How to eat your way through a Petaluma power outage

With uncertainty regarding whether we would or would not have power heading into the “historic wind events” of this past weekend, we decided to forego the relaxation normally reserved for the weekend and instead work through it in an effort to get a head of the storm, both literally and in preparation for next week’s meetings with clients.

Working since dawn, we had a good excuse to eat out instead of heading home for lunch on Saturday. For some reason, Chili Joe’s popped into my mind. Maybe it was their social media post that they were open and serving, but more likely, it was the subconscious craving that we seem to always have for their food. It was no surprise to our family that Chili Joe’s was voted Best New Restaurant in this year’s Petaluma People’s Choice Awards. The food is always excellent and owners Wendy and Mark have created a true home-town diner, reminiscent of the chili-houses the once dotted the American landscape.

We enjoy everything on the menu, even the veggie chili, but seem to keep going back to the New MexiJoe burger (described as “char-broiled beef patty with flame-roasted hatch and poblano peppers, Petaluma Creamery jack cheese, flame-charred sweet white onion slab and green onion-garlic mayoli, on a toasted potato bun”), Frito Pie (“genuine Fritos smothered with LA street chili, and topped with shredded cheddar, diced sweet white and green onion, pickled jalapeño, cilantro and sour cream”) and a side of jalapeño slaw, which always tickles my taste buds because I really love the pure flavor of de-seeded jalapenos. Washed down with a Shiner Bock beer and this is easily one of my top 10 favorite meals of all time, which helps explain why I we keep coming back. We also had the Anchor Steam Porter, which is one of the few American Porters considered a prototypical example of the style and it too was excellent.

Saturday night we returned home from work and ate like people who were trying to make sure that a PG&E outage would not spoil too much of their remaining food. When the lights clicked off at 9 p.m., I headed straight for the freezer. Filled with our normal stock of at least a dozen pints and quarts of Mariposa ice cream, I made the most of the situation. I started with a pint of cookies and cream before diving into a pint of salted caramel. I slept well, having discovered a while back that I sleep a lot better after a bit of good ice cream. Now, most might not consider two pints of ice cream as a “bit,” but to each their own.

The power was still out Sunday morning, which is when we found out that our fancy new gas stove has an interesting (and annoying) lock-out feature during a power outage. Even with matches or a barbecue lighter, we cannot ignite our burners. We had no means to make coffee, a major concern to the Mrs. Again, we headed downtown, hoping to find power and with it, food and coffee.

An old favorite, Hallie’s was jam packed as usual, so we made our way to the river, eventually landing at Water Street Bistro. Often overlooked, Water Street Bistro offers some of the best food and ambiance in town. Owner Stephanie is a master in the kitchen and an absolute doll to her customers, which helps explain how Water Street just crossed the 20-year mark in Petaluma. With a French-American flare to her menu, we chose a perfectly whipped chorizo and mozzarella quiche, salmon toast and a wonderfully citrus almond cake, along with coffee, of course.

I have no objection to cold dinners, especially chili and corn out of the can while watching football on TV, but without power, we had no TV, which meant no football. Instead, we walked downtown for dinner, this time choosing Rosen’s 256 North, which was open, serving and had both Sunday night football and the World Series.

We ran into Rick and Roger of War Wagon BBQ at the bar, but because we had mom with us, decided for the more civilized trappings of the dining area at the back of the restaurant. That also gave us a better chance to visit with owner Jan Rosen and meet her nephew and newest employ, a recent transplant from Boston with a wicked accent.

A glass of Roederer champagne and Sonoma Portworks Norton port both went swimmingly with the poke appetizer, which is one of the best in town. We then dined on mains of Norwegian salmon, chicken Marsala and the Rosen’s black and blue burger. The salmon was perfectly cooked, the Marsala is still my favorite of all time and the burger was topped with Applewood smoked bacon and my favorite blue cheese – Point Reyes Blue.

Monday was much of the same for us, although when news trickled in that power was restored in various neighborhoods in Petaluma, we were hopeful we could have lunch at home. But come midday, our power was still out.

As we approached dinner time, we went to Gator’s for some Cajun and Creole delights. We had seen a few things on social media recently that had caught our eye and wanted to find out more. We learned that Gator has started to offer customers a 10 percent discount if you pay with cash. Come to find out, credit card companies are progressively taking a bigger and bigger chunk of the check for the privilege of using their machines. And if you have a rewards card, it may take even more of the restaurant’s bottom line in order to cover your extra benefits. Gator figured that if he was going to give away the money anyways, why not reward his customers and hopefully infused those funds back into the local economy. While he usually offers credit card service, the outage has made it cash-only at Gator’s. Gator inspired a social media shout out when he comped the meal of a evacuation center volunteer who showed up hungry and without cash. It was part of the reason we decided to support his restaurant.

As one of the few restaurants open on a Monday night (Gator’s is closed Tuesday and Wednesday), his dining room was packed with a fun and festive vibe. Due to the current conditions, much of Gator’s menu was marked as “gone fishing.” We chose a half order of shrimp etouffee, half order of sausage and shrimp jambalaya, a side of garlic green beans and a hazy IPA from Bear Republic. We were more than stuffed by the time we left. As always, Gator knows how to season his food just right – not too spicy and no need for salt or pepper.

We held our breath as we turned the corner towards home, not quite remembering which house were on our grid. We saw a few lights on but it was not until we spied our front porch light, burning bright that we let out a sigh of relief.

Contrary to what my food writing might have you believe, the Mrs. and I do not eat out all that often, so this weekend, although stressful, was quite a treat. It was not only nice to visit some of our old favorites for excellent meal after excellent meal, but it was heartwarming to see Petaluma restaurateurs taking such great care of our out of town evacuee guests. Their lines were long, their kitchens were often understaffed due to employee evacuations and wait times for both tables and food were longer than normal. Yet everyone was patient, understanding and accommodating. We watched as servers took care of evacuees as if they were family visiting from out of town, helping with advice on where to find the items they forgot to bring from home.

Although I believe PG&E can make these transitions smoother, compared to the inconvenience that the rest of the county has experienced, it feels silly to complain about a couple of powerless days. Plus, restaurants are hit hard by the outages, often losing expensive products and customers for days on end, which gives an added excuse to eat out to help support our local eateries when the city goes dark.