In a city enjoying an upswing of great French food, little Brigitte Bistro is large and in charge.
It’s been a little over a year since Nick Ronan – the exuberant and talented French chef who says he “fell in love” with Petaluma – opened Brigitte Bistro in the old Wishbone (“Three Cooks”) location on the Boulevard.
At the time, many expressed hope that the new restaurant coming to life there would be a cut above, providing high-end cuisine at prices that, while not diner-cheap, wouldn’t break the bank either. Would a man who had run multiple fancy kitchens in San Francisco, written a book, and fallen in love with this town do such a marvelous thing?
He would. And boy, did he deliver. Even a small sampling from the current menu – which we enjoyed on a fine, bustling Tuesday evening in early June – makes plain that this is the place for Francophile foodies, partners celebrating their silver anniversary, or esteemed visitors you’re trying to impress – from your mère bien-aimée to French Prime Minister François Bayrou.
Make that frugal Francophile foodies, as entrees that elsewhere might set you back $50 are here priced in the $35 range. For those who don’t mind swapping white tablecloths for low-key service and ambiance, it’s more than a fair trade, and the leftover cash will just about cover your wine (in my case, a $16 glass of Ketcham Estate pinot noir).
Consider the Black Cod ($36) a white fish seared to delicate perfection, doused in lemon cream sauce and topped with julienne of celery roots fondant – thin strings of celery root cooked in a tangle until they resemble a flavorful bird’s nest.
I thought I’d done well with the cod, but my companion ordered Celery Root Millefeuille ($34), the only vegetarian entree on the menu, and it was, I believe, even better. In fact, it may be the best vegetarian dish I’ve ever tasted. “Mille-feuille” translates as “thousand sheets” – finely layered, in other words – and that’s what this is – fine layers of celery root, cauliflower veloute, pickled cauliflower and roasted hazelnut cooked in coriander oil until the flavors dance on the tongue. I still haven’t gotten over it.
To round things out we split a salad of little gem lettuce with a dressing so good it will make you rethink everything you thought you knew about salads, plus a side of creamy potato gratin (on the menu, Gratin Dauphinois de Pomme de Terre, $10), and I beg you not to pass on either of those items.
We also got an order of bread ($7) which naturally comes from Della Fattoria down the street. Like any good chef, Ronan takes full advantage of the world-class foods and ingredients Petaluma and the region have to offer.
Twelve years ago, the Frenchest place in town was probably downtown’s lovely Water Street Bistro. Since then Petaluma has enjoyed an unexpected surge in French cuisine, including Sarmentine French Bakery right across the Boulevard from Brigitte, Costeaux French Bakery on Washington Street, and the upcoming Restaurant au Metro, which is taking over the former Quinua space and connected to the also-French Metro Hotel right next door.
And the menu at Bijou, Petaluma’s most highly anticipated newcomer which just opened last week, has a strong French influence as well.
Perhaps Bijou, or Metro, will emerge as Petaluma’s dauphin, ready to one day take the crown as king of our burgeoning French cuisine scene. But for now, Brigitte Bistro – which Ronan named after his own mère bien-aimée – with its exceptional quality and homey feel, remains the undisputed ruler of this Francophile town.
Don Frances is editor of the Petaluma Argus-Courier. Reach him at don.frances@arguscourier.com.