Local Review -
Le Bistro, Petaluma, CA.
The holidays are filled with unexpected surprises; family
events are abounding and shopping adventures galore. Last weekend for instance, my family
and I went to the San Francisco Opera and watched the wonderful Carmen. It was a
great show filled with Spanish passion, lively music and adapted for children. The
SF opera host a yearly “kid friendly” version which is sung in English and presented
with subtitles, it is a nice consideration for the younger audience. But a long
afternoon of great heart-felt singing and drama made me hungry. I was so
surprised that my parents chose not to stay in the city for dinner, but to go
back to Petaluma for a wonderful dinner. I thought hum, okay I’m game. Open
mind – open pallet.
A musical dessert followed from Carmen to Caramel, this time the recipe for expression was through the maestro of food creativity. We traversed from the opera to Le Bistro Restaurant, where imagination is flourishing. I sung open the door to a quaint restaurant which with a French influenced cuisine, we sat down for a meal, to compete with most. I ordered a breaded halibut, with a light Dijon sauce and mashed potatoes. The halibut, perfectly cooked and crisp, melted in our mouth like butter. The creamed potatoes were nicely steamed and worked with the asparagus to create a balanced meal. But it was the sauce that really brought the meal together. The sauce helped tie in the halibut to the potatoes and asparagus through its dexterity and compatibility with the different foods.
My sisters wisely chose lamb medallions, seared on the outside and cooked to a medium rare. The display, a piece of art had the lamb flayed over the sides. The restaurant is working for several reasons; the first and foremost is the simplicity but care for the food. They do not try to overwhelm and mask the main dish with too many ingredients. Many times, my sisters and I have come into nice restaurants, and the food is only mediocre. The reason seems to stem from the confusion created. My sister, Chloe says that “It was just simple and easy to recognize the great flavors, because they weren’t trying to overdo it.” A child friendly restaurant, my sisters, who do not have as big appetites as I do, shared their dish. Without needing to ask the chef / owner, split the meal on two different plates with two different sides. It was greatly appreciated and just one more act that contributed to the overall wonderful experience created at Le Bistro.
Bon Appetit !!
The next review a great surprise find "Marin Joes"
A musical dessert followed from Carmen to Caramel, this time the recipe for expression was through the maestro of food creativity. We traversed from the opera to Le Bistro Restaurant, where imagination is flourishing. I sung open the door to a quaint restaurant which with a French influenced cuisine, we sat down for a meal, to compete with most. I ordered a breaded halibut, with a light Dijon sauce and mashed potatoes. The halibut, perfectly cooked and crisp, melted in our mouth like butter. The creamed potatoes were nicely steamed and worked with the asparagus to create a balanced meal. But it was the sauce that really brought the meal together. The sauce helped tie in the halibut to the potatoes and asparagus through its dexterity and compatibility with the different foods.
My sisters wisely chose lamb medallions, seared on the outside and cooked to a medium rare. The display, a piece of art had the lamb flayed over the sides. The restaurant is working for several reasons; the first and foremost is the simplicity but care for the food. They do not try to overwhelm and mask the main dish with too many ingredients. Many times, my sisters and I have come into nice restaurants, and the food is only mediocre. The reason seems to stem from the confusion created. My sister, Chloe says that “It was just simple and easy to recognize the great flavors, because they weren’t trying to overdo it.” A child friendly restaurant, my sisters, who do not have as big appetites as I do, shared their dish. Without needing to ask the chef / owner, split the meal on two different plates with two different sides. It was greatly appreciated and just one more act that contributed to the overall wonderful experience created at Le Bistro.
Bon Appetit !!
The next review a great surprise find "Marin Joes"
Love doing reviews - tasting new foods and then cooking them at home with my own twist!!! If you have ideas as to what I should try next email contact@foodieg.com. Or leave a comment.
Marin Joe's - Can you say "thank you sir, can I have another?"
Stepping out of an old Volvo on a bright sunny day, I was looking forward to chowing down on a nice fat cheeseburger, at Marin Joe’s. All the way down, my friend couldn't or wouldn't stop talking about these great burgers and oh, those fries. Just you wait. These hopes felt dashed after I slam my finger into the car door while getting out. That will literally knock your appetite out of you, so I figured I may as well just sit down and watch everyone else eat. How fun would that be? I ask myself pondering, the dilemma, I feel terrible, but will eating make me feel better or worse? After biting into the first bite of that Burger, my doubts are smashed harder than my finger. This burger is what the model hamburger should taste like.
It starts with a French baguette sliced in half and then the burger and cheese are put inside, basically the French baguette is substituted against the buns that usually are consumed with a burger. The magic with the French roll is that the burger juices are absorbed into it and it turns it into, well greatness. The next trick is the most important, the actual meat or burger. At Marin Joes they are not stingy with the meat, you get this nice quarter pound piece of meat that is cooked to medium rare, perfectly. It’s juicy and flavorful and well, great!
I highly recommend Marin Joe’s as a place to eat. There is nothing like sitting down and having one heck of a burger. It seems to have care ground in somewhere into that patty and deliciousness soaked into that French bun. This burger place will knock your socks off, and may change the way you think about hamburgers, FOREVER!
Written by Zac Copper