Petaluma’s Drawing Board keeps it fresh

After parting ways with her founding chef, Drawing Board owner Rosie Wiggins literally went back to the drawing board to reshape her menu and rejuvenate her staff. However, the core values which led her to the concept for the Drawing Board are ever present, which is how this barely year-old restaurant can take on an ageless feel, as if it has always been a part of Petaluma’s downtown culture.

It was serendipity that Chef Kevin Katsolis came onto the scene exactly when the Drawing Board needed him, and with precisely the attitude and chops required to keep its young, yet hard won reputation intact.

“He prepared a faro and mussel dish that blew me away,” says Rosie of Katsolis’s interview. A former chef at The Bywater in Los Gatos, run by Michelin starred chef, David Kinch, Katsolis has trained under the best.

From menu changes to drink specials, everything is collaborative at the Drawing Board.

“We have an actual drawing board in the kitchen,” continues Rosie. “There are no egos in our kitchen or behind the bar. If someone comes up with a good idea, the whole team is supportive.”

Everything works, providing guests a vibrant, relaxing atmosphere.

We were fortunate enough to recently try most of the menu, which included many new items, as well as old favorites.

“I never say never, but there are certain items that will always be on the menu,” says Rosie about items such as the Carrot Lox, which even as a vegan dish, is one we order every visit. Another crowd favorite is the Chickpea Fries, with serrano crema, which along with many other menu items, is gluten free.

Often a menu modification presents as many misses as hits, but each unfamiliar dish we tried seemed to be better than the last. We started with the Black Garlic Ghee and Bread, which is basically the best clarified butter you have ever had. This is topped with fermented black garlic, which is all the rave right now. The accompanying warm sourdough, from Revolution Bakery, makes this anything but your standard bread and butter starter.

As we have come to expect from the Drawing Board, everything was excellent, but we returned the following night for two dishes in particular because they were truly spectacular. The firefighter in my crew proclaimed the meatballs to be the best he has ever had. Served over long-stewed tomatoes and covered in dandelion gremolata, we could not resist ordering a second batch.

Then came the coup de grâce. I am not a huge fan of veggies, but Rosie’s Roasted Rainbow Florets mixed with fish sauce, mint, cilantro and togarashi puffed rice, left me speechless.

I have so much faith in what Rosie is doing that I order meatless dishes at the Drawing Board without hesitation. If all vegetarian dishes tasted as good as their Black Garlic Ghee and Bread, Carrot Lox, Mushroom Bisque Winter Soup, and Roasted Rainbow Florets, I might seriously consider partaking in “meatless Mondays,” so long as they are always held at the Drawing Board.

For meat lovers, the Drawing Board knows their way around Korean spiced chicken skewers, beef sliders, and brisket tacos. And their Applewood smoked bacon and free-range organic grilled chicken are the perfect add-ons for the Benny of the Day, Breakfast Sandwich, Buckwheat Pancakes and Brunch Tacos, offered on the weekends.

The Drawing Board has several specials that are quickly gaining recognition among downtown foodies. The first is their weekend brunch, available with a bottomless mimosa. Another is “Wine Sunday,” with half-off all wine by the glass from 4 p.m. until close. A third is “TDB’s Happiest Hours,” which run from 4 to 6 p.m., plus the last kitchen hour of each night, Tuesday through Sunday.

Rosie credits the Drawing Board’s growing success to her staff. Although, it is her masterful job of finding the right people for the right position, which gives them the room and encouragement to explore their passions. Whether it is the general manager Anne Choe, bar manager Jenn Moonbrick, or Chef Kevin Katsolis, they have each taken a level of ownership that is rare to see in a restaurant these days. This helps explain the consistently great service, even when the menus are anything but constant, trying to catch the seasons’ ever changing moods.

In regard to the ever changing seasons, the Drawing Board has plans for an ultra farm fresh weekly prix fix dining option shortly. “Local seasonal offerings change weekly, not quarterly,” says Rosie. If you want to taste the season, this will be the way to do it.

Rosie jokes that even when people mistakenly call the restaurant “TBD,” that actually is not that far from the truth. When it comes to hyper seasonal fare, everything is either “to be determined” or currently on “the drawing board,” so always in a state of flux. This lends itself well to the Drawing Board’s new menu, which is simplified and easier to understand than in the past. Instead of a stale menu that goes on and on, Rosie and her staff have recreated one which offers a plethora of options as items come in and out of season.