but not quite to the level that I had expected.  If this happens again, I’ll have to remove them from the Best of trAde list, but for now, they’ll remain a little while longer.  Also, if it happens again, I’ll have to downgrade their rating.

The staff at Fourth and Sea are friendly and not only does this place have fresh fish, but hearty portions. The quality of food is excellent, and the prices reasonable. From my two visits, I would also say they are quite consistent (this is not true after the third visit – but still open for discussion).  I would highly recommend a visit to Fourth and Sea.

1501 4th St, Santa Rosa CA 95404
(707) 546-4016
Parking: Ample street parking
Hours: Tues to Fri: 11am to 8pm, Saturday 11am to 5pm, Closed Sundays and Mondays

Last Visited: December 6, 2006

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $ to $$

From the outside, Gayle’s looks like a small little shop with its white paint and blue trim. The movable sign that says Superburger has a flower bed on top that adds a touch of color. Arthur recommended Superburger as a must try for great burgers and excellent pie. I would agree with the great burgers – more on that later.

Outside is a window to walk up and order for take out. There are a total of twenty seats inside on three sides of a rectangular counter. The swivel chairs are cushioned and comfortable. The seats give a full view of what everyone else is having, what’s taking place behind the counter, and the large bright blue menu hanging at the front of the restaurant.

The counter has the usual chrome napkin holders, ketchup and mustard, and every few stools is a movable container holding mayonnaise, relish, pickles, and onions. When it’s your turn to receive an order, the waitress will move the container to your seat. It’s a simple operation with the cook behind the counter grilling and frying lots of goodies.

The operation is small with at least three people working – one waiting the counter, one cook, and one person prepping food in the back. Seating is self serve upon entering. Sports memorabilia hangs on the far wall – a menu signed by Joe Montana, a champion hockey stick, and more. The regular patrons are called by name when they enter the place.

The menu offers regular size burgers, cheese burgers, king size burgers, onion rings, fries, BLTs, hot dogs, chili, and more. There are also a variety of shakes and malts.

- Cheese King with Fries – 1/3 of a pound of meat is shaped into a patty and grilled. A slice of American cheese tops the burger which is placed on a large bun with tomatoes and lettuce. You add on the additional toppings if you so desire. The fries are skinny, but crunchy. They come out so hot that they burn your fingers. All are placed in a paper lined basket.  During my second visit, the fries were not that hot – it took some work to get the salt to stick to them  In 2006, the price had gone up to $7.25.   

- Homemade Pie – Of all the things I tried, this was probably the most disappointing. It might have been the hype that came when the restaurant was first recommended. I tried a slice of peach pie. Presentation was average with the filling oozing out of the pie. I think what was more shocking was the price versus the quantity and quality. The price is about the same as the cost of a whole pie at the supermarket. Although it’s not the same comparison, the pie was average at best with the filling being okay, but the crust was a bit too soft, and just not to my tastes. I prefer my own homemade pie. $4.15

- Shake – I tried a vanilla shake. Even though they use reduced fat milk, the shake was tall, rich, and creamy. They make it in a stainless cup and let it froth to just the right consistency. Very good. The shake is also offered in classic chocolate, and for a slightly higher price, banana and strawberry. $3.80

Overall, the 2004 experience was good. The people (both staff and patrons) are entertaining to watch. The service is good and fits with the atmosphere. However, in 2006, I found the service to be fair and dropped the 3 to 4 star rating down to 2 to 3.  Although the gal asked us if we needed anything fairly frequently, her demeanor could have been improved.  Our drinks were plopped on the counter rather than placed and her method seemed to lack that friendliness that I felt before. Gayle’s Superburger indeed offers a great burger and is definitely worth a try.

 

Gohan - Japanese

1367 North McDowell, Petaluma CA 94954
(707) 789-9296
Parking: shopping center parking lot

Last Visited: August 25, 2007

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 to 4 stars
Price: $$ to $$$$

Gohan is located in the new shopping center containing Kohl’s and Shoe Pavilion.  Steve told me about some of the great food he had tried here, and knowing Steve and his love for food, that meant it was going to be pretty decent.  Hot towels folded in triangles were brought to our table once we were seated. 

The setup of the entry is interesting.  The front façade is made of glass windows and you walk immediately to your right through a narrow walkway that they have created by adding a wall immediately behind the glass.  This gives the restaurant a more intimate feeling while maximizing space, but somehow might lead to some discomfort for the owner of the restaurant as you can’t see who is entering the establishment (not the best scenario in terms of safety).  At the end of this walkway is a hostess station that is seldom attended.  Since it was a sunny day, the shadows of the people walking indicated when a customer had arrived. 

The restaurant has clean lines and a modern look about it.  Two large bright 3D wall decorations are made of orange and white paint and located on the right wall of the restaurant.  Under this wall is a cushioned bench seat that goes along the length of the wall that acts as one side of the seating for the tables.  Hanging above the bench seating area are white lantern covers.  The rear left contains the sushi bar that offers seating in an L shape.  The remaining dining area includes various tables and chairs in light maple with charcoal gray cushioned seats.  There is a lot of contrast in colors with the white, orange, charcoal gray – found in the chairs, dividing wall, and rear hall.  There is also a strip of green along the bench seating.  Soft rock plays on the sound system.

After being seated, we were asked about drinks.  Our water came in tall glasses with a thin cucumber slice and the hot tea came in a medium sized cup.  It was great that the tea temperature was very hot – always a plus in my book.  However, it took quite some time for a member of the waitstaff to come by our table to take our order.  About 15 minutes passed, and a person finally came.  With the music on and the restaurant starting to fill up, she had a hard time hearing my order, so she repeated the list, however, she did not repeat everything on the list, so I had to verify that the missing items were captured.  A small note on service – that if you are going to repeat the items ordered, you should repeat everything, not just a portion of the list.

It seemed to take seconds for the hot miso soup to arrive along with our sunomono.

- Miso Soup – The soup was very hot and came in a ceramic bowl.  The contents included a single slice of dried shitake mushroom, small tofu cubes, and sliced green onions.  Good. $2

- Sunomono – The sunomono salad came with the cod (see below).  They also gave us one complimentary sunomono salad.  These came in small dishes shaped like flowers.  About 7 half slices of seeded cucumber were dressed with black and white toasted sesame seeds and a light vinaigrette.  Small pieces of wet seaweed were also distributed over the salad.  I hope these orders were considered small because a regular priced order with these portions would have been much too small. 

- Sake – Of all the nigiri sushi, I found the salmon to have the freshest taste and to be the most flavorful.  $4

- Hamaichi – Just after the salmon, the hamaichi had a nice texture and flavor too. $5

- Maguro – Thick slices with a clean taste, but just okay – it lacked in flavor. $5

- Unagi - Tender and fresh. $5

- Black Cod Misozuke – As mentioned above, the fish was accompanied by miso soup and sunomono salad as starters.  Two pieces of boneless black cod is cooked to perfection.  It’s beautiful dark brown from the miso and the tenderness of the fish were wonderful.  Each flake was buttery and sweet.  A bowl of rice also accompanies the fish.  As for presentation, a few tender radish sprouts are gently placed on top of the fish.  Very good.  $19

Overall, service is pretty good with the busboy being very attentive in refilling water and tea, but the wait staff could be a little faster in returning after the menus have been handed out and in saying goodbye as we were exiting.  Although most people were greeted by the sushi chefs as they exited, they missed our exit.  The check came fairly promptly though.  Gohan is a nice addition to Petaluma’s Japanese repertoire.  The black cod misozuke is excellent and the menu offers a variety of what is called new style sushi.  The atmosphere is minimalist, but pleasant.  Check out Gohan some time.

 

Hana- Japanese

101 Golf Course Dr, Rohnert Park, CA 94928
(707) 586-0270
Parking: in shopping center
Closed Mondays

Last Visited: August 23, 2003

Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 4 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

When you walk into Hana, you are greeted by the sushi chefs, and although the place seems bigger from outside, you’ll find it’s a bit cozy. The sushi bar is on your left and all the available sushi and specials are listed on individual wood placards on the wall.

- Unagi sushi – Good flavor. Nice color. We were just very happy with it. $5 for two pieces

- Inari – Deep-fried tofu pouches served with soup stock. If you like Chinese fried tofu pouches that have been soaked in stock, you’ll like these, but they’re a little pricey considering you’re eating tofu. $4

- Sake Kawa makimono (sushi roll)– Salmon skin is toasted/grilled and served in a sushi roll with daikon sprouts and pickled root. Just a little bit of crunch with the warm salmon skin. Very good. $6

- Spicy tuna roll – Tuna with a spicy mayonnaise. All the makimono are good, so you really can’t go wrong. $6

- Tempura Soba – Buckwheat noodles in a hot broth served with vegetables and on the side, two prawn tempura. The prawn tempura were a bit soggy – not a problem if you put it in the soup right away, but I like to eat the tempura while it’s crunchy, so the tempura itself was disappointing. The soba noodles were good and the broth is really piping hot, so that was good. It’s a bit on the pricey side for noodle soups though. $10

The overall experience was good. I would definitely go back again. They’re probably the best sushi place in Sonoma County or at the least, second best. The best thing about Hana was the tea - a nice, delicate flavor. I wish they would have left a pot of tea with us, but it’s about service. Every time our cups went empty, there was the wait staff pouring, but they weren’t obtrusive about it. It was a great dining experience.

Hiro's - Japanese

107 Petaluma Blvd N, Petaluma, CA 94952
(707) 763-2300
Parking: street parking

Last Visited: November 16, 2003

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

As you walk into Hiro’s, you notice the sushi bar on your left and the many sushi chefs and assistants. It’s a place that has a trendy flare – clean lines with the wood, light earth tones, and black chairs. There is uniform artwork hung off the right side of the wall near the ceiling – rather inexplicable why a person would create so many of the same unusual piece. It looks like an egg stuck in some bird claw with random color splashings - rather without purpose. The artwork behind the sushi bar and above the bathroom hallway entrance is dark brown with cream or white lines in it. It doesn’t seem to be in any organized pattern, but look up when you look at the piece above the sushi bar. I don’t know what was up with the shape of the piece above the hallway mentioned earlier. I think it points to the bathroom based on the taper, but who knows what it is. The faux brick wall on the wall to the left creates an interesting texture in the room. The background music is jazzy, contemporary, and trendy. The fluorescent lighting has a problem. It flickers, and throughout your meal, we found ourselves rather annoyed by the flickering.

There were too many menus - specials, an extensive sake menu, sushi and dinner menu, cocktail menu - colored paper everywhere – chaos.

Most of the dishes we had were very good. The presentation is exciting – as dishes come by your table, you will find them inviting your attention. The dishware itself is pretty interesting if you’re into that sort of thing.

- Calamari Tempura – Slightly overbattered, but lightly flavored, a large serving of calamari rings (a good sized appetizer for four people) is presented with a slightly spicy dipping sauce over a bed of lettuce. There were some tentacles served with this dish, but I found the batter to be on the heavier side, but still a good appetizer. $8.50

- Miso Soup – Pretty standard, hot miso soup. $2

- Ebi $3.5, Hamaichi $4, Sake $4, Inari $4, Tai $4.50, Unagi 4.50 – All of this is pretty standard – nothing out of the norm, but nothing bad either. Everything was neatly presented.

- Spider roll - I've seen better presentation of this roll elsewhere with more crab showing. The flavor of the spider roll wasn’t spectacular either. $12

- Salmon Skin roll - two cones – I expected it to be crunchier than it was. Nicely presented with good flavor. $8

- Spicy Tuna Roll - okay, but not wow. $7.50

- Japanese Tea – The tea is roasted and has good flavor. $1 per person

There were several faux pas committed this evening. Our waitress was showing her midriff which wouldn’t have been a problem, but she had difficulty opening the bottle of sake and well, it just didn’t look professional although a male patron at the next table seemed to enjoy the show. She also was a bit snobby seeing how we were not dressed in trendy attire, although she showed approval after taking our order. Once dinner started, the dishes were not changed after the calamari was served. This seemed necessary as the dipping sauce and oil from the calamari would invade the flavor of sushi put on the dish. Although dishes were cleared quickly, as the last piece of sushi was put onto one of our plates, a server took away the serving plate. This is a sushi no-no as wasabi and ginger may still be needed with that last piece of sushi. Tea cups are filled regularly, but our impression of service became further tainted at the end of the meal. We had to ask for additional tea and the pot was running low, so we didn’t get much of it. Tea is an essential on a cool evening after sushi to warm the stomach.

Overall, service was fair, leaving something to be desired. Prices are on the higher side. The most unique thing about the restaurant is the bathroom sink. As you walk into the restroom, there is a wood table with a small basin resting on it. The sink just gives that old fashioned basin style of washing and it has a unique look to it. The faucet is actually coming from the wall, so the effect is further enhanced.

 

Hunter Steakhouse - American

3785 Cleveland Ave, Santa Rosa CA 95403
(707) 542-5705
Parking: in parking lot

Last Visited: November 15, 2005

Food: 3 stars
Service: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Price: $$$

Once upon a time, Hunter Steakhouse was the Hungry Hunter, but it changed hands, and here we are. The décor remains much the same. It’s still a two story place, with most of the seating downstairs. The dining room walls are forest green while the window frames and tables are rich cherry oak. A second dining room has eggplant walls with some gold in the wallpaper.  The color gives the restaurant a very solemn and traditional feeling.

Upon entering the main entrance, you’ll see the beautiful staircase wind up behind the lobby area. It was a bit chaotic this lunch hour, but after about ten minutes of waiting through the frenzy without a reservation, we were seated.

A small loaf of bread arrives at the table on a cutting board and the server goes around asking for drink requests while you peruse the menu.

A choice of soup (two kinds available) or salad (also two kinds available – green salad or spinach salad) comes with a number of entrees.

- Spinach Salad – This was a great salad. Tender baby spinach leaves, cranberries, and chopped apple slices are lightly dressed in honey mustard dressing. I asked if I could get a creamy Italian instead of the honey mustard, and they were more than happy to oblige. It was quite refreshing and just a wonderful salad. The portion was more than adequate for a starter and was a welcome selection.

- Fish and Chips – Snapper is battered and deep fried. Choice of coleslaw, vegetable, or fries comes with the meal. Cocktail sauce and tartar sauce accompany the fish. The large pieces of snapper were very fresh and flaky, but the golden brown coating was a bit thick, making them less appetizing to eat. I ended up removing the deep fried portion and just eating the fish. The fish would get about 2 to 3 stars, leaning more toward the 3 star end. The fries on the other end were soggy. Although the helping was large, I didn’t find them enjoyable and skipped eating them altogether. Fries alone would be 1 star.

- Prime Rib French Dip Supreme – Prime Rib is sliced thin and stacked on a French roll (the same kind that comes to the table) with Swiss cheese and sautéed red onions.  The sandwich comes with a choice of French Fries or coleslaw.  I opted for the fries, and found them similar to my experience with the fish and chips.  The French dip though had a great flavor and was thick with tender and juicy meat.  The dip itself had great flavor and wasn’t too salty as you often find at other places.  Consistent with other restaurants though, the bread had gotten soggy by excess dip.  Overall, it’s great if you can eat it quick enough before the excess au jus flows soaks into the bread.  I’m not sure the coleslaw is better than the fries, but the fries could certainly use an improvement.  $9.99

Service was friendly and accommodating both visits. The food rating on the fish and chips alone would have been low, but the redeeming factor was the spinach salad. The other item of note is that nobody at the table ordered steak my first visit, which seemed a shame considering we were at a steakhouse. So keep that note in mind - the food rating may or may not apply to steak and other beef selections, which is the specialty of the restaurant. The service was superior during my second visit, but the fries still lacked crunch or crispiness.  Good prime rib though.

Italian Affair

1055 4th Street, Santa Rosa, CA 95404
(707) 528-3336
Parking: in parking lot
Open: Tuesday through Sunday

Last Visited: March 17, 2004

Food: 2 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

The inside of Italian Affair looks pretty nice, but I didn’t get a good glimpse inside since I was seated outside. It was a sunny day, and we chose to sit on the deck. There’s not much to share about the atmosphere outside. This Victorian building is set far enough back that the noise from the street below wasn’t very noticeable. Umbrellas were placed above the table to reduce the sunlight.

The lunch menu had a variety of pastas, salads, and meat entrees. French bread and butter arrives at your table while you review the menu.

- Mixed green salad – Fresh lettuce is nicely dressed with Italian dressing. I didn’t find this dish to be particularly exciting. Fairly average with not a whole lot of flavor, but no problems either. $3.75

- Cappellini Pomodoro – Fresh tomato chunks and basil are served over cappellini. I found the chunks of tomato to be too large and overwhelming. The cappellini was al dente, and the flavor was good, but it wasn’t anything special. I can’t rave about the dish. $9.50

The food seemed very average to me. Not great, but nothing bad either. Service is better than average. I found some of the napkins and glasses to have some blemishes that could be washed away, so I wasn’t as impressed with my experience.

After my meal, I didn’t feel very good. I had some reservations about Italian Affair from my family’s past experience there without me. However, my visit confirmed the reason for my hesitation/angst. I have heard some great things about Italian Affair, but my experience wasn’t able to confirm the reason for their reputation.

Jhanthong Banbua - Thai

2400 Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
(707) 528-8048
Parking: Lot adjacent to restaurant

Last Visited: September 22, 2005

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 1 to 2 stars
Price: $ to $$$

Jhanthong Banbua (often referred to by the locals as Motel Thai and Mendo Thai) instantly has a feeling of culture and Thai authenticity. The bright colors of the room and decorative vases as well as wall decorations are attractive. The garments worn by the servers complement the décor and give the place that extra atmosphere. The dishes are often served in pretty ceramics and clay pots.

Enter Jhanthong Banbua and you’ll see the large bamboo plants in the rear in large vases.  The front of the room contains a glass case lighting various trinkets and figurines.   The rear contains a bar with much decoration.  There is so much in the room, it’s hard to describe it all, but it’s striking and unexpected from the exterior of the restaurant.  The setting is beautiful and there is much to appreciate.  The color scheme creates a soothing environment.

- Chicken Satay – Three to four pieces of chicken breast are placed on skewers and grilled. The skewers are served with a sweet satay sauce and a small dish of cucumber, onion, carrot salad marinated in sweet vinegar. The chicken is juicy and the satay sauce is good. The satay would get four stars. $5

- Green chili paste with coconut milk and pork – There is a choice of meat, seafood, or vegetarian available for most dishes. If you select seafood, then there is an extra charge of $1.50. This dish was a full flavored and a little spicy, although the pork is a bit overcooked, so it’s not as tender as it could be. There were also pieces of papaya and bamboo shoots. Of course, it’s also bright green. The sauce is great over rice, but could have been a bit thicker this evening.

- Yellow curry with coconut milk and chicken – This dish is much like the green chili paste with coconut milk, except it’s milder in taste. It’s still a little spicy. The chicken, much like the pork, was overcooked and the sauce could also be thicker in consistency. This dish also contained bamboo shoots. Again, it too is great over rice.

- Pad Makuar – Japanese eggplant with beef with a bean sauce. The bean sauce is nicely paired with the eggplant. The marriage of the two creates an intense flavor in delicate tender pieces of eggplant. The ingredients glisten and have a beautiful presentation with the purple skin of the eggplant shining with the sauce. The beef was cooked well and not tough.  You can also order this dish vegetarian style without meat.  When in season, yellow bell pepper is included in the dish which brings great color to it.

 - Pad Thai (available with your choice of meat) - Rice noodles with Thai seasoning are topped with bean sprouts, shredded carrots, and cilantro. The noodles are soft and nicely colored by the seasoning to be a reddish brown.  A wedge of lime accompanies the noodles.  The small pieces of breast meat were a little overcooked, but my preference is for dark meat.  I found that the second time I tried this dish, I was much less satisfied.  Perhaps it’s because the second time it wasn’t shared and as I ate it, I found more wrong with it.  The noodles weren’t al dente enough.  The sogginess made the noodles short since they broke apart easily.  There seemed to be pieces of pork with my shrimp pad thai, and the texture of the pork wasn’t to my taste.  The shrimp texture was also not to my liking.  In the end, I wouldn’t get it again, but if you don’t know how good authentic well prepared pad thai can be, then you might like it anyway.

 - Tofu with spinach – This dish was surprisingly good. Small cubes of tofu over spinach are served with a sauce that has hints of sweetness. Simple and good. Four stars for this dish if the serving size were larger.

- Prawns in a Clay Pot – About eight to ten prawns are served with glass noodles that have absorbed a lot of flavoring. The prawns were a little dry for my taste, but I enjoyed the glass noodles. $12.50

Overall, the dining experience was good for flavor and a little dry for meat. This is a popular lunch spot as well. Jhanthong Banbua offers a three dish combination lunch special for $6.95. I enjoy getting the Chicken Satay, Curry of the Day, and Pad Makuar. With this group, you can’t go wrong. Service can vary depending on the day and time you arrive. When the place is packed, service will be slow and sometimes you will feel that all the servers have disappeared, but the food will make up for this. Expect smaller portions and you won’t be disappointed. If you’re so hungry you could eat a horse, this probably isn’t the right place to go. If you’re looking for food with intense flavor, this is a great stop.

During my last few visits, I have been greatly disappointed by the service.  Service has been downgraded from three stars to one to two stars.  The servers never come back to check on you.  It’s just ridiculous.  Their interaction with you when they’re present is fine.  It’s just that they’re never present, or looking in the direction of the table, so it’s even hard to flag someone down without standing up.  Sitting and waving didn’t work.  The food is still good though, so just be forewarned.

John Ash & Co - California

4330 Barnes Road, Santa Rosa CA 95403
(707) 527-7687
Parking: Valet parking for events or regular parking otherwise

Last Visited: July 8, 2006

Food: 3 stars until you find the worm -> then 0 stars
Atmosphere: 5 stars
Service: 4 star waiter, 1 star hostess, 1 star manager
Price: $$$$$

Please read the entire critique for this restaurant, especially the end.

John Ash is well known in the area for being high priced, but you certainly are pampered from the moment you enter their parking lot. The restaurant is nestled amongst vineyards. The scenery is green and lush, with large trees, roses, and grape vines surrounding you.

I’m not sure if valet parking is the norm, but complimentary valet parking (no self park) is the first thing that you see once arriving on the property. As you enter the facility, the Vintner’s Inn is next door, sharing the grounds.

There are both inside and outdoor dining areas. The patio is enclosed with glass that can be folded in such a way that allows there to be open patio dining as well. The earth tones are comforting and warm. The service is courteous and impeccable; the staff desires to meet your every need.

I visited John Ash for a banquet, so my experience probably differs greatly from a typical dining experience at the restaurant in terms of atmosphere and food.

The tables were neatly set with all the necessary silverware, right down to the dessert fork and teaspoon placed above the dish. The bread, served after we had been seated, was served warm. The butter appeared to be whipped and was garnished with a single parsley leaf.

- Roasted Gulf Coast Prawns – Prawns are marinated in lemon juice, chili, and honey and served with a lemon-serrano dipping sauce. The prawns were nice, and of course, displayed nicely, but without the dipping sauce, it lacked flavor compared to other shrimp dishes I have tried. However, the shrimp was succulent, and the dipping sauce gave it the necessary kick.

- Mint Marinated Lamb Kababs – Skewered lamb was grilled and served with a honey tahini dip. The lamb was nicely grilled, but the flavor of the marinade was not strong enough to remain infused in the lamb. The dip had a creamy texture and its flavoring and worked well with the lamb.

- Wild Mushroom Bouchee – Mushroom is chopped fine and sautéed with roasted garlic and lemon thyme. This mixture is then placed on top of a puff pastry. Of the three appetizers, this one had the most flavor. It was served warm and the combination of the fluffy puff pastry and seasoned mushrooms had a nice texture.

- Caesar Salad with bleu cheese – The Caesar salad was a bit on the salty side. It’s not quite the classic Caesar due to the presence of bleu cheese. The double dose of parmesan and bleu cheese increased the salt content making the flavor a bit strong.

- Grilled Salmon with seasonal vegetables, corn sauté, and artichoke coulis – A large piece of salmon is grilled and served atop a sweet sauté of yellow corn. Shiitake mushrooms are cooked in a light cream and placed adjacent to the salmon. Sweet baby carrots are placed on top of the salmon. A green coulis made from artichoke tops the salmon in a wavy design. The assortment of fresh vegetables gave the dish brilliant color and texture. I was especially impressed by the sweet and tendor corn that had been taken off of the cob.

Without the accompanying dips, the prawns and kababs seemed pale in comparison to the type of flavor that they could take on. Many Asian restaurants do wonderful things with prawns and skewers (e.g. spicy salty shrimp and satay). The dips rescued both the prawns and kababs, turning each from drab to fab.

The other entrées I saw also had good portions and lovely presentation.

Another item I found impressive was the detail in the bathroom. John Ash has a stylish bathroom, especially the sink which is rectangular and deep – modern and vintage all in the same look.

My overall impression of John Ash was that it lives up to its reputation of outstanding food and service. The quality of ingredients is fresh which establishes the foundation for good food. I would definitely want to return to try other items on their menu and review their service and menu items (as opposed to that of a banquet).

HOWEVER, after my most recent visit in 2006, I was thoroughly disappointed.  From the moment I spoke with the hostess, it seemed too snooty, but it wasn’t until I discovered something in my dinner that I became thoroughly perturbed.  Read on for details.

I eagerly anticipated a good meal after my previous visit, figuring that there would be even better food since it wasn’t all cooked at once for the entire seating.  When we arrived, we had to wait for all of the people to be seated before us – some had reservations, and though the tables were ready, they were staggering the patrons.  This would be fine, but the hostess could surely greet people with a more friendly demeanor – a smile was not easily found.  Our waiter was pretty good from start to finish.  The only improvement would have been to state the specials with as much enthusiasm as he had with the table next to us.  I think he was just not wanting to go through it all again, but he was pretty smooth from start to finish and good with keeping an eye on all those in his section.

After ordering, we were given warm rolls – crusty on the outside, and soft on the inside.  The butter was sitting in a small dish atop an herb leaf and the edges of the butter were neatly cut.  The chef had whipped up a cold melon soup with blueberry compote and a hint of spice, perfect for the summer evening.  Each table received a small serving in a tiny cup on top of a rectangular saucer. 

Our seat on the patio gave us a grand view of the vineyards and the blue sky this summer evening, and the breeze was more than welcome. 

