Aram's Cafe

FOOD ALERT!!! I'm issuing an immediate alert to everyone who enjoys good food. Aram's Cafe in Petaluma offers a delightful variety of Mediterranean and Armenian specialties, enough for three healthy, hearty meals a day, nestled in a cozy cafe setting in the heart of downtown Petaluma. The bad news is despite these charms, Aram's is on the verge of closing down. This is not a matter if "if," but "how soon." I'm ashamed that I let this fruit whither on the vine when I should have been savoring it through all seasons, and I worry that this rich cultural niche may be left unfulfilled for a while, at least to the same level of quality and care.

Appetizer:

Falafel, baba ganoush, hummus, and dolma.

Main course:

Lamb shawarma

Dessert:
"Bird's nest" baklava with pistachio, lemon cheesecake

I'll admit, the shawarma is a bit of a safe choice, but delicious nonetheless. Aram's menu, full of lamb, eggplant, and pomegranate chicken has enough intriguing choices for anyone. I'm looking forward to this Saturday, when I'll return for their weekend brunch as a pre-game to the Petaluma Farmer's Market.

Ferry Building Farmer's Market/A Springtime Lunch Tour

Last Thursday I was in Alameda on business, and I decided to call up Molly Mayhem for a lunch companion (always a good idea.) She guided me to the Ferry Building Plaza Farmer's Market, and its broad variety of treats. We got a burger with some very special sauce, Korean tacos (grilled beef, kimchee, rice, and shrimp in a nori wrap,) and...okonomiyaki.


Okonomiyaki is sometimes referred to in the west as Japanese pizza. It hit me a little more like stuffed crepes. The name loosely translates to "whatever you like, grilled." This food riot you see balanced on my knees is filled with kimchee and covered with onions, soy sauce, and mayonnaise, and it was delicious. Carving into it with chopsticks is a struggle, but however you get this into your mouth, it's worth it.

Fortified for the afternoon, we did some running around for groceries. Molly brought us to a specialty store where I was lucky enough to find a snack I'd been seeking for a while: raw chocolate. As I'd read, the concept behind raw chocolate is that minimally processed cacao in high density is a great health food. Here the focus is not so much on the flavor but the nutrition in raw chocolate.

This is just such a chocolate bar, the Righteously Raw Goji Cacao Bar. The slim, rectangular bar is 90% raw cacao solids encasing a patty of thick goji berry paste. You read me right: 90% cacao solids. Snapping off the first bite, the bitterness of the chocolate is...significant. Pronounced. I think it dried out my tongue a bit. The bar's label declares no refined sugar and I believe it completely. I struggled through it with little comfort from 8 amino acids, 21 trace minerals, and immune-stimulating polysaccharides. This was a unique, healthy experience that I doubt I'll revisit.

Ending the day, Molly taught me how to poach an egg before sending me home with some fresh local spinach and sweet potatoes, and a couple wedges of cheese. For better presentation, I have included one of those cheeses in a salami sandwich:


Molly pointed out the distinct grassy flavor of this cheese, and she was dead-on. The grass cheese (forgot its real name) isn't exactly like faceplanting in a meadow, but there is a hint of vegetation, and it's actually quite pleasant. At room temperature the stuff spreads like butter, and I like to imagine that it's how the cow would have intended:

"It should taste just as it came from the Earth, moo."