Bianchini's - Petaluma, CA

Cowboy Ron likes to share with us his favorite hometown eats when we go visit him. Bianchini's is a place he like to grab lunch. Lets go on in and see what they have to offer...

Well, cold beer on draft is a good start! This trip it was Blue Moon as the flavor of the day.

Scott ordered the Italian and it was filled with all cuts topped with provolone, lettuce, peppers, onions plus mayo and mustard on a really great, fresh roll. Sometimes lunch doesn't get much better tasting than a good sandwich.

I had toasted pastrami, melted provolone on rye. It was filled with sauerkraut and thousand island dressing. I like my food ooey and gooey, this was fantastic!

Sometimes lunch doesn't get me really excited and sandwiches can be boring. But on this day they tasted extra good... Who doesn't love sitting around the table with people you like, eating simple food and an ice cold beer. Days like this are for the lucky ones.

Circle Oak Dinner - Petaluma, CA

We always have fabulous meals at Ron and Sara's while staying in Petaluma. This night was no exception to that. The wine is always terrific too, Ron has good taste!

On the menu this particular evening was lamb! Ron worked his magic with garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil. He kept it simple!

After a quick trip on the barbecue this is what we looked forward to enjoying!

This is the loaf of bread we got at Della earlier that morning. It was fantastic! Chewy and carbolicious! Great for sopping up stray lamb juice too!

Our plates were perfectly colored, a sign to a healthy meal! The side was a curried squash which was amazing and green beans to finish. It was a lovely evening shared by friends. 

This ended our trip to the Circle Oak Ranch... Can't wait for next year!

Della Fattoria - Petaluma, CA

While we were in Petaluma we had a power outage one morning due to a car accident nearby. It took out the electricity, which in turn cut the pump so the water was scarce,  so we decided to go into town to get our morning fuel...

Ron and Sara adore the bread the owner makes so we walked in and took a seat at the long farm table and made our selections for breakfast.

Scott ordered a Vanilla latte and it was beautiful. Nice swirl and cool mug.

Ron, Scott and I all ordered the Toast Sampler: Smoked Salmon, cream cheese, cucumber, capers and red onion on whole wheat. Egg Salad on sourdough. Rancho Gordo Cannellini bean puree on white.

Sara ordered Stacey's Breakfast which is essentially a breakfast salad! Three poached eggs, bacon, avocado, greens and hot sauce. What a meal! It looked lovely.

We bought a couple loaves of bread to go and made our way back to the ranch. Such a leisurely way to spend the day working horses! Now that is the life!

Dempsey's - Petaluma, CA

While in Petaluma last week we not only got to ride, work great cows but I also got to see my family! My brother flew in with my Dad and my Mom picked them up at the airport to come visit the Circle Oak Ranch for the day.

After riding we went to Dempsey's and had lunch. Ron loves the Red Rooster Ale so we ordered a pitcher and everyone had a taste. It is really good. 

One of my favorite things about Dempsey's, as I have been here before, are the Onion Rings! They are thin and crispy! Totally addicting and served with their homemade barbecue sauce.

Mom had the Fish Sandwich with sweet potato fries. The fish was crispy and served on a soft poppy seed bun with the works. I loved the fries, as I sampled a few on the sly.

I had the Pan De Cazon: Basically three corn tortillas stacked between fish picadillo, sliced avocado, cotija cheese and red chile sauce. It was ok, sort of on the dry side. I kind of wish I explored something else on the menu.

Scott ordered the tacos and side of beans. He loved them, and offered me a bite. I just continued to eat the left over onion rings from the basket...

Ron had a beautiful salad: Chinese Chicken. It looked refreshing and healthy!

James and my Dad ordered burgers. I didn't grab a more mouth watering photo but they both seemed to enjoy them. I liked that they served up their fries like skinny matchsticks, they are so much better that way!

What a terrific day! Cutting, friends, family and great food. I am a lucky lady!!

Cucina Paradiso - Petaluma, CA

Scott and I went to Petaluma last week to work horses at Cowboy Ron's ranch in Petaluma, CA. It was a great trip, we had tons of fresh cows to work and a stellar arena. One of the nights we were there Scott and I snuck away to try a fancy restaurant downtown. Are you in the mood for Italian?

It was a quaint little restaurant with a lot of tables in one room. You had better like the dinner conversation at the table next you otherwise, it would make for a long evening!

I knew what I wanted from the moment we got there. I read reviews on the place and scanned the menu before we got there that evening. Ravioli Di Anatra - Filled with roasted duck, sun dried tomato and pine nuts and served with a basil cream sauce. I loved it. I originally thought I would not be able to finish it but the longer it sat down in front of me the more and more I worked my way through it. Lovely portion size.

Scott ordered something off the wall, from his usual ordering style and went for the Seafood Pasta filled with mussels, clams and shrimp. He said he wasn't very hungry before we walked in and he proved himself true as he only had a few bites. I asked him if he liked the way it tasted and he admitted it was a little bland. 

All this talk about pasta is making me hungry! Lets cook some pasta tonight, sip on some red wine and buy a movie on Direct TV! That is what we do for fun on week nights... What do you do?

