Neighbourhood Affair: The Other P-Town

Memo to everyone who doesn’t live in the Bay Area:

I am deeply sorry, it sounds like the rest of the country has been enduring either the toastiest of heat waves or bouts of very un-summerlike weather aka rain (*cough* Portland *cough). Up here we’ve been fortunate enough to be coasting along with lows in the high fifties and highs in the low-eighties. Not bad, not bad.

Alright enough awkward weather small talk…guess who I got to see last night?

16638_1256064835507_1046160293_30824664_4456688_n — October, 2009: Our token McDonalds trip in Varanasi, India slash we really needed French Fries THAT bad

HALLIE! Aka one of my few friends who matches if not surpasses my appreciation of fine food, and thankfully she also happens to be from the North Bay.

Before I left for India, Hallie drove down from Petaluma for our Friday night restaurant-hopping in Mill Valley, alors this time I headed on the 101-N up to Petaluma to sample some fine local cuisine from the other P-town

Some extremely kind and accommodating family friends of Hallie recently opened in the past year a restaurant, LUMA, which takes up residence in a warehouse-like industrial space, features a seasonally changing menu, and sources its ingredients from local farmers. Very, very Portland. In fact, while dining we discussed that the atmosphere could VERY WELL be somewhere in the converted industrial area of Portland’s Pearl District.

The place was bustling with people of all ages enjoying the fine wines (well those over 21) fresh from neighbouring Napa (or right there in Sonoma) and the atmosphere lively and full of an aura of close-knit community relishing in the beauty of the start to the weekend. Loved it. Everything about it, I get the sense that Luma is a popular choice for the families of Petaluma and I just adore having basked in the entire supportive “Petaluma Pride” community feel the restaurant garners.

Anyways, on to the grubbbb:

Besides the menu listings, there were several daily specials ranging from pizzas, pastas, bisques, and salads

IMG-20110722-00758 — Fig Souvlaki- basically baked figs stuffed with fresh feta and drizzled in balsamic reduction

For the main course, Hallie and I were both torn between one of the salads and one of the pizzas, so we did the most logical thing: Get ’em both and share!

IMG-20110722-00761 — Salad composed of julienned capsicum (no green ones luckily), shiitakes, avocado, cherry tomatoes, mixed greens, sesame seeds, and a delightfully light vinaigrette topped with blackened halibut

IMG-20110722-00759 — Fig & Blue Pie: Creamy blue cheese, balsamic shallots, roasted garlic topped with fresh arugula. The crust was perfectly charred and crackled- yum

IMG-20110722-00760 — Close up under that mountain of arugula. BLISS.

Then, the dessert menu came. Oh dear. Despite fullness, who are we to skimp out on such delectably sounding options such as caramelized banana splits with ice cream or key lime pie with oreo-esque cookie crusts?

Well, we did decide to share one. A massive and very very chocolaty one at that…

Petaluma-20110722-00763 — Chocolate cake filled with an incredibly rich, thick, and delicious ganache, drizzled in fudge with a dollop of whipped cream. I don't think I have the literary power to emphasize how luxuriously scrumptious this was

Stuffed and happy for the half hour drive home. Man, I thank my lucky stars that Hallie happens to be from super-close Sonoma, you can bet we already have some adventures lined up in the future: Healdsburg (where several Michelin star establishments are based), and of course I’m saving my premiere trip to Tyler Florence and Sammy Hagar’s El Paseo right here in Mill Valley for when the Hallster can drive down.