Tip of My Tongue: Man vs. Food visit meaningful for Petaluma restaurant staff

Man vs. Petaluma burrito – part II

Last week, Petaluma was all abuzz about the appearance of the host and film crew from the TV food-eating-challenge show Man vs. Food. They appeared to be highlighting Bagel Mill (no food challenge) on Saturday, with the gut-buster filming happening at Don Pancho’s on Tuesday. The challenge was the Muy Macho Burrito, which is amped up version of the restaurant’s Macho Burrito. There is no word yet when the episode will air, however we heard from several bystanders that, in fact, host Casey Webb was able to down the roughly 5-pound Al Pastor burrito within the allotted 30-minute time limit, earning himself a free T-shirt.

More importantly to the Don Pancho’s staff, “the experience overall was such a breath of fresh air!” co-owner Maria Sahagún told me. “Casey was so kind… After everything small businesses have encountered with COVID, having a show be filmed at our business was really inspiring for all of our staff…Out of all the other amazing restaurants/business in Sonoma County they could have filmed, we were very excited they chose us. We were told that by word of mouth, our community of Petaluma recommended Don Pancho’s! We are very grateful for this opportunity!”

BBQ rib night

Charley’s Wine Country Deli is offering up one of their periodic special BBQ rib nights this upcoming Thursday, Jan. 27, with pick-up starting at 5 p.m. With limited smoker space, pre-orders at the deli counter are highly encouraged because this usually sells out in advance. The Family Dinner ($39.99) includes a full rack of ribs, a pint of slaw or macaroni salad and garlic cheesy bread. One can also order a standalone rack of ribs ($32.99) or the Dinner Special ($17.99) of four ribs, a small side and a pint of beer for on-site enjoyment on their front patio. They pour a half-dozen beers from their speakeasy-ish taproom but also have an excellent selection of local beers to-go. Co-owner Ron Badaglia’s takes great pride in his beers and is always making sure he is rotating through all sorts of new and interesting options, while keeping a good stock of staples on hand.

Custom charcuterie boards

The Corner Market, held periodically in the Pinky’s Pizza parking lot, at the corner of Petaluma Blvd. S. and F Street, will sell Valentine’s gifts this Saturday, Jan. 22, from 9 a.m to 2:30 p.m. They always have a lot of great local artist vendors on hand, with our favorite items being the charcuterie boards made right there at Of the Woods.

Crab feeds

The Petaluma Woman’s Club, 518 B St., is the following Friday, Jan. 28, with curbside pick-up from 3-6:15 p.m. for $60 per person. And at 7:45 p.m., there will be a live Zoom auction with yours truly handling the MC duties. This is my favorite feed for several reasons, and high up the list is that they quickly get to the business of crab, after a quick appetizer of salad with homemade Thousand Island Dressing and French bread, and finish out with their famous “Better-Than-Sex” cake. It really is a good cake. So good, that our table once bid at the auction and won a entire additional sheet cake of it so that our guests could take a large helping home with them – we definitely had our cake and ate it.

Pretzels

Full Circle Bakery is now offering pretzels, but only for pick-up at their Penngrove bakery. We are so enamored with their breads that we can usually tell when one of our many great deli sandwiches comes on it. We also appreciate that FCB is known to donate to various charities around town. And being huge pretzel fans, we are particularly excited about this new offering. Pretzel come in sea salt, pesto and jalapeno with cheese. Orders should be placed ahead of time at fullcirclebakingco@sbcglobal.net.

Re-openings

On the heels of last week’s tightening COVID-19 restrictions, we heard good news from several restaurants that have reopened after both COVID-19 scares and holiday breaks. Scowley’s Burgers is back, but for the time being is only offering delivery and to-go orders, although they are fine with guests enjoying their orders on the outside patio. Volpi’s, which often takes a short winter holiday break, announced to their Facebook page last week that they are now back open.

Swedish Pizza?

Stockhome has already returned from a short holiday break, and I am told are currently working on some new dishes. Co-Owner/Chef Roberth Sundell is experimenting with some Swedish-inspired pizzas, and from the sounds of it will be something we’ve never seen or even thought of before, but is sure to be as delicious as ever.

Continuing take-out

As promised, Table Culture Provisions has reopened after a week off for rest and regrouping, and is currently taking reservations online at www.tcprovision.com. Grab your table now because once these folks get recognized by the greater Bay Area food scene (and maybe Michelin…) it is going to be tough to get a table. Yes, their food is that good. However, in a relatively unprecedented move for such a high-end restaurant, TCP has decided to keep offering their limited delivery menu, but only through Petaluma Food Taxi. Delivery will only be available through PFT’s website (no restaurant phone orders), so as not to compromise the excellent experience of TCP’s indoor dining scene, while keeping stay at home foodies happy.

Door-to-door jam

LALA’s Jam Bar and Urban Farmstand is back open after a winter break, and is offering free delivery for the month of January so that everyone can stay as safe as possible. But keep in mind that LALA’s has a lot more than just jam, carrying a great selection of other local food-related gifts and even custom soaps, which smell so good that I have a hard time not taking a bite. (Don’t do it. They taste just like soap.) Call 707-773-1083 to place your orders, otherwise, the shop is open from Friday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

LALA will also bring back her jam-making classes, COVID-19 restrictions willing, Feb. 27 and on into March. Also, LALA’s buys local fruit all year long, and prefers to do that locally. So, if you have pesticide-free fruit trees with more fruit than you know what to do with, give LALA a call or visit the website at www.lalasjams.com.

Angela’s Ice Cream

Angela’s Ice Cream, a Lala’s Creamery ice cream shop has opened in the Wilco Shopping Center, at the corner of N. McDowell Blvd. and Old Redwood Highway. Adam and Cieara Stanley happily posted to Facebook, “We got to be the new North McDowell Lala Creamery’s first customers! Go visit the lovely ladies for their soft opening. Delicious as ever.” They went with a scoop of caramel crack and a scoop of apple pie, with a fresh waffle cone on top.

Email houston@avantlard.com with questions/comments.