From eating out to turkey farms, where to find Thanksgiving dinner in Petaluma

Each of us has our own fond memories of favorite feasts of Thanksgivings passed. Some enjoy getting the whole family together to help out in the kitchen, while others prefer the camaraderie of watching a couple of football games on TV, with some delicious dining in between. And for some, this holiday involves dressing up and dining out. There’s something for every holiday style in Petaluma.

Cooking from scratch:

Thanksgiving starts and ends with the turkey, so be picky when shopping for the right bird. All the major grocery stores offer whole turkeys but for just a little more you can purchase well-raised turkeys while also supporting local businesses and family farms.

Tara Firma Farms offers broad breasted turkeys that are pasture raised and organically fed right on the farm at 3796 I Street. The birds are sold only at the farm with customer pick-up scheduled for Nov. 23, when they invite buyers to, “Bring an ice chest and come for a free tour and warm drinks.” A $50 deposit is required in advance and can be made through the website at tarafirmafarms.com.

Another venerable turkey supplier is downtown’s Thistle Meats (772-5442, 160 Petaluma Blvd. N.), which in the past has offered turkeys from BN Ranch, founded by Bill Niman, whose name should look familiar as he is founder and former owner of Niman Ranch. Animal husbandry is still at the forefront of Niman’s operations at BN Ranch so his birds get plenty of healthy living before their timely demise. Thistle usually has limited supplies and so usually requires a deposit so definitely call ahead.

Angelo out at Angelo’s Meats (763-9586, 2700 Old Adobe Road) has excellent smoked turkeys. These take on a bit more of a sweet ham flavor than your traditional bird, and are by far my favorite way to have straight up turkey. It seems to be much harder to dry out one of Angelo’s smoked turkeys, which is perfect for someone like me who usually avoids the white meat for fear of dryness.

At Bud’s Custom Meats in Penngrove (795-8402, 7750 Petaluma Hill Road) you can purchase Willie Bird turkeys as well as the infamous Tur-Duc-Hen, which for the uninitiated, is a chicken stuffed inside a duck stuffed inside a turkey. We’ve had this before, complete with sausage stuffing, and it was one of the best Thanksgivings so far. Keep in mind that Tur-Duc-Hens are boneless and with three birds in one, there is a ton of meat. In fact, we bought extra to-go containers that year so our guests could help us dispose of all the extras.

The most interesting source of turkeys I heard about this year came to me via Stephanie Rosenbaum Klassen. The Sonoma County 4-H Heritage Turkey Project is a collaboration between 4-H and Slow Food Russian River. Part of a global network with over 100,000 members in 150 countries, Slow Food, through a “vast volunteer network of local chapters, youth and food communities, we link the pleasures of the table with a commitment to protect the community, culture, knowledge and environment that make this pleasure possible.” Their international mission is “good, clean and fair food for all.” This local project offers heritage turkeys bred and raised organically right here in Sonoma County by our 4-H youth. Ordering these turkeys supports our local 4-H, organic farming and keeps heritage breeds as a viable option. Turkey pick-up is Tuesday, Nov. 26, and Wednesday, Nov. 27, in the Sebastopol area. Visit slowfoodrr.org/projects/heritage-turkeys/ for more info.

Stephanie says the best part is going to pick up your bird and getting to chat with the youth who raised these turkeys. The $9.50-a-pound charge is actually quite competitive when you consider this an item that also contributes to the community. She advises that because these are heritage pasture raised birds, “there’s less white meat and the meat is flavorful and firm. (They don’t have the huge breasts of the “industry breed” Broad-Breasted White). These are very good cut into parts and cooked sous-vide, or roasted in parts so the dark and light meat can be cooked to the right temps individually,” she said.

And although we never know when or even if the season will open in time for Thanksgiving, keep an eye out for Dungeness crabs as those are a Petaluma Thanksgiving tradition and are always a nice treat to supplement the turkey and stuffing. Because they get crustaceans straight from the source, we always check in Petaluma Market for our Dungies.