- Hog Island Oysters – These baby oysters were served on the half shell sitting on top of white and black rock salt on a black triangular plate with rounded edges.  There were two small pieces of lemon on the side and a trio of sauces – a typical cocktail sauce with horseradish, a Meyer lemon glace, and a pink peppercorn mignette.  The oysters were fresh and delicious – perfect on their own, but the sweetness of the Meyer lemon made the oysters even more succulent.  The pink peppercorn mignette was pink in color with red specks and had a light vinaigrette flavoring to it.  Both of these sauces were very good.  The cocktail sauce was fairly plain with a slight kick from the horseradish, but nothing to write home about.  This was the best dish of the night.  $2 each

- Fried Calamari – A plate of lightly breaded calamari is served with Thai basil pesto and a green papaya salad.  A wedge of lemon accompany the dish.  The calamari rings and tentacles are lightly breaded and deep fried.  Although the quantity and flavor were good, the calamari lacked crisp.  The Thai basil pesto was on the oil side and though it had a punch from the raw garlic in it, I would have preferred to dip the calamari in the pink peppercorn mignette served with the oysters.  I tried it and liked the mignette better.  The green papaya was shredded and had a light sweet and sour sauce as well as a base of chili sauce.  The papaya was placed on top of a leaf of butter lettuce and the papaya was topped with roasted peanuts.  The sweet and sour did not get infused into the papaya, likely because it wasn’t sweet or sour enough.  The chili flavoring hardly made it to the papaya and seemed to be only on the bottom layer of the salad.  The papaya lacked the crunch that Asian restaurants serve it with, but it tried to mimic the same flavors.  Calamari was okay, papaya salad was fair and lacking in flavor.  $13

- Seared Scallop Salad – Two large sea scallops are seared and top a salad of organic greens topped with an almond cucumber sauce.  All are served on a square white dish.  Although presentation was nice, this salad lacked flavor.  The dressing had hints of mint in it, but the mint was not strong enough.  The slivered almonds were scattered amongst the salad, and the red leaf lettuce was tender, but the cucumber slices had a flavor which was too mild to stand out amidst the rest of the items.  The dressing seemed to be mostly olive oil and after eating the salad, it seemed there was only olive oil left on the plate.  The scallops were the redeeming factor, but not enough to redeem the entire salad.  The warm scallops were lightly browned and tasted fresh and juicy, but could have used a touch of salt and pepper.  The dish would have been better with a more emulsified dressing that contained a greater amount of mint.  $16

- Double Cut Pork Chop with Achiote sauce– This was one of the evening’s specials – not listed on the menu.  The pork chop was seared on the outside and served atop a bed of frisee and greens, accompanied by potatoes that had been fried in a spicy sauce.  The potatoes reminded me of breakfast – a little spicy.  They would have been fine accompanying some eggs.  The achiote sauce added color to the dish as it was decoratively drizzled around the plate.  The pork chop was fairly thick, and when you cut into it, there is some juice, but I wouldn’t call it a juicy pork chop, nor would I call it dry.  It was just in between.  The salad was lacking flavor, but as I was eating it, I noticed something moving on my plate.  After a closer look, I saw a clear worm with a little green in the center – that must have been where it had eaten a leaf.  I notified the busser who said the garden on the grounds may have these things in them, but he said he would show it to the chef.  Had there not been a worm, I would not have recommended this dish.  The outside of the pork chop had some flavor, but the inside wasn’t juicy enough to my standards.  However, I didn’t eat more than two bites of the pork chop when I found the worm, so I lost my appetite completely after that.  The salad lacked flavor and the potatoes were okay, but not fantastic.  The worm ruined the meal.  After learning the price, I was shocked that I had to pay for an over priced dish that I didn’t eat because my appetite was lost.  $38

I was appalled by the response we received with the worm.  It took more than ten minutes before the manager came to our table and though the busser had returned to the dining area, he did not come back to our table to let us know that he had talked to anyone.  This lack of closure made me drop their once five star service down.  The manager told me that the garden was organic and that the vegetables are washed twice.  I couldn’t believe it.  When did organic mean that the item would include bugs and worms and the like.  From the staff’s reaction, I would guess this is a regular occurrence which leads me to the question – why aren’t you triple washing the vegetables?  Even my Costco spinach is triple washed.  The manager never apologized.  Instead, he started off with ‘I heard you had a visitor this evening.’  Then he talked about our visit to the area.  The lack of apology was disappointing.  When the dessert menus were given to us, and we decided not to have any dessert, we were told that the chef would pay for our dessert.  This gesture would not have been sufficient had we taken them up on the offer.  Our appetite was ruined as soon as the worm was seen.  What if something organic was used in the dessert?  Then what?  When we received the bill, the dish wasn’t even removed from the bill.  Can you imagine paying $38 for a pork chop you didn’t eat and a worm that you almost did eat?  My aggravation is greater than what can be voiced here.  On top of that, when we left the restaurant, the hostess, despite not being busy, didn’t even thank us for coming in.  And I intentionally made eye contact.  Even if the worm had not been in my dinner, she should have wished us farewell, good night, or anything along those lines.  This lack of service at a fine restaurant like John Ash dropped their service rating down further.  A disappointing and expensive meal at a place that lacks the kind gesture of apologies and farewells.  Another overpriced let down that creates discontent patrons.

The saga continues.  I wrote Chef Ash at the email listed on his website and my letter was directed to Operations Manager, R. Ameral.  Ms. Ameral wrote a very professional response and apologized for the service I received.  She offered to credit me for the pork chop entree, and I accepted.  This gesture redeems them of the service issues previously mentioned, but I will not return to John Ash on my own.  Since I had left a voice mail with Ms. Ameral, I would have liked her to give me a call, but I suppose the response received via email is just as well.  I also learned that John Ash doesn’t actually own the restaurant which makes me glad that he forwarded my message, and now I understand why he didn’t respond to my inquiry.  Now we’ve come full circle and my story is complete.

Kabab and Curry - Indian

507 4th Street, Santa Rosa CA 95401
(707) 523-7780
Parking: street parking and pay parking lot in rear
Hours: Lunch Mon – Sat 11:30am to 2:30pm, Bar Menu Mon – Sat 2:30 to 5pm, Dinner Mon – Thurs 5:30 to 9:30pm, Fri – Sat 5:30 to 10pm

Last Visited: January 19, 2005

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 3 to 4 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

Kabab and Curry opened on 4^th Street in 2005.  It’s beginning to develop a reputation for authentic cuisine in a beautiful setting.  The downstairs dining area of the restaurant is open all day, and the upstairs room is only open during dinner.  It’s located in the heart of downtown near the Santa Rosa mall.

Today, they were sampling chicken with pickled spices outside their door.  The fragrant aroma was inviting as they grilled the chicken and gave out samples to those passing by.  Enter the restaurant and notice the cushioned bench seating along one wall and small booths across from the bar.  The room is comprised of many warm tones of rust and oranges.  The rear of the restaurant shows the chef making naan fresh from the oven.  In front of the bar is the dark straight staircase leading to the upstairs seating.

The tables are covered with white paper placemats, cloth napkins, utensils, black square bread plates and glassware.  As we sat and reviewed the menu, a basket of fresh papadam semicircles was served with a tamarind dipping sauce and a mint dipping sauce.  The mint sauce has a bit of a kick to it.   Depending on the batch, the crispy papadam can have its own kick.  Our first batch was rather mild with the second one having much more seasoning in it.

Our server was very knowledgeable and knew the menu well.  While we were waiting for our food, the waitstaff was extremely prompt with refilling our water glasses. 

- Murgh Curry Express Lunch – From this visit, I learned that murgh means chicken.  The express lunch includes the entrée, appetizer, vegetable of the day, small side salad, and naan bread.  All of this was served on a square plate.  My curry was in a small square bowl with lots of curry, but little meat.  If you like a lot of curry, then it’s just right.  If you like a lot of meat, then you will want to order more.  However, the overall portion is quite large.  Half of a full naan bread is served hot in a basket.  It’s steaming and warm – very soft and delicious.  The chunks of chicken had more of a pork like consistency to me - not so much soft, but a bit dense in texture.  The curry was very full flavored, and the onions had broken down to create a thick consistency.  The curry is available mild, medium, hot, or extra hot.  The rice easily separates and is topped with fried shallots giving it great color.  The salad is comprised of mixed greens, diced red bell pepper, and diced cucumber.  It’s topped with a yellow salad dressing that gives it additional color.  The vegetable of the day was a well-seasoned zucchini and eggplant mixture.  They are stewed well (but not overly so) with the sauce, so you may not recognize them completely.  The appetizer was a vegetable fritter that had been deep fried.  It’s a bit overwhelmed by the rest of the items on the plate though and from my point of view, it’s a bit unnecessary.  There is a lot of color in each dish and the vegetables and curry are highly seasoned.  If you prefer bland food, stick to the salad and rice alone.  If you like your food to have a lot of seasoning, you’ll probably enjoy the vegetables and curry a lot. $13

- Sweet Lassi – A sweet yogurt drink typically served atop crushed ice.  In this case, the ice wasn’t very crushed, but the rosewater created a bit of decoration because of the red coloring.  Typical taste to what I would expect, but higher priced for the drink compared to other restaurants.  $4

- Kulfi Pistachio – This was my first experience with this ice cream like dessert.  The kulfi is cut into four segments and topped with crushed pistachios.  It’s light brown in color and made by reducing milk over a long period of time.  It’s considered a Northern Indian favorite.  It certainly had a unique but very pleasant flavoring.  When served, it’s extremely hard, but softens quickly once you put it in your mouth.  $6.45

The other folks at the table tried the special of the day that was sampled outside.  Although it was described as half a chicken, it was clarified that it was really a quarter chicken, and that equates to about three pieces of meat with a full naan bread served with the special.  If you like meat, keep this in mind so you won’t be disappointed.  For the special, they gave naan bread cut into quarters (express lunch receives half this portion of naan).  Rice is also an option with the special.

Overall, it was a very good experience.  In this case, I was dining with someone who knew the food well, so many questions were answered with excellent expertise.  The service would have received four stars, but we waited a while for the check to be picked up, and since this was a lunch visit, timing for a quick lunch becomes crucial, so the service rating was dropped to the three to four star range. 

During my most recent lunch experience with a group of twelve people, we were sent to the upstairs room which was decorated just as nicely as downstairs.  The server who attended to us did a great job with keeping everybody’s order straight and knowing who should receive what.  He was quite accommodating.  The difference between this experience and the one listed above was the quantity of naan and the papadam.  Today’s papadam was rather mild.  The naan, served with the meal, came in abundance unlike the last visit.  The last entree arrived within five minutes of the first being set down, so I was impressed with their level of service.  Of course, drinks also came quickly and water glasses were frequently checked.

- Grilled Seabass Express Lunch – The seabass is covered with a well seasoned cream of spinach sauce.   It goes well with the rice and/or naan.  The appetizer and salad, are as described above.  The vegetable of the day today was a potato and pea mixture.  Although the vegetables were well seasoned too, they went unnoticed next to the seabass, flaky and rich in flavor.  The sauce was excellent.  Presentation was again lovely with the fish being directly on the plate accompanied by the other items.  Great.  $15.50

The only complaint of the day was the automatic 18% tip charge (it could be 15%, but I didn’t see the bill, so I can’t verify).  This charge could not be found listed on the takeout menu.  I didn’t check for it on the regular menu.  The amount of time for lunch was also exceeding an hour, so it was not as express as it could be.

Try out Kabab and Curry, but expect meat portions to be smaller than what is typically seen at American restaurants.  Also, allow extra time for dining.

 

King Buffet - Chinese

2131 County Center Drive, Santa Rosa CA 95403
(707) 576-8388
Business Hours: Sun through Thurs: 11 am to 9:30pm, Fri and Sat: 11 am to 10pm
Parking: in parking lot

Last Visited: January 24, 2004

Food: 2 to 3 stars
Atmosphere: 2 to 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

King Buffet is building a good reputation for its variety of food at a reasonable price. For under $15, you get seafood, a roast, sushi, and many other offerings. I give it 3 stars for food quality, but it's 4 stars for variety.

King Buffet has three steam tables for hot food and two tables against the wall for cold items. They also have an ice cream freezer with six flavors of ice cream.

So let's begin the journey. The price depends on the meal and day of the week. Monday through Saturday lunch is one price, and Monday through Saturday dinner is a slightly higher price. Sunday and holidays are the same price all day and slightly higher than that of Monday through Saturday. Children eat for varying rates depending on age.

The atmosphere is clean and simple, and not much stands out about the decor. Wood tables and plastic cushioned chairs with tall backs are located throughout the dining room.

There is one steam table dedicated entirely to fried foods. Here's a sampling of what's available: french fries, fried imitation crab, fried shrimp, and fried sesame balls for dessert.

The next steam table has multiple types of soup and stir-fried dishes. They also have two kinds of dim sum. The last hot steam table contains items such as baked mussels, sauteed clams, a roast, baked/steamed fish, sauteed Chinese vegetables with garlic, and stuffed potatoes amongst other items.

On the cold tables, you'll find sushi such as unagi and maguro, as well as whole crawfish and seasoned seaweed. The other cold table contains mostly desserts including chocolate pudding, tapioca pudding, jello, and cake (which didn't taste particularly good, though they nicely decorated). The pudding was fine though.

The last freezer contains an assortment of ice cream to be scooped to your heart's desire. They do ask that you wear a glove when scooping ice cream which is somewhat unusual, but they're big gloves, so it's not too much of an inconvenience.

The strangest thing about the restaurant is the location of the eggs which are on the dessert table. Other than that, everything else is normal and expected. Each dish is labeled, but don't look too closely because you might be confused by the spelling. King Buffet is a great place to go to try different dishes. Selection is wide and food quality is average. The cake tasted unnatural and wasn't quite edible for me. Most dishes fall in the three star range including the stir fried and sauteed dishes. The ice cream is great!

Kyoto's - Japanese

5 Padre Parkway, Rohnert Park CA 94928 (Padre Town Center)
(707) 584-4204
Parking: in parking lot
Hours: Mon-Thurs 11:30 to 2:30, 4:30 to 9:30 pm; Fri 11:30-2:30, 4:30 to 10pm;
Sat Noon to 10pm; Sun 3:30 to 9pm

Last Visited: June 18, 2005

Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 4 stars
Price: Lunch $$, Dinner $$ to $$$

Kyoto’s has been open for 20 years, but has been under its current ownership for the last seven years. The evening of our visit happened to be prom night, so there were a lot of young people filling the restaurant.

The atmosphere of Kyoto’s is fresh and clean. The colors are typical of Japanese restaurants – a lot of ivory and wood. The room is decorated with Japanese art showing ladies in their kimonos holding fans as well as pictures of bento boxes and sake bottles. Upon walking in, the sushi bar is to your left and there is a raised area with two tables to your right. Adjacent to the sushi bar is another raised area with five tables, and the main dining area spaciously seats more. I liked how they seated families in the main dining area as to separate them from the more enclosed raised locations. There are lanterns and other decorations that give the room a cozy feeling.

The staff is friendly. Upon arriving, you are served hot Japanese tea and a basket of edamame. To hold the edamame shells, they give you a folded paper box made from a page of a Japanese magazine. It’s a clever way to reuse the paper and is convenient for disposal as well. You will also receive a hot towel to wipe your hands, and it really is a hot towel. Throughout the evening, the staff checked on us to make sure we were well attended to and they also frequently checked the amount of tea in our tea cups and refilled often.

- Moriawase Sashimi (Assorted combination sashimi) Dinner - The dinners are served with miso soup and cucumber salad. The miso soup contained green onions, thinly sliced mushroom, and tofu. One thing that a number of Japanese restaurants do is serve you cold or lukewarm soup. This isn’t the case at Kyoto’s – it’s piping hot and very good. The quantity of soup is also good. Some places are stingy with their food, but Kyoto’s is far from it. The cucumber salad is topped with a mandarin orange and cherry. The portion of the salad is good, but the flavor of the cucumber that wasn’t soaking in the dressing was a little lacking. The pieces that were in the dressing were still crispy, and their flavor was more infused in the cucumber. Onto the sashimi - Plentiful pieces of tuna, halibut, mackerel, salmon, yellow tail, topped with a shrimp are served over thinly sliced turnip. The sashimi is accompanied by pickled ginger, wasabi, sprouts, and lemon slices. The presentation was lovely - very colorful. Slices of lemon are wrapped in salmon, and the plate contains a rainbow of color. The sashimi was very fresh in appearance and flavor. The freshness revealed that Kyoto’s is probably one of the best Japanese restaurants in Sonoma County. $16.95

The restaurant was quite popular this evening, and if that’s any indication, you’ll also want to consider making a reservation if your party is large.

If the amount of edamame served isn’t enough, additional side orders are also available. The other good thing about Kyoto’s is that they serve you a refreshing orange for dessert, and your check is accompanied with a piece of Japanese flower candy. The overall experience was excellent, and I would definitely go back. Very fresh and very good. Kyoto’s does an excellent job with simple touches of excellent service.

My second visit was almost a year after the previous.  This time, service was disappointing, but Kyoto’s redeemed itself that same evening, and so their service rating remains the same.  Upon our arrival, we were immediately seated and given menus.  The tea and edamame came as expected, but it was at least ten to fifteen minutes after being seated that anyone came to take our order.  Let me go through the food items first. 

- Miso Shiro  - See miso soup comments in the Moriawase sashimi section.  Good. $1.75 per bowl

Nigiri sushi (each order is a pair)

- Anago (sea eel) – The sea eel wasn’t good.  Sea eel is a cooked sushi.  The presentation was nice, but the fish wasn’t fresh.  It wasn’t spoiled either, but since it wasn’t fresh, I was disappointed.  I wouldn’t order the sea eel here again.  More than likely, it doesn’t have the turnover rate to keep it fresh.  $4.50

- Hirame (halibut) – Fresh, but the fish had some blood vessels in it.  Still edible, but I wonder if there is a way to pull those vessels out.  Good. $3.50

- Unagi (freshwater eel) – Unagi is cooked sushi as well, but this freshwater eel was fresh (especially compared to the sea eel).  Lovely presentation.  Great. $3.50

- Maguro (tuna) – Fresh tasting and no blood vessels. Great. $3.50

Maki Sushi

- Rock and Roll (eel and avocado) – Unagi and avocado are wrapped into a roll and cut into six pieces.  Great. $4.50

Our miso shiro came about ten minutes after ordering.  It took another ten minutes after that for the sushi to come.  Food was good, but service was extremely slow.  Normally, I don’t say anything when service is bad.  I just take note or ask where my food is, but I don’t complain.  Knowing how great service can be at Kyoto, and since the owner came to check on every table and ask how things were, I said something.  What was interesting was that our table seemed to receive particularly poor service and it was mostly related to timing.  The owner was quite apologetic when I gave her my comments and explained how they were short handed this evening.  She also shared that she noticed other tables in a different section of the restaurant in a similar situation – one of her employees didn’t realize that part of her duties as hostess required her to also assist the wait staff when they are shorthanded.   

When I received the check, accompanied with it was a gift certificate for five dollars toward my next visit.  As mentioned earlier, Kyoto managed the situation well, and with that, I am keeping the service rating at four stars.  The staff may not be fully at four stars yet, but the management is, and with more training, their staff will be as well.  Still good sushi, and we’ll see how service goes the next time.

 

La Azteca - Mexican

1420 South McDowell Blvd #E, Petaluma CA 94954
(707) 763-6844
Parking: In shopping center parking lot

Last Visited: November 24, 2004

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$

James suggested trying La Azteca which is located in the Arroyo center. The restaurant is L-shaped with bright yellow walls. There are pictures of Spain, Mexican suns hung throughout the room, mirrors within some sun art, and on a display shelf are some beer bottles. In the back of the restaurant, you’ll see a bright fresco. The red cushioned booths are on one side of the room, and light brown tables fill the remainder of the room. On the side of the walls, you’ll see wood logs cut in half to line the wall. From one part of the room, you can see a view of the kitchen and all of the dishes that are served.

There was a flower at our table, but I noticed the amount of dust on it and tried to look away.

We were promptly greeted and told to sit anywhere we liked. The menus are already on the tables waiting for all the patrons. The waitress came very quickly, but we needed more time. After she had taken our order, and before the food came, the waitress came by again to see if we needed anything. It seemed a bit excessive, but maybe we looked confused or something.

James said to try the burrito and the chips. So we did. Chips arrived at our table with red salsa. The chips were homemade, but the texture is hard to describe. They’re not like tostadas, and not like hard chips, but somewhere in between, leaning more toward the hard chip, but not as hard. The salsa is on the spicy side, but not burning your mouth.

Chunky Chicken Burrito – A good sized burrito is made with a flour tortilla and filled with chicken, rice, beans, fresh salsa, cheese, guacamole, and sour cream. There is a choice of red ranchero sauce or green tomatillo sauce. Since it was my first visit, I opted for the red ranchero sauce on the side, which they seemed to think was a slightly unusual request. The sauce is good. Good burrito – very satisfying. $5.75

Fish Tacos - Two corn tortillas are topped with deep fried fish and salsa. I didn’t expect the fish to be deep fried, but it was okay. Fresh, but not spectacular. Okay. $2.75

Chicken Enchilada – Chicken is wrapped in a corn tortilla and pan fried. Then the enchilada is topped with enchilada sauce. Shredded lettuce accompanies the enchilada. The sauce is nice – different from others I tried, but good. $3.00

Combination plates, seafood, and egg dishes are available. They also have seating to accommodate larger groups.

The overall experience was a good one. I enjoyed the chips, and found them a bit addictive. Even after finishing off my burrito, I still ate more chips. The food is fresh, and the service is good, though our waitress may have been slightly overly attentive, but I would certainly be willing to return to try some of their other offerings.

  
 La Texanita - Mexican

1667 Sebastopol Road, Santa Rosa CA
Parking: In parking lot

Last Visited: July 27, 2007

Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$$

When I asked Leslie for suggestions for good Mexican restaurants in the area, she recommended La Texanita.  Located on Sebastopol Road, the owners of this restaurant have expanded their taco truck business into a small, but cozy restaurant.  The entrance is on the side, and the colors of the interior are bright yellow mixed with orange giving a sunny feeling all around.  The sides of the arcs are painted with a brilliant purple.  The tables are wood with flowers painted on them, and the chairs are simple.  Colorful wall murals depict women with long flowing hair staring into the sea, portraits, flowers, and more.  The room has a lot of character.  Two flat screen televisions play the local Spanish station movies, soap operas, or sports depending on the time of day.

The decorations aren’t the only thing with character.  The waitresses are pretty interesting too.  It’s not your typical professional dress.  The clothing ranges from tank tops, shorts, and more which normally wouldn’t be surprising, but it was a cold and rainy day during my first visit, and these gals were dressed for summer.  Anticipate being served in a family operated environment where the native language spoken is Spanish.  Also, when you order, you may need to be patient since depending on who is taking your order, the communication could get interesting if you don’t speak Spanish.

On each table is a selection of hot sauces – Tapatio, green hot sauce, and another type in a very large bottle.  I never needed it, but in case you like hot sauce, you’ll be able to enjoy a few.  On weekends, you’ll find oregano and a dried chili in a small ramekin for seasoning the weekend soup specials.

- Taco – These are made with tortillas about three to four inches in diameter.  They are available with any kind of meat, so I selected carnitas.  The carnitas is topped with chopped onions, cilantro, and a touch of salsa.  Each taco is served with a few slices of radish and a pepper.  For carnitas, a small piece of lime is served with the taco too.  You can’t beat the price, and they taste very good.  $1

- Taco con tortillas a mano – Similar in nature to the tacos above, these are made with handmade tortillas, so they have a larger diameter and a softer texture.  When you eat it as soon as it’s served to you, as opposed to waiting a few minutes, you’ll enjoy the fresh flavor of the tortilla.  There’s nothing like it, and it’s worth the extra dollar, though I wouldn’t have minded more meat, but it’s still extremely reasonable.  $2

- Sopes o Carnes – If you’ve never had a sopes, think of those premade strawberry shortcake cakes that you buy at the store.  It’s basically the same shape – fried masa shaped into an almost bowl like shape with a ridge or an indented platform.  The diameter is about three inches.  Sopes are made with the same ingredients as tortillas, but tend to be smaller and significantly thicker.  This was one of Leslie’s top picks for La Texanita.  Available with meat or vegetarian style, these sopes hold a little refried beans at the base (on top of the sopes), meat, shredded lettuce, crumbled cotija cheese, diced tomato, and salsa.  I selected the meat version and small pieces of chopped carne asada topped my sopes.  Lightly fried, the dough on the outer part of the sopes was crispy while the inside was tender, but not too soft.  Full flavored, this was a great little treat.  $2.50

- Flautas de Pollo – Five deep fried taquitos/flautas are covered with tomatoes, lettuce, salsa, guacamole, cotija cheese, and sour cream and served with a side of beans and rice.  Wow, this is my favorite dish of all the things I’ve tried here.  I like the crispy texture of the flautas, the fact that it’s not overly fried until it’s dry, that the chicken inside is still recognizable and juicy, and the toppings don’t make the flautas soggy – instead, they add to the flavor.  I’ve gotten this dish several times and I know I’ll get it several times more.  Delicious.  Four stars.  $6

- Orden de Milaneza – Pork is breaded and cooked until the meat is done and golden brown.  The dish is served with tortillas, rice, and a salad.  If you like pork cutlet or chicken cutlet, you’ll enjoy this.  The portion is huge and the flavor is quite good.  There is so much that two people with small appetites could share. $8

- Super Burrito – The super burrito comes wrapped in foil and is accompanied by a small wedge of lime, slices of radish, and marinated jalapenos.  The tortilla is warmed and inside comes your choice of meat, lettuce, rice, beans, salsa, cheese, tomatoes, guacamole, and sour cream.  I selected carnitas and there was a nice mixture of tender pork along with a little bit of the fat.  Delicious and filling.  Although my tortilla wasn’t toasted until there were golden spots like that of my dining companion, it was still very good.  $6

- Quesadilla Con Carne – Meat Quesadilla – Melted cheese and your choice of meat are cooked in a warm folded tortilla until the tortilla shows some browning.  A small cup of hot sauce accompanies the quesadilla along with a bed of shredded lettuce topped with a slice of tomato that has been topped with some sour cream and guacamole.  Good stuff.  This quesadilla is also the right size – not too small and not too big.  It’s just filling enough without being overwhelming.  $5

- Chicken Enchiladas – Three enchiladas are served topped with cotija cheese, fresh tomatoes, and shredded lettuce.  Beans and rice accompany the enchiladas.  Like the flautas, the enchiladas are very meaty and have a great flavor.  Very good.  Was $6, now $7

- Agua Fresca – Available in small or large, you can try horchata, Jamaica, or tamarind agua fresca.  The only issue with this is that I’ve tried to order the small one several times and I’ve chosen the wrong Spanish word.  Be sure to say Chico if you want the little one because Poquito means nothing here.  I like their Jamaica and horchata – the latter being less sweet than the Jamaica – surprisingly.  Small $1.50, Large $2

My three recent visits, twice for lunch and once for dinner, have been very good.  The food is pleasant and flavorful, and the prices are more than reasonable.  Service is friendly, though sometimes hit and miss if you don’t speak Spanish.  Check out La Texanita for authentic flavor and fresh dishes

My most recent visit, which is probably my sixth or seventh visit, I noticed that they got new menus – and you know what that means – prices went up.  Fortunately, it’s only up by a dollar or so, and not for all dishes.  Although this seems like a lot in terms of percentage, it’s still a bargain to eat here.