Dempsey's - Petaluma, CA

One last meal before we hit the road back to Ojai. We worked the horses in a half day format and really needed to fill our stomachs before we climbed into the Ford 650. So we went to Dempsey's, I have been here with Cowboy Ron before but I decided to share it again with you!

Our crew, they looked exhausted don't they?  

Well, well, well... This will perk a woman right up! This is a Red Rooster brewed right at Dempsey's. It hits the spot and really makes me feel like I am drinking a "man's" beer. There are a lot of caramel malt and it bats in about 6% ABV. 

Shoestring Onions. I was so hungry when we got here I just ordered something the table could hurry up and share. This is what it was and it was delicious. It is amazing what hunger will do to get your taste buds doing cartwheels. But really, it was grease, onion, crunch and salt - all of those things make me smile so, yee haw!

The crew, besides myself, ordered burgers. It sounded wonderful but I wanted to be different, imagine that. Kat got hers with sweet potato fries. Word to the wise, or in my case "Word from the Weis", order the hamburger patty a notch higher than what you normally like it. If you prefer medium rare, order medium - Dempsey's is just a touch on the rare side. No worries though.   

Tacos? From a Hamburger joint? Beans too? Yes, and they were fantastic! Just like you would get off a really fancy roach coach. That good! The black beans were cooked to the point of melt in your mouth, I had no idea I liked beans this much.

This really was our last meal in Petaluma so the next time I see you we will be back in Ojai! 

Chunky's Taqueria - Petaluma, CA

After the night of tequila tasting while at Circle Oak we woke up feeling a little sluggish. Ron and Scott took care of business and left Kat and I to tend to the horses. We finished and knew we just had to get something to eat pronto. After a short walk to town we discovered, Chunky's. A mexican food restaurant by that name ought to be good, right? As soon as I saw that salsa bar, I knew we would be in good hands. 

You order at the register and then get your selection of salsas to sample. My favorite was actually that orange one. It was creamy and would be delicious on any kind of seafood. At this point, everything I was eating was heaven. There is my RC Cola too, soda can taste so good sometimes.

Here is my lunch! The Carnitas plate with rice, beans and guacamole. I loved this mish mash of fun. They asked if I wanted tortillas but i declined. I like eating everything separately not all mashed up in a burrito. I was craving just exactly this and I would return to Chunky's anytime.

Katt went for a burrito and she said it was good. In fact she said she was stuffed to the gills. Good thing we had a few hours to digest. A pedicure and Starbucks came next so I would say it was a pretty good time. 

Dinner @ Malone's - Petaluma, CA

After Cutting Day #2 we cleaned ourselves up for a dinner with at Ron and Sara Malone's. We enjoyed wine in their courtyard and I just loved this succulent filled fountain. What a great idea, it is so beautiful.

Who doesn't loved a cowboy boot planter. I would paint it up with bold, bright colors. But, that is just Melissa Good Taste talking...

Sara and Scott...

Katherine

Cowboy Ron

Melissa Good Taste. That was our Circle Oak Invitational crew this year. Smaller group than other years but it was nice. Small in numbers, but not in enthusiasm is what I gathered. Ok, now onto the food...

Steamed artichokes. Always a winner. I eat and eat until I have reached the heart. Most of the diners threw theirs away at the end of the meal, a complete waste in my opinion.

Potatoe, potato. These scrumptious babies were microwaved and then drizzled with olive oil with a quick roast in the oven.

An experiment that Sara conducted. Fava beans grilled on the grill, then tossed in a lemon infused olive oil and sea salt. Holy moly what fun! After two de-shells each pod and bean you have a succulent blend of finger licking goodness on your hands!

Asian marinated pork tenderloin. Cooked to perfection. Think Rice wine vinegar, ginger, white wine, soy. Delicious!

My plate. I even had another serving of the pork because it was outstanding. I have grown to like pork more as an adult. Although, I think it is more popular now than it ever was. I guess it really is the "Other White Meat" - move over chicken!

And then there is this. Tequila drinking after dinner was what we were up to. It was devine. A super special tequila Cowboy Ron came across. We finished the caramel flavored tequila and I got the final shot. Oh my, this was quite the working vacation! Ole!

Flamez Bar and Grill - Petaluma, CA

After our first day of Circle Oak cutting we were in need of a beer! The long drive from the day before, the gathering, setting up, saddling, riding, putting away, feeding... It wears you out! So we went to the local shopping center for supplies and a quick meal. Samuel Adams is always nice. 

The place was alright. Service a little shoddy but it didn't really offend me. I knew what I was getting right when I walked in. Sometimes I am annoyed by this kind of treatment when paying for a meal but today I was in a good mood.

I ordered the Fish and Chips because I always order it. And it tasted extra delicious! I love it when frozen fish deep fried in oil makes my day. The tarter was really good too.    

Kat had the Pesto Wrap and sweet potato fries. She is a sucker for them and will always order them if she sees them on the menu. I guess we all have our addictions. She was not overly impressed with the wrap but it was food and we were all hungry.

Scott had the BLAT - bacon, lettuce, avocado, tomato. He loved it. Everything is better with bacon.

I don't have a whole lot else to say about Flamez besides that they should spell their name correctly. Maybe, concentrate on completing orders correctly and possibly serving the beer with cold glasses. That is about it.