Street Social and Barber Cellars pairing wows diners

It is rare when a booze-paired dinner does not catch my attention. Even though I am not a big drinker, with so many great local chefs and wine, beer and spirit makers in and around Petaluma, we are more inclined to sign up than not.

This has worked out to great effect, producing some truly wonderful dining experiences. So when we saw Street Social announce a recent collaboration with Barber Cellars, we only had to check the calendar to see what other less-important event we were going to have to postpone. As luck would have it, we were just returning to town just prior to the Oct. 22 dinner, and were able to get in on what was, not surprisingly, a great meal.

For those who are hearing the name Street Social for the first time, they are a relatively new restaurant. Started by the husband/wife team of Chef Jevon Martin and Marjorie Pier at the end of 2019, they took over the small space previously occupied by Twisted 2 in the Lan Mart Building (29 F Petaluma Blvd. N.).

This landmark is best known along downtown’s Petaluma Boulevard as the home of Old Chicago Pizza on the second floor and the year-round Christmas store, Marisa's Fantasia, on the ground floor. It also has a unique breezeway allowing foot traffic from The Boulevard to Kentucky Street through the center of the building, which more than one person has compared to old-town European architecture.

For those who missed the opportunity to visit Twisted 2, there is a reason why Street Social is affectionately called “Twisted 3” around our house. Over the half-dozen meals we have enjoyed both in the dining room and for take-out, Street Social has thoroughly impressed us with fresh and creative flavors. Street Social never set out to fill Twisted 2’s shoes, and yet they are making their mark on the Petaluma food scene with local flavors that remind many of us of other meals we enjoyed at this location over the past decade. And although nobody could acquire or present wine quite like former owner Dick Warner, Marjorie’s selection mixes things up and introduced us to wineries and varietals we had never tried before.

Even without the 10% discount offered to Barber Cellars wine club member, the full-price of $100 for our three-course meal would have been a bargain, because the prix-fixe meal for two included two bottles of Barber wine. The first was the 2018 “Rougissant” Keller Vineyards Pinot Gris, which was a special treat as it is in such small supply that it is no longer available for purchase. The second bottle was Barber’s newest offering – 2018 “Gray Haven” Mariani Vineyard Pinot Noir, which normally sells for $50 direct from the tasting room or online. With $80 in wine, the meal was almost “free,” especially considering the wine club price of $90.

We chose to order our dinner for pickup, which is surprisingly civilized, considering where the restaurant is located. Because we were serving ourselves at home, dinner started with a chilled glass of the Rougissant as we opened and unpacked the to-go boxes.

First plated was the autumn chicories salad. Several familiar leafed veggies fall into the chicory family, include endives and radicchio. So, although the salad looked beautiful, my first reaction to radicchio is to prepare for the worst: bitterness. However, that was not the case with this salad, which also included Medjool dates, Point Reyes Blue, California pistachios and Dijon vinaigrette. The flavor was surprisingly smooth, making it one of the better salads I have had recently.

The main event was the red-wine braised bone-in beef short rib, which was so tender that it fell off the bone. But it was the veggies that really surprised me. They were pearl barley with parsley salsa verde and roasted root vegetables. Fourth in overall grain production, after wheat, rice and corn, barley is a fiber-rich grain with a slightly nutty flavor. It also has a pleasant balance between firm yet chewy texture making it one of our favorite soup and stew bases. In recent years many restaurants have started using barley in place of standard veggie sides, like potatoes and rice, which we quite enjoy because when done right, it has a nice flavor on its own while also absorbing the flavors of whatever is added to it. And Chef Jevon’s barley was done right.

The main was paired with Barber Cellars’ newest pinot noir offering. Described on the website as a “light, elegant pinot noir with silky blueberry and forest floor flavors,” Barber only produced 75 cases of this “Grey Haven” wine.

Dinner finished out with a savory brown butter pound cake with spiced apple compote and whipped crème fraiche, which went well with both wines.

We would have preferred to dine-in for a collaboration dinner like this, because of the usual interaction and education with both the chef and the winemaker. However, due to the pandemic this is not possible, but we are happy to report that the meal was still a unique experience, even if held in our dining room.

One of the main similarities to Twisted 2 that always comes to mind since Street Social’s opened is the treatment of veggies. I always taste everything, in order to get the full picture of what a chef had in mind when prepping a dish, but am primarily focused on meat and dessert. That said, I always looked forward to the veggie sides when we used to dine at Twisted 2. I feel the same about Street Social.

During this most recent dinner, the excellent veggie preparation should have been all I needed to know that the vegetarian collaboration dinner was going to be a hit, too. I guess I just was not brave enough to jump on board, much to my disappointment now that I have read rave reviews, even from dyed-in-the-wool meat eaters.

Dinner started with the opening of the Barber Cellars La Lune 2018 Alexander Valley Sauvignon Blanc as a simple gem salad with watermelon radish, fresh herbs, Sumac and rose balsamic vinaigrette was delivered to the table.

Next up was roasted butternut squash soup with house made ricotta, smoked vadouvan honey and toasted seeds. The main dish followed, a celery root steak with Au Poivre sauce, over farro pilaf with shitake mushrooms, and was again paired with Barber Cellars’ 2018 “Gray Haven” 2018 Mariani Vineyard Pinot Noir. Dessert was apple dumplings with brown butter cognac sauce, topped with whipped crème fraiche.

“I thought the celery root steak was well imagined and excellently executed,” said diner Domenica Giovannini. “I had never had it prepared that way before and everything was on point including the seasonings that brought out its unique flavor. A bit of celery root and a mushroom was the perfect bite. The wine by the way paired perfectly with it.”

The next collaboration dinner is already in the planning stages with Clemence Lelarge-Pugeot, who is not only the sommelier at the Shuckery but whose family owns the Champagne Lelarge-Pugeot winery in France. Producing both champagne and still wine, Marjorie hopes to incorporate both into the upcoming dinner. The date is not yet set but will likely be in early December so keep an eye out on social media. We will certainly be on the list for this dinner.

While preparing for their next collaboration, Street Social continues the regular weekend dinners and special “Chef’s Table” reservations.

“The positive responses have been truly amazing,” Marjorie said. “We are grateful to live in such a supportive community.”

Street Social’s Chef’s Table is currently available for booking in November online at street.social, where current hours and menus are listed and take-out orders can also be placed.

“My husband and I had an amazing experience at the Saturday Chef's table at Street Social last night,” Erin Flores posted to Facebook. “Some of the best fried chicken and biscuits we've ever had. These pictures barely do it justice. I woke up still thinking about our meal last night. We've been to the chef's table on Saturdays a few times, and everything that's put on the table is exquisite.”

When I first wrote about Street Social at the beginning of 2020, they had clearly started off on the right foot and so I was looking forward to seeing what they would come up with once they reached full stride. Even through the pandemic, Street Social has created one-of-a-kind dining experiences.