Wine or Lose in Petaluma: The games are fun, the food is no joke

When you walk into Wine or Lose Board Game Café, you might see a couple enjoying a quiet dinner over a game of Battleship while at another table, a family plays Sorry while watching a holiday movie projected on the far wall. Owners Amanda and Craig Karas want you to cozy up and enjoy your afternoon or evening, making them a unique addition to Petaluma’s dining scene.

Wine or Lose Board Game Café bills themselves as Sonoma County’s premier board game café and for good reason. All of its 300 games are listed on the website and categorized by type, based on how many players are required and how long the game usually lasts. You are free to park yourself at your table and stay a while, which is a welcome change in Wine Country’s hustle-bustle dining scene.

“Spending time in the Midwest, board games are a regular part of most casual restaurants,” said Amanda.

While the entertainment offer a good time, it’s the food that’s most likely to keep patrons coming back.

“It’s all fun and games but we’re serious about the food,” said Craig, who has 25 years of restaurant experience, including work as a fine dining chef, which is apparent in his fresh and flavorful menu.

“We visit board game cafes whenever we travel,” continued Amanda. “However, we are often met by mediocre menus that are often just a sandwich and chips. We are as passionate about offering great food as we are about games, if not more so.”

With six of us in attendance during our first visit to Wine or Lose, we tried just about every item on the menu and were quite impressed with the quality, flavors and creativity of Wine or Lose’s ?fancy-meets-casual shared item menu.

From the “cold” menu, we started with the onion dip with some of the best house-made Yukon gold potato chips I have ever eaten ($8, GF). Next up was the bread and dip trio ($9, VG) with sourdough, lavash and house-made focaccia alongside roasted garlic hummus, pumpkin seed pesto and a house-made honey butter, using honey from local favorite Gerald Leuschen, owner of Buddy’s Farm. The heirloom tomato BLT ($12) with Applewood smoked bacon, Sriracha aioli and house-made chips did not disappoint.

The menu is well-balanced with gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian choices. We compared these options, testing the regular mini meatloaf ($12) against the plant-based mini meatloaf ($12, VG, V, GF). Both offer three portions of meatloaf, which makes for easy sharing, and are topped with a bold and tangy coffee barbecue glaze. I preferred the meat version although I have to admit the plant-based variant was not a bad alternative.

While on the topic of veggies, we also partook of the roasted Brussels sprouts with walnuts and maple cayenne glaze ($8, VG, V, GF) and green bean “casserole” ($8, VG), topped with a creamy mushroom sauce and fried onion strings. Not a fan of Brussels sprouts, I took my guests’ words that this dish was delicious and it was one of the few with no left-overs. I am a big fan of green beans and this deconstructed option is a great take on the classic casserole.

We were eager to sample the next three items, which had already generated a well-warranted buzz on social media for being unusual and delicious. The mashed potato spring rolls ($9) were packed with bacon, cheddar, sour cream and chives and fried in gyoza like a Japanese dumpling. The sweet and crispy corn fritters were served with that heavenly house-made honey butter ($8 for six, VG). The house-made corn dog bites ($9) start with Vienna all-beef dogs and are served with Dijon mustard and onion jam. But it’s the batter that makes this dish. Instead of using beer to lighten and fluff the dough, Craig uses cream soda to spectacular effect. It is subtle but walks a beautiful path between sweet and savory.

The bread on the grilled cheese wedges was crusted with Parmesan and paired with a delightfully tangy tomato bisque ($9, VG). The seasonal “pot pie” ($10) paid homage to Thanksgiving, with turkey, sweet potato hash and brown gravy, topped with stuffing and cranberry mustard.

The pièce de résistance, however, was the chicken and waffles ($12 for three). I find few chicken and waffles dishes to be worth the hype, but this one stepped far outside the box and left me craving more. Chef Craig starts with buttermilk-marinated Petaluma chicken but then covers it in a house-made wing sauce. The Liège Belgian-style waffle actually starts as a yeasted dough, not a batter, and is infused with Belgium pearl sugar. Every bite offers a blast of flavor, mixing the tangy spice of the sauce with the sweet explosions of the waffle.