  
Las Casuelas - Mexican - CLOSED

2770 Cleveland Ave, Santa Rosa CA 95403
(707) 573-6844
Parking: In parking lot

Last Visited: December 14, 2003

Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

Las Casuelas had been open for about seven weeks when I visited.  As you enter the parking lot, you can see the grill outside next to the kitchen.  This is where all the vegetables for the salsa must be grilled.

 

The decorations are simple.  Newly painted, the earth tones are sponged onto the wall and the tile floor has a similar, but slightly darker color.  The trim is a bright green that is sure to catch your eye.  The dining area is open with a bright ceramic sun displayed on the wall.  Most of the chairs are wood with some cushioned wicker seats here and there at the tables near the walls.  In the dining area near the back, you’ll find a faux balcony that extends slightly into the room.  There is an angelic sculpture (it could be a fountain, but without it being plugged in, I’m not sure) on a side wall.

 

Las Casuelas seems to be trying to cater to a slightly fancier crowd.  The tables are dressed with maroon tablecloths and white paper.  The servers are wearing white collared shirts, some with ties.  The water glasses are served with a slice of lime on the glass.  The service is pleasant.  Upon arrival, you receive a basket of chips and two salsas - one that is chopped fresh vegetables, the other is blended grilled fresh vegetables (like Chevy's salsa, but better).  Both were fresh and excellent.

 

The bathrooms are a bit on the small side.  Watch those hips and shoulders as the doors to the bathroom seem to have a mind of their own and swing open and closed without damping.

 

- Taco salad - available with chicken, beef, or interestingly enough, ostrich.  The meat is grilled and sliced into small chunks.  Meat, tomatoes, lettuce, whole pinto beans, sour cream, and guacamole are served in a large tostada shell that is set on the plate on small bed of refried beans.  The salad is accompanied with rice.  All of the vegetables were fresh and the food was neatly presented.  Great dish with good portions.  $8.25

 

- Chicken quesadilla - chicken served with melted cheese in a fresh tortilla grilled to a slight crisp and to a light brown color.  The quesadilla tasted great.  It is served with a side of black beans in a small container and a small bed of lettuce with tomatoes and guacamole.  Very filling. $7.25

 

We weren't able to try too many dishes, as we were only dining there for lunch, so from what was tried, it was fresh and nicely presented.  Healthy portions are served.  A proper judgment would require more dishes be tried.  I probably liked the two salsas the best.  They don't skimp when giving you salsa, and both tasted great.  In terms of value, you might be a bit disappointed, but as mentioned before, Las Casuelas seems to be catering to a slightly more upscale crowd.

 

There have been a few changes since my initial visit in December 2003.  The tables have been rearranged a little, but the overall feel is the same.  The water glasses aren’t decorated with lime anymore, though lemon is still in the water pitcher.  Las Casuelas seems to be adjusting to Sonoma County’s culture and is a little less fancy and more casual during this visit than previous. 

 

During the second visit, I came with a group - ten people total – for lunch.  A large group was certainly a good test of service, and unfortunately, I downgraded the service rating from 4 starts to 3 to 4 stars.  With only one server staffing the dining room, things were more difficult, but we had made a reservation, so there was plenty of time to prepare for us.  The reason for the downgrade in service stars was the depletion of chips and salsa.  Any Mexican restaurant should know that the staff needs to keep an eye on the chips and salsa.  Las Casuelas did fine with refilling water, but our salsa kept emptying, and nobody would come around for a while, so we would need to ask for more chips and salsa.  In some cases, we asked for more salsa, and though our chip basket was low, since we weren’t specific, we only got a salsa refill – no more chips.  It’s unfortunate also that it took a while for all the dishes to arrive at the table.  Though one server could never bring all ten dishes at once, either the kitchen was slow, or the server was slow, or a combination of both.  It took a while for everything to come out.

 

- Ostrich fajitas – Ostrich strips are cooked with onions and red and green bell peppers with a tomato/almost salsa-like sauce.  The fajitas are served with refried beans, carrot slices, a fried potato wedge, and rice.  The ostrich has a texture much like carne asada.  This meat had a nice spiciness and good flavor.  Good portions.  $12.95

 

- Carne Asada – The carne asada was a little disappointing.  Compared to the rest of the dishes I have tried so far, the carne asada had the least appeal.  Thin slices of beef are grilled, but despite the presentation with the grill marks nicely made on the meat, the beef is dry and lacking natural juices.  This makes the carne asada difficult to swallow and somewhat tough.  The carne asada would be better with a little bit of natural juice or sauce.  I would rate this dish two stars.  The grilled vegetables, black beans, and rice accompanying the carne asada are fine.  $11.95

 

- Ostrich Quesadillas – Diced ostrich and cheese fill a large warm flour tortilla.  Black beans are served on the side along with guacamole, and a slice of orange is twisted and placed upon a bed of shredded lettuce and red cabbage.  The quesadilla is warm, and the ostrich is nicely done.  If given the choice, I would select the ostrich fajitas over the quesadilla since the meat is served in strips in the fajita, allowing you to better experience the ostrich.  On its own, the quesadilla is good, but after a few more bites, it may be dry if you don’t add the salsa that accompany the chips or if you don’t add the guacamole.  The portion is quite filling.  $7.50

 

- Burrito Las Casuelas – Available with chicken, pork, or beef, a large burrito is filled with seasoned rice, refried beans, guacamole, cheese, and meat.  I selected chicken.  Diced roasted chicken along with the items listed above are rolled into a hot flour tortilla.  Very good portion and very full flavored.  $8.95

 

- Ostrich Enchiladas – Ostrich is grilled and cut into thin strips which are wrapped in a corn tortilla and topped with enchilada sauce and cheese.  The enchilada sauce was nice – tomato based and a little bit chunky.  Two enchiladas come with the order.  Rice and refried beans as well as a few grilled vegetables accompanied the main dish.  The vegetables were slightly overcooked, but the difference about these vegetables was the amount of garlic cooked with the green beans.  There was no question that a lot of garlic was used.  For the enchiladas, I added some of the salsa (both kinds) to give it that extra kick.  Good. $11.50

 

The best thing about my second visit was the tortillas (choice of flour or corn).  The tortillas are hot – like burn your fingers hot, which make them soft and pliable. Very good. 

 

The chef came by our table a couple of times to check on us and ask us what we thought of the food. After several visits, I found that service could be improved.  They check on you enough, but at the wrong times.  On my most recent visit, it took a good 15 to 20 minutes before our drinks arrived, and the place wasn’t busy at all.  We didn’t have any water, and while we were snacking on chips and salsa, it would have been great to have something, be it the drinks we ordered or water, arrive sooner.  Waiting for the check and waiting for your check to be picked up can also take an excruciatingly long time.  There are definite points of improvement for service which I downgraded to the 2 to 3 star range.  The service during my last visit was much improved so it’s back to 3 stars. 

 

Food quality remains good, and the flavor is great.  Presentation is good.  There is also a variety of seafood dishes available.  If you’ve never tried ostrich before, check it out here and see what you think.  I think I could become a regular ostrich eater. 

 

 

  

 

Lee's Noodle House - Vietnamese

1010 Hopper Ave, Santa Rosa CA 95403
(707) 523-2358
Parking: in shopping center parking lot

Hours: Mon – Sat 9am to 9pm, Sun 10am to 8 pm

Last Visited: March 4, 2006

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 2 stars
Price: $ 
Lee’s Noodle House is located in a small shopping center amongst some other small restaurants and businesses. The room is a bright yellow with light streaming in from the front windows. It’s an open space where you see the little nook on the left with several tables, and everything else is right in front of you. Directly above the wood paneled counter area are some white wall insets displaying plants. One of the other nooks contains a fat buddha figure. Other wall hangings of various flowers are displayed around the room. Red lanterns hang from the ceiling in front of the counter.

The tables are topped with green tablecloths and covered by glass tops. Light maple wood chairs surround the tables. On top of each table is a napkin holder and a small lazy susan containing standard Vietnamese condiments including fish sauce, soy sauce, red chili paste, hot sauce, Maggi sauce, salt, and pepper. A stack of chopsticks are also placed upright in a container on the table. Underneath the glass is a color photo showing some of their specialties. It’s great for those who have never tried Vietnamese food, and even better, the photo and the real-life dish actually do look the same.

Thus far, I have visited only for lunch. Each visit has been good and quite consistent in terms of service.

- Combination Beef Noodle Soup (Pho Dac Biet) – The standard eye round steak, well-done flank seak, soft tendons, tripe, and fat brisket are served over rice noodles in a hot broth. A plate of bean sprouts, thai basil, jalapenos, and lemon or lime accompany the noodles. Overall, it’s a great bargain. The broth is light, and I imagine similar to home made versions of the dish. It’s not as heavy in flavor as others, but still very good. Regular $4.65, Large $5.50

- Grilled Pork & Egg Roll with Rice Noodle (Bun Thit Nuong Cha Gio) Cold rice noodles are topped with thin slices of grilled pork and an egg roll cut into sections. Cilantro, chopped peanuts, sliced carrots, and sliced pickled turnip strips are served with the grilled pork. There is also a side of fish sauce vinaigrette. The pork has excellent flavor. Everything had a fresh flavor and the mixture of textures and flavors are balanced in combination. Good. $5.75

- Lee’s Special Noodle – A quarter of a roasted chicken (dark meat) is placed in a bowl of light broth and egg noodles. The plate of bean sprouts and basil served with the combination soup also accompanies this one. This broth is a little different than the beef broth, but it too has that great flavor that is further accented by the fresh herbs. The chicken has excellent flavor and the skin has a beautiful golden brown color. It’s a little hard to maneuver since it’s not cut into pieces, but it does taste great. It’s a great dish to try. Only one size available. $6.50

When the place gets busy, it will take forever to get a check, so you have to ask for it. If you need anything, it’s better to be outspoken, otherwise you might not receive what you need. They bring food quickly, but service as a whole is fair. Granted, there’s only one person servicing the entire room. However, you can still get in and out within an hour. Value is excellent. No single item on the menu exceeds seven dollars. It’s great for a quick lunch on the go.

  

 

Lepe's Taqueria - Mexican

4323 Montgomery Drive, Santa Rosa CA 95405
(707) 538-8991
Parking: in parking lot

Last Visited: 2003

Food: 2 to 3 stars
Atmosphere: 2 stars
Service: 2 stars
Price: $ to $$

Lepe’s is somewhat of a local hangout for college students, though it’s not anywhere near the local college. It may be because these people hung out there as high school students. I tried a chimichanga and their well known burrito. I found both to be average in flavor and standard in presentation. The portions are large and the price is reasonable, so that may be why people enjoy going there. It could also be the open salsa bar.

The main thing I found to be bad was that orders to go seemed to take priority over orders that were dine in. There isn’t a lot of service involved – you order at the main counter and take a number and then the food is brought out to your table when ready. That’s the extent of the service. If the restaurant was more formal, it might not have been so noticeable, but seeing someone come in after you who ordered the same dish you do and receive it before you is a bit frustrating. Not only did we see one order taken after us be prepared and served to go, but multiple orders. For that reason, it’s unlikely that I would return for another dine-in visit.

Lund's Cafe - Diner/Fried Chicken - CLOSED

1096 Petaluma Blvd. North, Petaluma CA 94952
(707) 773-0925
Parking: in parking lot

Last Visited: February 14, 2004

Food: 5 star fried chicken, see below
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 to 4 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

Fried chicken has never tasted so good! That’s the specialty at Lund’s. When you see the ratings above, take into account that all I did was order chicken to go and a side of mashed potatoes. There wasn’t much service involved, but the lady who waited on me was very nice.

Lund’s – it’s been around for quite some time. The local radio station has a person known as Foodie Friday who recommended Lund’s. With a family member who is a fried chicken fanatic, of course we had to try it out. So here’s the scoop, it’s a diner. It’s got the counter facing the kitchen and booths near the windows. However, they have Broaster chicken. What’s Broaster chicken you might ask? Go here to find out.

Broaster chicken is a lot like fried chicken, but without the oil being absorbed into the chicken. It’s absolutely without a doubt, the best chicken I have ever had in my life. Remember the part about the fried chicken fanatic – I’ve eaten tons of fried chicken so you’ll have to trust me on this. I’m a fan of dark meat, and I can tell you that if all chicken breast tasted this good, I could convert in no time. It’s the must succulent, juicy, best chicken breast you’ll ever have. The flavor is just about perfect, so you won’t need to add seasoning.

The prices below are for take out. If you dine in, prices will vary because side dishes are included. There are more selections with more pieces of chicken available and also chicken dinners available, so you can check that out when you get there. Note also that chicken take out is in most cases less expensive than having chicken dine in.

- 3 pieces Broaster chicken - $5.95

- 14 pieces Broaster chicken wings - $ 5.95

- Mashed potatoes – $2.50 for a large side – Nothing special. It’s all about the chicken.

Now, all is perfect about the chicken, but I was very very thirsty about an hour after eating here and thirsty for several hours. I’m not sure if there’s any correlation, so you’ll just have to check back to see if there’s an update on this review. However, it was worth every bit of thirst. If you like fried chicken, you’ll love Broaster chicken at Lund’s.

 

 

Lupe's Diner - Mexican

710 McClelland Drive, Windsor CA 95492
(707) 836-0150
Parking: street parking

Last Visited: January 12, 2006

Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 to 4 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

Lupe's is located on Windsor Town Green.  It faces the park and in addition to the seating inside, there is also outdoor seating when the weather is warm.  There is a large counter and the restaurant is L-shaped.  It hosts bright colors – yellow , orange, and tiles that look like small stones are imbedded in the floor.  The tables are simple and the wood chairs comfortable.  Upon our arrival, we received warm chips, red salsa, and salsa verde. The chips are delicious – thin and crispy. The menu offers a variety of dishes you typically see at Mexican restaurants.  Lupe’s is also open for breakfast.  The breakfast dishes are available all day.  On weekends, pozole is available. - Combination Plate – The combination plate allows you to select from enchilada, chile relleno, tostada, tamale, and taco.  Each selection is served with rice, beans, lettuce, and sour cream.  Today, I selected a chicken enchilada and a carne asada tostada.  The portion was more than ample.  The enchilada was covered with red enchilada sauce.  The tortilla was soft (better than most places that I have tried recently) and the chicken was juicy.  The flavor was good, and the temperature was warm.  The refried beans were just right, and the rice was moist, but still separate.  The tostada was huge.  A deep fried tortilla is placed over beans.  It’s topped with meat, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, and tons of lettuce.  The tostada alone was probably enough for lunch.  The carne asada was also moist.  The portions were large and the combination was more than enough for lunch.  Good.  1 item $7.25, 2 items $9.49 Overall, the experience was a good one.  The place was quite busy during this day.  Service was okay, but they didn’t come to check on us until the end.  Portions are ample and filling.  The check comes in a small and cute watering can with peppermints which is a nice touch to end the meal.  Check out Lupe’s for a clean and casual atmosphere with good eats.

 

Mai's Vietnamese Cuisine

8492 Gravenstein Hwy 116, Suite J, Cotati CA 95931
(707) 665-9628
Parking: in shopping center parking lot
Hours: Tues - Sun 11am to 8pm

Last Visited: June 24, 2007

Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 4 stars
Price: $ to $$

Mai’s Vietnamese Cuisine has been open since summer 2006. Located next to Buffalo Billiards in the Apple Valley Plaza (nearby Lowe’s), Mai’s is tucked away in the far corner of the shopping center. It’s amidst a sea of other restaurants – a Thai and Mexican/Pilipino place to name a few. However, Mai’s simple and elegant atmosphere is inviting and shows the fine detailed touches of its owners.

From Agilent to Mai’s Vietnamese, the owners have been through their fair share of local technology booms and bust. And so, they are now starting out on their own in a simple restaurant – lots of yellow and brown in décor, you’ll find that each table has fresh colorful flowers on it, and that there is lots of greenery all around the restaurant – from bamboo to other plants. Asian musical instruments are on display and gentle music from string instruments play on the sound system. Vietnamese art can also be found in the room.

Each table is covered with a white tablecloth and a piece of glass as well as the fresh flowers aforementioned. The table has a napkin and chopsticks in a paper wrapper at each place setting. Upon our arrival, we were given a glass of ice water with half a slice of lime in it. We were also given freshly roasted peanuts that had been lightly coated with a sugar and salt mixture. The chairs are a dark wood with a simple design that adds to the décor. You can also hear the sound of the water fountain sphere in the rear of the restaurant nearby the register. Recessed can lights are in the ceiling and small lanterns are on the side walls of the restaurant. It’s a nice setting for a romantic evening or out with friends.

Typical Vietnamese fare is offered on the menu.

- Pho Dac Biet – Special Combo Beef Rice Noodle Soup – We ordered a large bowl to split, and when we mentioned that we wanted to split it, the owner was quick to respond that it wouldn’t be pretty if we took it apart at the table, so she would go ahead and split it for us. This is how Mai’s got a four star service rating. The impeccable attention to detail makes it stand out from the rest. The soup contains rice noodles, meatballs, eye of round steak, well done brisket, flank steak, tendon, and tripe. It was accompanied with a plate of fresh Thai basil still on its stem, fresh bean sprouts, jalapeno slices, and quarter lime wedges. The flavorful beef broth contained the usual thin slices of onion and fresh cilantro and green onions. Another item of note – the food is plated very nicely – we received our bowl with a plate underneath it, and these particular spoons have an extended back so that it can use the edge of the bowl as a ledge so the spoon doesn’t fall into the soup. When we ordered, the condiments also came in a very simple and elegant holder. Great. Regular $6.50, Large $7.50

- Com Suon Nuong – Pork Chop BBQ Rice Plate – A marinated pork chop is butterflied and barbecued. The end result is placed over rice and served with fish sauce, lettuce, carrot, and pickled daikon. The pork chop has great flavor and is marinated thoroughly. The rice has an excellent consistency – not to mushy and not too hard. The vegetables are fresh and cut very neatly. Good. $6.95

- Bun Tom Thit Nuong Cha Gio – Grilled BBQ Pork, Shrimp, and Egg Roll over Vermicelli – Slightly warm vermicelli is topped with crushed peanuts, shredded lettuce, an egg roll, three grilled shrimp, and pieces of grilled barbecued pork. Marinated turnip/daikon pieces and carrots strips accompany the meat along with bean sprouts, chopped mint, and cilantro. A fish sauce based dressing comes on the side to mix in with the noodles. The freshness of the dish comes through with the contrast of the warm meat and the cool noodles. Unlike other restaurants, the noodles haven’t been in the refrigerator and so they aren’t hard or as dense as other places giving it a better texture. Very good. In the past, I’ve had bun at other places and didn’t feel so good after. Mai’s cleanliness and the temperature of the noodles gave me more confidence about the bun. $8.50

After dining, I didn’t find myself feeling thirsty, but when I did drink something, I noticed that I drank the entire drink, so perhaps it’s a thirst from spices. I’m not quite sure. The silverware we received to cut the pork chop wasn’t dirty, but there were lots of spots on it. I tried to wipe them off, but they wouldn’t go away. This is certainly an area of opportunity, but only a minor blemish.

The restroom has a great looking sink and faucet, so be sure to check that out. Overall, I liked the very clean and unique setting of Mai Vietnamese and it’s a standout amongst its peers for that reason alone. The owner’s attention to detail and demeanor is terrific. The food is flavorful and delicious. The dishware is modern and also has simple style. Prices are about fifty cents higher than the Sonoma County competition, but it’s well worth it. After going back several times, I have found their service and food consistently good. Check it out sometime.

Mandarin Garden - Chinese

1973 Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa CA 95401
(707) 575-1628
Parking: in shopping center parking lot

Last Visited: May 10, 2004

Food: 2 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$

At $5.85 for an all you can eat lunch buffet, you really can’t go wrong. The Mandarin Garden buffet offers fresh green salad and a variety of other vegetables, jello, imitation crab salad, kim chee, and the like in the salad bar. From the hot food bar, you will find fried won tons, egg rolls, chicken wings, hot and sour soup, braised green beans, almond chicken, sweet and sour pork, beef with broccoli, prawns, chow mein, fried rice, fried bananas, and a few other dishes.

The place is neat and clean with little decoration. The table is adorned with paper place settings. The service is okay, but the food quality is typical of that in Sonoma County. The flavor of most of the food – chow mein, fried rice, vegetables, and meat dishes were fine. There seemed to be a bit of MSG used though. The hot and sour soup was a bit too sour for me and lacking the flavor that should be present, but the consistency is right.

Certainly the all you can eat buffet is an excellent draw at this price, but I have high expectations for Chinese food quality, so while others may rate it at least three stars, to keep it in line with the ratings of authentic restaurants listed on this page, the most I can give it is two stars. I found myself thirsty after the meal, and I attribute that to the MSG used. This place is great if you’re eating on a budget.

 

 

Mary's Pizza Shack

18636 Sonoma Highway, Sonoma CA 95476
(707) 938-3600
Parking: in parking lot

Last Visited: March 5, 2004

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

Mary’s has been around for a long time. I remember them being in Sonoma for more than 20 years and their history goes back even further to 1959. Mary Fazio leaves the legacy of fine homemade food, and now has 15 locations in Sonoma County and nearby areas. The Boyes Springs restaurant is large with two dining areas inside and outside dining is also available. The kitchen is open and you can watch the pizzas being tossed. The excess crust is used to make breadsticks that anyone can enjoy. The atmosphere of the restaurant is casual.

The food at Mary’s is great. The salad quality can vary, but most of the time, its fresh. The best thing is of course the pizzas, though they do offer a variety of pasta dishes. All of the entrees are served with soup or salad and iced tea, coffee, or hot tea. In Sonoma, Mary’s serves warm sourdough bread from the local Basque Café with each meal.

- Mary’s Salad – Iceberg lettuce is dressed and topped with one slice of salami, shredded carrots, sliced mushrooms, three bean salad, a slice of egg, and mozzarella. When its fresh, it’s great. Simple and good. House $3.95, Large $7.10

- Spaghetti and Meatball – Spaghetti in tomato sauce is topped with a gigantic meatball. Sometimes the pasta is not al dente, but the flavors are always consistent. The meatball is always large and hearty. Good. $10.65

- Mary’s Combination Pizza – This is my favorite pizza of all the combinations available. It’s topped with cheese, salami, pepperoni, cotto salami, sausage, and mushrooms. It’s a great combination of flavors and a sure flavor parade.

- Meat Lasagna – Another one of my favorites. A good portion - the lasagna noodles are layered with ricotta and meat sauce. Always hearty, it’s topped with more mozzarella, and it’s always good. $11.95

Sandwiches are also available for those who prefer them over pizza and pasta dishes.

The service is sometimes inconsistent at Mary’s. Depending on your server, your dining experience can vary widely. Sometimes, it’s excellent and up to 5 stars, and other times, it can be as low as 2 stars. The pizza quality is probably the most consistent thing of all. Try Mary’s – you’ll like the food.

Mi Pueblo - Mexican

800 Petaluma Blvd North, Petaluma, CA 94952
(707) 762-8192
905 Grant Ave., Novato, CA
(415) 878-0122
Parking: Lot adjacent to restaurant

Last Visited: December 23, 2004

Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$

This restaurant is definitely family style. It’s got booths on one side (at least in Petaluma) with tables on the other side of the divider along with an open salsa bar. The walls are a bright yellow with hints of orange swirls on the wall adjacent to the booths. Plates with different Mexican themes decorate the walls. The floor is white/gray tile.

The coolers are filled with lemonade, horchata, and Jamaica, a hibiscus drink (I like the hibiscus one the best). The owner is friendly and the waitresses give you menus and let you find your own seat. Very casual. The food is excellent. My mom says that there are more ‘relatives’ than there are locals. What does that mean? There are more Mexican people than there are any other people, and that’s a good thing. It means the food is good and good enough for even the most distinguished of Mexican food connoisseurs.

Tortilla chips arrive at the table with medium salsa. If the owner notices it’s too spicy for you, he’ll come by your table and ask if you want him to whip up a batch of mild salsa. He’s service-oriented, observant, and a great host.

- Enchilada – The shredded chicken ones are perfect. They are piping hot out of the oven, melt in your mouth, and are oh-so-delicious. I couldn’t ask for more – shredded chicken wrapped in a tortilla and made to perfection with a delicious enchilada sauce and melted cheese on top. If you get nothing else, get a chicken enchilada. You can choose from any type of meat; the shredded beef ones are good, but the chicken ones can’t be missed. $3.25

- Mojarra Frita/Deep-fried Whole Fish – Tilapia (with head and all) is fried in a lightly seasoned batter. Served with rice, refried beans, and warm tortillas. The flavor is good – not overwhelming the fish. I’ve had a similar fish dishes, baked, for triple the price, and they don’t even compare. This is worth getting even if you’re not a big fish fan, but note that the fish comes whole – bones and all. $10.95

- Taquitos – Again, choice of meat. We tried them with pork. These were served on a bed of lettuce. A little on the dry side, but they come with homemade guacamole that’s delicious. Plenty of meat – Mi Pueblo doesn’t skimp, but we got them once and haven’t tried to get this dish again.

