The Block - Petaluma to brew Two Rock beer

Jackie Boy’s Barbecue is just one part of a COVID-inspired remodel at the Block – Petaluma. Along with spacing the seating and adding more outdoor tables, the Block has also acquired a full liquor license. Once permitting is complete, they will begin brewing their own beer under the name Two Rock. They have also added a second permanent food vendor to the lot.

Along with pizza from Firetrail, revelers can now enjoy what we discovered to be some excellent barbecue. The menu appears rather limited, but I imagine it will expand as business does. And from the taste of things, I see that expansion coming soon. Currently, they offer barbecue chicken and barbecue pork, in three taco options for each, plus a handful of sandwiches.

The Block owner Cody Hildreth’s mom, who is running Jackie Boy’s, asked if we had 10 minutes for a “re-do” as I had arrived late for my pickup order and she wanted it to be as fresh and hot as possible. We were in such a hurry that I even failed to catch her name, so had to decline but even 45 minutes later, once we were home and had the spread ready to go at our backyard table, the food was fantastic. Whether it was the Buffalo, Sweet and Spicy or Carolina Gold, all the house-made sauces were well-balanced for our palettes. The sauces, along with excellent bread and tortillas, enhanced instead of overwhelmed the smoky barbecue meats. We look forward to returning to conduct research for a full restaurant preview.

Tips and bites

Over concerns regarding the current spike in COVID cases, Street Social announced last Friday that they would go back to pick-up orders only. “A difficult decision, but in the abundance of caution we are closing our doors to dine-in again until further notice. … In the interest of keeping our staff, and guests safe we will be closed for dine in until further notice.” Street Socials incredible food and great wine special are still available for pre-order through their website – streetsocial.social.

Seared made a similar announcement on Sunday, only they will not be offering take-out for now. “Seared Petaluma, with a full and healthy staff, will be closing after dinner service this Sunday night. We want the staff to have time to take vacations while we redo our seating up and downstairs as well implement other safety measures. We do not feel the current ambiance matches the service and food we provide. We need to reconfigure a comfortable downstairs with new safety precautions. We will post news of our reopening date depending on the local and national updates. Be safe and we will see you soon with a new seasonal menu featuring to-go, indoor and outdoor dining”

Co-owner and head chef Joe O’Donnell reached out personally to assure me that their staff is healthy and this, their third closure since the pandemic began, will help them better prepare for possible future regulations. Instead of trying to throw together a quick fix and jam in as many patrons as possible (while maintaining proper social distancing, of course), Seared wants to come up with a long-term plan that will truly reflect and compliment their great food, service and bar.

Sugo has shut down temporarily after a staff member was exposed to COVID-19 (This corrects a previous error that said the employee tested postive for the virus). The popular Italian eatery, with its pillowy gnocchi, will be back in action as soon as it is safe to resume operations.

Contrary to what the sign in the window stated, Maguire’s is not closed, and has in fact just reopened after a remodel of the Kentucky Street location. Regular patron Noor Masoud posted the initial announcement and then was nice enough to follow up with owner Joe Pelleriti Sr. for some more info. "We completely remodeled the place, added six large screen TVs,” says Joe. “We also added three booths, a pop-a-shot basketball game, as well as a pool table, golden tee golf game and darts upstairs. We had just launched a new menu right before COVID, so we are serving it. Menu highlights are hash bombs (bacon, jalapeno and cream cheese stuffed hash browns), corned beef wontons, and a wide variety of options for sandwiches and entrees. The Brando chicken sando is my favorite.” The menu and hours can be found at petalumamaguires.com.

Butcher Crown Roadhouse has posted a sneak peak at its new summer menu and front and center are street tacos made with Liberty Duck. It is wrapped in corn tortillas and topped with chipotle peach barbecue sauce, Vaquero sauce, pickled red onions and cilantro. butchercrown.com.

Happy trails

The Petaluma food community bids a fond farewell to Jackie Fletcher, who clocked out from her last shift at Twin Oaks Tavern in Penngrove this past Monday. Jackie is a Nashville native and due to the economic realities of COVID, has decide to return home with her husband and son.

“There’s something so special about that bar,” Jackie posted to Facebook. “I was terrified my first time walking in, not knowing what kind of crowd I’d find. Now it’s like a second home. Some of the kindest, most genuine people spend their time there. I’m going to miss everyone so much.”

I never met Jackie in person but always appreciated her great contributions to the Petaluma Foodies group on Facebook. Thanks for being a part of our local restaurant and bar community Jackie. Hopefully we’ll be reaching out to you as your resident Nashville food and drink expert the next time we’re passing through.