Bites Nearby: Petaluma's Della Fattoria Downtown Does More Than Bake Breads

Each week, GraceAnn Walden picks a restaurant in Petaluma or Novato that is worth checking out. Here's this week's choice:

Della Fattoria Downtown (The Cafe)
141 Petaluma Boulevard North, Petaluma, CA

www.dellafattoria.com, 707-763-0161

Overview: Kathleen and Ed Weber may have started out as bakers, but what they have created is the whole package: growing their own food, distributing their baked goods to restaurants all over the North Bay, selling at farmers markets, hosting folks at their farms and (for my purposes) they dish up a pretty yummy lunch.

They concentrate on serving breakfast and lunch. I can’t wait to go back for their café dinners on Friday nights or their summer dinners at their land in west Petaluma.

Décor: The interior is airy and attractive, but unfortunately too small at peak times.

The Drinks: The hibiscus lemonade is the bomb. Coffee drinks are expertly made.

Appetizers: None really.

Entrees: Sandwiches made with great, fresh ingredients, mostly organic on terrific bread. My favorites, having chomped on my two friends’ sandwiches, are the Reuben made with Niman Ranch pastrami, fresh sauerkraut and thousand island dressing made in house and the Rancho Gordo beans on toast with chevre, roasted garlic on rosemary-lemon toast.  I had the piadini (a crispy pizza base with goodies on top) with tuna, cheddar and arugula. Sandwiches come with a small salad.

Anyone who complains that the sandwich is outrageously expensive at $12-$13 doesn’t know what goes into making and obtaining quality ingredients. For example, the tuna is Pacific Northwest, wild albacore tuna, pole/troll caught in our waters.

Desserts: Any of the pastries, especially the chocolate croissant.

Service: I heard the staff was cold and unfriendly, but found them to be the opposite. 

Disabled accessible: Yes.

Noise level: Noisy, when full.