- Carne Asada Steak – served with rice, refried beans, and warm tortillas. The steak is flavorful and tender. This dish is also a winner. Simply put – tastes great. What more do you need to know? $10.95

- Super Nachos – Lots of chips with the works – sour cream, guacamole, melted cheese, refried beans. Also available with choice of meat for $1-2 more. They’re good, but they’re not like the enchiladas.

- Albondigas Soup/ Meatball Soup – Six large meatballs served in a broth-like soup. The meatballs are delicious and the bowl of soup is huge. The soup also has tomatoes and potatoes. It’s flavorful and enough for two people, possibly three people.

- Tortilla Soup – Much the same base as the albondigas soup (tomatoes, potatoes, carrots), large strips of crisp tortilla are placed in the soup. Chunks of avocado are placed on top for added garnish and flavor. Very good. The tortilla strips add a lot of texture to the soup. Very flavorful and again, a large portion that could easily serve two people.

- Tacos – Comes with choice of meat and choice of soft or hard shell. We got steak soft tacos the first time and carnitas another time. Served with fresh lime - when added to the taco, the lime juice really brings out the flavor of the spices. These are good, but again, not like the enchiladas. Better tacos can be found elsewhere, but they are hot, so that’s a plus point.

- Menudo Soup/Tripe Soup – Same soup base as the Albondigas Soup, but the main ingredient is tender tripe. I’m not a big fan of tripe served this way, but if you like tripe, you might enjoy this soup more than the Albondigas one. $6.95

- Quesadilla – Choice of meat. A large tortilla is grilled with jack cheese and in this case, chicken. The quesadilla is served with guacamole on the side. Another healthy portion and as usual, very good. $4.50

- Taco Salad - It's similar ingredients to the other items you find on the menu. It's a great mix of freshness and flavor. The tostada shell is light and crisp. Great portions as usual. $6

- Agua frescas: Jamaica and Horchata available. Good sized glass and great flavor. Sometimes you’ll even get lime agua frescas which are very refreshing.$1.25

Note: Our only bad experience was an overcooked Mojarra Frita – that’s happened once out of the three times we’ve gotten it, so the record is still pretty good. Tortillas may cost extra – we’re never quite sure since the price is so reasonable, we haven’t paid that much attention. Most items are available a la carte or as full entrees. Their Novato operation is reminiscent of a Taco Bell setting in atmosphere, but the food is still high quality. They also have televisions at this location, usually broadcasting soccer. I like the atmosphere of the Petaluma branch more for its friendliness giving it a warm and familiar feel. The owner really does a great job of keeping an eye on everything and everyone and his attitude is excellent. All the food at both locations is also available for take out.

Mike's at the Crossroads - American

7665 Old Redwood Highway, Cotati, CA 94931
(707) 665-9999
Parking: in shopping center parking lot

Last Visited: June 18, 2005

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$

Mike Condrin first opened Mike’s at the Yard (the Petaluma branch) in 1991.  Since then, Mike’s has been a local favorite for his burgers and his ‘No Fries’ attitude.  Mike’s at the Crossroads expanded the business to Cotati. 

Each burger is made with half a pound of Harris Ranch Beef on a toasted bun and cooked until medium.  All burgers come with cheese (because Mike thinks it should be there), and there’s no extra charge for it.  All burgers come with a choice of macaroni salad, red potato salad, tossed green salad with vinaigrette, or chips.  Under no circumstances will you find fries.  You can read his eleven reasons why Mike doesn’t have French fries.  I personally like reason number 9: ‘The burger is greasy by itself.’

Besides the Mike’s burger, you’ll also find a variety of additions that can be made to make your burger meet your tastebuds.  Other burgers include: the “Go Jets” burger, Stinky Breath burger, and the Pesty Pesto Burger.

Walk into Mike’s and you’ll see the bar and the tables.  The kitchen is located in the back corner on the right side.  The television was on during our visit, and for your viewing pleasure are the In and Out burger t-shirts stuck to the ceiling.  Each one contains a statement written in black marker about trading in the shirt for a Mike’s burger.  

Upon our arrival, we were told to sit anywhere we liked, and a waitress promptly came and brought us menus.  The girls were efficient and though a bit overwhelmed, they did a great job.

- Mike’s Burger – Available with bacon for an additional cost, the Mike’s burger is the most basic with a slice of cheese melted on top of the burger over a toasted bun.  The top half of the toasted bun contains a mixture of chopped fresh tomatoes and pickles.  A slice of lettuce, two slices of tomato, and a slice of red onion are placed upon the top half ready for you to assemble.  The burger is juicy and delicious.  The meat is cooked to a perfect medium, and is packed loose enough to feel soft and retain its juices.  The bun is a bit on the soft side despite the toasting.  For the side, I selected the tossed green salad.  The kitchen gave me macaroni salad instead, but the waitress promptly brought me a large side of tossed green salad.  I was disappointed by the green salad since all of it seemed to have rust on the edges.  The macaroni salad wasn’t particularly exciting.  I should have gone for the bag of chips.  Great burger patty, and fresh fixings.  $6.95

The place is not about ambiance, but it is about a good burger.  Having been there only twice so far, it’s hard to tell if the bun can get toasted more, but if you like soft buns, then it’s just right as it is.  I would suggest getting the bag of chips when you select your side.  Great burger and great place to check out – even just to read the reasons for no fries. 

Mister McGoo's - Italian

1375 Petaluma Blvd North, Petaluma CA 94952
(707) 763-4346
Parking: in parking lot
Hours: Open Wednesday through Saturday after 5pm. Open Sunday for brunch 10am to 1pm and after 5pm.

Last Visited: August 4, 2004

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 4 stars
Price: $$$

My uncle recommended Mister McGoo’s which has been owned and operated by the McGaughey Family since 1965. From what I hear, they serve a fantastic Sunday Champagne Buffet Brunch.

The atmosphere is definitely that of a classic Italian restaurant. You enter into a circular shaped lobby with two openings. Immediately facing you upon your entry is a picture of the family. To your right, the doorway opens toward the bar. To your left is the dining area.

The tables are covered with brown and white checkered table cloths. The floors are light brown and the walls are wood paneled with some brick between panels. There are three main dining areas. The ceilings are high, and the chairs are cushioned and comfortable. The restaurant definitely had a family owned feeling about it, and it was neat and clean. Silk flowers line the back counter.

Dinners include soup (minestrone or clam chowder), salad, garlic bread, vegetables, and a choice of ravioli, spaghetti, French fries, polenta, or a baked potato (baked potato only available Friday through Sunday). Pasta dinners include soup, salad, or garlic bread. The chef’s specials and daily specials are served with a choice of soup or salad and in some cases, French fries (check the menu to see what sides are served with which dish). Dinner prices range from $12 to $23.

- Garlic Bread – Garlic bread is served warm in a basket lined with a coffee filter (clever idea!). The garlic bread is crusty on the outside, soft on the inside, and crisp on top. Very nicely done. When one basket is finished, another arrives at your table. Three to four stars.

- Clam Chowder – The clam chowder was excellent. It’s creamy and rich with potatoes and meaty clams. Very nicely done and not watered down. It’s served in a cup with oyster crackers on the side. Great. Four stars.

- Salad – A small dinner salad comprised of iceberg lettuce, carrots, and red cabbage is topped with croutons and a slice of salami. Choice of dressing. The salad was fresh, but perhaps too much dressing making it slightly soggy.

- Sirloin Steak – Grilled sirloin steak is served with French fries and vegetables. The steak was large, but one side was more well done than the other even though the steak was ordered medium. There was a separation in the meat caused by a ligament, and the side with excess fat came out a perfect medium while the other side was overcooked. See a review of the French fries below. The side of vegetables were disappointing. The vegetables included green beans, carrots, broccoli, and peppers, so variety was good. The vegetables were lightly flavored by the peppers, but the disappointing part was that the broccoli had become especially soggy making it unpleasant to my tastes, though this style may be just right for somebody else.

- Breaded Veal – Two large pieces of veal are breaded and topped with brown gravy. See the review of vegetables above and the ravioli review below. The flavor is good, and the breading of the veal is crispy, but slightly it’s a bit too thick. I prefer the breading to be lighter. Veal parmigiana is virtually the same dish, but instead of brown gravy, the two pieces are topped with parmesan and tomato meat sauce.

- Raviolis – The raviolis have a meat filling and are topped with a tomato meat sauce and grated parmesan cheese. The ravioli wrappers were on the thick side, an indication of store bought raviolis. Average.

- French Fries – The French fries are cut thick and are the best fries I’ve had in a long time. It’s worth it just to come for the fries. They’re so hot that they might even burn your fingers. Fresh and crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. Excellent! Five star fries!

The food is okay, but the I found the sides (soup, garlic bread, and fries) were better than the main dish during my visit this evening. Portions are large and filling. Service is attentive, but not overbearing. Mister McGoo’s certainly serves homestyle Italian cooking. The French fries reign supreme here!

Mosaic - California Cuisine

6675 Front St, Forestville CA 95436
(707) 887-7503
Parking: in the front

Last Visited: March 9, 2007

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 2 to 3 stars
Service: 2 stars
Price: $$$ to $$$$

Both Jim and Jeff gave Mosaic high praise when we talked about outstanding restaurants in the North Bay, so when I was driving through Forestville, I decided to stop on by.  I had heard through the grapevine that the food quality was excellent and it would be a worthwhile place to check out.  I walked in with little expectation, but hoped for fantastic food.

It was a little after 5pm on the Friday evening I visited, and I was surprised at the very cool reception we received.  Most hostesses are ready to greet you with a friendly smile and perhaps engage in some small talk about your day.  Although I don’t expect this at your local chain locations, for these higher end restaurants, it’s expected.  This was definitely lacking.  There was not even a ‘how are you?’ but we gave the hostess the benefit of the doubt figuring it was a bad day or that she needed some time to warm up.  She brought us to our table and asked if we wanted Fiji still water, sparkling, or regular water flavored with cucumber slices.  When we answered that we wanted regular water, she said okay.  My dining companion then proceeded to the restroom, and upon returning, she told me that our hostess told the busser to bring us regular water in a not too happy tone.  When I received the water, it had a refreshing cucumber flavor.

Few customers came into the facility during my time there.  One was a regular so the hostess greeted him with a smile, but the other couple that arrived near the end of our meal was greeted with extremely friendly tones by the same hostess.  She not only made small talk, but she spent some time at their table and chatted for a while.  This all made me wonder – what was going on when we arrived?  Why didn’t she do the same for us?  Don’t get me wrong.  With the number of restaurants I have visited, this was not the only point of service that dropped their rating, but it was certainly one that made me feel uneasy.  I would say she spent a good 15 minutes with these strangers, and though I personally didn’t want to spend that much time on small talk this evening, a few of the same questions about the weather and general conversation would have been fine. 

Mosaic is a pleasant orange peach color on the outside, and the planter boxes are studded with colorful flowers.  Walking inside is like taking a vacation from Forestville’s small town feel and entering a warm room filled with earth tones.  From the dark copper floors, the wood tables, and the muted colorful plates, the room seems to silently exclaim the warmth of fall etched by the onset of winter.  Smooth lyrics in a soothing jazz plays on the sound system.  From the main dining room, you can see a little into the kitchen, but the faces of the chefs are hidden by the opaque glass.

At each table, the planked table tops were topped with one tealight candle in a small container.  Each place setting contained one large colored plate along with a black cloth napkin folded into a rectangle.  The knife was placed between the tines of the fork laid in the middle of the napkin.  A butter knife sits on top of the small square black plate to the left of each of these.

When our server arrived at our table, she greeted us with a friendly, “How are you guys tonight?”  Although this was fine at first, she proceeded to ask if “us guys” needed anything.  The continued use of this phrase was exhausted, considering there were no guys at the table at all.  When paying a higher price at a nicer establishment, the use of “guys” really isn’t appropriate anymore, since we’re not at a local burger joint or the like.  Her demeanor was also just fair, lacking the excellent qualities of a great server.

After ordering, we were given warm French bread.  I love that.  Warm bread is always good.  The bread arrived covered in a napkin and a small black ceramic container held the soft butter.  As we conversed, we found the table was wobbly and asked one of the staff members to fix it.  This gentleman was probably the kindest during our whole visit.  After almost half an hour, we had eaten all the bread and our meal had still not arrived.  So that’s where another point of lacking service was noted.  When there aren’t any starters ordered and there is a long wait for food (which was inexplicable considering we were the only people in the restaurant), then the server should check to see if the diners would like more bread.  Unfortunately, during our wait, we could hear the loud conversation from the kitchen, studded with cuss words here and there.  What is talked about in the kitchen should stay there.  You should never hear an expletive from the kitchen while seated across the room.  Mind you, it wasn’t a situation where they dropped a plate or another disaster occurred.  The expletives wandered around the general kitchen conversation.

As our food arrived, we noticed the beautiful presentation.  It’s bordering being over the top though.

- Beef Short Ribs – Slow braised short ribs are served over saffron-parmesan risotto and grilled asparagus on a square green plate.  The short ribs were cooked in a red wine reduction and had a lot of flavor.  The meat was tender and fell off the bone.  This was placed on top of grilled baby asparagus and part of the saffron-parmesan risotto which had been placed vertically on the plate (parallel to the short ribs).  On top of the items was a single chive that was diagonally placed over everything.  The spears of the asparagus were aimed toward the corner of the plate and fanned out.  Although presentation was elegant, and the flavor of each item was nice, the combination of the flavors was a bit overwhelming, and I found that with each bite, everything seemed to get saltier.  It’s unfortunate that the asparagus and risotto weren’t seasoned less heavily because that would have accented the short ribs even further. $29

- Halibut with raspberry sauce, gratin, baked baby yams, were plated on a round yellow plate.  I’m not sure if it was a gratin, but the potato side item had good flavor and was not overwhelming.  Of all the items on this plate, I enjoyed it the best.  The three baby yams were placed on the side, with one opened up to reveal the gorgeous orange flesh.  The halibut had been seared until golden brown on both sides and drizzled with raspberry sauce.  Edible decoration was placed on top to add height.  Although the fish was beautifully golden, the inside was a bit dry, especially as the meal continued.  Even the raspberry sauce was not enough to counteract the gradual lack of moisture.  Okay. $26

Unfortunately, I didn’t know until after my visit, that Mosaic’s signature dish is the Coffee Encrusted Filet Mignon.  However, after my experience, I don’t think I’ll be going back to try it. 

Mosaic’s motto is “Everything generously seasoned with passion and pride!” and certainly, I would agree that everything is generously seasoned – a little too much so for my palate.  Individually, the items tasted good, but together, it became overwhelming rather than harmonious.  The atmosphere was pleasant, but the service lacked friendliness and as we exited, though two people stood near the hostess station, nobody thanked us or greeted us as we left.  An A for presentation, but only a fair experience overall.

 

My Ha - Vietnamese

385 Aviation Boulevard #B, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
(707) 527-8882
Parking: in shopping center

Last Visited: October 23, 2004

Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 4 stars
Price: $ to $$

This establishment has by far been the cleanest Vietnamese restaurant I have visited in Sonoma County. In a new building next to the Airport Cinemas, it has a fresh coat of paint, clean carpet, and new everything – from tables, to chairs, to dishware. It’s a refreshing change from the dingy dusty pho places in the county. The walls are bright, the windows bring in a lot of light, and it’s competition is Quizno’s subs, right next door (totally different sector of the market). Prices here are a little higher than the other places, but My Ha’s menu is clean – limited selection, but good choices and quality food. They even had a lunch buffet which looked appetizing – I just couldn’t eat that much for lunch. My Ha is going for a more upscale look. They still use paper napkins, but there were four servers for a lunch hour on a weekday which is pretty impressive.

Pho – Well Done Beef Brisket, Eye Round Steak - This dish came in a big bowl. Did that come across clearly? The bowl is big. Unlike other pho restaurants, their pho was one size fits all. Each person received their own accompaniments – lime, jalapenos, bean sprouts, and thai basil. I would have liked more noodles and one of my dining companions felt the meat wasn’t lean enough. Her eye round steak was very rare; mine was well done. The soup is hot, but could be just a touch hotter in temperature. Also, although they give you a lot of jalapenos, I dropped most of them in my soup and didn’t taste their presence at all. They didn’t look dried out, but they were missing their fire. Overall, it was still good. $5.75

Bun Cha Gio,Thit Nuong – Imperial Rolls and barbecued pork – A large bowl is layered with a salad (made of shredded lettuce, beansprouts, cilantro, mint leaves, and shredded cucumber) and topped with room temperature rice vermicelli.  An imperial roll is cut into pieces and placed on top of the vermicelli.  Thin slices of barbecued pork are seasoned with lemongrass are also placed on top of the vermicelli.  Crushed peanuts garnish the dish.  Dressing with a fish sauce base is served on the side and poured on top of the noodle mixture.  The barbecued pork is very nicely done, not overcooked.  The salad mixture gives the dish a light crunch, and the dressing accompanies all of the ingredients well.  The thing I liked most about My Ha’s bun is that the vermicelli is room temperature.  At many places, you’ll find that the vermicelli is cold like it just came out of the refrigerator.  Although this is refreshing in summer, in the winter, it is less pleasant.  Very good. $6.50

Coconut Juice - More ice than juice, but still refreshing with fresh pieces of coconut meat $2

Banh Kem Flan – The flan is served on a dish and topped with a maraschino cherry.  The top of the flan is golden brown and slightly bitter.  The bitterness doesn’t make the dish taste bad, but rather adds complexity to the flavorings.  The texture is smooth and a bit more solid than other flan I have tried, but still good.  $2.25

The nice thing about getting the Pho is that you get your own dish of thai basil, bean sprouts, and lime. They aren’t stingy about giving you these ‘condiments’ for your Pho. Unlike other places, each of us at the table received our own plate. As for what could be done better, if they were going for the truly high class crowd, the bean sprouts would no longer have the bean or the thread at the bottom of the sprout.

On my second and third visits, I had another version of pho with meatballs.  One thing My Ha is excellent at is explaining what the dish is made with.  For example, they’ll let you know the meatballs are made with pork or that the seafood noodles will have two kinds of noodles.  If you’re hesitant about trying Vietnamese food, this place is perfect for you since they’re patient enough to answer any questions and they anticipate the concerns one has.  My previous conclusion remains the same - Definitely worth another trip back to My Ha.

 

Negri's Italian Dinners

3700 Bohemian Hwy, Occidental CA 95465
(707) 823-5301
Parking: in parking lot

Last Visited: August 7, 2004

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 4 stars
Price: $$$

Negri’s has been run by three successive family generations. It’s classic Italian dining. As you walk up the steps, you can see the large windows facing the town of Occidental. On the door are a gigantic fork and spoon which are also the door handles. Upon entering, the bar is to your left and the dining room is to your right. When entering the dining room, you’ll find the natural light from the large windows complements the surroundings nicely.

The painted walls are yellow with a green awning above the cash register area and the area near the kitchen. The walls are dark wood, and the thickness of the ceiling beams reminds you of the quality building construction of the old days. There are strings of lights as well as lamps with a white ball for a lamp cover. The ball has been painted with a red and green stripe each which make the Italian theme all the more prevalent.

The floor is light in color, and the tables are spaciously placed. The rear dining area was closed, so this evening, there were seven tables lining the large windows, and a moveable planter dividing the room. The tablecloths are red and white checkered, and a bottle of chianti as well as a pitcher of water sit on the table. On the walls, you’ll also find various paintings containing chianti bottles as well.

Upon arriving, a basket of crusty bread with a soft center arrives at the table along with a plate of olive oil containing drops of balsamic vinegar. You’ll also receive a bowl of freshly grated parmesan cheese and a container of individually wrapped butter.

All pasta and non-pasta dishes are accompanied with minestrone soup and mixed green salad. In addition, non-pasta dishes will also receive an antipasti (tonight’s antipasti was four slices of salami), zucchini pancake, and raviolis (six pieces).

- Minestrone soup – A large stainless steel pot holding hot minestrone arrives at the table with a large ladle to allow you to serve yourself. This homemade minestrone is incredible. A pot given to serve two people easily contains enough for four servings. The minestrone soup contains all the typical ingredients - cabbage, greens, beans, carrots, wide thick noodles, and so much more. The flavors marry together to create a taste extravaganza. Excellent. Five stars.

- Mixed green salad – The salad is comprised of iceberg lettuce, grated carrots, red cabbage, grated zucchini, and dressing. The vegetables are fresh, but there was too much dressing for me. In the future, I will know to ask for dressing on the side. I had enough dressing that by the time I completed my salad, there was enough remaining to dress another serving. One thing that is unique about Negri’s is that they still serve additional dishes during the salad course. Along with the mixed greens came a plate of old style cottage cheese, a plate of marinated vegetables (carrots, cauliflower, peppers, and more) that were quite tart from the marinade, and finally a mixed bean salad (garbanzos and kidney beans dressed with small diced onions and dressing). It was refreshing to see Negri’s continue this old tradition.

- Zucchini Pancake – Although the menu says that zucchini pancakes are served with non-pasta dishes, you only receive one pancake. It’s a small yellow round slightly smaller than the palm of one’s hand. It’s golden yellow with some green from the zucchini peaking through. Nicely done, and just a little crisp on the outside.

- Lasagna – Lasagna noodles are layered with meat sauce. Although the red sauce was hearty and thick, by the time I got to the lasagna, I was pretty stuffed. In comparison to the raviolis, the lasagna noodles are thick and don’t have the same homemade flavor. The portion is large, but just not as appetizing after fabulous minestrone. Average.

- Raviolis – Incredible. Their raviolis are homemade and filled with meat and spinach. Excellent. Probably some of the best raviolis I have ever had. They are served in a tomato sauce with parmesan cheese, and of course, you can sprinkle on as much parmesan as you wish. On my next visit, I’ll probably order the raviolis as an entrée and enjoy the splendid taste and texture. A must try! Five stars.

- Grilled Calamari Steak – Calamari steak is lightly breaded and grilled. Served with French fries (other options available). The calamari steak was a nice thickness, and the texture was good, but I found it to be a little oily. The breading was light and only grilled until faintly yellow. Nothing outstanding, but not bad. Average. The French fries were a bit oily – not to the point of being soggy, but also average.

At Negri’s, it’s worth just getting a bowl of soup if you choose to get nothing else. Raviolis are also a must try. They’re spectacular. The place is neat and clean, overlooking Occidental. It’s quaint and just an enjoyable place. The entrée itself (at least the two I tried) is not as outstanding as the soup and raviolis, so be prepared to bring them home since portions are huge, or maybe just order the good stuff alone. Beware if you order the hamburger because you’ll likely receive comments about ordering a hamburger in an Italian restaurant. No matter what, just come hungry.

 

Nha-Bee Cafe - Korean BBQ - CLOSED

913 4th St, Santa Rosa CA 95404
(707) 568-6455
Parking: street parking
Hours: Mon-Thurs 11am to 2 pm, 4:30pm to 8pm, Fri 11am to 2pm, 4:30pm to 9pm, Sat 4:30pm to 9pm, Closed Sundays

Last Visited: August 31, 2006

Food: 2 to 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$

In Korean, nha-bee means butterfly.  Visiting the Nha-Bee Café for the first time, I expected it to be similar to my other Korean BBQ dining experiences.  At least one person had told me the food was good, so I walked in with some anticipation and expectation.  Enter Nha-Bee and see that there are some seats outside, two tables by the window, and about ten tables in the rear adjacent to the kitchen and soda dispenser.  The colors are light and there are some Asian decorations including wood shutters and woven baskets hanging on the wall.  The list of specials are listed on a board near the door.

The tables are simple with not much on them.  My impression of the lunch menu was that the prices are fairly on the high side for the type of food you are getting and the competition.  For example, pot stickers, which are typically a Chinese dish, were $6.50 for six pieces.  Most dishes were $9.95 if they contained meat and $7.95 for vegetarian specialties.  Choice of white rice or mixed grain rice is available with rice dishes. 

We received several small plates upon our arrival – Kim chee (marinated spicy cabbage), marinated spicy daikon radish chunks, marinated black beans (slightly sweet), marinated cucumbers (not spicy), and other pickled goods.  There were six plates in total.  I was missing some of my favorite small plates including marinated bean sprouts, cooked spinach, potato salad, fish cake, and glass noodle salad.  These are part of the authentic (with the exception of the potato salad) dishes that I enjoy at Korean BBQ places that Nha-Bee didn’t offer.   

- Bee Bim Bop – The menu describes this dish as rice topped with fresh mixed veggies, egg and sauce.  Rice is surrounded by bunches of cooked spinach, raw carrots, lettuce, cucumber, and sauce and a fried egg is placed on top of it.  You mix the entire thing and break up the egg into the rice.  The warmth of the rice should wilt the vegetables slightly and infuse the sauce into everything, but the rice in this dish wasn’t quite warm enough.  I found the flavor to be okay, but more vegetables could have gone into the dish.  Okay. $7.95

- Glass Noodle special – Although I didn’t have much of this dish, I tried a piece of the meat.  This one came with beef and the meat was tender, sliced thin, and slightly sweet from the sauce.  It could have been cooked just a touch less to keep the meat more tender.  The noodle to meat ratio seemed a bit high on the meat side.  Okay.  $8.95

The food is good and has good flavor, but the price is a bit high for lunch fare at an Asian restaurant.  The value isn’t there, but the pricing is okay for dinner.  Knowing what other Korean restaurants offer in terms of small dishes, I felt that Nha-Bee skimped a bit and I was disappointed by the lack of variety in the small plates.  It tastes home-made, but I’ll have to consult with my Korean friends to get their take on the authenticity.

 

Nicolino's - Italian

8204 Old Redwood Highway, Cotati, CA 94931
(707) 664-1418
Parking: street parking

Last Visited: 2002

Food: 2 to 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$$

I first visited Nicolino’s for lunch and had an excellent experience. For that very reason, I went back to try it for dinner and was thoroughly disappointed. With that, I haven’t been back since.

For lunch, I enjoyed a nice salad and a pasta dish. The flavors were blended well and it was a scrumptious meal. Service was excellent, but I was dining with good looking people, so we of course teased them about getting better service.

For dinner, the food was quite disappointing. The salad was over-dressed and the dressing was somewhat unpleasant. The details escape me, but when the meal came, it was a chance for the chef to redeem him/herself. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

Some people love Nicolino’s with a passion, so perhaps it was an off night. There are a lot of places within a short drive that are sure to please any cravings for Italian food, so it’s unlikely I will be back on my own.

