Whisper Sisters Cocktails and Provisions opened in mid-February in the space formerly occupied by The Drawing Board, kitty corner from the Hotel Petaluma. But this was more of a rebirth than a wholly new creation, which helps explain the smooth transition from former restaurant and bar to cocktail lounge.
The brainchild of sister-and-brother duo Danielle and Wendell Peters, Erin Clossey also joined the management team as Danielle’s partner in both business and life. The Peters grew up in Auburn with their two other sisters and are of Korean-American heritage.
Wendell moved to the East Coast to study art therapy and worked throughout the New York City restaurant scene. He moved back to the Bay Area roughly a decade ago, working mostly at Outerlands, a farm-to-table restaurant in San Francisco’s Sunset District.
Danielle moved to the Bay Area to work as a bartender at Trader Vic’s in both San Francisco and Emeryville, where she once served Hillary Clinton. When she started dating someone in Sonoma County, Danielle made the move north, initially helping to open HopMonk in Sebastopol. She later interviewed at both Brewsters Beer Garden and The Drawing Board, was hired at both on the same day, and worked for both for roughly a year until she took over as the bar manager at The Drawing Board.
“I saw the cocktail menu at The Drawing Board prior to their opening and wanted to be part of that project,” she said.
When The Drawing Board went up for sale, Danielle jumped at the opportunity to honor its values while also creating her own concept. This is when Clossey came into the business.
She hails from just south of Indianapolis, but moved to the Bay Area in 2008 in search of a city adventure. She landed an entry-level office job, working her way up in business management. Clossey knew the Peters family for quite a long time, and always had a crush on Danielle. Over time, they fell in love, and are currently engaged.
Having just started a craft cocktail catering business, Wild Craft, the couple was surprised when Rosie Wiggins decided to shutter The Drawing Board. They quickly ran the numbers and, the very next day, ambushed Wendell at a family event with a proposition.
“I first assumed this was a long-term plan, but they said they’d let me sleep on it and would call the next day,” he said. “But how could I say ‘no’ to these two? Of course I was in.”
The Drawing Board was created as a space where the community could gather and enjoy the bounty of our region. The trio behind Whisper Sisters is dedicated to that initial concept, but have transitioned it from restaurant to cocktail lounge.
The name Whisper Sisters harkens back to Prohibition as a term for women who ran speakeasies. “Because this space started with Rosie and her great female bar staff, we wanted to keep the idea of a primarily women-ran business intact,” said Wendell.
The food offers a new twist on The Drawing Board’s original concept.
“We will be more of a small plates, shared items and an extended lounge kind of place,” said Danielle.
Clossey added, “That’s what Petaluma was asking us for.” For the food, Chef Gill Bundy “finds a way to elevate every idea we come up with.”
On two subsequent visits within a week of each other, we sampled a good portion of the food menu, enjoying everything we had, from deviled eggs to Korean-braised beef tacos to the meat-and-cheese platters. A special standout was the sweet potato tacos, made from chickpea-almond-sweet potato fritters, topped with tomatillo salsa, pickled jalapeno, scallion and cotija cheese. Another standout was the pickle plate, which we ordered alongside the chicory and asparagus salad and chilled farro bowl. Plates range from $7 to $18.
Our new go-to dish is the mozzarella, served with Revolution Bread. “Why mess with perfection when it comes to bread?” asked Clossey, playfully.
The mozzarella itself is excellent, but it is the fried herbs, garlic, crushed pistachios and lemon zest drizzled generously over the mozzarella that sets this one apart from any other dish of this kind. When asked how they came up with the recipe, Danielle credits Wendell’s late-night whims, after raiding their fridge one night.
Although food always tops my list of desires, the drinks are the stars at Whisper Sisters. They are clean, inventive and extremely well executed. They range from the classics to brand new creations, many of which feature unusual liquors from far off places. The classics are always available when ordered, however, I suggest sticking to the house cocktail menu ($13 each), which will be regularly updated with new and vibrant options.
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