As far as how to cook your turkey, there are a ton of recipes online and in books, but we prefer to head down to Sonoma Spice Queen (407 C St.) to see what Wind McAlister has mixed up in her amazing shop of “small batch organic spice mixes and rubs.” She has plenty of recipes too, plus great cooking advice. Whether you go traditional or try something new when cooking Thanksgiving dinner, a visit to Sonoma Spice Queen always makes for a memorable meal. And if you are a guest yourself, Wind has wonderfully unique host/hostess gifts.

Gerald Leuschen of Buddy’s Farm (326-4800) tells us, “When you’re thinking about brining your bird, honey is a great way to add sweetness and flavor to the mix while also helping to keep it moist. Buddy’s not only offers great local honey, but Gerald is the best Santa Claus for hire around and can be booked through Sonoma County Santa on Facebook.

Pre-made options

For those that love the traditional holiday meal but without all fuss of shopping and preparation, Petaluma has several excellent options for pre-made, ready to cook Thanksgiving dinners. Unfortunately, one of our favorites, Bellyfull Dinners, is up for sale and will not be offering Thanksgiving delivery this year, but the Petaluma pick-up options are all still pretty great.

Preferred Sonoma Caterers has been offering their ready-to-heat dinners since as long as I can remember and are always fantastic. The menu is available on their website (sonomacaterers.com) and orders must be placed by Sunday, Nov. 24, for pick-up on Wednesday, Nov. 27. Customers can place orders for full meals or choose from the ala carte menu. Some of the highlights include a perfectly cooked herb-basted bird, of course, as well as celery-sage stuffing, tarragon-roasted veggies and apple-streusel pie. (Owner Amber professionally trained in Vienna, which helps explain why her desserts are always so good.)

Sarah’s Eats & Sweets (sarahseatsandsweets.com), also offers an excellent pick-up Thanksgiving dinner as well as other special meals throughout the year, such Chanukah and Yom Kippur, as well as weekly Friday pick-up dinners. Keep an eye on the Facebook page and website where the full Thanksgiving menu will be posted shortly. The sneak peek I got included thick-sliced turkey breast, sourdough stuffing, green bean casserole, “loaded” potatoes, balsamic-thyme roasted veggies and savory cheddar biscuits. Holiday pies are also available and are one of Sarah’s specialties. The roasted pear cheesecake pie looks particularly tasty. Orders are due by Nov. 22 with pick-up on Wednesday, Nov. 27.

As most folks already know, based on the great hot-food bar, Petaluma Market (762-5464, 201 Western Ave.) knows how to prepare great meals and Thanksgiving is no exception. They offer delicious dinners for pick-up but are also open on Thanksgiving, although with shortened hours, for any last minute purchases. They make it easy to add some innovative side salads, cheese plates and maybe even some sushi to your appetizer menu, plus, if Dungies are in season, this is the place to get them.

And always worth the drive, Penngrove Market (753-4974, 10070 Main St.) is offering a limited number of Willie Bird turkeys for people to prepare themselves. However, it is the pre-cooked sides menu, utilizing their wood-fired oven whenever possible, that caught my taste buds’ attention. They plan to offer wood-oven roasted turkey legs and turkey breasts, Joe’s mashed potatoes, sausage stuffing, homemade turkey gravy, roasted Brussel sprouts (with and without bacon) and homemade cranberry sauce. They will also have three different pies available – apple, pumpkin and my favorite, pecan and Mariposa ice cream to pair. Orders close on Nov. 22 for pick-up after 3 p.m. on the Nov. 26 until closing on the Nov. 27.

No Thanksgiving dinner would be complete without at least one pie from Petaluma Pie Company (petalumapie.com, 125 Petaluma Blvd. N., in Putnam Plaza), which offers free tastings for most Saturday’s throughout November and December. That’s in addition to the eighth annual “Pumpkin vs. Sweet Potato Pie Smackdown Halloween Spooktacular,” which is this Saturday, Oct. 26, from 1 to 3 p.m. Wading into the dough, Petaluma Pie wrestlers Gorgeous Gourd will duke it out with Potato Sweets (both in custom costumes) for top honors, which will ultimately be determined by guests’ blind tasting. Petaluma Pie accepts orders throughout the holidays and always has great new flavors as well as old favorites. From apple-pecan-salted-caramel crumble and dark-chocolate-bourbon-pecan to pear-ginger-cardamom and maple-pumpkin, Petaluma Pie Company has a favorite for everyone.