 

Ohana Hawaiian BBQ

2150 Santa Rosa Ave, Santa Rosa, CA 95401
(707) 571-8882
Parking: in shopping center parking lot

Last Visited: June 3, 2006

Food: 2 to 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$

Although Ohana Hawaiian BBQ is a chain restaurant, it’s unique for the area – at least until the Petaluma branch opens up.  Think fast food style with a little longer wait. 

When you enter Ohana, the friendly staff greet you with a loud ALOHA.  The restaurant colors are warm and sunny with wall murals depicting Hawaiian settings and of course, a woman with a lei and a grass skirt.  Hawaiian music fills the room. 

The menu is displayed behind the counter and offers BBQ selections including authentic Plate Lunch (though they call it Lunch Plate to accommodate the mainland style of jargon) to burgers and fries.  It appears that everything is made fresh considering the wait time.  Our wait time for two dishes was about ten minutes – not so fast for fast food, but it tasted good.  And, being an authentic Hawaiian fast food place, they offer Loco Moco and Spam Loco Moco too.  Yes, SPAM. 

- Grilled Short Ribs Combination Plate – Three short rib steaks are marinated and grilled and placed over raw shredded cabbage.  It’s served with a scoop of macaroni salad and two scoops of steamed rice.  The rice is a bit loose, and I prefer mine a touch stickier.  Two of the short rib steaks were just right, while one had more tendons.  The flavor was very good with a sweet tang to the meat.  The macaroni salad is good when accompanying the other items on the plate but a bit too much mayonnaise if eaten on its own – accompanying the shredded cabbage balances it out.  Good.   A healthy portion for a good price.  $6.75

- Grilled Spam Saimin – A hot bowl of soup containing ramen noodles and grilled spam rectangles.  It really is fresh with piping hot soup.  Good.  $3.75

- Hawaiian Drink – choice of several Hawaiian Sun canned drinks from the refrigerator $1.25

The only room for improvement I would make is more environmentally friendly packaging – Whether dining in or out, everything comes in Styrofoam.

Ohana offers catering of many dishes too – perfect for a party.  And there are also party packs available too.  There are multiple locations in California, mostly through the East bay and LA area.  Check it out for a flavor of Hawaii in Sonoma County.

 

Old Chicago Pizza

41 Petaluma Blvd North, Petaluma, CA 94952
(707) 763-3897
Parking: street parking

Last Visited: January 4, 2004

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 4 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

Old Chicago Pizza is known for its deep dish Chicago style pizza, just as the name says. It is located upstairs and the aromas from the kitchen are absolutely inviting. Just follow your nose. Upon entering, you face the bar and see the brick walls and lots of dark wood chairs and tables.

The staff is attentive and ready for any questions you may have. It’s a casual and informal atmosphere, and on a cold evening, the heater is on inside, so you’ll feel comfortable and at home.

The menu is simple – multiple sizes available and deep dish or thin crust are your options. They have basic toppings – pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, olives, and tomatoes, but you won’t find salami. They also have the “gourmet” toppings available such are artichokes.

Our dinner was basic, but very filling.

- Dinner salad – A basic green salad with a few types of lettuce and greens and red onions. Your choice of dressing is available. Simple and a decent portion – enough for one person without the quantity being too dainty or overwhelming. $3.75

Deep dish pizza with pepperoni and chopped olives – Basic cheese pizza is available, but we went for two toppings. Flavorful pizza and thick crust with crispy outer crust. It was great. I wasn’t expecting the olives to be chopped, and I typically like the olives on pizza to be sliced, so it would be nice for that to be clarified on the menu. Other than that, a very satisfying deep dish pizza.

Double crust pizza is also available, but note that it will take around 30 minutes for preparation and cooking. It’s a nice place to go if you’re looking for some deep dish pizza. Thin crust is also available for sizes small and up.

Old Mexico

4501 Montgomery Drive, Santa Rosa, CA 95409
(707) 539-2599
Parking: in parking lot

Last Visited: 2003

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 to 4 stars
Price: $$

Old Mexico is located at the corner of Montgomery Drive and Mission Drive. It’s in a building painted green, so you won’t miss it. Driving past Old Mexico, the outside area looks like a mini garden paradise. There are multiple palm trees and bright flowers - you’ll have to see it to know what I mean.

Inside Old Mexico are the high back chairs and lots of color dangling from the ceiling. The chairs add to the atmosphere, but they aren’t the most comfortable chairs in the world.

When you arrive at your table, glasses of water, hot tortilla chips, salsa, and hot bean dip arrive at your table. The bean dip is great, but it’s especially good while it’s still hot. If you wait until it cools, the flavor of the bean dip changes, so try to enjoy a little it as your pour over their menu.

Old Mexico is great about keeping the chips coming. They have good experience with both small and big parties, but it can be a wait for the food to arrive to all guests at your table when there are large parties.

Since it’s been a while since my last visit, I’ll have to share my general impression on Old Mexico. Food portions are good, but food quality is average. It meets the standard, but there is nothing bringing it above the norm. I typically order the chimichanga or the taco salad here.

Service is good, and I would go back to Old Mexico, but there is nothing distinct to share about, except their bean dip.

  

Paige's Diner - American

1039 West College Ave, Santa Rosa CA 95401
(707) 579-8479
Parking: in shopping center parking lot

Last Visited: November 21, 2004

Food: 2 to 3 stars
Atmosphere: 2 to 3 stars
Service: 2 stars
Price: $$

Paige’s Diner is located in the G&G shopping center. It’s a small place with a lot of windows. The tables are dark brown and the chairs are also dark and cushioned. It’s reminiscent of late 80s décor.

On the walls, you’ll find posters featuring rainbows and multicolored fish. The rear of the room holds the kitchen and a counter strewn with many magazines. I didn’t get a close look, but in general, it seemed disorderly. The front of the room contains a television showing some sports program, and a neon board featuring the specials for the day.

Paige’s is open for breakfast and lunch. We came late into the lunch hour and found the place to be fairly empty and except for two other tables, had the place to ourselves.

For full sandwiches, you can receive a choice of a cup of soup, side salad, fries, and cottage cheese amongst other things is available as your choice of side. They also have half sandwiches with side available for a slightly lower price.

- Clam Chowder – This clam chowder came as a side to a sandwich. I found it too thick. Although there were a lot of potatoes and some clams, and the flavor was good, the texture seemed a bit off. The soup was on the verge of becoming separated. It was rich and creamy, but barely slipped off the spoon. Not quite right for me - fair.

- Roast Beef Melt – Roast beef is placed between white bread spread with lots of mayonnaise. The good thing about this melt was the roast beef is real roast beef, not sliced deli meat. However, to keep the toasted bread from being soggy, there is also a lot of mayonnaise, so much that it will squeeze out of your sandwich. It’s got good flavor and the meat is juicy. Good. $8.25 (full sandwich with side)

- Chicken Strips – Chicken strips are located in the starters section of the menu. Available in buffalo style or crispy, we selected crispy. Five strips of chicken breast meat are served with choice of ranch or barbecue sauce. We selected ranch. The chicken strips were fine, but the ranch was too liquid. It seemed homemade, or at least home mixed, and had the wrong consistency. It barely stuck onto the chicken. Good chicken, bad dip. $6

The service was pretty bad. Although we were promptly greeted, it just didn’t feel very friendly. The cook rang the bell twice, and even after that, it seemed a good five minutes before our dishes came. We knew it was ours because we were the only people who hadn’t received food yet, and had it not been for one of the busboys asking the waitress if an order was up, we may not have ever gotten the food.

Despite the local radio stations recommendation to go to Paige’s, I wouldn’t recommend a trip. The food is okay at best, but there are so many places to try - this one would drop low on my list.

 

Pamposh - Indian

52 Mission Circle, Suite 110, Santa Rosa CA 95409
(707) 538-3367
Parking: in shopping center parking lot

Last Visited: May 16, 2005

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 4 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

Enter Pamposh and find that the color scheme is rich.  Pamposh calls itself fine and certainly caters to a wide crowd in its classic atmosphere that isn't stuffy.  The layout is simple with booths on the left side of the restaurant and tables in the center and on the right. 

The colors are a dark burgundy and golden yellow.  The wood chairs match the surrounding atmosphere and the burgundy cushions in the booths have gold patterns in the design.  Above the booths are large lamps in classic styles.  The tables are covered with white tablecloths and white paper.  Folded burgundy cloth napkins are placed on the square white plates.  The wood floors accent the furniture.  Indian music plays from the stereo system, but as the evening wore on, the music was drowned out by the noise of the patrons.  Even the menu cover is rich in color and decorated with people.  Pamposh means lotus, and the art displayed depicted many.

Upon our arrival we were served water along with folded papadam accompanied by mango salsa containing cucumbers, onions, mint, and mango of course.  The papadam is crispy, and had a classic flavor.  According to my Indian friends, it’s not typically served this way, but it made for a good starter. 

Our server was very patient and made sure we didn’t have any questions.  She happily explained dishes to multiple tables.  It’s apparent that Pamposh is catering specifically to the Sonoma County crowd which is less familiar with Indian cuisine.  They offer each dish with a choice of being cooked mild, medium, or hot – few places in the Bay Area seem to do that. 

- Vegetable Samosa – Two triangular pastries are stuffed with spiced potatoes and peas.  The samosas are accompanied by a light salad of shredded cabbage.  A mint chutney and another chutney accompanied the two samosas.  Although the samosas are flavorful, I found they could contain more spice for my taste.  Also, they were a bit more petite than I anticipated.  Being that I had tried two much larger samosas for about the same price, I was of course, slightly disappointed.  $4.25

- Plain Nan – Pamposh has four types of nan available.  We chose plain to test out the texture of the nan.  A large round piece of nan arrived in a basket.  Nan is made in a tandoori oven and the center becomes crispy and the edges get puffed up.  It’s lightly brushed with oil, and has an al dente sort of texture.  Good.  $2.50

- Chicken Curry – Chicken in a traditional curry is served in a metal bowl.   There is a combination of white meat and dark meat in the dish.  The chicken is flavorful and comes in a sauce that has a thick consistency.  Although the breast meat seemed a little on the dry side for my tastes, the flavor of the curry was still good.  $12.95

- Lamb Boti Kebab – Cubes of boneless lamb are cooked on an iron platter along with onions, peppers, and two lemon wedges.  The lamb has a nice spiciness to it, flavorful, and it didn’t have that gamey taste that is so often undesired.  Since it remains sitting on the hot platter, this dish tends to lose its juices faster, and can be dry at the end of the meal.  $14.95

In general, food quality is good.  The presentation is very nice, but all dishes are only available a la carte.  Raita, rice, and salad are served separate.  Pamposh is an excellent place to go for a person trying Indian food for the first time.  The staff is very patient and willing to accommodate.  The atmosphere is comfortable, and the food is good.  It’s not the best in terms of value compared to authentic Indian cuisine in the Bay Area, but the setting will make up for it.  Also, think of it as going to a more upscale restaurant, and it all balances out.

 

Pepe's - Mexican

2000 Sebastopol Road, Santa Rosa CA 95407
(707) 545-7425
Parking: in parking lot

Last Visited: December 22, 2005

Food: 2 to 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$$

This visit was to the Fourth Street location (the corner of Fourth Street and college) – which has since closed, but the review may or may not apply to the other location.  The parking is a bit awkward, since it meets at this intersection in an unusual space.  The parking lot and restaurant are both shaped like a L – very angular. 

Enter the restaurant and see the counter immediately with a sign above the counter showing the menu.  The counter extends for stool seating, and ceramic vegetables hang from the ceiling.  There are red and white vinyl booths located on both sides of the restaurant.  Some of the spaces are a bit cramped, so be prepared to get cozy.  Above the booths on the side near the wall are small pieces of fabric shaped like a Mexican blanket with ceramic vegetables glued to the fabric.  There are also various pieces of art.  On each table is a colorful painted napkin holder containing the good kind of napkins (the type where you’ll probably only need one).  There are a number of windows that bring in lots of light.

On each side of the restaurant, there is a salsa bar with tomatillo salsa – red and green.  There is also fresh salsa available mild and hot.  At one of the bars, you’ll also find some vegetables – carrots and potatoes.  When you have completed ordering at the counter, you are given a tray with a number, a bowl of chips, and two plastic cups for salsa.

- Burrito – A regular burrito contains your choice of meat, rice, beans, and fresh salsa.  The menu specifically states that that the salsa is not hot.  The tortilla is fresh and comes warm.  The meat selection is fairly extensive – including grilled steak, grilled chicken, chile verde, chicken, chorizo, carnitas, and chile Colorado.   I selected carnitas.  The meat was well flavored and came in large chunks, but the burrito seemed dry.  In my mind, a burrito should taste good without making it super (additional ingredients), and when the super toppings are added, it just gets better.  I didn’t have time to read the menu thoroughly upon ordering and was disappointed to find that I needed to order a super to have lettuce in the burrito.  Although it’s my error for not reading thoroughly, it was still disappointing, and left me with a dry burrito.  Although I supplemented with fresh salsa (which was pretty good, but not the best I’ve had), my burrito still didn’t seem moist enough for my tastes.  The portion was quite healthy though.  $5.75

- Super burrito - A super burrito contains the same thing as a regular burrito with the additions of lettuce, guacamole, cheese, and sour cream for a dollar more.  For my second visit, I ordered a grilled steak super burrito.  The steak was plentiful, but despite the additional ingredients, I still found my burrito a bit dry.  It was much better than my initial experience with the regular burrito, but much drier than I prefer.  $6.75

My fellow dining companions ordered soft tacos and enchiladas.  Both contained an abundance of meat, but from the looks of it, the meat was still on the dry side.  The enchiladas come with a lot of enchilada sauce, so perhaps that would be a good thing to try next time.  The portions of the quesadillas are also large.

The restaurant is clean, and the food arrived very quickly.  Just after getting seated and getting my salsa, the food came.  The chips vary in freshness – some are better than others, but overall, they’re still good.  Other menu items include seafood, and on weekends, they offer menudo. 

Pepe’s is voted one of the best burritos in town by readers of the local newspaper (and this is also stated on the menu), but you’ll have to decide for yourself. 

 

Pho Vietnam

711 Stony Point Road #8, Santa Rosa CA 95407
(707) 571-SOUP (7687)
Parking: in shopping center parking lot
Hours: Mon-Sat 10am to 8:45pm, Sun 10am to 7:45pm

Last Visited: December 3, 2006

Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 2 to 3 stars
Service: 2 stars
Price: $ to $$

Pho Vietnam is a crowded and popular place, for lunch or dinner.  Walk into the small restaurant and often find it packed to the brim with people waiting outside.  It’s best to go during off hours – either early or late.  The great tasting pho is so flavorful and delicious that it’s one of the best in Sonoma County if you enjoy full flavor.

Pho Vietnam has small tables in the front near the windows and one large table in the rear near the counter.  There is also limited counter seating.  On each table is a holder containing chopsticks, soy sauce, fish sauce, hot sauce, and a squeeze bottle of chili sauce.  Bowls of pho (beef noodle soup) come in small, large, and extra large – these are displayed above the counter to help customers get a better sense of what they’re in for.  To go orders are an extra 25 cents. 

It looks like the place has been remodeled fairly recently.  The colors are brighter and lighter, probably to keep up with the increasing competition and since it was due for a makeover.  The people running the establishment don’t look the same as they did before.  The chairs are new, but the same great food is there.  I increased the atmosphere star from 2 to a 2 to 3 star range, but due to the size, it’s still fairly crowded.

- Cha Gio – Egg Rolls – The egg rolls I tried during the last few visits have only been fair.  The color of the rolls have been a little too dark, indicating prolonged frying time, or not so fresh oil.  Just okay.  They still taste good though.  $3.50

- Pho Bac Biet – Combo Noodle soup – As always, my multiple visits have found the broth consistently flavorful, and the temperature is always boiling hot (to cook the rare eye round steak).  The noodles do come in a clump, but can be easily broken apart.  The meat topping the rice noodles include eye round steak, well-done brisket, flank steak, tendon, and tripe.  A dish containing lemon or lime, bean sprouts, and Thai basil accompany the soup.  The majority of the time, these vegetables are fresh due to the constant flow of customers coming into the restaurant.  Very good.  Small $4.50, Large $4.95, Extra Large $5.95

- Nuoc Dua - Coconut Juice – Always refreshing.  $1.95

Pho Vietnam is a great place to fill up, especially on cold winter nights, for a very reasonable price.  You’ll find excellent, rich tasting beef broth and fresh food.  A great value, and a local favorite hole in the wall type of place.

 

Pizzicato - Italian

615 E. Washington Street, Petaluma CA 94952
(707) 762-2216
Parking: in shopping center parking lot

Last Visited: February 4, 2007

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$$

Although I don’t typically write about chain restaurants, this one is new to the area and the first of its kind to Sonoma County.  Located in the shopping center with Whole Foods, Pizzicato has now been open approximately six weeks.  A restaurant well known in Oregon, Pizzicato is starting to branch out through franchising and locations are popping up in Fremont and Encinitas too.  Their mission is making the art of fine pizza – fresh gourmet delights in a warm sophisticated atmosphere.  The look is generally modern, and banners hang from the ceiling with colorful depictions of people enjoying pizza and more.  Is it upscale?  No, but it is artistic.

I read about Pizzicato in our local paper.  The restaurant itself was medium-sized, and it’s unclear whether you will be seated or if someone will lead you to a table.  In fact, it’s neither.  Instead, you head to the counter, take a paper menu or look on the board, and place an order.  Some instructions on a sign would be nice.  You are then given a number and you find a seat.  When the food is ready, they’ll serve you.  In the mean time, you should head over to the station near the kitchen to pick up your own plates, silverware, and if needed, water.

The colors of the room are maple and black.  Light wood chairs, flooring, and tables are dotted with black here and there.  A center island comprised of two tables on a raised platform separate the room.  Counter seating faces towards the front windows and on both sides of the sit other tables.  Glass dividers reveal the kitchen located in the rear next to the main counter which holds the tip jar, fresh baked goods (brownies and the like), as well as the registers.  A display case shows about six different large pizzas available by the slice.   Above the counter are three blackboards showing pizza by the slice, panini, and more.  Their menu consists of antipasti, salads, paninis, and of course, pizza.  You’ll also see a lot of pizza boxes, canisters of olive oil, and bottles of seasoning on the shelves behind the register and near the oven 

The pizzas are divided into traditional, vegetarian, meat, chicken, and seafood, or you can also choose your own toppings.

Caesar Salad – The menu describes it as WOW – hope you love garlic.  A large mound of romaine lettuce arrives, even if you order a small salad.  Large pieces of roughly chopped romaine are tossed in garlicky Caesar dressing, sprinkled with parmesan, and topped with two parmesan crostini.  All are served on a medium sized plate.  It’s a great bargain, and although it’s not all romaine hearts, it’s still pretty good.  Lots of roughage for a low price.  One of my crostini was a little too brown, but still edible.  Great value. $3.75 small, $6.75 medium, $9.75 large

Quattro Formaggi with Sausage and Mushrooms – Chevre, fontini, gorgonzola, mozzarella, sausage, mushrooms, roasted garlic, and olive oil top this pizza.  It’s then lightly sprinkled with parsley.  The roasted garlic is very sweet and flavorful, and the four cheeses create a wonderful richness.  The outer crust is almost crispy and the center is soft.  The crust is golden brown on bottom, but could be a touch more brown.  I liked the flavor and found it very filling.  Paired with a salad, it’s the perfect meal for two.  $12.75 small, 16.25 medium, 21.75 large

Overall, I found the staff to be friendly, but not as inviting as they could be considering it’s a locally owned franchise location.  The directions of what to do upon entering are lacking, but the pizza is pretty good.  The crust is better (meaning crisper) on the edges than in the center for my taste, and you won’t find some of your typical pizza combinations, but overall, it’s a good place, especially if you’re looking for pizza by the slice or a large salad. 

 

Porter Station Barbeque

2360 Mendocino Ave, Suite A1, Santa Rosa CA 95403
(707) 523-4200
Parking: in shopping center parking lot

Last Visited: March 21, 2004

Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$

Porter Station Barbeque recently opened in the Safeway shopping center on Mendocino. It’s quite a busy place with a great offering of roasted meat and ribs, all cooked on the grill in front of the restaurant. The menu says that all meats are cooked over an oak flame. Porter Station also makes their own homemade sauce, chili and slaw seasonings, and meat rub.

The setup is fairly simple and the atmosphere is very casual. The counter is in the front and the menu is to your left. After ordering, you take a seat and pay attention to your name being called when your food is ready. The place is bright and clean with the furniture in light wood colors. Décor is very simple, but it works. Near the open kitchen is the soda fountain and condiments bar. The large windows bring in a lot of light. During both my lunch and dinner visits, the place had a steady stream of customers, but it never felt crowded. Outside seating is also available.

- Porter Station Special – family size – This was by far one of the best values on the menu. A choice of one meat and two large fixins and two large garlic rolls, this is available with ribs for only $28.99. If you select chicken or roast, then it’s $23.99. The special is also available in a single size. We tried the pork ribs, and the meal more than adequately feeds a family of four. You might be able to feed six depending on everyone’s appetite. Since we chose pork ribs, we received a slab and a half, and it was quite filling. The flavor is nice, with the ribs coming in three bundles covered in foil. The barbeque sauce is in the condiment bar, so you can add as much or as little as you like. The ribs without sauce are very good on their own, and even better with the sauce. The flavor is delicious.

- Potato Salad – The potato salad is traditional in flavor with a mixture of red potatoes, pickles, eggs, and a bit of a tangy flavor. Good.

- Chili – The chili is very flavorful with beans mixed with chicken and bacon amongst other things. I enjoyed the chili a lot. Not mushy, but just right.

- Fruit Cobbler – There was a choice of peach or cherry cobbler and we chose peach. The flavor was alright, but there wasn’t enough topping/crust. A little too sweet and gooey for me, so I would try other fixins before coming back to this one.

- Philly Cheese Sandwich – Large – The sandwiches are also available in small sizes. The same soft rolls that are used for the garlic rolls are used for the sandwiches. There was a lot of meat mixed with green bell peppers and grilled onions. There wasn’t a lot of cheese, but definitely a lot of meat. It was different from what I expected, but it tasted good and the portion is healthy. $6.99

- Garlic fries – The garlic fries were a little disappointing. The potato wedges are fried are more topped by garlic than coated with garlic. Basically, the garlic doesn’t stick. The flavor could also be stronger. $3.79

The only points of improvement would be having more ventilation. Although it never felt stuffy, you could see some smoke filling up the restaurant during the evening, most likely because the darkness from the outside made the smoke more visible. Also, cleaning the tables more thoroughly between patrons would be helpful. Compared to its local competition, it’s one of the best. The food is fresh and flavorful. The meat is great both fresh and as leftovers. I would highly recommend this place to anyone who enjoys barbeque and ribs.

  

Puerto Vallarta - Mexican

3333 Cleveland Ave, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
(707) 575-4374
Parking: in parking lot

Last Visited: June 24, 2005

Food: 2 to 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 to 4stars
Price: $ to $$$

The funny thing about Puerto Vallarta is that I asked a coworker whether he had been there before, and his initial reaction was, “I HATE THAT PLACE.”  This came from a person who I had never heard use the word ‘hate.’  Well, after some explanation, it wasn’t the food, service, atmosphere, or price that he hated, but the mariachi band.  Apparently, when the mariachi band is playing, they can drown out your conversation.

So, with that, things were okay again since I was heading there for lunch, and the mariachi band only comes after 7pm daily.  Enter Puerto Vallarta and on the wall are tons of photos of people.  I don’t know who these people are, but there are many many photos of people sitting in the restaurant.

The place is decorated with lots of colorful blankets bunched in the middle and fanned out on the sides.  There is also a painting of the mariachi band, and on the bottom of the painting is the phone number for how they can be reached – artful advertisement.  There is a television in one room on a high shelf.  There are four dining areas: one near the kitchen separated from the main room by waist high walls, the main room, another section on the side, and a small atrium facing the road.  The atrium has a lot of windows which brings in a lot of sunlight.  There is a lot of wood – fairly light in color, but somewhat old style.

Large tables are covered with white plastic tablecloths while small tables are not covered.  We had reserved our table for a large group, and when we arrived, there were pitches of water, overturned water glasses, stacks of napkins sitting upright in glasses, and silverware rolled in napkins already on the table.  There was also a basket of chips located between each group of four seats and salsa and bean dip adjacent to the chips.  I was impressed at how everything was well prepared for us.  Puerto Vallarta seems accustomed to handling large groups.  They are also available for catering.

The bean dip was very good.  The salsa was a little tangy and spicy and they give you plenty, but the chips were just so-so.  I’m not sure if the chips were homemade, but they didn’t seem to have the freshest crunch.  Maybe I’m just used to very crunchy chips.  On my second visit, I found out that the chips from my first visit were stale, or at least on their way to being stale.  During my second visit, the chips were great.  I wouldn’t have even questioned their freshness because they were obviously fresh.  Unfortunately, this just makes my first impression even worse than I thought. 

The lunch menu features the regular dishes as well as a number of lunch dishes for around $5 to $6.  Some come in around $5.  All the lunch dishes are served with rice and beans, and the only thing that seemed to differ about these compared to regular dishes is the size.  Lunch dishes are slightly smaller. 

Most entrees are available with chicken, pork, or ground beef.  Shredded beef is available at an additional cost.

- Deluxe Taco Salad – I selected chicken with my deluxe taco salad.  It was a rather large portion with my tostada shell standing up from the dish holding the seasoned chicken, lettuce, cheese, guacamole, and sour cream.  All of this was topped with a slice of tomato.  The cheese had been placed on top of the meat, so it had a melty (but not completely melted) texture.  The tostada shell was held in place by refried beans.  There didn’t seem to be any refried beans on top of the shell, so that was a little disappointing because I didn’t get to enjoy the beans.  The shell was crispy and the ingredients of the food were very fresh and certainly filling.  $7.95

- Burrito Lunch – The burritos at Puerto Vallarta are very basic.  They’re actually quite like the enchiladas, minus the cheese.  I selected shredded beef and a combination of shredded beef and green bell peppers were cooked and wrapped inside a flour tortilla.  That was it.  I was expecting some lettuce or salsa, but there wasn’t anything else in it.  Rice and beans accompanied my burrito.  The flavor of the shredded beef was good, and it comes with plenty of sauce.  The tortilla is soft.  The beans are much like the dip – refried.  It’s a great value, but not quite what I expected.   ~$5 (I don’t remember the exact price)

The service was very good.  Our servers cleared all of our plates very politely and promptly.  At the end of our meal, they also gave us a plateful of cinnamon and sugar deep fried chips.  These chips were large and topped with a large dollop of whipped cream.  Strawberry syrup was drizzled across the chips.  That was a nice way to end the meal. During my second visit, service remained good, and they were great with getting us in and out within an hour.  They were not rushing us mind you, but we told them we were in a rush, and they accommodated us very well.  The dessert was great getting to eliminate any aftertaste from the previous dishes.

