Red meat lovers rejoiced at the announcement that SEARED, an upscale new steak house and seafood bar was coming to 'Restaurant Row' in historic downtown Petaluma's boutique shopping district, this summer.
Between Antique shops and Italian restaurants, the town's pretty much got it covered. But when it came to a good, old fashioned, well seared steak selection, options were limited.
Partners, native-Petalumans-all, Ken O'Donnell, Jeff Inglin and Kent Armbright took over from 31-year-proprietor Graziano Perozzi, at the gracious old, brick Wickersham Building on Petaluma Boulevard, in the heart of downtown, revamping the kitchen to accommodate executive chef, Ken's son Joe O'Donnell.
I stopped in with the family for a Sunday supper and was happy to taste for myself that the many good reports I'd been hearing on the menu at SEARED were warranted.
From the restaurant's New York Strip, 21-Day, Dry-Aged Ribe-Eye and T-Bone, to Prime Rib and Filet Mignon (weekends only) - steaks are sourced from grass fed farms in the region, complimenting appetizing daily soups made from local ingredients and salads such as The (tasty) Wedge, featuring Star Route Farm little gem, sweet 100 tomatoes, crispy shallot, Neuskes bacon, Pt. Reyes blue.
I enjoyed a great little House Salad of Green String Farm greens, toasted hazelnuts, shallots, nectarines, Purple Haze chèvre and hazelnut vinaigrette, though it was a tough choice over Charred Nectarine with Bellwether Farms ricotta, wildflower honey, sea salt, pistachio, preserved lemon.
Service was great, food was perfectly timed and it was fun to see lots of familiar faces amongst the restaurant's staff (hired on from Graziano's team) and folk out for dinner with their families.
While the men in my life went for different (all equally delicious and substantial) steaks, and sides of tasty Mac and Cheese and creamed spinach, after a sizzling starter of ahi tuna sliders with peppers, it was a thumbs up from me for my choice of the daily special seared grass-fed pork with pink lady apple sauce.
We didn't have room for dessert, but a slice of Peach Upside Down Cake with Bourbon Maple Ice Cream would have been my pick.
Though the team at SEARED has done a fair job in the swift re-branding of this popular eaterie after three decades as an upscale, traditional Italian restaurant, there's something missing from the ambience. I'd like to see the chandeliers make way for wine barrel candelabras or maybe barnyard industrial steel lighting, a crisper wall color and lots of super-sized bucolic art from this farm food region to bring the outside in.
With nearby Central Market currently closed for repairs following a chimney fire in early September, now's the time for SEARED to attract many of the most discerning diners in the area. I don't think that a steak house should look too similar Central Market's space, I do prefer a slightly less formal approach in an upscale Sonoma County eaterie's interior design. After all, most of the customers appeared to be casually dressed.
And while red roses had their day for many-a-year in Graziano's classic Sinatra-style decor, it would be nice to see something slightly more rustic/luxe on the table settings, to compliment the restaurant's super fresh, farm to table food.
For value for money, SEARED has it dialled in for a quality dinner out in downtown Petaluma. Focus on a regionally-sourced menu was a smart choice. Serving up the best steaks in town on a consistent basis has placed this new restaurant in a good position as a mainstay of the south county's dining out options. As for the decor, well that's not too much of a biggie at this point.
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