Going to McNear’s is for me like putting on a comfortable old sweater. Not fancy, but familiar. It’s just what I need when I want to relax, see friends and feel at home.
McNear’s restaurant was opened in 1987 by partners Jeff and Nancy Harriman and Bente Niles as a fine, white tablecloth style dining room. It didn’t do very well in that incarnation and in 1988 Ken O’Donnell was hired as the restaurant manager to help turn it around. O’Donnell suggested that they change their focus and go with a sports bar/pub model. The concept was that of a welcoming bar that offered good food. The offerings would be simple and basic, with some flourishes added in the form of daily lunch and dinner specials. It was the right decision, because McNear’s has been going strong ever since, with O’Donnell becoming a partner in the business in 1992.
According to Bente Niles and O’Donnell, they decided to acquire the adjacent Mystic Theatre in 1990, and in 1992, turned it into a music hall to compliment the restaurant. Up until that point, McNear’s had hosted live music only occasionally. This was also clearly the right decision, as the Mystic Theatre has become one of the premier music venues in the North Bay, hosting local bands as well as artists on national tours.
McNear’s serves lunch, dinner, appetizers and late night fare daily from a jam packed menu of “American food,” indoors in the dining rooms, sports bar and outside on the sidewalk patio. They can seat 225 patrons, and are open daily from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 a.m., serving food until 11 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday and until midnight Friday and Saturday.
McNear’s was for a long time one of the few places in Petaluma that you could get a good meal after a late night movie. According to Niles, they have remained successful all these years because the food is consistently good. And she relates that when there are popular sporting events on the TV, such as the current successful runs of the SF Giants and the Warriors, the bar will be packed.
Through it all, McNear’s has continued to serve basic pub fare for a reasonable price and to entertain all types of crowds. I have personally attended family events, sports teams’ parties, campaign parties and corporate meetings in the upstairs room. Downstairs, I have dined with family both when my children were small and now that they are grown, and met friends for a burger and to watch a game, or just to have a drink. My kids started going there for dinner with their own friends once they got to high school. The menu is varied enough to cater to all palates and changing tastes, at affordable prices. There is always something on the menu for everyone.
According to Niles, they employ more than 70 people in the restaurant. Some employees have worked there for a number of years, starting while in school and then coming back to work after earning their degrees. Bob the bartender has been a fixture behind the bar at McNear’s for more than 20 years, and Juan Santiago, the head server, has worked there for 25 years.
The restaurant is full of local color and artifacts that are particularly Petaluman. Unlike national chains, that try to replicate this patina with a corporate formula, the decor at McNear’s has grown organically over the many years that it has been open. It’s not fancy, but it sure is interesting.
One of the secrets about McNear’s is that they serve a fabulous brunch every Sunday morning starting at 9 a.m. When my kids were small, it was one of the places that we could go for a special brunch and not have to wait too long before being seated and having breakfast arrive. Now that everyone is older, I can still enjoy the brunch, but I get to linger and savor the meal longer with a delicious bloody mary.
On Mother’s Day every year, I treat myself to a McNear’s Eggs Benedict - this year I had the benedict, but instead of bacon, I substituted spinach. The eggs were perfectly poached, the spinach was tender, the English muffins under them nice and crisp, and the hollandaise sauce on top was divinely creamy and lemony.
My daughter and husband opted for the steak and eggs and reported that the steak was tender, nicely seasoned and cooked just right. The eggs were cooked just they way they ordered.
O’Donnell and his staff are in the process of retooling the brunch menu to offer more specialty items - they have developed a number of new recipes that will include various waffle, skillet and eggs benedict dishes, and plan on introducing them in about two weeks. And while you can get some basic breakfast items on Saturdays, you can only get brunch on Sunday morning.
(Contact Lynn Haggerty King at argus@arguscouri er.com)
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