I would be willing to return to Puerto Vallarta for their large portions and friendly service.  It’s hard to determine the true quality of their food since I only tried one dish.  They have been around Santa Rosa for quite some time, so they certainly appeal to the locals.  They don’t seem to be the best place in town for Mexican food, but certainly good in terms of service, atmosphere, and style. 

 

Roberto's - Italian

4776 Sonoma Highway, Santa Rosa, CA 95409
(707) 539-0260
Parking: in parking lot

Last Visited: 2002

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$$

Roberto’s has been established for quite some time now in Santa Rosa and is a bit of a local landmark. Just look for their purple sign off the highway. As you enter the restaurant, you notice the kitchen to your right and you can see all the sauces and fresh ingredients. The room is dimly lit and there are rows of tables and small booths in the dining area. As you walk further back into the dining room, a second dining room is visible a few steps below.

The nice thing about Roberto’s is that all dinners are accompanied with choice of soup or salad. It seems that fewer and fewer places offer this anymore. The food can be excellent. A hearty pasta dish like Spaghetti with Bolognese can be just the thing on a cold winter night here. Salads are also nicely portioned. The salad that comes with dinner is comprised of simple greens with vinaigrette dressing. Their minestrone soup is quite good. Typical Italian fare is available.

The servers can be very warm and attentive. When it’s someone’s birthday, they put the birthday music on their speakers for all to hear and the servers surround your table with song. Service has varied from fair to excellent depending on the night and the server.

The reason for the ratings being lower than they could be is consistency. There was a time when I frequented Roberto’s a lot, and I mean a whole lot. They were in the four star range. It became a new hangout and the place to go for a reasonable pasta dinner. However, the more often I went, the more opportunity to find flaw, and then I discovered the Italian restaurants in Petaluma and well, it’s been a while since I have visited Roberto’s since. It’s a nice place to go and the food can be excellent, however, be wary that a frequent visitor may develop high expectations and may be disappointed after repeat visits if consistency and quality of all aspects aren’t maintained.

Sakura - Japanese

300 Coddingtown Center, Santa Rosa CA 95401
(707) 523-1916
Parking: in shopping center parking lot

Last Visited: September 15, 2005

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

Enter Sakura and depending on the time, you may hear anything from soft music playing, sounds of the television over the bar, sushi bar that is, or even the sound of monkeys.  As you enter Sakura, on your left is a large tree and dangling from that tree are stuffed monkeys that make noise depending on what is going on.  The restaurant has a very home like feel to it with the many knickknacks on display. 

The restaurant has windows bringing in natural light, and there are the typical bamboo decorations, maple framing and the like.  The sushi bar has many pieces of fresh sashimi on display and there is a theme of pink throughout the restaurant.  The other bar area is littered with a line of large Lucky Cat figurines.  Japanese lanterns hang from the ceiling, sumo wrestlers are depicted on curtains hanging from the ceiling, and many pictures of beautifully drawn Japanese ladies are on display.  There is a mixture of wine country decorations amongst everything with bunches of green and red grapes on display with bottles of Japanese sake right next to it. 

Our visit was concurrent with Boys' Day, a celebration in Japan, in which colorful kites, many shaped like fish, are placed on display.  In celebration, Sakura also hung these flags above the bar area.

The restaurant has wood tables, with flowers in tall vases adorning the table.  A silver metal teapot with a red and black lid along with glasses of water come to the table after you sit down.

Sushi Lunch Special – Six pieces of nigiri sushi and a California roll are served with miso soup.  A bowl of miso soup containing small pieces of tofu, seaweed pieces, and a few chopped green onions is served for starters.  This miso soup is a bit sweeter than the type I’m accustomed to, so the flavor was fine, but not what I was expecting.  It was steaming hot, so that’s always good.  The nigiri sushi are served on a plate shaped like a boat.  On the side was wasabi, red pickled ginger, and very thinly shredded daikon radish.  The sushi included imitation crab, tuna, halibut, and salmon.  I don’t know for sure what the other two pieces were.  The rice in the sushi was room temperature, but a little too tightly put together for my tastes.  The fish was fresh, but since I’m not a fan of imitation crab, I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t something else in place of it.  Good.  $12.95 

At the end of our meal, the check came with fortune cookies (not quite Japanese, but still enjoyable) and pieces of individually wrapped coffee candy.

During my second visit, I had a very similar experience.  The staff was still quite nice, but I found the tempura to be only fair.  See below.

- Sashimi and Shrimp Tempura Special Lunch Box – Again, the miso soup was much the same.  The sashimi offered today were three pieces of yellow tail and three pieces of maguro.  These were nicely presented in one section of the box atop some shredded daikon and lettuce.  The fish was fresh, so that’s a plus.  The tempura came with two shrimp, a piece of yam, a piece of eggplant, and a few other vegetables.  The tempura batter on the vegetables was about regular thickness.  The batter on the shrimp was too much making the shrimp seem to be only about 20% of the entire piece with the rest being batter.  If you peel the cooked batter off of the shrimp, it stays intact by itself, so that’s an indicator that there’s too much batter.  The sashimi part was good, and the tempura vegetables are okay, but the tempura shrimp is not recommended.  The box came with a lot of rice and also a salad comprised of shredded lettuce and a wedge of tomato.  Okay overall with large portions as noticed before, but I would stay away from tempura shrimp in the future.   $12.95

Overall, service is friendly, although as the lunch hour became busier, it was increasingly more difficult to get the staff’s attention.  Portions of the dishes are large making them good value.  The tempura was also a little different style than anticipated, but the deep fried goodies still looked very fresh.  My fellow diners also had some large meat dishes where the helping of all the accompaniments and the meat were quite hearty.   

Sakura isn’t quite authentic, or at least, not quite matching my tastes, but the portions are hearty.  The place has a unique charm – some might call it clutter, others might refer to it as more knick knacks to look at.  Good value for Sonoma County Japanese food.

 

Sam's For Play Cafe - American

2630 Cleveland Ave, Santa Rosa CA 95403
(707) 528-2929
Parking: in parking lot

Last Visited: April 17, 2004

Food: 2 to 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$

Sam’s For Play Café is located in front of the Comfort Inn. It’s a little hard to find the entrance, but enter as though you’re heading for the Comfort Inn. Upon entering the restaurant, you’ll see the glass case displaying a variety of shirts and apparel proudly displaying the Sam’s logo. Also directly in front of you will be the specials board and the counter seating.

The décor of the place is homey. There are old knick knacks on shelves above the windows ranging from bottles to cans with old labels from probably 25 to 30 years back. The windows have short curtains that have a blue checkered design. There are colorful posters displayed and there is an old black wood stove in the restaurant which now serves as the napkin and utensil bar.

Service is friendly and the atmosphere is warm. I have been to Sam’s several times before, but it’s been a while since my last visit. For my tastes, I find there are better places to eat in the area. One thing I do like is that entrees come with soup or salad and toast, but aside from the bargain pricing, food quality is average, and well, keep reading.

- Clam chowder – Creamy clam chowder is served with crackers. The soup was too salty this evening.

- Salad – Green salad with a slice of cucumber served with your choice of dressing. Most of the greens were fresh, though the cucumber had probably been sitting all day. The croutons are great though.

- Prime Rib Dinner – A cut of prime rib is served with your choice of potato (baked or mashed or French fries) and seasonal vegetables. Salad or soup and toast are also included. The vegetables consisted of a mix of zucchini, onions, and bell peppers this evening. The prime rib was okay. It wasn’t the best cut of meat, but the flavor was okay. Just keep your expectations in line with the restaurant that you’re in. We had asked for medium, but it turned out to be more of a medium well. The baked potato was fine, and the vegetables were seasoned lightly. $10.95

- Chicken Strips – Four large chicken strips are fried and served with honey mustard dipping sauce. You can also ask for ranch dressing. Again, salad or soup and toast are included along with potato and vegetables. We got French fries with this dish and they tasted great. The oil was fresh, so the chicken strips and the fries were excellent. $9.95

Although service was fine, the first glass of water I asked for had a piece of bread in it. When I told the waitress, she eagerly replaced it, but my second glass of water also had bread in it, albeit this was a much smaller piece. What kind of water does this place have? Or maybe the question is what’s in the pitchers holding the water? Anyhow, this was not impressive, and made me feel uneasy. Stick to typical food and I think you’ll be fine. Keep your expectations in check, and check your water. Everything else should go fine after that.

 

Sapporo - Japanese

518 7th St (located in Brickyard Center), Santa Rosa, CA 95401
(707) 575-0631
Parking: street parking and parking lot across the street

Last Visited: September 3, 2004

Food: 2 to 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

When you enter the restaurant, you’ll notice the different locations available to sit – there are several dining areas. In the rear, there’s a good sized banquet room available. There is also a sushi bar with the white curtains behind it. There is a lot of wood decoration.

The food at Sapporo is satisfactory. The hottest temperature dish we had was the miso soup. The tea is cold (or perhaps I should say not hot enough). Sushi is average in taste and standard in presentation. For the price, you could get a lot more in San Francisco.

The best thing I found there was the seaweed salad. Crunchy and crisp with a nice sesame oil flavoring.

The tonkatsu is standard in every way. Crispy panko bread crumbs on the outside, but not a particularly tender cut of meat on the inside. The food is okay/average, but not spectacular. Service is good – they check on your fairly frequently. Not much more to be said.

 

Santa Rosa Junior College Culinary Cafe - California and Local cuisine

458 B St (located in Brickyard Center), Santa Rosa, CA 95401
(707) 576-0279
Parking: street parking and parking lot across the street
Hours: Lunch Wednesday through Friday, by Reservation Only

Last Visited: May 4, 2007

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service:2 to 3 stars
Price: $$

Located in Brickyard Center in the culinary center, Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) Culinary Café is a showcase of students’ cooking, baking, and service skills, all done for course credit.  The staff is comprised of prospective chefs in order to learn the service aspects of running a restaurant.  It’s a great program, and I have enjoyed the few community classes I have added. 

For the lunch crowd, SRJC Culinary Café offers a full course meal including soups, salads, entrees, and desserts.  The menu typically features seasonal ingredients from local farmers and purveyors of organic produce as well as items from SRJC’s Shone Farm.  However, the program requires that you make reservations, even for one, so be sure to call ahead. 

Upon arrival, you receive glasses of ice water and various breads in a basket.  Sourdough tends to be a standard, but you’ll also find wheat rolls, rye, and more.  I especially enjoyed the Cheddar and Jalapeno bread.

- Heirloom tomato salad – Sweet heirloom tomatoes are paired with arugula and dressed lightly in a vinaigrette.  It was a simple but lovely combination of vegetables.  I’ve had sweeter tomatoes, but it certainly didn’t ruin the experience trying these.  $3.50

- Salad of Red Leaf Lettuce with Grapefruit and Avocado – Red leaf lettuce is served with slices of ruby red grapefruit and avocado in a light vinaigrette.  The flavoring was nice, but the portion was smaller than usual. $3.50

- Grilled Hawaiian Opah and White Shrimp with Sesame Butter Sauce served with coconut rice and broccoli - Two pieces of opah were grilled to show grill marks and placed on top of coconut infused rice.  Three shrimp are butterflied with the tail still on and placed outside of the mound to segment the plate and broccoli is placed between the shrimp.  The broccoli and shrimp sit on a pool of sesame butter sauce.  Two sweet pickled cucumber slices are placed on top of the opah.  The flavors were so sweet and strong.  The shrimp and broccoli weren’t overcooked.  The broccoli still had a vibrant green about it.  The opah was tender and flaky, but one of the pieces had a bit of a muscle on the side which should have been cut away.  The dish was beautifully plated, although the cucumber slices could have been smaller since they covered the fish a bit too much.  The butter sauce was excellent – rich and creamy and went well with the lightness of the fish.  Very good.  Not exactly low fat, but I was okay with that.  The rice was lovely – loosely broken grains, but the flavor was sumptuous.  $9.50

- Grilled Pork Chop with Seasonal Vegetables – A large thick pork chop is grilled so that it is juicy and delicious.  I had just eaten a pork chop at John Ash, and in comparison, this was a little less flavorful (and it didn’t have a bug in it), but it had so much more juice.  Each bite was moist and delicious.  If you compare it with John Ash, it’s less than a third the price with a larger portion, and no bug.  The pork chop came with cubes of yellow squash, zucchini, and three tiny yellow sweet potatoes that looked like small pouches.  The porkchop itself was topped with a ragout of carrots, onions, and a sweet sauce and plated on a bed of spinach.  There was an abundance of food on this plate and the vegetables were mild in flavor.  The sweet potatoes were great in flavor too, but since they were small, it was a bit difficult to remove the flesh.  A filling platter of juicy pork and tender vegetables.  Very good.  $9

- Butternut Squash Galette with a Shitake Mushroom and Herb Cream Sauce – This galette was rich with the taste of butter and super flaky.  The butternut squash puree was placed in the center of this pastry and served with a cream sauce that had large pieces of shitake mushrooms.  I don’t have much recollection of the herb part of the sauce though.  The galette was placed atop a mound of sautéed savoy cabbage, lightly seasoned with salt and pepper.  Three roasted artichoke hearts were placed around the plate.  The artichoke hearts weren’t as flavorful as I expected them to be, although they were tender.  Overall, the galette was very filling and rich, but delicious. $8.50

- Grilled Beef Sirloin with Garlic and Parsley and a Red Wine Reduction Sauce – Of all the dishes I have tried here, this is probably the best I have ever had.  Five pieces of sirloin strips top roasted potatoes and are accompanied by carrots and snow peas.  The sirloin was succulent and juicy, and the wine reduction sauce was full bodied, but not heavy.  The vegetables were flavorful and not overcooked.  Delicious and prepared with care, this was the perfect entrée to enjoy.  $9.50

- Pacific Oyster Stew – Pacific oysters are stewed with onions, potatoes, cream, and Tabasco.  The stew was warm, but not quite hot enough.  About three or four oysters were included in my bowl.  Fresh seafood flavor, but more of a soup and less of a stew.  $8.50

- Sauteed Pork Loin in a Red Wine Sauce with Red Wine Poached Pears – Two pork loin chops are served leaned against a large mass of mashed potatoes, and a medley of carrots and zucchini. The pork was fairly juicy, but just a touch overdone.  The mound of mashed potatoes was good, but perhaps too overwhelming in size.  The sauce was ladled underneath everything and although the flavors were fine, this was just an okay dish.  $8.50

- Sauteed Hawaiian Ahi Tuna, White Shrimp and Calamari in a Fennel and Bread Crumb Crust – Served with couscous, zucchini, and roasted carrots, this was a nice dish, though not quite what I expected.  I thought that the tuna would be seared, but it turned out to be rather dark in color and the fish was shaped into a small cake.  The shrimp and calamari had been lightly battered and fried.  The couscous was a bit bland and somewhat lumpy, but the vegetables had fresh flavor.  I thought the overall dish was just okay, but it was nicely presented as the couscous had been cooked in a mold and the other items placed in a visually pleasing manner.  $9.50

- Hazelnut Pavlova with Citrus Compote and Vanilla Ice Cream  - I asked the server what a pavlova was, and after going back to the bakery, he returned to tell me it was basically a meringue.  The sweetness of the pavlova is light at first, with each bite becoming sweeter.  The puff pastry that accompanies the dessert is perfect and light, and the citrus compote and vanilla ice cream go well with it.  Hazelnuts are sprinkled all around.  I preferred the puff pastry to the pavlova.  $3.50

- Baked Apple Puff with Lychee Sorbet and Tropical Fruits – A puff is filled with apple and served warm with a small scoop of lychee sorbet and a medley of chopped tropical fruits including kiwi and mango.  The fruits weren’t quite sweet enough and I would have preferred more lychee sorbet or even sorbet alone.  Okay. $3.50

- Chocolate Hazelnut Pear Torte – I enjoyed the torte which had a cake like texture.  For whatever reason, the torte seemed to look like there was banana in it, but that wasn’t on the ingredient list.  The pear was noticeable, and the hazelnut wasn’t overpowering.  It tasted very homemade and had a nice flavor, but I wouldn’t boast about this dessert.  Good.  $3.50

- Mini Chocolate Fudge Cake with Toffee Swirl Ice Cream – The fudge cake was rich and moist, full of flavor.  It was topped with chocolate chunks and roughly chopped pieces of toffee not to mention the ice cream.  Presentation was okay, and the flavor was quite good, though the toffee chunks were just the right size to get stuck in my teeth.  The frosting on the fudge cake was a bit much for me, but would be perfect for chocolate lovers.  $3.50

- Glazed Deep Chocolate Poundcake with Chocolate Candy Ribbons and Strawberry Sauce -  The poundcake was flavorful and rich.  The chocolate candy ribbons were made from a combination of white and milk chocolate and placed on top of the slice of cake standing upright.  Strawberry sauce surrounded the cake.  Good.  $3.50

Service was only fair.  The hostess is fine, but the servers, who are studying to be chefs really don’t cater to the needs of the customer.  This is definitely where more work is needed.  For example, after ordering the entrée, the waiter left the menus with us.  He didn’t come by to check on us very frequently, and seemed a bit haphazard in style.  If you can let go of the service, you’ll have a much better experience.  Enjoy the food, and from the main dining room, look at the mirror above the kitchen to watch the dishes being plated.  That’s good entertainment right there.  Service during the visits as a whole vary, so just be patient and keep expectations low.

The restaurant bakery is open in the morning for coffee treats and other delightful items featured in the glass case.  Be sure to check it out.  The fish is always wonderful. It’s fabulous both in flavor and pricing, and they offer a discount to senior citizens.  Support your local school.

 

SEA Modern Thai Cuisine

600 Petaluma Blvd South, Petaluma CA 94952
(707) 766-6633
Parking: street parking

Last Visited: April 1, 2006

Food: 2 to 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 2 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

SEA has a modern décor that matches its name.  From the street, the windows show the high tables and chairs with people enjoying the food.  It’s got a trendy feel with warm rich colors and wall hangings.  Walk up the steps and see the giant Buddha surrounded by tropical faux flowers and plants including birds of paradise and orchids.  On the left side is the kitchen and large stainless steel hoods above it.  Just below, large orange flames burst up as Chef Tony cooks.  On the right side is bench seating covered with small cushions.  A large mirror gives the room a more open feel.  The place has a posh atmosphere and would be ideal for date night.  The tile floor is reddish orange with cobalt blue small tiles inset between the large ones.  The room is painted a muted red with blues and browns around.  Colorful table runners hang from the wall.  Tapestries show elephants on them and there are bamboo stalks in vases around the room.  Also on the walls are plates, wine glasses, and bottles.

Above the open kitchen is a chalkboard that lists the desserts and specials of the day.  The servers all wear black long sleeve colored shirts with bright reddish/orange ties.  The tables are covered with table cloths and lined in white paper.  On each table are wine glasses, a tea light candle, two forks and a knife per seating.  The room is noisy as the music is overpowered by people’s conversation.  As the evening progresses, the restaurant gets packed.  Reservations are not accepted, and the waiting area is small, so prepare yourself for a wait if you come during rush hour.

- Savory Lamb Satay – Lamb is marinated in coconut milk and curry, then skewered and grilled.  The satay is served with cucumber vinaigrette and peanut sauce.  The skewered meat was a little too sweet and slightly overdone.  They would have been better if they had been cooked to medium rather than well-done.  Nice presentation on a long rectangular white dish.  The cucumber vinaigrette (cucumber slices with red onions in a light, sweet vinegar dressing) was refreshing.  Okay. $8

- Starters Parade – The starters parade includes two spring roles, two Portobello mushroom, two chicken satay, two mummy chicken, and two The Little Basket.  It was served with two dipping sauces (peanut sauce for the satay and another sauce for the spring rolls).  The menu stated that crispy prawns and fish cakes would be part of the starters parade, but instead, we got the list above (mushrooms in place of one thing, and nothing to replace the second item.  This is not noticeable unless you’re like me and go back to the menu.  I didn’t ‘try the spring rolls, but the mushroom is cut thick and breaded in a tempura like batter.  The menu says it is toped with roasted sesame seeds, but it was not.  Good, but not enough quantity(especially not if it was supposed to replace the seafood).  The chicken satay are large pieces of chicken breast marinated in coconut milk and curry.  I found the chicken on the dry side and only better when accompanied by the peanut sauce.  It was difficult to get off the skewer (another sign of too dry).  The mummy chicken was wrapped in pandan leaves.  I don’t remember seeing a bacon strip, and the piece is very small – about the size of your pinky.  It too was dry (probably since it was deep fried and not breaded).  The little basket is made of fried egg noodles broken up and tossed with a sweet and sour sauce, mixed nuts, shredded carrots, cilantro, and lots of red onion.  I found the red onion to be a bit overpowering since it was in chunks though it had been sliced.  The menu describes it as served on fresh spinach leaves, but it was served on romaine leaves.  Overall, I’m probably more disappointed by the fact that there aren’t prawns and fish cake anymore, but it’s a good way to try everything.  I would suggest ordering spring rolls and Portobello mushroom as starters on their own.  $14

- The Famous Pad Thai Noodle with Prawns - About four or five prawns are served with these rice noodles in a sweet tamarind sauce.  Egg, ground peanuts, green onions, bean sprouts, and carrots are stir-fried with the noodles. The menu states that it’s served with fresh lettuce and lime.  We received a slice of lemon and a lot of fresh spinach and lettuce in what looked like a salad.  The salad took up about a quarter of the plate.  I would have preferred the pad thai without the salad.  Good flavor.  $12

- Mother of Pearl with Beef – Served with steamed rice, this dish contains very large florets of broccoli.  The dish is described as stir fried with garlicky oyster and wine sauce, served on a bed of lightly steamed broccoli crowns.  There was no description of what was being stir fired in the garlicky sauce though.  When it came out, it looked like broccoli beef.  The florets were huge.   Too huge in fact.  The beef was only a fair cut and a bit chewy.  I think I can cook better broccoli beef at home.  $10

- Red Pumpkin Curry with Chicken – Red curry paste and coconut milk are cooked with pumpkin squash, bell peppers, onions, carrots, zucchini, and sweet basil.  The chicken in this dish was breast meat.  The flavor is delicious and the concoction is served in a large square white bowl.  The zucchini wasn’t present, but there was yellow squash.  It’s accompanied with a side of steamed rice.  You’ll probably need more rice so that you can enjoy the curry.  Creamy with great flavor, but a bit too many vegetables.  It’s one of the better dishes overall. $11

- Green Curry with Chicken – Green curry paste and coconut milk with the same vegetables as that listed above, and some mushrooms.  Again, no zucchini, but yellow squash instead.  Great, flavorful curry.  And you’ll want more rice to enjoy it. $10

- Sea Fried Rice with Chicken – When you look at the rice, it looks too moist, but when you taste it, it’s okay.  The rice is flavored with a bit of fish sauce and has a tan color.  There are a lot of vegetables in the fried rice – too many vegetables.  The menu states that onion, tomato, corn, and red bell pepper are in the fried rice.  I found everything except the corn.  There was definitely no corn in this dish.  For the chicken, SEA uses chicken breast.  Overall, this dish was unimpressive, but the flavor was okay. $10

- Steamed Rice – The rice is served on a small white square plate and topped with sesame.  During the first visit, I found the rice a bit too soggy/sticky, but it was better upon my second visit. $1

After two visits, I found the service to be consistently fair, leaving much to be desired.  The curries and pad thai noodles are recommended, but other dishes seem overfilled with salad and large vegetables that overpower the meat in portion and presentation.  I would have left the higher rating if the vegetables hadn't overtaken the meat in some of the other dishes.  Food quality is fresh, but as a whole, there are other places to try.  Atmosphere would have received a higher rating, but the noise drops it to a 3 to 4 star range.  Great if you enjoy a trendy atmosphere.   

 

Semolina - Italian

600 E Washington St, Petaluma, CA 94952
(707) 766-6975
Parking: in parking lot

Last Visited: April 19, 2003

Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

This restaurant used to be an A&W a long long time ago. Then it became a Greek restaurant and has since become Semolina. One of the co-owners is formerly from another one of my favorite restaurants, Caffe Giostra. The restaurant itself has an open feel. Upon entering, you pass by the long bar and then to the dining area itself. The walls are an earthy yellow cream and the ceiling is painted with clouds on a sky blue background.

- Fried Calamari – Large pieces of calamari are dipped in seasoned batter and served with two dipping sauces – cocktail sauce and a creamy aioli.

- Clam Chowder – Good soup, but not hot enough when it comes to the temperature. I like my soup steaming.

- Caesar salad – The salad was already cut, so it’s not served in the classic style, but it was good.

We also had some main dishes, but the actual dishes escape me since it was a while ago. My overall impression was that the food was very good. Service was good, but not excellent. We had told the waitress that we wanted to split the Caesar salad, but she must have forgot. Although I didn’t expect it to necessarily be pre-split, I would have thought she would bring us new plates since our appetizer plates were littered with calamari crumbs.

I would definitely revisit Semolina, but possibly lower my expectations and hope for better service.

 

Shogun - Japanese

2350 Midway Dr (located in Montgomery Village), Santa Rosa, CA 95405
(707) 575-5557
Parking: street parking

Last Visited: August 11, 2005

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$$

Shogun is located inside the Montgomery Village shopping center.  Enter the restaurant and notice the sushi bar in the rear, the typical wood decorations, blue cloth hangings, window screens with opaque white backgrounds and wood patterns, and other Asian wall hangings.  Japanese and Chinese music play in the background.  Natural light shines in through the windows.

