Social Club Restaurant & Bar
Petaluma Relaxed Fine Dining
Dining
Detectives
By Carol & Joe Davis
We
have been writing about Petaluma restaurants for quite
some time now and the only constant is that the restaurant scene
continues to change and grow to accommodate the ever changing
population. Social Club Restaurant & Bar which
features sophisticated American Cuisine, a Full Bar with over
100 options including rare Whiskey and Scotch and Local Craft
Beers on tap and by the bottle is quickly approaching the celebration
of their one year anniversary! They serve dinner nightly, offer
Sunday Brunch, have a DJ and Dancing on Saturdays after 9:30 PM,
and on Sunday Live Music starts at 6:30 PM featuring local singer
and songwriter and "America's Got Talent" Semi-Finalist
Tim Hockenberry. In addition, they just got approval for outdoor
dining and are in the process of creating a nice landscaped patio.
The
open Square Bar is the centerpiece of the restaurant. There are
tables on the side, high tables and booths in the rear and the
distressed wood which gives it a country feel. There is also a
banquet room that can be rented for your special events and private
dining. Big screen high resolution TVs and upbeat music add to
the fun and relaxed atmosphere. We were seated in one of the back
booths and were very comfortable, as we looked at the small focused
menu. We ordered a few of the Tuttle's Elixirs Dinner Craft
Cocktails to start. The Maple Leaf made with Tap 357 Maple
Rye Whiskey, Mint, Fresh Lime Juice and Ginger Beer and the Polynesian
Parasol made with Citrus Vodka, lemongrass infused vermouth, fresh
ginger syrup, fresh lemon juice and a splash of soda water were
both terrific. The Maple Leaf was lively and slightly spicy which
we love and the Polynesian Parasol was light and refreshing.
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The
Starters and Social Plates are perfect for sharing. We loved the
Crisp Pork Belly with cider maple glaze, roasted garlic
white bean puree and apple celery salad. The consistency was fabulous,
the crust was perfect and it was leaner than you would expect...just
amazing! The Smoked Trout with fried green tomatoes and
kohlrabi remoulade was also delicious. Salad lovers will enjoy
the Marinated Red Beets with red wine vinaigrette, toasted walnuts
and local Pt. Reyes Blue Cheese.
You
must try the unique Smoked Gouda Mac & Cheese with
Applewood smoked bacon, herbed sourdough breadcrumbs. It was light,
not too rich and al dente which really set it apart from your
typical Mac & Cheese. Can't wait to have this again! The Grilled
Asparagus with fried egg, herbed Bellwether Farms ricotta,
lemon and basil was beautifully presented and how can you miss
with a fried egg! The English Pea and Green Garlic Risotto with
parmesan, chives and guanciale was also lighter than expected,
mildly seasoned and delicious.
The
Entrees were all right sized but definitely healthy portions.
Our favorite was the Braised Short Rib with grilled stone
fruit, fingerling potatoes and cumin tomato relish. It was slow
cooked for many hours which made it very tender and so flavorful.
The best short rib we have had in years! Fish lovers will enjoy
the Local Rock Cod with sugar snap peas, roasted cauliflower and
preserved Meyer lemon aioli. It was prepared perfectly and tasted
great.
Another
excellent choice is the Grilled Hanger Steak with spring
vegetables, marble potatoes and salsa verde. This "Butcher's
Cut" was cooked perfectly, medium rare as ordered and held
up well for lunch the next day.
The
Wine List is International but features mostly Northern California
wines. We enjoyed the 2011 Sheldon Sonoma Coast Grenache Blanc/Voignier/
Rousanne with our starters, the 2012 Fort Ross Sonoma
County Rose of Pinot Noir with our Social Plates and the
2009 Keller Estate Sonoma Coast "Casa de la Cruz"
Pinot Noir with our entrees. As ever, we saved room for Desserts
and we are hard pressed to say which one was the best, as they
were all delicious! The hot and chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies
are baked fresh to order and are served with a wonderfully refreshing
Vanilla Malted Milk Shake. The Salted Caramel Pot De Crème
with brown butter crumble was creamy but not too rich and excellent.
The House Brioche Pain Perdu topped with Strawberries
and Cream was lovely and unique. A round of Espressos was perfect
with our delightful desserts.
Social
Club Restaurant & Bar is a welcome addition to Petaluma
with its friendliness, charm and a bit of S.F. sophistication.
The service is friendly and professional and the Specialty Cocktails
are fabulous! Chef Joseph Zobel executes the
focused menu to absolute perfection and the front of the house
runs smoothly with General Manager Damion Wallace,
who was very happy to have moved to Petaluma from San Francisco.
We look forward to future visits as Social Club Restaurant
& Bar!
Social
Club Restaurant & Bar
132 Keller Street
Petaluma, CA 94952
707-238-0158
www.SocialClubRestaurant.com