Category Archives: Best Takeout Food

Dining In At Petaluma’s Outstanding Della Fattoria

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Honeynut squash toast with herbed goat cheese at Della Fattoria.
Honeynut squash toast with herbed goat cheese at Della Fattoria.

I am no stranger to dashing into Della Fattoria bakery and cafe in downtown Petalua to grab a loaf — or two — of my favorite Rosemary-Meyer Lemon bread. In fact, I am beside myself if I ever find it already sold out, because this crusty, chewy bread strewn with sea salt is absolutely everything.

Yet despite those countless trips, I sheepishly admit that I had never sat down to eat a regular meal in its charming dining room with its tall, beamed ceiling that resembles a big ol’ family barn.

So, last week, my husband and I decided to finally remedy that. In fact, we went to Della Fattoria twice — in three hours.

The dining room set up for brunch and lunch.
The dining room set up for brunch and lunch.

Heed my reasoning here: Since its doors open at 8 a.m. and I was determined to get my bread, we arrived shortly after that hour. I not only got my hands on two loaves to take home, but a box of pastries to enjoy back at our hotel, just a short stroll away.

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Pastry Run, Part II: Butter & Crumble

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The robustly flavored, flaky, buttery, French Onion Soup pastry at Butter & Crumble.
The robustly flavored, flaky, buttery, French Onion Soup pastry at Butter & Crumble.

There’s no doubt that the pandemic wrought untold devastation, heartache, and misery.

But if there was one shining light to emerge from that trying time, it was surely Butter & Crumble in San Francisco.

Owner Sophie Smith was a line cook at San Francisco’s A16, when restaurants were forced to shutter temporarily. She started baking cakes, a side hustle during the hiatus, until she could resume working toward her dream of eventually opening her own restaurant some day.

But something unexpected happened: Her dreamy cakes, lavished with thick, creamy frosting over layers that hid crunchy, crumbly bits, became a sensation. So much so that it upended her entire trajectory.

I was in line for more than an hour to get these beauties.
I was in line for more than an hour to get these beauties.

She was soon pursuing a new goal of opening up her own bakery. In Oct. 2023, her brick-and-mortar location in North Beach debuted. From the first day, long lines stretched down the block. They haven’t dwindled since.

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Pastry Run, Part I: Parachute Bakery

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What I scored at Parachute Bakery in San Francisco.
What I scored at Parachute Bakery in San Francisco.

Sometimes it pays to be a latecomer.

When Parachute Bakery opened last summer in the Ferry Building, eager beavers with major sweet tooths swarmed the place. So much so that the bakery was selling out less than 3 hours after opening.

Now? The crowds are more manageable, especially on weekdays, which I found when I finally visited at the end of January.

It’s easy to understand the fuss. After all, Parachute is by the team behind Michelin-starred Sorrel in San Francisco, Chef Alex Hong and Joel Wilkerson, director of operations. Its co-owner and executive pastry chef is Nasir Armar, who grew up working in his father’s bakery in India. He was the former pastry chef at Sorrel, and at Michelin two-starred Saison in San Francisco.

Parchute Bakery is near Gott's in the Ferry Building.
Parchute Bakery is near Gott’s in the Ferry Building.

To say that Armar’s pastries exemplify precision is to put it mildly. These are some gorgeous creations. They are not all looks and no substance, either. The flavors hold their own.

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Fried Chicken Sandwich Bliss In A Napa Auto Lot

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The epic fried chicken sandwich at Joella's Deli.
The epic fried chicken sandwich at Joella’s Deli.

Chef Ian Rosenstrauch has a thing for fried chicken. And we should all be grateful for that.

A former line cook at New York City’s Rainbow Room, who then worked for three years as a butcher and gardener at The French Laundry in Yountville, he would go home at the end of his shift and crave fried chicken so much that he’d fry up a batch to eat. Even at 2 a.m. — when he had to be back at work at 7 a.m.

One day, he got the notion to come up with the ultimate fried chicken sandwich. And that was that. He jumped all in, quitting his job a month later, and buying a used food truck that he tricked out, himself, after watching YouTube videos.

He knew he was on to something when he was asked to cater the holiday party for the staff at Michelin-starred Press in St. Helena.

He served the fried chicken sandwich, of course. “They lost their minds!” over it, he recounted proudly. That was no easy feat when you consider that tough crowd included former colleagues of his from The French Laundry.

Chef Ian Rosenstrauch
Chef Ian Rosenstrauch

That’s how Joella’s Deli was born two years ago. He named it after his grandmother, whom he jokes, never cooked anything in her life, but nevertheless whose love had a profound impact on his life.

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Napa Meets Kansas City At Stateline Road Smokehouse

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(Clockwise from top): beans & greens; burnt ends, baby back ribs, brisket, pulled pork, and mac & cheese.
(Clockwise from top): beans & greens; burnt ends, baby back ribs, brisket, pulled pork, and mac & cheese.

Darryl Bell has known he wanted to be a chef since he was all of 8 years old, when he was already stirring up pots of lentil and hot water-corn bread at his family’s stove in Kansas City, MO.

He more than made good on that dream, cooking in such illustrious kitchens as Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bistro in Yountville, Alinea in Chicago, and Press in St. Helena.

This summer, he finally opened his own restaurant, Stateline Road Smokehouse in Napa, named for the major thoroughfare that divides Kansas City, MO and Kansas City, KS.

Chef-Owner Darryl Bell.
Chef-Owner Darryl Bell.

It was an endeavor that took a long two years to turn a former auto repair shop into a casual, welcoming restaurant, which I had a chance to finally visit a couple weeks ago.

Even at lunch time on a Friday, the place was packed with folks chowing down on trays heaped with smoky tender meats.

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