Wowed in Petaluma

Linda and I went to see The Young Victoria in Petaluma this evening. I don't like period pieces generally, however, this one was really good. What a love story! Afterwards little Olivia joined us and we went to Hiro's Japanese Restaurant just a couple blocks away. What a gem! It is so beautifully appointed and has such attention to detail. The sushi plates that floated past looked like they were stills in a museum.

My photos do not do the food justice, and give a pale echo of each dish. The miso soup was piping hot and tasted just right!

Linda chose the Tempura Dinner and Olivia dittoed the choice except in appetizer portion, fitting for an 8 year old. They both reported that it was delicious, and I tried a couple pieces at the end of this generous portion, and would have to agree. Linda remembered the amazing tempura we had with my host family about three years ago in Tokyo. In Japan the best restaurants use fresh oil each day, and the old oil gets sent down the line to a second tier tempura restaurant. Fresh oil really makes a difference. Hiro's oil tasted quite fresh, and it was all exquisite!

Hiro's has two choice of chirashi on their menu. Hiro's Special Chirashi sounded quite inventive, but I decided to stick with the Traditional Japanese Chirashi Zushi. I was so excited to see this glistening, fresh and artistic bowl be put in front of me. Again, the photo just doesn't do it justice. I very much enjoyed the choices and variety in this pretty lacquer bowl.

The staff and owners were so friendly and welcoming too. Our waiter struck the perfect balance of attention and sharing of knowledge of the menu. I would definitely come here again in a heartbeat!

Restaurant Inspection Results

Critical: 0
Noncritical: 1
Last Inspected: January 28, 2010

Dining after Julie & Julia

As I told you in yesterday's post, the first restaurant we had chosen to try after watching Julie & Julia was fully booked. We went a short block from that location to Petaluma's Central Market where the chef greeted us at the door and promised we'd have a treat in store. Yalda and Olivia joined us there too, so we had quite the party.

The bread and flowers arranged on the table portended good things to come.

Yalda and my Dad chose to start with the Creamy Clam-Corn Chowder that included smoked bacon among its ingredients. I tried a spoonful at others' urging, and it was stunningly delicious!

I have been eying recipes for watermelon salad paired with cheese all.. summer.. long! And there it was on the menu, Summer Watermelon Salad. I thought it would be a great idea to sample one first. Wow! It had Greek Feta and arugula with it, and it was lightly dressed with lavender infused honey. This was definitely a great salad.

I followed that with Linguine with Stuffed Squash Blossoms, which also had ricotta cheese, organic mushrooms, fresh corn kernels and sage. It was also fabulous. However, I was disappointed that the blossoms turned into blossom on my plate. I was expecting more than one.

My father Charles preferred enjoying an appetizer as a main, and ordered the Warm Spicy Lamb Cabbage Rolls. He liked it very much, including the preserved lemon flavor surprise.

Yalda ordered this fabulous looking dish, Seared Angus Hanger Steak which came with blue cheese potato gratin, roasted grapes and onions. She said it was great, and took a doggie bag home with some of its generous portion tucked inside.

Linda went for the Red Wine Braised Black Angus Short Ribs which came with fresh horseradish mashed potatoes and root vegetables. Linda said the rib was divine! And she had the same comment as I, her Ribs was a Rib and she could have easily eaten more of this deliciousness!

The only hiccup in our food contentedness, other than wanting more, was that the other audience members of Julie & Julia must have had the same idea as a crowd showed up right behind us. With all that sudden business, the service was a little slow. Even so, I would definitely go back to Central Market again. Slow pace aside, it was friendly, and we loved that the chef came to our table a couple of times to check on how we were enjoying our meal.

Restaurant Inspection Results
Critical: 2
Noncritical: 2
Last inspected: 2/4/2009

Saganaki

This flaming Greek cheese dish is called Saganaki. It was one of the 'hit' dishes of Dad's 88th birthday party at Papa's Taverna in Petaluma. This dish is made with kasseri cheese flamed then doused with lemon juice. Upon flaming, you yell "OPA", and then proceed to squeeze the lemon juice over it. This photo captures the first drop of lemon juice heading toward the flames. It is a fun dish!

Dad's 88th Birthday Party

Doesn't this say it all?

Or maybe this?

We all had fun, young and old.

And Papa's Taverna in Petaluma was the perfect space for family celebration. The finale was Dad's chocolate on chocolate party favor cake!

Petaluma's French secret. Elle of Feeding my Enthusiasms and I met again for fun and blogging at Le Bistro, a charming French place on Petaluma Blvd. South. She's blogged the same meal, getting the word out slightly ahead of my post. (I stopped at Jo-Ann's to check out a door which was in color-dispute on the way home).

Elle was too tempted by the red pepper tomato soup with a swirl of basil pesto, even though it was a hot evening. She affirmed making the right choice, and talked about the sublte texture in the soup.

I was taken by the perfection of my mixed green salad with pecans and gorgonzola dressed in a light cassis dressing. The salad was well tossed, and the perfect amount of dressing to highlight the greens without obsuring them was employed.

It took me awhile to choose between several equally delicious-sounding entrees, but I finally settled on the pork medallions. These were tender and a apple cider tinged sauce deftly applied to bring out the natural flavors of the pork. The plate was arranged artfully, and the vegetables tender and distinctive.

Elle was served lamb tenderloins that looked moist and brimming with natural juices. Elle reported that the sauce was perfectly matched and the lamb tender.

The portions were perfect, and left us with room to be tempted by the dessert selections. Elle chose a Kahlua Gelato Torte with Chocolate Sauce, which she said was delightful.

I was taken with the Brandied Black Cherry Parfait, a bouquet of tastes and textures to complete the meal. Not only did it have tender brandied sweet black cherries in its syrup over vanilla ice cream, but fresh strawberries, kiwis and crisp pirouette cookies. All this was topped off by the most lucsious whipped cream. I usually don't like whipped cream, and often ask for the chef to hold the whipped cream, but I enjoyed every last micro-drop of this. I'm buzzing with the rich coffee we drank to accompany our desserts, but I guess that's good since I have a lot of coursework reading to get through!

As we parted, I couldn't resist taking a snap of the little Frenchman who greets you with cards at the entrance. Elle and I left already planning our next joint blogging adventure next month.