“We believe food doesn’t have to be complicated to be good, and great memories are made sharing great food and a fun board game,” said Amanda.

I believe the only hot menu item we did not order was the baked mac and cheese ($10, VG) with parmesan bread crumbs (add crab for $6). Popcorn with various flavors is also available, this time around listed as butter (V), parmesan and garlic and pumpkin spice. The salads include a mixed green and grilled endive wedge. For snacking, there is also a cheese plate ($15, VG) and charcuterie plate ($14), which we will surely try when we visit for one of their upcoming Trivia Nights.

We finished with the bread pudding ($10, changes daily) and a beautiful s’mores parfait ($5) made of chocolate pudding, cookie crumble, whipped marshmallow and topped with roasted mallows. The dessert menu also includes teas, coffee, espressos and three dessert wines – a late-harvest chardonnay, an Italian Lambrusco and one of my favorite ports, the Otima 10 year tawny.

Craig Karas started cooking when he was just 9 years old and living in the Midwest. “We still have the Disney Mickey Mouse cookbook from when he was a kid,” chuckled Amanda.

Craig continued to cook through his adolescence but pursued banking after college. Finance was not his cup of tea, so he eventually moved to Scottsdale to attend culinary school. Why Scottsdale?

“Because it wasn’t Chicago,” Craig said. “I didn’t mind getting away from the cold winters.”

He eventually went back home, where he spent 18 years in the restaurant industry, both as a chef and owner. He left his culinary mark on places like the Signature Room, Whitehall Hotel, Knickerbacker Hotel and Pump Room. He was also the executive chef and co-owner of a successful bar and restaurant in Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood called Weather Mark Tavern.

When he moved to Los Angeles, he decided to focus on the front of house, eventually earning his sommelier certification. After a stint at Carmel Valley Ranch, he followed his passion for wine and headed north, eventually landing at Tomatina in Santa Rosa and Tra Vigne in St. Helena.

Amanda’s father was originally stationed with the Coast Guard in Bodega Bay, where he met Amanda’s mother, a Bloomfield native and Tomales High graduate who grew up just a few doors down from Stormy’s Spirits & Supper. Amanda was born and raised in South Lake Tahoe, but visited Petaluma regularly. Amanda’s step-grandfather was a Matteri and she remembers their childhood trips to Volpi’s.

Amanda’s love of Sonoma County led her to Sonoma State University. She studied marketing and after college went to work for Visit California in the PR department. She then moved abroad, trading marketing skills for room and board in Italy and Ireland. She later returned to the Bay Area, where she met Craig and convinced him to move to Petaluma.

“We knew one of us would have to move,” says Amanda. “It was an easy choice because I’ve always loved the Petaluma area. We love this community and wanted to create something unique to contribute to it.”

A new brunch service offers a varied menu from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the weekends. Menu items include avocado toast ($9) with pumpkin seed pesto; oatmeal with apple compote ($9) drizzled with crème fraiche; Heirloom tomato frittata ($10) with mixed greens and Meyer lemon vinaigrette; French toast fries ($9) dipped in vanilla custard and served with real maple syrup; Belgian waffles with berry compote ($9); breakfast pot pie ($10) and Sonoma waldorf salad ($9).

When it comes to fun and games, Wine or Lose will hold weekly trivia nights each Monday in December, which is great way to try them out in a relaxed and jovial atmosphere. Questions will start at 7 p.m. but head in a little earlier so you can get seats and place your food and drink orders before the fun gets started. And if you do not have the suggested four players per team, it is likely you can join in with another team. The night is open to all ages as they keep the trivia content PG-13.

Speaking of games, Wine or Lose is constantly rotating through the 300 games they have on hand. There is a special rack at the counter with games for sale, which are 10% off, if purchased while dining. Or get a gift card for $25 to receive a “Secret Santa” game stocking stuffer for free.