Eating out

I have fond memories of the first time mom suggested that we dine out for Thanksgiving. We had grown up with a strong Thanksgiving tradition, with the turkey dinner being one of the only meals my mother really enjoyed preparing. And prepare she did. We used to have such a huge feast that we would start early, usually around lunchtime, followed by watching football, playing in the yard and visiting with guests, only to come back to the still-set table for dinner, to eat all over again. Those memories still make Thanksgiving one of my favorite holidays, although our first dinner out, and subsequent Thanksgivings since then, have given me new respect for holidays that don’t require any clean up.

Palm’s Grill (palmsgrill.com), which just received a full liquor license, let me know that they are open on Thanksgiving and will have both a traditional turkey special as well as prime rib. (They are also open on Christmas with a ham special.) Menus will be posted shortly.

Central Market (778-9900) is well known for their special holiday meals, of which last year’s menu looks spectacular. However, that is all I see on their website at present, so interested parties should follow up to make sure they are actually open this year. Tolay Restaurant (283-2900) at the Sheraton Hotel is also known for their special Thanksgiving dinner, but because their website is fairly sparse, you’ll want to call for the menu and to find out reservation times.

Another interesting option that I just learned of is Fantasy Restaurant (fantasypetaluma.com, 1520 E. Washington), where Round Table used to be, just east of McDowell. Along with the great Hong Kong-inspired barbecue, they will have homemade turkey dinners both for dine-in and to-go.

Although a little bit before Thanksgiving, Pearl (pearlpetaluma.com) is offering a “Moroccan Tagine Dinner” on the Tuesday evening before Thanksgiving. Although the details are yet to be released, co-owner Annette tells me it will be one seating, family style, and will likely start at 6 p.m. I mention this because our family’s first dine-out Thanksgiving meal was not traditional either. In fact, it was at Everest Indian and was fabulous. Although the food was not our Thanksgiving norm, it really did cement the idea that it is visiting with family and friends that makes the holiday, not necessarily the food. We have returned since to recreate that first dinner and have enjoyed ourselves every time. Even though Everest has recently changed owners, they will still be open this Thanksgiving.

Just south of town, Hilltop 1892 sits hilltop in Novato has been Michelin Guide recommended. It will serve Thanksgiving Dinner starting at 11 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day. Just north of town, the Washoe House is open on Thanksgiving, but check their hours once the day draws closer. And just west of town, in Valley Ford, Dinucci’s is a long-time favorite for the Thanksgiving dine-out crowd.

The casinos are always open and so are the restaurants. We have yet to visit Graton Casino but it has a bevy of dining options. However, closer to home, Parkwest Casino (5151 Montero Way) on the north end of town, behind Steele Bear Deli, is always serving and although we have not been recently, we enjoyed our meals there in the past. For locals, the real casino is the Casino Bar & Grill in Bodega (the town, not the bay), which will offer up something really special for Thanksgiving. My coastal local eyes and ears, Jodie Rubin, let me know that she will be hosting a free turkey dinner at the casino for anyone who is hungry. Hours are 2 p.m. to 4-ish and guest who can are asked to bring a side dish to share. To this request, Stephanie Rosenbaum Klassen’s name popped up yet again when she offered to donate a few home-baked pies because she “loves to bake.” It is this kind of holiday spirit that certainly helps keep our local holidays feeling homey and authentic.

Out at the Bay, the Tides in Bodega Bay is open 365 days a year and last year made for a nice break from the house for our family for a holiday meal. Other than the few wet days, November and December offer great scenery on the drive out to the coast and the views from the large picture windows of the Tides are well worth the short drive from Petaluma.