Petaluma Beckons

Oh, boy, do I have good news for you!  Rosso has a new branch Petaluma! No longer must I drive clear up to Santa Rosa to enjoy their wood-fired pizzas, killer daily specials, friendly and expert service, and wonderful chicken salad.

Their menu is more extensive than that, but I tend to be one who sticks with a favorite, and those are my favorites so far. 

This time, cousin Jan and I split the chicken salad and a sausage and goat cheese pizza. You could call Rosso's food predictable - it's always so very good!  The pizza has the thinny-thinnest crust, blistered in places and delicious all over, and the combinations of ingredients are always a little surprising.  Our Ducati pizza had smoked chicken sausage, ricotta cheese and roasted tomato sauce.

The chicken salad is one of my all-time favorites, made with really fresh lettuce, real roasted chicken (not that strange, rubbery stuff you sometimes get on salads), toasted almonds, Point Reyes blue cheese crumbles, roasted pears, and pear vinaigrette.

I will be returning frequently, not only to see cousin Jan who lives in Petaluma, but also to enjoy the daily specials. As I write, tonight's special is fried chicken with creamy smashed potatoes. My mouth is already watering, even though I had planned something else for dinner. I may have to call Jan and see if she's up for a return visit already. I surely am!

**UPDATE!  After a busy day of tutoring and errands, I caved in to the brilliant idea of driving up to Petaluma again to let Rosso make our dinner. It was Thursday, Fried Chicken and Creamy Smashed Potatoes night on their Daily Plates menu.

We called Jan again to see if she wanted to join us for a spur-of-the-moment dinner, drove on up there, and all three of us ordered the fried chicken. Luckily, we went early, because our server predicted that they would soon run out.

There's a reason for that - this was easily the best fried chicken it has ever been my delight to consume. Crisp with no hint of a greasy taste, it was moist inside and boneless (but not dynamited - these were simply boned pieces of chicken) with a sweet-salt glaze of bacon lardons and maple (I think?). The spuds were thinly sliced in a creamy-cheesy sauce that reminded My Beloved of his mother's au gratin potatoes. It was a generous serving and yet we all finished the plate without feeling stuffed. They don't serve dessert at Rosso - I guess they have learned that no one has room for it.

The second perfect meal in a week from Rosso. Go up. You will be glad you did, I promise. Petaluma Beckons!