The tables are forest green with a light wood border.  Matching cushioned chairs continue the natural look.  The table is adorned with chopsticks, white paper placemats, white paper napkins, and pictures containing various sushi.  Of course, there’s also a bottle of soy sauce, and the more unusual condiment was a bottle of Japanese seasoning.  Water arrived at the table after we were seated and given menus. 

My friends recommended tempura and tonkatsu.  When they go to Shogun, at least one person will have to get the tonkatsu.  Although I didn’t try it, many others did, and the portions were quite large with two tonkatsu patties and the other typical items as described below.

- Tempura and Sashimi Lunch Bento – The bento box is served with miso soup, seasoned long bean sprouts, rice, and shredded cabbage salad.  The sashimi of the day was maguro (tuna) cut into eight small bricks and laid on top of a leaf of lettuce and thinly grated daikon strings.  The tempura included squash, broccoli, two pieces of shrimp, a green bean, cauliflower, a mushroom, and various other vegetables.  The center of the bento box contained a segment of tomato standing on its side.  The center of the rice is sprinkled with toasted black sesame.  The portions are sizable, and the flavor was good.  The tempura is lightly battered and just right and the sashimi was very fresh.  Great.   $13.95

Next time I’ll have to try the tonkatsu.  Check out Shogun for some nice tempura and friendly service.

  

Sunnyside Cafe - American

3800 Sebastopol Road, Santa Rosa CA 95407
(707) 526-2652
Parking: street parking 
Hours: Mon to Fri 7am to 5pm, Sat 8am to 3pm

Last Visited: July 27, 2006

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 2 stars
Price: $ to $$

Enter Sunnyside Café and find that it really is sunny.  The color scheme is bright sunny yellow and teal.  On the windows are painted the words sunny, side, and café.  On the walls are displays are formed to create uplifting phrases with just a few words painted around them.  There’s even a huge orange and yellow sunny face on the wall.  The clock chirps with bird calls each hour (or maybe it’s just at noon when I was there).  There are a number of green plants around the room giving a softer feel to the environment.  Even on a rainy day, the place radiates with warmth as soon as you step in.

Their specialties include homemade quiche bowls, homemade brownies and goodies, hot soups, crepes, panini, and smoothies made with 100% real fruit.  Their menu also offers cold sandwiches. 

Upon entering Sunnyside, you are quickly greeted by the person behind the counter and asked if you would like to eat here or order to go.  If you select to eat there, you are told to take a menu and sit anywhere you like.  It’s a casual atmosphere, and if you need to set up tables to accommodate a large party, you just go ahead and do it.  Most tables easily seat two or four people.  Adjacent to the counter is an ice cream display on one side, and a person making sandwiches on the other side.  Nearby the counter is a large refrigerator containing bottled drinks on display. 

At first, I wasn’t sure if we were supposed to pick up our own silverware since the silverware was out by the ice cream counter, but soon a waitress came by to set the table and take our orders.  This afternoon, the waitress seemed a bit frazzled and quite forgetful.

All sandwiches and quiche bowls are served with a side green salad.  Today, all of the green salad looked very dark green (not a bad thing, just an observation).  Most of the salad was made with romaine lettuce with a few grated carrot slices, though I also got a chunk.  Comments from the table were that the bleu cheese dressing was very strong, great for bleu cheese lovers.  The ranch was fine, and the vinaigrette looked homemade.  For $1 more, you can order soup in place of the salad.  Today’s soup was exotic with Caribbean flavor.

- Crab Quiche Bowl – The quiche bowl looks like a giant popover or gigantic muffin.  This was a special of the day and was filled with crab, egg, peas, celery, and scallions.  The top was lightly browned and the pastry was homemade, although soggy near the bottom and on the bottom.  I would have preferred the flavor of the quiche more if it had more Tabasco sauce or cayenne in the seasoning to balance out the crab.  For me, it was a little bland, though still appetizing with a good amount of lump crab meat.  $9.50

The overall feeling from other diners at my table was that everything was fresh.  Service could be improved as we were given back the wrong credit card, and a fork arrived after our meal was finished for something we had not ordered.  Aside from that, it would be worth returning, especially to try some of those appetizing real fruit smoothies.

Upon my second visit, I found service to be slightly improved overall.  At least the server was less forgetful this time.  However, we weren’t promptly greeted, and in fact, I felt slightly neglected in the beginning.  The food remained consistent.  I learned more about the quiche bowls.  It’s best to come the day when the quiche bowls are made and they’re best right out of the oven (as with most baked goods).  Otherwise, they’re placed in the refrigerator and heated to temperature when ordered.  That’s probably why the bottom of my quiche bowl was soggy last time – additional moisture content from being in the refrigerator.

This time I tried one of the sandwiches.

- Southern Italian Salami Panini  - Salami slices are topped with provolone and served with onions and tomatoes (both onions and tomatoes are optional) between panini bread halves.  The flavor is nice if you enjoy salted meats.  The cheese is melted and the panini has an almost crispy texture.  The salami slices are large, but despite the salad (which was rusted more this time than the last) I felt that there was something missing.  Perhaps a few olives on the side, or a more moist sandwich would have been more satisfying.  $6.55

During my third visit, I tried another sandwich.

- Tempting Turkey Panini – Turkey is placed between two panini halves that are spread with basil pesto and sun dried tomatoes.  Provolone is melted in between.  The flavor was a little on the strong side, with the sun dried tomatoes vying for attention against the pesto, and the pesto made the bread seem a little soggy.  I would also like to see more turkey or maybe just thicker turkey.  This would be better with turkey slices that aren’t deli-thin.  Also, it was accompanied with a green salad.  Okay. $6.55

- Iced tea with mint – Today’s special was a homemade iced tea with peppermint.  Nice flavor, but they didn’t offer any sugar for us to add to the drink.  $1.50

Sunnyside features a number of organic, fat free, and vegan items catering to the healthy crowd.  It’s atmosphere and menu are creative and have a friendly and homemade feel, not corporate in style.  It’s crepes are filled with richness, from lots of cream cheese in the Bodega Bay crepe or lots of nutella in the sweet crepe.  Check it out – it’s a neighborhood treat (and with limited competition in the immediate area, I think Sunnyside will last).

   

Sushi to Dai For - Japanese

119 4th Street, Santa Rosa CA 95401
(707) 526-2652
Parking: pay street parking 
Hours: Lunch Mon to Fri 11:30am to 2:30pm
Dinner - Mon to Thurs 5pm - 10pm, Fri to Sat 5pm to 11pm, Closed Sundays

Last Visited: May 20, 2006

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 3 to 4 stars
Price: $ to $$$$

Sushi to Dai For is located in the newly updated historic downtown section of Santa Rosa.  It’s a new addition to their existing San Rafael location.  The colors are rich with lots of blue-purple in the walls and ceilings.  The window front is painted with a funny looking character in a bright pink.  I’m not sure what this character’s role is, but the inside will grab you.  Clean lines and styled.  It’s a great night spot with little hanging lights in orange yellow shades and the room looks like it would be perfect for a dinner date.

The sushi bar on the left side of the restaurant features lots of fresh fish in the glass cases.  From our spot, I had the opportunity to watch baby crab wandering around a small pagoda encased in a tank.  Talk about live entertainment.  The sushi chefs are also friendly and you can watch the experts as they make the great delicacies.

The right side of the room offers regular tables.  Various wait staff members have trendy hair and an exotic flare about them.  You’ll know what I mean when you see them.  We asked for hot tea and it came so hot that we had to let it cool down a bit.  We love hot tea – it just makes the experience even better – lukewarm tea is just not acceptable so they made a great first impression with their steaming tea.

- Roll Combination Plate - Rock and Roll, Spicy Tuna Roll, California roll – This platter contains three types of rolls as listed above.  For authentic sushi lovers, I would skip the combo plate since the rolls are not too exciting, but if you’re a first time or amateur sushi eater, this might be the perfect thing for you.  All are cut and placed side up – six pieces per roll.  Great flavor.  Miso soup accompanies this plate.  $15

Nigiri sushi:

- Amber Jack (2 pieces) – The amber jack was one of today’s specials.  A large piece of fish topping sushi rice.  Very fresh without any fishy flavor.  Excellent.  $5.50

- Aji – This was my first time trying aji.  With the skin still on, the presentation is more dramatic and the very thinly sliced strips of ginger and small green onion pieces add to the flavor of this fish.  Excellent. $5.50

- Hamaichi (2 pieces) – Fresh and delicious. There’s not much more to say.  Excellent. $4.95

- Unagi (2 pieces) – Perhaps since we had to ask about the status of our unagi, we got an extra large version, but two pieces of baked unagi were placed on each piece of rice and rolled with a seaweed strip.  The sushi is topped with toasted sesame seeds and drizzled lightly with sauce.  As our sushi chef called it, it was an extra large unagi for us to enjoy.  I’m not sure if it normally comes with two pieces per sushi (I’m thinking no), but a great way to recover from having the customer ask for it.  Excellent.  Even if it had been only one piece of unagi per rice, it would have still been very good.  $4.95

- Miso Soup – A bowl of very hot miso soup arrives with cubes of tofu and pieces of green onion in it.  The soup temperature is great – so steaming hot, you have to wait for it to cool.  The cubes of tofu were not cut as nicely as I’ve seen them cut at other places.  This is not worthy of reducing stars, but certainly an opportunity to improve presentation.  $1.80

In general, I found all of the fish and other ingredients to be very fresh.  However, the rice could have been a touch softer, making each piece more soft and tender.  Almost there, but not quite which led to the three to four star range for food. 

Great food, entertaining sushi chef pros, and a trendy atmosphere.  A great addition to historic downtown.  I’m sure to be back for another visit soon.

 

Taqueria El Gallo - Mexican

1367 North McDowell, Suite 140, Petaluma CA 95954
(707) 763-7111
Parking: in shopping center

Last Visited: June 3, 2006

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$$

Taqueria El Gallo just opened up in the new Kohl’s shopping center in Petaluma.  It’s bright orange and sunny décor is inviting.  The large panes of glass in the front of the shop stream in lots of light.  In the rear is a large flat screen tv.  This evening and during my second visit, it was showing the soccer game.  There are rooster figures on the wall and a large glass rooster containing garlic and other decorative foods.  The open kitchen allows the aroma to come to your nose.  There’s a salsa bar in the middle of the restaurant with lime pieces, various salsas, and vegetables.

The local radio station was raving about Taqueria El Gallo, so I thought I would give it a try.  Upon our arrival, we received warm chips and were told to help ourselves to the salsa bar.  Service was friendly.

- Super Burrito – I selected chicken, but other meats are available.  A good sized burrito comes in a soft flour tortilla.  Inside were sour cream, guacamole, rice, beans, and salsa.  The overall flavor was good.  The chicken strips inside my burrito were freshly grilled.  Good.  I wouldn’t expect anymore for the price.  $5.95

- Fajitas – Shrimp – The fajitas are available with shrimp, chicken, or steak.  They’re served with pico de gallo, guacamole, rice, refried beans, and three tortillas.  The shrimp is grilled with green peppers and onion strips.  It’s grilled after ordering and comes out steaming hot.  The rice is perfectly moist, and the refried beans have a fine consistency.  All was very good.  There were only seven shrimp, which was a bit disappointing that there weren’t more, but overall, the flavor was terrific.  The only point of improvement is being a little more generous with the shrimp.  $10.95

Most items range from $4.50 to $11.95 in price.  The typical item menus are included – enchiladas, burritos, tortas, tacos, and even burgers.  They also have kid’s plates available.   I will probably try one of their combination plates in the future (prices for those range from $5.95 to $6.95). 

During my second experience, the service was not quite as friendly, though close.  The place is somewhat empty for a Saturday evening, so the location may not be so good for drumming up clientele.  The lack of signage from a side view is likely hurting them, but the food is still good.  This time, there wasn’t any pico de gallo in the salsa bar which was a little disappointing, but some came with my dish.

- Enchilada and taco combination plate – Choice of meat for both items is available.  The shredded beef enchilada came in a very soft tortilla topped with sauce and cheese.  Great sauce.  The taco is available with a crispy shell or soft.  The crispy shell is drizzled with a little enchilada sauce and lightly sprinkled with cheese over the center.  The taco comes with lettuce and pico de gallo.  Since breast meat is used, it can be a little dry.  This combo plate also came with rice and refried beans.  Since the items are not made to order, it’s more like hot plate, warm food, but still good flavor. $6.96

- Taco Salad – With a choice of meat, you receive a tostada shell (very light and flaky) containing refried beans, rice, lettuce, meat (I selected shredded beef), pico de gallo, two dollops of sour cream, and two dollops of guacamole.  There’s a light sprinkling of cheese on top (dried, not fresh).  The meat is fresh and warm and the salad is good.  The only thing I would improve is adding more lettuce and using fresh cheese.  Great flavor though.  $6.95

The chef was very sanitary – he took our order, and visibly washed his hands before beginning to cook.  Not every place does this.  The only thing I would change is the air circulation.  Since the kitchen is open, it’s hard for the fresh air to be circulated.  They try to accomplish this by keeping the door open, but I don’t know what they do on a cold or rainy day.  Nevertheless, it’s a great place to try out.  The ingredients were fresh, the service, friendly, and the chips warm.  If you’re interested, they have tamales that are Central American style that are wrapped in banana leaves instead of corn husks.  So far, all of the dishes I’ve tried have been fresh and good.  Need I say more? 

Taqueria Santa Rosa - Mexican

791 Montecito Center, Santa Rosa CA
(707) 538-2642
Parking: in shopping center
1950 Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa CA 95401
(707) 528-7956
Parking: in parking lot

Last Visited: September 25, 2004

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 2 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$

Deanna first brought me here. Some might consider this a hole in the wall, but after you’ve been to hole in the wall places in Chinatown, this is more like walking into a little store. The tables are against the wall and the menu is posted on a wall adjacent to the counter. The kitchen is right behind the counter. It’s not a big shop, but they serve up great carnitas tacos. I’ve only tried two dishes here so far, but the carnitas are hard to beat. Order at the front counter, pay for your meal, and have a seat. Salsa and warm chips come to the table. Food is also available for take out.

SoftTacos – Carnitas tacos are soft, hot, and very good. The pork is shredded nicely and a little salsa like sauce tops the meat. I also tried the Carne Asada taco, but it doesn’t compare to the Carnitas. The carnitas deserves four stars. The carne asada is three stars. $1.99 each, also available in a combination dinner with refried beans and rice for $5.50.

Enchiladas – I tried the chicken enchilada. It was good, but I like the sauce and texture of the enchilada more at other restaurants I have tried. It’s an average enchilada.

Taqueria Santa Rosa on Mendocino Avenue appears to have a bigger menu, but it could just be the pictures of certain dishes displayed on the menu itself which is located on the wall. It’s not as well lit as the branch on Montecito, and they fry the carnitas until it’s more crispy than the Montecito branch. The chips at the Mendocino restaurant also seem a little bit on the thicker side than the Montecito location.

Stick to the carnitas, and I know you’ll be happy. Their chips are also quite good.

Terry's Southern Style Fish - Closed

3345 Santa Rosa Ave, Santa Rosa CA 95407 (inside Days Inn)
(707) 526-9090
Parking: in parking lot

Last Visited: 2003

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 2 to 3 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

Terry’s is located in the center of a Days Inn. It’s somewhat hard to find if you don’t know it’s there, but just circle the building, and eventually, you’ll see a sign for it.

The décor isn’t particularly fancy. It’s a hotel/motel restaurant setting – not particularly warm or friendly, but more of a large open space with tables. If I remember correctly, there was a stage too for potential karaoke nights.

The selection fits Southern style food (tri tip, catfish, collard greens, hush puppies, pork chops etc). I had heard about their fried chicken, so that’s what I tried out.

- Fried Chicken – The fried chicken was definitely good, but not the best I have ever had. The skin was crispy, but a bit darker than I expected it to be. The thing that I enjoyed the most was actually the hush puppies. They were golden and filled with flavor – crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside.

The wait for the food was quite long. Although service and food were both good, the two go hand in hand. The food is worth a try, and I would definitely consider getting other things on the menu.

Tex Wasabi's Rock-N-Roll Sushi BBQ- Santa Rosa

515 4th Street, Santa Rosa CA 95401
(707) 544-8399
Parking: street parking in front, pay parking lot in rear

Last Visited: December 29, 2004

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

Tex Wasabi’s is a fairly new establishment located in downtown Santa Rosa.  The place is from the same creators as Johnny Garlic’s grill.  The first thing to be said about it is that it has flare.  Outside, you can see the torches with the lights placed in such a way to make the torches appear flaming.  The concept is certainly the first of its kind in Santa Rosa.

This looks like it would be a great place to go out with your friends for some drinks and to unwind.  There are two units adjacent to one another – the unit with the entrances has the bars and the adjacent unit is the dining room.  Front and rear entrances lead to the bar.  There is a sushi bar near the rear of the room with a glass case displaying fresh fish, octopus, and other seafood.  Patrons can sit on the raised high back chairs at the bar and watch their sushi being made.  The front entrance leads to the alcohol bar on the left and on the right are small tables lining the walls also with raised high back chairs. This bar is long and takes up most of the room.  It’s dark rich color along with the dark floor contrast with the creamy colored walls.  The yellow/orange lamps add to the mood of the room.

Between the two bars is the entrance to the dining room.  In this room are large tables seating anywhere from two to six people.  It’s very spacious and what’s nice is that a table for six is often used to seat four.  Mirrors line the side of this room, giving the room an open feel.  Adjustable track lighting sits above the tables, and additional recessed lamps also light the room.  There is a window in the front of the room that brings in natural light.  The tables have a mixed green surface and are dark burgundy near the edge.  The dark burgundy runs throughout the room, below the mirrors, and on the wall behind the sushi bar in the dining room.  From the ceiling dangle large Asian folding fans.  On the wall is a large wood frame that has clean lines. 

The tables have plates with small dipping sauce plates on top.  A fork and knife are folded into a black napkin roll.  Multiple wooden chopsticks in their paper wrappers sit in a holder on the table along with the drink menu. 

Service was prompt and courteous.  So onto the food.

- Killer Egg Rolls – A new addition to the menu based on customer feedback, two egg rolls are cut on the bias and served on a black triangular plate on top of red cabbage.  Mandarin oranges decorate the tips of the plate.  The egg rolls contain marinated chicken, cabbage, bean sprouts, carrots, ginger, onion, and garlic.  A teriyaki dipping sauce accompanies the egg rolls and there is a drizzle of the sauce on the egg rolls as well.  The egg rolls themselves are hot with a crispy wrapper.  There is a nice blend of flavors.  The presentation was very nice, but the word egg roll really conjures up something different in my mind.  Chicken is basically never used in an authentic egg roll.  I would have preferred that this be named killer chicken rolls or chicken egg rolls. $6

- Vegas Fries – Shoestring French fries are tossed in buffalo sauce and served with bleu-sabi.  These shoestring fries are turned orange by the coating of the buffalo sauce, and actually seem hotter when dipped into the sauce.  They’re piled high on an oval metal plate and taste good when hot out of the deep fryer.  Of course, as the meal winds down, you’ll find they may have gone soggy, but are good if you like buffalo wings.  Probably best eaten with a large group of people unless you’re a fry maniac. $4

- Pulled Pork Sandwich – Three pork sliders are served with your choice of one side.  Three small square buns are in a row and ready to be pulled apart.  They’re filled with a thin layer of coleslaw on top of a layer of pulled pork in barbecue sauce.  I selected shoestring fries as my side, and they were lightly seasoned with salt and pepper.  The sandwich and fries were also served on a metal plate with a slice of orange and some decorative greens.  Not what I was expecting, but okay. $7

Sushi rolls range from $5 to $15.  The sushi is presented well on square white plates, and small rectangular plates.  One comment from another member at the tables was that one of the larger rolls (the Tres Amigos) was cut too big so that it was difficult to eat.  The comments I heard about the gringos rolls, in particular the Jackass roll (French fries and barbecue pork paired with avocado), was that it didn’t taste right although it was creative. 

I seemed to have missed the southwestern part of the décor.  Aside from the bar in the front, most of the décor seemed to be aimed toward the Asian side rather than the BBQ side.   

It’s hard to pinpoint what I don’t like about Tex Wasabi’s.  The food is fresh.  The presentation is nice.  Service is good.  So what’s wrong?  Well, one thing is that when I asked for extra napkins to wipe my hands after eating my pork sliders, I got cloth napkins, and in fact, I found a hair on my new napkin.  I prefer paper napkins when wanting extra napkins.  Yet that’s not it.  Maybe it’s because the napkins are black, so you can’t see where you’ve touched it, and you can’t find a new place that’s clean to wipe your hands because you don’t know what’s clean.  Well, it’s probably the hair on the napkin.

Price is okay for some items and on the expensive side for other items.  It’s still hard to decide what I don’t like about the place, but it boils down to being good at more than one thing or really excelling at the one thing you’re good at.  In this case, I would prefer to go to two specialty restaurants, one for my barbecue, and one for my sushi.  Tex Wasabi’s is creative, but just not a combination that interests me.  It’s new and different, but not quite what I’m looking for.  Check it out and decide for yourself.

Thai Mekong

52 Mission Plaza, Suite #111, Santa Rosa CA 95409
(707) 538-8382
Parking: in shopping center parking lot
Hours: Mon through Sat 11am to 8:30pm, Closed Sundays

Last Visited: May 26, 2005

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$

Enter Thai Melong and see the shape of a T.  The front area is the top of the T with a lot of tables for two and a few smaller tables that seat four.  The entrance directly leads to the hallway, the bottom of the T.  The textured creamy colored walls are decorated with large painted fans in this hall on one side, and no decorations on the other wall.  The windows are decorated with wood carvings in each corner.  In the rear of the restaurant is a wine rack and photos of Thai officials and small altars dedicated to them.  The restaurant opened in December 2004.

The dark wood tables are covered with white paper placemats, a napkin, fork, and spoon.   They bring glasses of water after seating you.  The menus are simple - one side of the paper features Thai cuisine.  The other side features teriyaki dishes and other dishes typically seen on Chinese menus.

The items shown on the menu are available with steamed rice.  Add $1 to the price shown on the menu for the dinner price.

- Yellow Curry: Choice of meat (chicken, beef, or pork) is cooked in yellow curry and served in a large bowl.  Carefully quartered half inch slices of potato and cut carrots accompany the meat.  Steamed rice is served on the side.  The curry was flavored with creamy coconut milk and with just a touch of heat.  I selected chicken.  Very good, especially if you like creamy sauce with your rice.  $6.75

The first item listed on the menu was green curry.  The interesting I found was that our server cautioned us that it wasn’t typical green curry, so we may or may not like it.  My fellow tablemates had some spicy sautéed dishes.  They weren’t quite as satisfied by theirs explaining that it was too salty for their tastes or not quite what they expected.   

I would go back again to try the red curry.  I’m a bit cautious about the other dishes though, but there are many on the list and I didn’t even mention that they have Cajun dishes too.  I’m a bit curious to find out what those are like.   

Thai Taste

170 Farmer Lane #8, Santa Rosa CA 95405
(707) 526-3888
Parking: in shopping center parking lot
Hours: Mon through Fri 11am to 3pm, 4:30 to 9pm, Sat 4 to 9pm, Closed Sundays

Last Visited: November 5, 2004

Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 2 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

Thai Taste is a small, but quaint establishment located inside a small shopping center.  The textured walls are sponged a light yellow and ivory, and there is a lot of darker wood around the room.  Above the doorway to the kitchen is the portrait of what appears to be a Thai leader or official, dressed in a stately outfit.  The tables are also a dark wood. 

Some of the better known dishes (which were also ones I have tried before) include their fresh roll, pumpkin curry, and papaya salad.

Although I have been here multiple times, it has certainly been a while since my last visit.  Today’s visit was for lunch.  During lunch, a number of specials are offered and served with rice and choice of soup or salad.

- Salad – This salad accompanied the lunch special.  A small portion that included a mix of iceberg and romaine lettuce is topped with a peanut dressing.  The salad didn’t contain much variety, but the dressing was creamy and light.  The salad would have been better topped with some shredded carrots to add color to the dish.

- Pumpkin Curry – Red curry paste is cooked with coconut milk, diced pumpkin, carrot slices, bell pepper slices, bamboo shoots, zucchini, and Thai basil.  For the lunch special, this is served with a scoop of rice.  The curry is slightly sweet and very mild.  The sauce as a whole is creamy and great over rice.  The pumpkin is soft and melts in your mouth.  Excellent.  $7.95 for the lunch special, Price is dependent on veggie or meat variations for dinner

- Thai Iced Tea – Thai Iced Tea is a red/orange colored tea served with ice and evaporated milk giving the tea a sweet taste.  Good. $1.95

During lunch, there were many patrons, and only one server to accommodate all of the tables.  This dropped their three star service down to two stars.  Although I had ordered my Thai Iced Tea at the beginning of the meal, I didn’t receive it until I had completely finished my meal and my dish was taken away.  This was completely disappointing.  With only one server for the entire room, it’s understandable that the drink order would be delayed, but being delayed to the end of the meal left a bad impression. 

Thai Taste serves good food, but try to get there early for lunch to avoid the crowd. 

 

Thang Long - Vietnamese

175 N McDowell Blvd, Petaluma, CA 94954
(707) 778-8851
Parking: in shopping center
Closed for lunch on Sundays

Last Visited: November 12, 2005

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $ to $$

When you enter Thang Long, you are immediately drawn to look at the aqua blue walls which have a mural of fine detail. You might be able to get lost in the wall mural. It’s different than what you would typically expect. The water is beautiful and there’s a little row boat in the water as well as a gazebo on one of the walls.  The main façade has three new large panel windows which bring in a lot of light.

Thang Long is typical in that the chopsticks, spoons, and typical pho condiments are all on the table self serve style. They have the usual offerings of pho, vermicelli, and the like. Tables are spaciously placed.

On our most recent visit, we had the following items, but most visits consist of some form of beef pho.

