Barbecue that gives back in Petaluma

I never tire of food fundraisers, especially barbecue dinner fundraisers. This goes double for fundraisers put on by Lombardi’s, which is just what Boy Scout Troop 8 is offering with a drive-thru barbecue dinner on Friday, May 7, with pickup at Petaluma Church of Christ from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. (570 Sonoma Mountain Parkway). The meal for four is just $55 and comes with your choice of meat (tri-tip or pork ribs) and a side of beans, salad and bread. Visit troop8-petaluma.square.site to place an order.

While on the topic of barbecue fundraisers, after a year off due to COVID, the Ribs for Kids rib competition is back, but this time as a drive-thru fundraiser. The event is organized by the Active 20-30 Club and will be held Sunday, May 16, with pick-up from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Kenilworth Drive side of the front parking lot at the Petaluma Fairgrounds (technically called the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds). Meals include a rack of ribs and sides to feed four for $50, with additional racks for $25 each. You can also opt to donate a meal to a local family in need, donate towards “take a kid back to school shopping” and donate to sponsor a scholarship, all which go to help kids in need in our community. They will even do their best to select sides for you based on gluten-free, dairy-free and nut allergy dietary restrictions. They are still accepting competitors too, until May 1. Visit petaluma2030.org for competition and ordering information.

And don’t forget that through April 30, Barber Cellar and Barber Lee Spirits is offering a special “sip and donate” with a portion of each bottle’s sales going to help the Active 20-30 Club. Select “Petaluma Active 20-30” at checkout for them to receive the donation.

Grand Central Café

Grand Central Café has announced its late spring/early summer pop-up schedule, which starts with this Saturday, April 24. Future pop-ups will be held on May 8 and June 26, all from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Stop in to shop and then sit and relax with a cup of coffee, lunch or an ice cream bar while viewing our beautiful downtown from the postcard-perfect promenade. This week’s pop-up will just have Chef Brenda of Trade Secret Chef, which is all I need for a relaxing weekend lunch. The May 8 pop-up will be a specially pre-Mother’s Day-themed event with plenty of mother-centric gift vendors. June 26 will be Flamenco Night with flamenco dancers and music, along with the Paella Guy, as well as Chef Brenda offering up side dishes and other food. Finally, GCC owner Natalie Vinueza just let me know that she plans to collaborate with Relax and Eat Bread for Friday pizza nights throughout the summer. We have baked our own pizzas using Relax and Eat Bread’s pre-made pizza dough and it was excellent, so we are excited to see what they top their own pizzas with. Stay tuned to their social media pages for more info.

Zimi opens

Zimi, the new wood-fired pizza joint at the Block – Petaluma has finally opened, and to much praise, with dinner on April 15 and a grand opening Tuesday, April 20. Owner Dino Moniodis (of Dino’s Greek Food Truck) promises that he will be getting creative with the wood-fired oven beyond just making pizzas. We can’t wait to see him announce that they are smoking lamb chops. In the meantime, Dino is already thinking outside the (pizza) box with Zimi’s “Perseus.” This is their house-made Cesar salad with romaine, parmesan, croutons, white anchovies, lemon juice and Harissa hot sauce, all atop flatbread baked with garlic oil and oregano.

Back with more Chili

Chili Joe’s would be celebrating its third birthday if not for the pandemic. However, its owners took to social media to let their fans know that they plan to reopen sometime after June 1, when co-owner and local teacher Wendy Taylor’s school year comes to an end. They are looking for line cooks and will need at least one prior to re-opening. I certainly cannot wait for their reopening as they have one of my favorite lunches of all time: New MexiJoe burger, Frito pie, jalapeno slaw, a small bowl of chili and a tall cool Shiner Bock or Köstritzer Schwarzbier to wash it all down.

