A decade of dining at eclectic Water Street Bistro

Just over 10 years ago, a young mother of two sat down with her father for a cup of coffee at a small Petaluma restaurant named Café Brazil. What she found was more than just a hot drink – she found potential.

The owners were looking to sell, and this young mom who also happened to be a chef at Sonoma’s acclaimed Babette’s, was looking for something all her own. Water Street Bistro was born.

It’s hard to imagine a place where liberal intellectuals, Midwestern sculptors and staunch conservative stockbrokers could chat over a crossword puzzle and a house-made scone, but if you visit Water Street Bistro on any given morning, that’s just what you might find.

Stay around awhile and you may also find a bustling and dedicated lunch crowd feasting on decadent plates de jours of house made duck confit or roasted salmon over seasonal vegetables (both $9.50). All of this is in a day's work for owner, chef and resident mother figure Stephanie Rastetter.

“It’s like a true bistro in Europe. You don’t just go there to eat, you go there to participate in the community,” said Rastetter, tossing wisps of dark brown hair from her face.

Rastetter knew she was in for a lot of work when she took on the limited kitchen at her new Water Street hub 10 years ago. “It’s a particular kind of space, I know how to work it,” she said.

She points to her love of food, meal times and friends as her reasons for her work. “My kids now have this wonderful extended family of regulars. They became a protective family for them,” Rastetter said of her two teen-age daughters, Raquel and Bella Perez.

“I come for the scones and the good company,” said 20-year Petaluma resident and self-described “new kid” in town, Jerry Price. Price visits Water Street Bistro at least three times a week, and has been coming since the beginning.

Jeff Groves, adopted family member to the bistro crew, and elected “mayor” of the morning set, is an artist, contributor to the restaurant’s eclectic décor and director of the morning’s light banter.

“It serves a similar function to what a church community might find, except we worship Saint Gustibus,” he said with a shy smile over a plate of lamb loin with Panzanella ($9.50).

The glowy-golden windowed entrance, and a luscious backroom filled with deep reds and dark browns, envelope customers in comfort. A funky mix of Americana and classic art adorn every square inch of the textured walls, and sharp angles lead seamlessly from one room to the next.

Though Rastetter’s famous scones and pastries often first capture customers at eye level, a closer look at Water Street Bistro’s informal chalkboard displays the true genius behind the scenes. Daily handmade specials, seasonal salads and welcoming meals are bountiful and well priced.

Water Street Bistro is not just an innovative slow-food establishment, it’s a place where local residents – from all walks of life – slow down to enjoy each other.