Elegant date night dining downtown

Seared and Le Bistro offer culinary romance for a tasty night out|

Petaluma has a variety of restaurants offering diverse menus and styles for fine dining, many of which are perfect for holiday dinners and those upcoming Valentine’s Day date nights. Two of the best are Seared, a newly opened steak and seafood house; and Le Bistro, a long established restaurant offering classic French fare.

Seared is located in the heart of downtown Petaluma at 170 Petaluma Blvd. North. It is the culmination of the vision of local restaurateur Ken O’Donnell, who has operated McNear’s Saloon for 25 years, and his business partners Jeff Inglin and Kent Armbright. When this space, formerly occupied by Graziano’s, became available, he felt the opportunity was right to open a premium steak and seafood house in town.

The executive chef at Seared is O’Donnell’s son, Joe. As a member of the Sonoma County Go Local Cooperative, Chef O’Donnell incorporates local farm fresh meats, seafood and produce into his many menu items. The menu itself is extensive, offering items “From the Sea,” “Farm and Fowl,” “Steaks” and “Small Ware” - assorted small plates and appetizers - as well as a number of ample shared side dishes. They run a full bar, offering a specialty cocktail menu featuring locally distilled spirits, Petaluma Gap wines and Petaluma brewed beers.

The floor is divided into a distinct bar area with crystal chandeliers, partitioned from the dining space by a short wall, creating a feeling of separation. The room is large and well lit, with high ceilings, brick walls and an open kitchen space so you can watch the chefs hard at work crafting the many steak and grill plates. What used to be a walk-in vodka bar in the front of the house is now a wine cellar and meat locker. The atmosphere is warm and bustling, full of happy diners and congenial bar parties. But while the room can get loud, the acoustics allow you to be easily heard at your own table. The overall feel is of an upscale “big boy” restaurant, where adults can go for a delicious and comfortably relaxed night out.

The menu features meats that have been seared at 1,200 degrees and then finished at 900 degrees - probably not something you can replicate at home. Our server, Michael, was very attentive and extremely knowledgeable about all of the menu items. The menu is pricey, but not over the top for what would be expected at a fine steak house - entrees ranged in price from $16 for a cheeseburger to $70 for the “El Jefe,” a 32 oz. dry aged bone-in rib eye steak; prime rib is also available Friday through Sunday from $28 to $40 a cut.

All of the dishes we sampled were excellent. We started with a plate of fresh local oysters and I had a sazerac cocktail, which is an old school blend of rye whiskey, bitters and absinthe. My husband ordered the prime rib, my teenage daughter ordered the hamburger and I had the breast of Liberty Farms duck. Each was generously sized and done according to our specifications. Each came with delectable sides as well as the entrées, and was delicious. And even though the dining room was full to overflowing that night, our dishes came to us hot and promptly.

In contrast, the small and intimate Le Bistro offers a markedly different atmosphere. Located in the 300 block on much quieter Petaluma Boulevard South, Le Bistro has been owned and operated by chef Corey Basso for 27 years.

Basso, who first experienced Petaluma while a student at Sonoma State University, was classically trained in French culinary techniques at the California Culinary Academy. After working for a few years in San Francisco, he found an opportunity to return to the North Bay when the Le Bistro space became available, and has plied his considerable skills from there ever since.

Le Bistro contains only nine tables and a small five-seat bar. The room is low lit and decorated in darker colors with European poster art, lending a continental and tranquil atmosphere to the room. The kitchen here is also open, and Chef Basso, who works with a quiet perfection, can be seen producing every dish that comes out. The wait staff of three handles the diners’ needs, tag-teaming each other to make sure diners are well attended. Our servers were each very knowledgeable in all of the dishes on the menu, offering suggestions based on each diner’s preferences.

Basso has created an establishment that fits his vision - he wanted “a small place that I could run myself, doing what I was trained to do.”

He enjoys making classic french sauces, which are included in all of his dishes. He notes that when he started in Petaluma, there was an abundance of Italian restaurants. He thought bringing in French cuisine would be a welcome addition to the dining scene. He appears to have been right, since his longevity in a volatile industry speaks for itself.

He sources locally for his ingredients when he can, shopping from local farmers markets and vendors for breads, meats, fish and produce.

But he says that some of his well-established dishes require ingredients that are not seasonally available here and for those he needs to shop in other markets. His menu changes only a little, featuring a fresh fish of the day and other small changes, but he says “many of my customers have ordered the same items for years.”

Desserts are also well established, with a changing weekly chocolate feature.

The Le Bistro menu offers soups made daily, salads and eight entrées, each dressed with a classic French sauce.

Prices for entrées range from $13.75 for linguine to $29 for filet mignon with jumbo tiger prawns.

Desserts are all made by Basso on site, with the exception of the gelato torte, which is made by a bakery in Marin. Wines are European or Californian and are available by the glass or bottle. They are moderately priced at no more than $8 a glass, and no more than $38 a bottle, with most bottles in the $25 to $35 range.

For starters, we shared an arugula and proscuitto salad with fresh lemon, shaved Grana Padano cheese and a Spanish sherry vinaigrette. For dinner, we sampled the pan roasted parmesan crusted tiger prawns served on potato medallions with a champagne pesto sauce, and the grilled lamb tenderloin with fresh rosemary and a port wine reduction.

For dessert we shared a chocolate pot de creme with glasses of port. Each dish was just as delicious as it sounds. Dinner was relaxed and the ambiance of the room encouraged lingering over each dish. There is good reason why Le Bistro has been in business for 27 years.

Depending on which atmosphere you are looking for, and at which end of downtown Petaluma you find yourself, either Le Bistro or Seared offers a wonderful opportunity for fine romantic dining in Petaluma.

(Contact Lynn Haggerty King at argus@arguscouri er.com)

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