- Cha gao - There are three fried spring rolls per orderwith pork inside the Vietnamese rice wrapper. Served with fish sauce dipping sauce. I found the minced pork inside to be a bit dry, but it was a crispy wrapper and fried to a nice golden brown. $4.25

- Combination Beef Pho – available in many sizes. This time we tried the extra large to see how large it really was. There is definitely enough to serve two in an extra large bowl. Soup seasoned with lots of flavor – garlic salt, beef broth base etc containing the well done beef brisket, rare eye round steak, and beef balls. I would have liked more tendons and tripe. As always, it was filling, and had good flavor. The pho deserves three to four stars. Small $4.95 Large $5.95 XL $6.95

- Shrimp Fried Rice – The flavor behind the shrimp fried rice is good, and there is an abundance of small shrimp, but I found the texture to be a little on the dry side. The rice kernels are intact and separated, so the consistency was good, but a little dry for me. $5.95

- Grilled Marinated Pork served with steamed rice – Pork slices are grilled and topped with chopped peanuts and chopped green onions.  All of the meat is placed on a large lettuce leaf.  Chopped lettuce, carrots, cucumber slices, and daikon accompany the meat.  Steamed rice is served on the side.  A small bowl of fish vinaigrette (fish sauce mixture) is served on the side.  I enjoyed this dish a lot – the flavors were good and the meat was very tender.  $6.50

- Coconut Juice – You can start to see a pattern that I enjoy young coconut juice.The price of the juice went up by 25% since my last visit, which seemed a bit of a high increase to me.  $1.95

Overall, it’s a good place to go, especially if you want Pho in the Sonoma County area. It’s not as crowded as the Pho place on Sebastopol Road in Santa Rosa, and it offers almost as good flavor (it’s almost as good, but you won’t walk out of this place as thirsty which equals less MSG). I wasn’t as pleased with the non-pho dishes, but there pho is their specialty, and with that, they do excel.  Note that prices have increased by about ten percent this year.

It was a while since my last visit in late 2003.  This time, I had the large size combination beef pho and was quite satisfied with the food.  Service was a whole other matter.  It appeared to be the dinner time of the servers because they disappeared.  For fifteen minutes or more at a time, it seemed you couldn’t find anyone for anything. 

The additional item tried this evening –

- Sugarcane Shrimpstick – Three pieces of fresh sugarcane are wrapped with shrimp paste and grilled.  The shrimp sticks are accompanied with vermicelli noodles, lettuce leaves, cilantro, cucumber slices, and dipping sauce.  The sweet flavor of the sugarcane infuses into the shrimp paste, and the shrimp was grilled nicely.  The dipping sauce works well with the shrimp.  One method of eating this dish is to remove the shrimp paste from the sugarcane and wrap it with vermicelli, cilantro, and cucumber in the lettuce leaves.  However, the lettuce leaves we were served weren’t fresh – they were wilted and starting to discolor.  The sugarcane is very fresh, and that was the redeeming factor in this dish.  The shrimpsticks with the sugarcane is good, but the length of time it took to receive this dish and the lack of freshness of the accompanying vegetables were disappointing. $8.95

I stand by my earlier statement – stick to the pho and you’ll be satisfied.

   

Traverso's - Italian Deli

Fountaingrove Village, 2097 Stagecoach Rd, Santa Rosa, CA 95404
(707) 542-2530
Closed for lunch on Sundays

Last Visited: December 2, 2006

Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: N/A
Service: 4 stars
Price: $ to $$

Normally, I wouldn’t write about a deli, but I have had terrific sandwiches here.

- Mild Coppa Deli Sandwich with Avocado – Choice of bread, choice of meat, and choice of what you want on your sandwich.  They have a great gourmet selection, and the price of the sandwich varies by the type of meat you select.  Some were about $5.99 while others would be about $9.99.  I selected mild coppa on a soft sour roll with lettuce, pickles, onions, tomatoes, and mayo.  Avocado was $0.55 extra.  Delicious.  The bread was crusty on the outside, soft on the inside and just amazing.  What a treat.  $7.54

- Hot Coppa Deli Sandwich – So you can tell that I like coppa.  I don’t get it elsewhere, so that’s why I get it at Traversos.  This time, I tried Dutch crunch, jack cheese, and the usual lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and mayo – absolutely delicious.  And, they even gave me a slice of the coppa while they were cutting it for me.  You can’t beat Traverso’s for friendly people behind the counter and excellent meat.  $6.99

Check out the gourmet goods at Traverso’s deli and and market.  Excellent cheeses and all sorts of goodies.  They even offer cheese samples – the gouda is delicious.  If you want an excellent, fresh, deli sandwich – this is the place to go.  Yum!

  

Tuscany - Italian

3381 Cleveland Ave, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
(707) 521-1985
Parking: in parking lot

Last Visited: December 7, 2003

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$$

Long ago, Tuscany Italian Restaurant was actually the site of McDonald’s. You can still picture the McDonald’s but the owners have done a great job of transforming the facility. The colors of the walls are earthy oranges and apricots with faux brick on the wall. The ceilings are painted in such a way to create window/skylight like scenery with some blue sky peaking through. The play area for McDonalds is now the patio dining.

As you enter the restaurant, you’ll see a chalkboard with the daily specials. A partition separates the bar from the dining area. Each table is adorned with a single fresh rose, a tea light candle holder (our holder seemed to be missing the candle completely), olive oil, and salt and pepper shakers. Upon arrival, we received some crusty, chewy bread served room temperature (if only it were hot) with some foil wrapped local butter.

When Tuscany first opened, we were frequent customers. With excellent service and food, it was one of our favorites at the time. However, as with many places, when you become a frequent customer, there is more opportunity to find error and inconsistency, especially when trying a multitude of dishes. Since it had been quite some time, we decided to stop in again.

Most of the dishes are served with a choice of soup or house salad. This evening, we tried two dishes.

- House Salad – greens are served dressed with a choice of Italian or Bleu Cheese dressing. Very nice, flavorful dressing. Not overpowering.

- Vitello Parmigiana (Veal Parmesan) – Two large veal cutlets are breaded and cooked, stacked upon one another and covered with tomato sauce and a large slice of parmesan cheese. This is served with crispy brown potatoes, zucchini and carrots, and some lemon pesto rotelle. The cutlet was good, but not perfect; it could be more tender. The serving is large, so you will definitely be full. Vegetable accompaniment was good, although one of the carrots was noticeably blemished. The rotelle was too soft, no longer al dente, and would be better left behind.

- Veal with Shrimp in a light cream sauce – This dish was listed as one of their house specialties. Three fresh and succulent shrimp are placed upon four slices of veal. The veal was thin and though good, the cream sauce would have been better if slightly thicker. These too were accompanied by the vegetables and rotelle listed in the above entrée.

The overall impression is that the food is still nicely presented and tasted good, but not excellent. The service is no longer as attentive as before. We waited at least 15 minutes after eating before someone came to take our plates. Tuscany is worth a visit, but there is room for improvement in all aspects.

 

 

Uruapan Taqueria - Mexican

1905 Bodega Ave, Petaluma CA 94952
(707) 773-4800
Parking: in parking lot

Last Visited: April 5, 2008

Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 4 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

John recommended we try Uruapan, and what a great place it is.  It was a bit hard to find, but look for the green sign.  Enter Uruapan and be surprised by its immaculate cleanliness.  The whole restaurant has a clean and fresh appeal about it, like a little country outfit. 

The windows bring in lots of bright lot.  The green tabletops and the maple chairs add to the fresh feel.  The floor is linoleum and light in color.  The walls are painted white, and there are lots of ceramic Mexican art hanging from them including suns, moons, and even fish are placed adjacent to Mexican paintings.   There are also green plants displayed on the walls.  In the rear is a large glass wall refrigerator displaying the drinks.  The main counter is wood that is light in color, and the kitchen is open.  Everything is kept very clean.  On the counter itself are lots of tostada shells and baskets of fresh chips.  Fluorescent lights on the ceiling add to the brightness in the room. 

The tables have paper placemats with a folded napkin triangle in the center.  A single bottle of hot sauce and salt and pepper shakers are placed on the table along with a small woven basket containing sugar.  Upon our arrival, we were brought glasses of water.  After ordering, we received a basket of homemade chips and two kinds of salsa.  The red salsa was fresh with a sweet and tangy flavoring.  The green chile salsa was slightly sweet with a bite.  After looking more closely at the menu, I found that the first serving of chips and salsa are complementary.  Additional servings will be $0.75 each.  The chips are great though – light and crispy, so it’s worth it if you love chips, they’re fresh. 

- Tortilla soup – The tortilla soup comes packed with goodness.  Chicken broth is used as the base.  Crispy thick tortilla strips are placed at the bottom of the bowl and topped with the cooked potatoes, squash, jalapenos, tomatoes, onions, and carrots in soup.  Fresh cilantro, fresh chopped tomatoes, and fresh chopped onion top the cooked veggies.  A dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of cheese are placed on top of everything.  This soup is wonderful.  It’s hearty and filling.  It’s served very hot and that just makes it taste even better.  The ingredients are fresh and whole so that everything is soft, without being mushy.  A must try.  5 stars.  $5.75 small, $10 large

- Chicken Enchilada – Shredded chicken is cooked in a rolled tortilla and topped with green chile salsa that is heated through.  A dollop of sour cream and a dollop of guacamole top the enchilada.  This was excellent.  5 stars.  The flavors compliment each other very well.  The enchilada is served very hot and on a very hot plate.  It tasted great with the green chile salsa creating that extra zip that makes it different from other enchiladas.  $2.95 a la carte

- Carnitas Taco lunch combo – The menu says that Uruapan is a town in the Southern part of the state of Michoacan, Mexico, world famous for its carnitas.  The lunch combination comes with salad, rice, and beans.  Unfortunately, my carnitas taco came cold, and the beans and rice were cold too.  The salad was made of chopped romaine lettuce topped with a drizzle of salad dressing.  The refried beans had a creamy texture and nice flavor, but it was cold, and that was disappointing.  The rice was average in appearance, but also had nice flavor; however, since it was cold, it also wasn’t as great as it could be.  The carnitas was topped with chopped cilantro and onion and placed on two small tortillas.  Again, the cold temperature ruined this dish, and everything came out tasting just average.  I would be willing to try this dish again, but it would have to be served hot, so I probably wouldn’t order anything else with it in hopes that it might arrive immediately after it was plated.  On my second return trip, I didn’t order the carnitas taco, but another person did.  This second try was much better with the carnitas stripped into plump chunks and glistening with juices.  $6.50

 - Super Burrito – A large burrito, about the length of the oval plate, is filled with rice, beans, guacamole, tomato, onion, sour cream, cilantro, lettuce, and your choice of meat.  I selected carnitas.  The burrito is topped with ranchero sauce and a little bit of melted cheese.  It was a large portion and very filling.  Great fresh flavor, and there’s a lot more cilantro than your typical taquerias.  Great taste and a great bargain. It’s gone up in price by $2 since my last visit, but still a lot of food for the price.  $7.95

 - Jamaica – The Jamaica here is very sweet and deep violet.  $1.50 

Uruapan is a great place to check out.  It’s probably the cleanest taqueria I’ve ever visited.   The tortilla soup and enchilada are excellent.  I can’t give the carnitas a thumbs up rating, but I would be willing to order it again to see if it improves.  Try out Uruapan some time.

 

 

The Villa - Italian

3901 Montgomery Drive, Santa Rosa, CA 95405
(707) 525-7755
Parking: in parking lot

Last Visited: December 26, 2005

Food: 2 to 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

The Villa has been around for a long time. It’s known for its excellent views of Santa Rosa, the multiple dining areas, and the reasonably priced food. Set atop a hill, the restaurant offers a view of the city lights which are particularly nice on clear evenings.  Parking is ample.

The dining areas are spacious and work well for small tables and groups. There is a separate dining room that is ideal for larger parties. The setting is pleasant and in winter, there’s a cozy feeling about the place.  Most of the rooms have large windows bringing in lots of natural light during the day.  In the evening, the mirrors placed along the large columns create a nice effect while making the room brighter by reflecting light from the lamps above.  The high ceilings give the restaurant a nice elegance.  

There is also a bar featuring sports programming.  Multiple dining areas are available.

White tablecloths adorn the tables. Upon arrival, you’ll receive bread and butter. All entrees include choice of salad or soup which seems less common these days, so that’s certainly part of the appeal.

The dishes at The Villa vary. The fish of the day is usually a safe bet. It’s typically salmon or a mild fish and served with a lemon butter sauce. The pasta is not as good. It’s usually gone past the al dente stage and is too soft. The sauce also gets watered down by the pasta water and the pasta dishes I have tried are typically disappointing. The cuts of meat are average, but I think the fish is their specialty.

The Villa is great for those seeking a bargain, but food quality can vary. Atmosphere is nice, and service is good, but not outstanding. Also if you plan to eat here and are on a budget, the local newspaper offers a 2 for 1 deal every week.

After my most recent visit, I revised the comment about the meat.  Both the prime rib and lamb were very nicely done.  See comments below.

I selected the salad today, and the salad was very fresh.  Fresh romaine, a cherry tomato (although one of the salads didn’t have any tomato), and cucumber slices were part of the salad.  Great.  The only down side was that as our salads were presented, some waiters offered freshly ground pepper, but ours did not (and I like fresh cracked pepper on my salad).

- Prime Rib – A prime rib is cooked to your taste and served with a small cup of au jus.  A baked potato and vegetables accompany the meat.  The potato and prime rib were just about perfect.  I asked for medium and got between medium and medium well.  The vegetables weren’t very good though, at least not to my taste.  The broccoli was overcooked.  The portion was quite satisfactory, and great for the price. ~$14

- Roasted Rack of Lamb – Three lamb chops are served with penne pasta and vegetables.  See vegetables comments above.  The lamb was very nicely done, not overcooked, but juicy.  Mint jelly accompanies the lamb.  The penne would be better on its own rather than accompanying the dish (in fact, I ate it the next day and preferred it this way since it didn’t detract from the lamb).  I would have preferred a baked potato over the penne.  Another great bargain. ~ $15

Both of the dishes I tried this evening were good value and the meats were good quality.  I’m not sure of the pizzas and pastas, but I would still recommend the fish since multiple visits have proven that safe.  Service this evening was fair.  There was a narrow walking area behind one of our seats, and the staff continued to use it despite other routes being available.  This was distracting as you could feel them brushing against the seat each time they passed by.  I observed the bussing staff having good rapport with one another and working well together in general, but the waiters were fair in their service.  See salad comment above.  Also, my steak knife was not clean, and it took a while to grab the attention of the staff to get a replacement.  Our water glasses were not checked frequently and the check took a long time to come to the table.  Service was downgraded from three stars to the two to three star range.  The food this evening was better than past experiences, and the specials menu is a great value since they come with soup or salad.  Fortunately, the setting is nice in the evening.  The Villa has a lot of room for improvement, but it’s a good bargain overall. 

VIP - Mexican and American

2227 Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
(707) 527-5430
Parking: in parking lot

Last Visited: April 16, 2006

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 2 to 3 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $ to $$

It’s easy to find VIP. Just look for the restaurant with the cactus out in front. VIP is getting close to being a hole in the wall. The parking lot during my visit in 2003 had a big pothole right at the entrance.  Fortunately upon returning in 2006, the pothole was gone.  The booths inside the restaurant were very lumpy and there was a dip in the center of the seat. When you walk in, the atmosphere is that of a diner. It’s clean, but the seats were ripped and in need of repair.  In 2006, the place had gotten a fresh coat of paint, was a bit brighter, and though the seats weren’t the best, they were much improved.

Upon our arrival, we received glasses of ice water and chips and salsa.  The salsa is a bit spicy, just enough to brighten your palate.

The menu is fairly extensive. From the tables, you can see the cook in the back making putting the dishes on the counter to be taken to each table. I would describe him as a short order cook with wide skills – both Mexican food and American food.

The portions are decent, and the food is pretty good. I think that’s what keeps people coming back to VIP. Their sign out front says home of the Best Chile Verde, so of course, I had to try the verde out.

- Enchiladas Verde – A large dish is filled with two chicken enchiladas with verde sauce and rice and beans. I’m not a verde expert, but this was really good. Good enough that I would go back and try it again.

- Fish Tacos – Two tortillas are topped with the makings of a big taco. The food is fresh and the flavor is great.

- Burrito Supreme – I tried a carne asada burrito (choice of meat if you prefer another kind) and found it to be very satisfying.  Filled inside with carne asada, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, lettuce, beans, and rice, it had great flavor.  It was topped with a light (relatively light in color and richness compared to others I have tried) enchilada sauce and some cheese.  Delicious and filling, it’s probably the second best burrito in town (at least according to my tastes).

- Burrito Verde – If you like spicy chile verde (sauce made with tomatillos), this is the burrito for you.  The burrito is filled with large chunks of diced pork.  My dining companion likened it to a spicy and rich curry texture and flavor.   Each bite was a mouthful of spices.  If you like your burritos and meat mild, this would not be the one to select.  The meat warms your insides; it’s not tough nor fork tender, but right in between.  Good for those who like spices.  $6.95

- Club sandwich – Slices of turkey are layered with bacon, lettuce, and tomato slices.  The bread is toasted until golden brown, but it’s not quite crispy enough (or maybe just doesn’t stay crispy enough).  I like my club sandwiches to be a bit heavy on the mayonnaise – this one is good for those who are leaning on the health conscious side – not quite enough mayo for me.  I selected fries for the side dish and got wonderful crinkle cut fries, but you have to eat them fast.  Once they’re cool, they’re no longer crispy.  You can still see the oil glistening, enticing you to eat more.  The sandwich comes with fresh fruit slices – one piece of apple, and one orange wedge.  Okay.  $6.25

Don’t let the atmosphere of VIP deter you. If you like Mexican food, you’ll probably enjoy VIP. VIP offers American that is okay, but I would stick to the Mexican food.  The Mexican food seems authentic to me, and if it’s not, well, I still think it tastes great. Service varies – not quite as attentive or friendly as they could be, but okay – not rude – there is room for improvement.  Try it out for yourself.

Volpi's - Italian

124 Washington St, Petaluma CA 94952
(707) 765-0695
Parking: ample street parking

Last Visited: 2002

Food: 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Price: $$$

Volpi’s has been an institution in Petaluma for quite a long time. Its atmosphere is family style with a large waiting area and a fish tank holding today’s catch. This dining room extends back to hold more tables, in addition to an old fashioned speakeasy, with a separate adjacent unit for additional seating. The location was originally an old grocery store.

Volpi’s certainly has character. The tables are adorned with a bottle that holds a candle and the drippings of various colored candles before it.

Entrees are available a la carte or as a meal which includes soup and salad.

- Minestrone soup – Fresh carrots, potatoes, and beans can be found in the soup. It’s hearty.

- Clam chowder – I remember enjoying their clam chowder, rich and creamy.

- Spaghetti and meatballs – The spaghetti and meatballs came highly recommended. It’s quite authentic with al dente noodles and a hearty tomato sauce. $10.95

I tried a few other dishes, but have gone back for the spaghetti and meatballs several times.

Note that if you’re on a budget, it’s always good to ask about the prices on the seasonal items. The price of shrimp scampi was quite surprising the time we invited guests.

Since it’s been such a long time since my last visit, there’s good reason to go back and figure out why I liked this place so much. The salad dressing can sometimes be on the slightly sour side, but aside from that, Volpi’s is pretty consistent. The atmosphere is unique and the service varies, but the food is good.

Willie Bird's - American

1150 Santa Rosa Ave, Santa Rosa CA 95404
(707) 542-0861
Parking: in parking lot

Last Visited: January 22, 2005

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

Willie Bird’s has been around for a long time. The business card says it’s Benedetti’s Willie Bird’s restaurant. It’s well known for turkey, and big turkey drumsticks. You’ll see Willie Bird’s at local events, and you may also hear they have a Willie Bird’s farm. It’s family dining at it’s best.

The restaurant isn’t sparkling on the outside, but the locals know what draws you in. They have turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and the fixins’ available for take out as well as dine in. The walls are oak with lots of plates on display featuring, of course, turkeys. It reminds me of old style cruise ship dining rooms with all of the wood around. There are wooden poles with a simple décor. Near the ceiling is a shelf displaying many German beer mugs of various shapes and styles. Enter the restaurant and you’ll see the open kitchen which looks like a buffet of salad items, bread, and soup. You can watch the cooks happily doing their work. To your right is a dining room with booths. The middle room contains the oak bar which takes up a large portion of the room and has full view of the television. In the rear is another dining room, slightly more formal with green table cloths covering the tables. The lighting in the rear room is dimmer compared to the one out front. The carpeting is green, and an old metal carved chandelier hangs from the ceiling, although it isn’t lit. Lamps with green, red, and white colored glass light the room. On the oak walls are shields, armored men, and an unusual picture of kids in their hunting gear holding guns. There is a glass shelf holding more turkey memorabilia, and of course, the shelf near the ceiling contains more beer mugs.

Another feature of Willie Bird’s is the old family style food and service. With dinner, you get a choice of soup (this evening the soups were clam chowder and turkey and rice), a salad, bread, and an antipasti dish. The soup comes family style in a huge bowl so that it can be shared. The plate of antipasti includes salami, pepperocinis, olives, carrot sticks, and celery sticks.

On the table is the soup bowls stacked on top of salad plates. A folded white cloth napkin is placed in the soup bowl.

The menu contains a variety of sandwiches all ranging just under $9. There are also full dinners with many turkey options drumsticks and a seafood section too. Prime rib dinners are also available on weekends.

All sandwiches are served on whole wheat bread. An addition of avocado is available for $1 more.

- Turkey Club Sandwich – Four stacks of triangles are filled with fresh turkey, bacon, ham, lettuce, and tomato. The bread is toasted and lightly spread with mayonnaise, and the ingredients are all quite fresh. The club sandwich is accompanied with a small stack of pickles. Choice of fries, potato salad, and macaroni salad are available. We selected fries, and they were mini wedges – fresh and crispy. There were a few fries that may have been from the bottom of the pile being slightly soft, but for the most part, all of the fries were hot and crisp.

- Hot open faced turkey sandwich – Turkey breast is sliced and placed on a piece of whole wheat bread. On the side is stuffing and mashed potatoes (probably from a mix and not homemade). Brown gravy is poured over the sandwich and the sides. The stuffing is flavorful and made from wheat bread. The turkey comes in thick slices. It’s a quite filling and is a great way to sample their turkey.

During my first visit, I was impressed by the style of service at Willie Bird’s. Although we waited a while after finishing our meal to receive the check, the style of service is family friendly. The waitresses are dressed in white shirts and black pants. They treat their customers well, and it feels like the good ol’ days. They’re kind and have a caring nature about them. They handled the children at the next table well, and were familiar with the workings of Willie Bird’s.

During my second visit, it was my mission to try the soup. It looked too good during my last visit to pass up again. Tonight’s soup specials were lentil or turkey and rice.

- Turkey and Rice – The turkey and rice soup is flavorful with bits of turkey, rice, celery, and carrots. The broth is light. Good and hearty.

- Lentil soup – The lentil soup contained a variety of lentils and was thick, but not overly so. It’s warmth and nice texture make it an ideal choice for a cold evening. A touch of salt made it fit my tastes even more.

- Salad – Chopped romaine lettuce is served with chopped tomatoes, seasoned garbanzo and kidney beans, a slice of beet, a curled carrot, and a choice of blue cheese, Italian, thousand island, or ranch dressing. The dressings taste homemade. Some of my lettuce was wilted or blemished, but for the most part, the greens were good, and the portion ample.

- Roasted Turkey Drumstick – A large drumstick is roasted until tender and served with stuffing, cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes and brown gravy. If you don’t mind removing the meat from the bone and tendons, this is a great treat to enjoy some dark meat. See stuffing and mashed potatoes comments in open faced sandwich section. Good. $13.95

- Pan Fried Chicken – The menu warns that 30 minutes should be allowed when ordering this dish. A piece of breast, thigh, wing, and drumstick are pan fried until golden brown and served with a choice of baked or mashed potatoes or French fries. A vegetable of the day, broccoli in this case, is also served with the chicken. The chicken is excellent. Juicy and succulent. I would recommend trying it out. The French fries are cut thick and crispy. The broccoli is overcooked, or at least overcooked compared to the way I like it. Great chicken. $12.95

- Turkey Stroganoff – Noodles are cooked with ground turkey chunks, mushrooms, and sauce. The stroganoff is served with a mixture of sautéed carrots and onions. The noodles are thick and the sauce evenly coats them. A hearty variation of beef stroganoff. $13.95

- Turkey Fried Steak – A large steak of ground turkey is breaded, fried, and topped with country style gravy. The steak is thick and tender. The size of the portion is great. It’s served with a side of cranberry sauce and the vegetable of the day. The breading results in a crisp and flavorful coating that is fried until golden brown. Good. $13.95

Service this evening was okay. The staff was still polite, but considering that it was a slow night this evening, and one of the water glasses at our table remained empty from the middle to the end of the meal, the service was inexcusable. We also spent some time waiting for the arrival of our check.

Overall, I enjoyed my dining experiences and would visit again. The sizes of the portions are large and you won’t leave hungry. Check out Willie Bird’s for some fine turkey dishes.

 
 

Wine Country Bagel and Deli

359 Coddingtown Center, Santa Rosa CA 95401
(707) 526-6450
Parking: in shopping center parking lot

Last Visited: July 22, 2004

Food: 3 stars
Service: 1 star
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Price: $

Wine Country Bagel and Deli, located in the Coddingtown shopping center, offers made to order sandwiches in addition to bagels. The scenery painted on the wall depicts wine country and the lush green vineyards. The dining area is tiled with one long bench against the wall and tables adjacent to the long bench to maximize space. The place is indeed spacious and kept neat and clean. The menu is posted on the boards behind the counter. Racks of bagels are displayed below the menu boards.

- Club sandwich – The menu describes the turkey to be warm, and the usual fixings are offered. There is a wide selection of bread and cheese, and the items are made after your order is taken. Although the sandwich was okay, it didn’t turn out as described. Although I watched them microwave the turkey, by the time I received my sandwich, it was no longer warm.

You may have noticed that the service rating is quite low. It appears that this is a family owned operation, and for that reason, my guess is the young man behind the counter would not experience any repercussions for his service. Seldom do I see a person having such a horrible time behind the counter. The place was not busy, but it was his attitude. He seemed frustrated when asked what choices of bread were available. He wasn’t outright rude or impolite. Rather his exasperation for the job and the establishment carried through his work and seemed to transfer to the customers. For a restaurant to have an employee, or perhaps in this case, a family member, lacking spirit and to have such an attitude just made me not want to return. Others may feel sorry for him, but I was more surprised and shocked by his demeanor than anything else.

Food at Wine Country Bagel is average and passing, but the service would prevent me from recommending it to others.

 

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