Petaluma: Central Market

After lunch in Sonoma we drove over to Petaluma and the apartment we'd be staying in. So glad it had A/C as it was pretty hot out.

We loved the location, about a mile and a half from downtown Petaluma, we would get some exercise walking to and from dinner. A big plus were the lovely Victorian homes that lined the streets on our walk to and from dinner.

Even those homes that were sort of ranch or adobe style had their own unique touches......I loved this front yard.

We really enjoyed walking down "D" and "B" streets.

Petaluma's historic downtown is quite charming. The city was once called the "Egg Capitol of the World" and this is where Lyman Byce perfected the Egg Incubator. It was also the agricultural crossroads for Marin and Sonoma counties. The downtown area still has a stately, but also a "cow town/agricultural" kind of feel. And it's home to two other important "names"; Mesa Boogie and Leo Laporte.

When deciding on dinner; the name "Central Market" kept coming up. Even by Leo Laporte! After reading about the "farm to table", made from scratch philosophy, this seemed like a perfect fit for dinner in what was once the agricultural center of the area.

Loved the space with its high ceilings. The place was fairly empty when we arrived but filled up quickly. Our Server, Ashley was the perfect balance between polished, professional, and friendly. The feel was up-market, yet

casual, with folks in everything from jackets to shorts and sandals. I believe they call their style "Cali-terranean" or something like that. 

Now call me a terrible Food Blogger for not photographing the wine....we had the Sauvignon Blanc from Six Sigma Vineyards with our starters and salads and the Cuvee, and really nice red blend with our main.

And then there were the Pork Cracklins ($6.50).

Very light and crisp, not overly salted, with enough paprika to give it a wonderful smokiness.

We liked the Fresh Burrata with Beefsteak Tomatoes with Capers and Anchovy Dressing ($12.50)

As one would expect, the tomatoes were quite meaty, but we'd probably have enjoyed them having a bit more flavor and acid. The combination of Burrata Cheese, the deeply savory anchovy, added with restraint, and the peppery and grassy olive oil was quite a hit.

The Farm Chicory Salad ($11) was nice.

While it was bit too "lukewarm" for our tastes; the fennel and the olives, lifted this from being just another ho-hum salad.

The Missus loves Her Beets, so the Red Beets - Cherry Tomato - Cucumber Salad ($9.50) was a must have.

This was a well put together dish, the cucumbers and arugula made it for me. I thought the pesto clashed with the Greek yogurt dressing, but there were no complaints from the Missus.

Without a doubt; the best single dish we had on this trip was the special for the day; the Pork Confit.

The pork was just simple perfection, crisp on the exterior, moist and just firm enough, not falling to pieces interior. It was also so very "porcine" in flavor and went really well with the refried beans, in lieu of the what would normally probably be mashed potatoes, was a very pleasant surprise as I'd never have thought of that combination. Which tasted really great with the pork. The demi-glace was also very good, not overly salty. The Missus was smitten with how light and crunchy those onion rings were.

Dessert? Well, the Missus has a new favorite, as She loved the Affogato.

Call it fire and ice; espresso poured over ice cream. The Missus just loved this, the best of both worlds as it were.

Me, I was still feeling the heat and wanted some liquid refreshment for the walk back to our apartment. I decided to get something light and refreshing and the Scrimshaw Pilsner from North Coast Brewing Company (Ft Bragg) filled the bill.

We really enjoyed our meal at Central Market. All the dishes were at the least "solid", prepared well, and the service was the best we had on our trip. The space is very warm and welcoming and we'd gladly eat here again. And that pork was just amazingly perfect.

Plus, I loved this sign above the men's urinals.....

Central Market
42 Petaluma Blvd N
Petaluma, CA 94952 

We were really enjoying the vibe here......

We walked back to the apartment and headed off to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a fairly long day....lots to do. There was that Cheese Trail thing after all.....

Thanks for reading! 

Comments

[caninecologne]

Very nice post Kirk! I regret not checking out Petaluma during our recent summer road trip to Northern CA. Seems like a cool small town with lots of great food/beer choices. I like the look of that pork confit with fried onions!

[kat]

very nice meal!

[Soo @ hungryones]

Cool Victorian archetecture! That's one of the things I love about San Francisco.

I want some pork confit and onion rings!

[Kirk]

You should check tem out next time your up that way CC!

It was Kat!

The one interesting thing about Petaluma Soo, is that it was spared much of the devastation of the 1906 earthquake...so what you're seeing here is much older than SF.

[caninecologne]

Trivia - Winona Ryder, one of my fave Gen X actresses, grew up in Petaluma.

[Kirk]

And I believe the movie Pleasantville was filmed in the area as well CC!

[Sandy]

When I hear Petaluma, I think of the Peanuts comic strip when Snoopy goes to the world arm wrestling championships.

[Kirk]

Hi Sandy - I totally forgot about that! Thanks for triggering those memories.