Cafe Mimosa opens a Petaluma location

After a long wait, and with no warning, Café Mimosa opened their Petaluma branch on Monday of this week. With locations in both Rohnert Park and Santa Rosa, I suspect they will have things dialed in pretty well, which is what diners were reporting on social media after their first visits. They are located at 417 N. McDowell Blvd., in the Friedman’s shopping center. I believe it is the old Dickie’s BBQ space, but I could be wrong. However, do not be confused by the similar name and some similar menu items, such as chorizo hash, because I have it on good authority that Café Mimosa and Café Bellini are not related in any way.

Grand Central Drag

After a successful Sonoma County Pride inspired drag show brunch back in June, Grand Central Café (226 Weller St.) will again host a show on Sunday, Sept. 19, with two seatings – 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The event will be catered by Stockhome, who will provide each ticket holder with a mimosa (or mocktail) and a three-course menu from Chef Roberth Sundell. (Vegetarian menu available upon request.) The ticket link can be found on both Grand Central’s and Stockhome’s Facebook pages. (The link is too long to post to the newspaper.)

While on Grand Central’s Facebook page, I noticed some photos of handmade empanadas. I am not sure if this is a regular item on their menu now, but if it is, I’d bet they go great with a cup of freshly brewed Grand Central coffee while sitting riverside enjoying our great weather.

In other exciting news, Sonoma Magazine listed Stockhome as one of their 10 favorite restaurants in Petaluma. It is nice to see Petaluma’s hardworking and creative eateries get recognition outside our city limits. For the record, Stockhome makes our family’s Top 5 list and as odd as it sounds, has helped open our eyes to a lot of great food items that we had never tried before. In fact, we would not have been nearly as excited about visiting Iceland recently had we not learned about Northern European cuisine from Chef Roberth.

Back to the Pantry

After a reopening post-COVID scare and then a reclosing due to many of the same staffing issues that all our restaurants are currently facing, April Pantry is back open and serving Petaluma customers breakfast and lunch at their 1000 Clegg St. address from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday. From breakfast burritos to their billionaire’s BLT sandwich, April Pantry is back open for business.

Paying our respects

Beyond the Glory is paying tribute to the service member who lost their lives in the recent “unrest” in Kabul, Afghanistan. “This week you may notice a table reserved with 13 beers. These are beers poured in honor and in memory of the 13 U.S. Service Members who lost their lives this week in Kabul. Please join us in honoring them. As you pass by this table say a silent prayer for their families and our country. Here's a toast....and may we never forget their sacrifice in the name of freedom.” BTG is also offering all active-duty military personnel 25% off their food if they happen to stop in this week.

Best of Sonoma County

Congratulations to Quinua Cocina Peruana for making The Press Democrat’s “Best of Sonoma County” list this year. It is rare for Petaluma restaurants to make the list at all, but it was the category that they placed in that had me chuckling. Although I am never surprised to see them as runner-up for the “Best Chef” and “Best Seafood” categories of the Petaluma People’s Choice Awards, in this year’s Best of Sonoma County, they placed third in the “Comfort Food” category, behind Sweet T’s and Mary’s Pizza Shack. I chuckled when I read it because Quinua actually has become comfort food to our family. Whether it’s a business lunch, a relaxing home movie with take-out, or a special occasion, such as our birthdays and anniversary, we are just as likely to choose Quinua for its comfort food as any other place in town. Sure, it took a little while to cozy up to a menu of unfamiliar menu items to us, but once we did, we quickly collected up a list of favorite dishes that takes multiple orders to completely satisfy. And due to Peruvian cuisine being influenced by such far off lands as Africa, Asia and Europe (it is the culinary center of South America), the dishes go well beyond just “south of the border.” In fact, my favorite fried rice, pasta and empanada are all from Quinua.

Bodega hit and run

Bodega Country Store suffered a hit-and-run this weekend, leaving their store red tagged at present. This has to be devastating to a business that has suffered through the past two summers of slower than normal tourist traffic if you are out there once they are reopened, please try to stop in and give them some extra love.