Vertical port release

Sonoma Port Works is currently offering its first “vertical” release of their ARIS Petite Sirah ports. One of the best non-Portuguese ports we’ve found, “each vintage is aged five to six years in oak barrels” right here in Petaluma. This “vertical” will give port lovers the opportunity to “taste and compare our 2013, 2014 and 2015 vintages side by side.” Visit portworks.com or the 613 2nd St. location for outdoor tastings Thursday through Monday, from noon to 5 p.m. Reservations are required.

Get your jam on

LALA’s Jam Bar is again offering Sunday jam-making classes, with proper safety precautions, of course. “Jam Making 101” is either reserved for one or two people from the same household for $40 per person, or two adults and up to three children from the same family group for $89. Each guest will learn the basics of jam making, including LALA’s tried and true tips to make jam making simple and easy. Each guest will also receive a jar of jam to enjoy at home. April’s Sundays booked up fast but there is still available for most May dates. lalasjams.com

Talking salad

This is not a topic I would normally bring up, although I do enjoy plenty of salads (potato salad, macaroni salad, seafood salad, etc.). However, when the subject of wedge and protein salads came up on social media recently, it seemed like the perfect time of year to explore Petaluma’s options.

The first request for information came from Mary Beth Bride Leland, who was specifically looking for salads with protein. She posted to the Petaluma Facebook community, and with her permission, we re-posted to the Petaluma Foodies page.

Veggie protein salads

“I have a very specific local salad question. Random, I know. I like my salads to have some veggie protein — beans, chickpeas, tofu, chopped up veggie burger, etc. I have found a few killer salads around town. I’m interested in creative use of veggies, more than your iceberg lettuce and tomatoes salad (which is great for a side, but I’m talking a hearty meal with creativity and variety). And it’s got to have some veggie protein, which so far rules out all of the Italian places (I’d love to be wrong about that! Is there an Italian restaurant with a salad with some vegetarian protein on it?).”

Mary Beth continued with a list of some of her current favorites, including April Pantry’s Harvest Bowl, McNear’s Cobb Salad, Speakeasy’s Hearty Salad and all the salads from Stockhome, especially when falafel or chickpeas are added.

The recommendations started flooding in with the first one from Oscar Ventanilla who mentioned the beet salad at the Station House, with a side of cauliflower nuggets and fried oysters. (The Station House has recently moved back to their original location at 11285 Highway 1, Point Reyes Station.) Other suggestions included Patty Manning Deaton’s for the poke bowls at Aloh-O in the Kohl’s shopping center; Sean Mudcat Parnell’s for Bianchinis, with something like six toppings, plus the option of chicken or steak and “fantastic” dressings; and several folks chimed in for Wild Goat Bistro.

Robyne Anne Hilton mentioned that, “Lunchette salads are jammed-packed with protein and fresh veggies.” Meara Day Williams agreed, “Salads and bowls both have great, creative veggie protein ingredients —and the flavors are amazing!”

Last, although it is animal and not meat protein, Sugo Trattoria has a salad that even this carnavore can get behind: the grilled filet mignon salad (gluten-free), with gorgonzola, roasted potatoes, zucchini, red peppers, tomato, red onion, mixed greens and balsamic vinaigrette.

Wedge salad

Shortly after the request for protein salads came one for wedge salads. There were a few recommendations that came as no surprise, including Rosen’s 256 North, Pub Republic and Seared. A couple on the outskirts of town include Dinucci’s in Valley Ford and Rancho Nicasio, which uses Point Reyes blue cheese dressing,

I did not realize that pizza joints are known for wedge salads, but three of Petaluma’s favorite pizza restaurants ranked pretty high on the list too. Although not currently on the menu, it is rumor that Mary’s Pizza Shack will make theirs upon special request. Old Chicago Pizza also got a lot of positive nods. But just down the hall from OCP, on the Kentucky Street side of the Lan Mart building, the biggest praise for a wedge salad in Petaluma seemed to go to Brixx Pizzeria. Clara FarncoWeis posted, “the blue cheese dressing and bacon is the best.”