Brewsters Beer Garden plans for fall opening

Brewster’s Beer Garden is quickly taking shape, and beer, wine and barbecue lovers seem to be restless with anticipation. Whenever I’m out and about wearing one of my many Petaluma Hills Brewing Company T-shirts, the most common question I get is “When is Brewster’s opening?”

Clearly, Petaluma is excited for its first and only beer garden, on Petaluma Boulevard, just north of Washington Street. Coincidentally, Petaluma Hills is creating a special house brew that will only be available at Brewster’s and according to co-owner Chris Beerman (yes, that is really his name), it will always be available at a discounted price.

For those who are wondering, this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Brewster’s commitment to stay well-grounded and connected to the community.

I was lucky enough to spend a couple of hours with Beerman, touring the construction site and picking his brain as to what the final plan is, how the menu was going, and when we can expect to be relaxing around the fire pit, sipping pints in front of the stage, and tossing bocce balls in their newly built court.

Mid-November is their target opening date, and it looks like it is going to be an instant success. I have visited beer gardens throughout Europe, and the one common denominator is that nothing is rushed. Order one beer or ten, food or no food - it doesn’t matter because nobody is going to rush you to leave. It is all about enjoying the company of friends and family in a relaxed setting.

But Beerman and gang are adding the California twist by ensuring that guests will also be able to partake of the culinary bounty that abounds throughout our region.

Ranch tours

Stemple Creek Ranch hosts two special events next weekend, but both are likely to sell out quickly.

On Saturday, Sept. 17 from noon to 3 p.m., Stemple Creek will hold their annual open house and barbecue. With two young children of their own, owners Loren and Lisa Poncia will serve up delicious Stemple Creek burgers along with a kid-friendly guided tour of the ranch. Guests will be able to buy meat directly from the ranch, so bring your coolers.

The next day, Sept. 18, from 1:30 to 4 p.m., the Marin Agricultural Land Trust presents its Carbon Cowboys Tour. In the Wild West of climate change, Marin ranchers are leading the way by being part of the solution. See how Stemple Creek balances both innovative, as well as time-honored practices to grow more grass, retain soil moisture and capture carbon in order to adapt to changing weather patterns.

Tickets for both tours, as well as over-night meat order delivery, are available at www.stemplecreek.com.

Cheesemaker night

Barber Cellar’s Cheesemaker Night has returned. On Friday, Sept. 23, starting at 6 p.m., guests will learn about and taste the legendary Sonoma County cheese of Laura Chenel’s. The focus of this Cheesemaker Night will be Laura Chenel’s Loire Valley-inspired artisanal goat cheeses, such as their ash rind buchette and soft ripened cheeses. Tickets are available at www.barbercellars.com.

Sausage of the month

Yanni’s Sausages has already started grilling their Sausage Sandwich of the Month for September. Aptly named the Mona Lisa, it is a true work of art. As always, sitting atop bread from Full Circle Bakery, Yanni’s covers their hot Italian sausage with basil Parmesan pesto and red chili blackberry glaze.

Della dinners on hold

After a successful couple of months of Friday through Sunday dinner service, Della Fattoria is putting dinners on hold while they finish a few special events out at their ranch. For those new to Della, they bake their bread in wood-fired ovens just north of downtown Petaluma on Skillman Lane.

Della’s periodic one-of-a-kind ranch dinners are legendary around these parts, and their unique overnight accommodations are popular with visitors and locals. The ranch is also available for private rentals, such as weddings. I highly recommend joining their mailing list, not only so you’ll be the first to hear about special events out on the ranch, but also so you’ll be first in line once they start up their dinner service again.

We were delighted with Chef Weber’s incredible creations over the past two months and will now wait impatiently, mouths watering, to see and taste the new dinner menu.

Rafy’s Pizza

As I’ve stated in the past, when fellow foodie Amber Driscoll tells me about a restaurant, I take notice. She not only co-owns Speakeasy and The Big Easy, two of our favorite spots in town, but she and partner Roger Tschann are currently working on a new restaurant in Inverness.

Although not the biggest fan of Yelp, a quick check shows that Rafy’s Pizza has a huge following. When it comes to New York-style pizza, which is thin crust as opposed to Chicago’s deep dish, Rafy’s seems to be a crowd favorite. More than a few reviewers claim this is their favorite pizza outside of New York City.

Rafael, better known as Rafy, perfected his pizza skills all around NYC for over a decade before deciding to move his family to California. Now running the restaurant alongside his mother-in-law Nancy, their motto is “Inspired by New York, Perfect for California.”

Rafy’s pies have names like the Manhattan, the Coney Island, the Queens and the Park Avenue and are made on hand-made dough with fresh local ingredients. Rafy’s also offers sandwiches, salads, baked Ziti and garlic knots. Driscoll dines at Rafy’s regularly and informs me that along with all the other great choices, Rafy’s also offers vegan cheese and gluten-free crust.

New bakery

The CBC Café has opened its doors in Bovine Bakery’s old space. The CBC stands for Coffee, Bakery and Confectionary. The pickings are currently pretty slim, but that is understandable as the café gets its bearings.

Shuckery hiring

The Shuckery is currently hiring wait staff. Having now dined there three times in the past three weeks, we can attest to the fact that this is one establishment where diners are always in a festive mood.

Also, because co-owner Jazmine Lalicker is intimately involved with the restaurant, and is so knowledgeable about the aquaculture where she sources her seafood, employees will quickly learn the ins and outs of the seafood trade, which will surely make this more than just a job.

(Contact Houston Porter at houston@avant-larde.com.)