De Schmire
304 Bodega Ave., Petaluma
(707) 762-1901
www.deschmirerestaurant.com
French Cuisine
Dinner nightly; closed Tuesdays
Entrées: $18-$29
Good wine list
Set just beyond downtown along Bodega Ave., De Schmire is a small place with a casual, friendly atmosphere, an open kitchen and likely the best French onion soup you can find. Plus, if you’re faced with serious hunger, this is the place for you. The portions are large, the flavors are rich and the menu covers a wide spectrum of French-influenced foods. No wonder it’s such a long-standing Petaluma landmark. Chef Andrew Lujan has been there since 1975, and long-time owner Dan Eastman cooks by his side.
We sat by the picture windows along the front and started off with some Michel Servin Blanc de Blanc (crisp with pear and citrus elements). The first course was a house salad, which may sound uneventful, except it’s everything but. It had mixed organic greens, thin-sliced apples and strawberries, house made croutons, dried cranberries, grapes, red onions and feta cheese, all brought together in a light honey Dijon vinaigrette. We also had the imported escargot, tender and hot served in a garlic-heavy sauce with butter and fresh-cut herbs (which was fun to sop up with some bread, too).
Next came that French onion soup—a very hot and savory onion broth with large chunks of sweet onions and croutons, topped with a generous amount of melted (baked) cheese. We also had the lobster bisque, which had a smoky flavor with pureed vegetables, croutons and a bit of cheese as well.
At this point, we decided it was time to switch to still wine, so we went for the 2007 Cambria Viognier (tropical fruit, vanilla, baked apples) from the value-priced, international list.
The entrées are beautifully presented (they even had fresh flower garnishes) and very generously portioned. First was the halibut, which had a chopped mixed-nut crust that was baked golden brown onto the thick, melt-in-your-mouth fish (seriously, the filet must have been 10 ounces), then accented with a Meyer lemon and basil sauce. Along with that came asparagus spears with a béarnaise sauce, Spanish rice with peppers and a nest of shaved fresh beets on top.
Next was “De Whole Schmire,” which included three perfectly cooked, sweet jumbo prawns sautéed with garlic, scallions, tomatoes and olives with white wine and lemon juice and a tender, 6- to 8-ounce filet topped with béarnaise sauce and served with very flavorful, skin-on mashed potatoes.
We also spoke with the couple at the table next to us, who told us they drive from Marin to De Schmire on a regular basis “just for the chicken Zanzibar,” which is a sautéed breast with mild curry sauce and topped with bananas, seasonal fruit and toasted almonds. I think I’ll try that next time around.
For dessert, we shared the profiteroles, which are two large, flaky and crisp puff pastries stuffed with vanilla ice cream and a tower of thick whipped cream with fresh strawberries, all covered in a thick, rich chocolate sauce.
