Lovin' Lombardi's

<p>It's not just the readers of the Argus-Courier and Petaluma360.com that think Lombardi's Gourmet Deli and BBQ is the best of both worlds – best deli <i>and </i>best barbecue. Neighbors of Lombardi's find the eatery just as delicious. And perhaps just a little too convenient.</p><p>Chuck Steed, store manager at Herb's Pool Service next door to Lombardi's, tries to limit his barbecue intake to once a week.</p><p>“But it ain't easy,” he confesses, “when you're smelling good food cooking and you're just ten steps away. It starts at 9:30 with the chicken, then at 10:30 it's the tri-tip, and about 1 p.m. it may be the salmon. But you can be as healthy or as naughty as you want to be. I usually go for naughty. I love their baby-back ribs and the asiago pasta salad.”</p><p>And Elly Lichenstein of the venerable Cinnabar Theater across the street gives a standing ovation to their smokin' good neighbor.</p><p>“We practically live there,” says Lichenstein. “We have opera singers from all over the country that can't wait to get their mouths around their deli sandwiches. And the ribs are always a treat for those times when we've put in way too much overtime mounting a play. We are big Lombardi's fans!”</p><p>Talk about your good neighbor policy.</p><p>“We're really excited about winning ‘best of,'” says Scott Nelson, who has been co-owner (with Lee Lombardi) for the past eight of its 10 years, and who notes that about half of Lombardi's business is devoted to catering.</p><p>When you strive to be the best at anything, chances are it takes a lot of work to reach that level. Nelson is no exception. His workday begins at 6 a.m. – the regular crew joins him an hour later when the barbecue grills are fired up – and he doesn't usually leave until 5 p.m. As you can imagine, there's a lot to be done before the hungry hordes start stampeding in for lunch as early as 10 a.m. when the five mesquite-burning grills are in full-flame. </p><p>“Our grills are handmade by Oliver Shirley, a local welder, from recycled scrap metal,” says Nelson.</p><p>“Local” is as key a word here as “fresh.” </p><p>“We use as many local suppliers as possible,” says Nelson. That means “meats from Santa Rosa, fresh-caught crab from Bodega Bay, vegetables from down the road ... And our homemade pasta, macaroni and potato salads are all made right here in Petaluma, at John Hooker's Gourmet Salads, which we also own.”</p><p>If you prefer a slathering of sweet-spicy sauce to mask near-cremated meat, Lombardi's is not the place for you. The chicken breast and baby-back ribs, for instance, couldn't be better – they're succulent and delicious. There's little need for the cup of barbecue sauce that comes on the side – why mess with perfection? </p><p>Lombardi's is a winner!</p><p>It's not just the readers of the Argus-Courier and Petaluma360.com that think Lombardi's Gourmet Deli and BBQ is the best of both worlds – best deli <i>and </i>best barbecue. Neighbors of Lombardi's find the eatery just as delicious. And perhaps just a little too convenient.</p><p>Chuck Steed, store manager at Herb's Pool Service next door to Lombardi's, tries to limit his barbecue intake to once a week.</p><p>“But it ain't easy,” he confesses, “when you're smelling good food cooking and you're just ten steps away. It starts at 9:30 with the chicken, then at 10:30 it's the tri-tip, and about 1 p.m. it may be the salmon. But you can be as healthy or as naughty as you want to be. I usually go for naughty. I love their baby-back ribs and the asiago pasta salad.”</p><p>And Elly Lichenstein of the venerable Cinnabar Theater across the street gives a standing ovation to their smokin' good neighbor.</p><p>“We practically live there,” says Lichenstein. “We have opera singers from all over the country that can't wait to get their mouths around their deli sandwiches. And the ribs are always a treat for those times when we've put in way too much overtime mounting a play. We are big Lombardi's fans!”</p><p>Talk about your good neighbor policy.</p><p>“We're really excited about winning ‘best of,'” says Scott Nelson, who has been co-owner (with Lee Lombardi) for the past eight of its 10 years, and who notes that about half of Lombardi's business is devoted to catering.</p><p>When you strive to be the best at anything, chances are it takes a lot of work to reach that level. Nelson is no exception. His workday begins at 6 a.m. – the regular crew joins him an hour later when the barbecue grills are fired up – and he doesn't usually leave until 5 p.m. As you can imagine, there's a lot to be done before the hungry hordes start stampeding in for lunch as early as 10 a.m. when the five mesquite-burning grills are in full-flame. </p><p>“Our grills are handmade by Oliver Shirley, a local welder, from recycled scrap metal,” says Nelson.</p><p>“Local” is as key a word here as “fresh.” </p><p>“We use as many local suppliers as possible,” says Nelson. That means “meats from Santa Rosa, fresh-caught crab from Bodega Bay, vegetables from down the road ... And our homemade pasta, macaroni and potato salads are all made right here in Petaluma, at John Hooker's Gourmet Salads, which we also own.”</p><p>If you prefer a slathering of sweet-spicy sauce to mask near-cremated meat, Lombardi's is not the place for you. The chicken breast and baby-back ribs, for instance, couldn't be better – they're succulent and delicious. There's little need for the cup of barbecue sauce that comes on the side – why mess with perfection? </p><p>Lombardi's is a winner!</p>