Hallie’s Diner in Petaluma is worth the wait
Despite ownership changes at Hallie’s in Petaluma, the little diner remains beloved in the hearts and stomachs of locals and visitors alike.
Since day one, roughly 20 years ago, Hallie’s has been a hometown favorite. Clay and Ann Stark named the diner after their daughter Hallie, who as a young child used to sleep inside the glass display case at the front end of the counter. Jenn (Braga) Cromwell joined the crew roughly 16 years ago, after working for a decade at Petaluma’s famed Marvin’s. Two years after joining Hallie’s, Chris and Louie Tsamoudakis took over and were daily fixtures until the recent sale to Jenn and her parents, Nancy and Jim Braga.
Thanks to Mark Gerhard on Facebook, I learned that Hallie’s was on the brink of being sold to some investors from L.A., who were affiliated with Panda Express. We may never know just how close we came to losing our beloved Hallie’s, but thankfully for Petaluma, some of the investors fell out and Jenn and her parents stepped in.
“This place is all about the people,” Jenn said. “We are so glad to be able to keep the same staff and serve the same customers as we have for so long. It’s as if I get to visit with family every day.”
Jenn and her parents have only made a couple small changes, but nothing that would disrupt the regulars. In deference to supporting other local businesses, Hallie’s now stocks only Clover Sonoma for all their dairy products, from milk to cheese to sour cream. They have also started offering English Muffins, whose absence from the menu all these years has grown into a bit of a running joke among patrons.
The Braga’s have a long history on the local food scene, both employed with food distribution companies as well as running their own catering company.
“My sister Erin and I used to spend a lot time in the kitchen peeling carrots,” said Jenn about helping her parents every weekend with catering jobs. “I look forward to having my kids help at the restaurant because I want them to learn the same great work ethic that my parents taught me.”
Nancy and Jim have partially emerged from retirement to help Jenn run the restaurant. Nancy helps with a lot of the behind the scenes organization while Jim is in the kitchen for a couple of hours each day keeping up on inventory and creating the specials menu.
I visited on a consecutive Saturday and Sunday afternoon, having only recently discovered that Hallie’s serves lunch. “On the weekends, just about everyone orders breakfast,” Jenn said. “But during the week, we get quite a few people who meet here for lunch.”
As Jenn and our server Karen both proclaimed the Reuben to be one of their favorites, I may as well start there. Hallie’s kitchen bakes the brisket themselves in house, and it is excellent. The lean corned beef, along with sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Reuben sauce are wedged between grilled rye bread, sourced from Basque Boulangerie Café, which is the second iteration of the Sonoma French Bakery, started on the Sonoma Square in 1956.
Because it would be unfair to assess a chef’s dish if I’ve asked to leave things off, I refrain from doing so when researching articles. For this reason, I crossed my fingers and hoped that the mushrooms in the sauce would not be detrimental to what would normally be one of my favorite comfort foods - meatloaf. Not only was the house-made meatloaf incredible, but the marsala and mushroom cream sauce takes this dish to a whole other level.
In fact, it was so good that I immediately regretted how big my initial mouthful was because within moments of that first bite, I knew I wanted to save the meatloaf for later, away from the prying forks of my fellow diners. When eating both dishes later, I devoured the Reuben first, and saved the meatloaf madness for “dessert.”
I would not normally order tacos, especially at a diner, because I do not usually like all the garnish that comes with them. I prefer my tacos with just meat and cheese. But having never tried Hallie’s before, we added Steak Tacos to our order. I know that “build your own” is not a new concept, but nonetheless really appreciate that Hallie’s serves their tacos clean and lets patrons do as they please with the included cheese, sour cream, and two salsas. Left to choose quantities for myself, I actually tried something new and added a bit of both salsas to my tacos, and loved it. These are the same two salsas, one savory and one fruit, that come with the ever-popular Latin inspired breakfasts.
When the question of which dishes should not be missed was posted to the Petaluma Foodies Facebook group, it appeared that favorites emerged. That was until I reviewed the menu and saw that diners seem to like everything on the menu, from the Maya Tipico, to the French Toast to the Salmon Scramble, and that was before we even discussed the lunch menu, which included honorable mentions for the Tuna Melt, Grilled Ham and Cheese, Chicken Quesadilla, and last but certainly not least, the BLT.
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