Della Fattoria Downtown Café — Restaurant in Petaluma

This is what a weekend breakfast affair should be!!!

We have been wanting to go back to our most nostalgic and romantic spot for an early morning breakfast for a while now, but somehow we were not able to.

Finally it happened on this rainy Sunday morning! We drove up early (not too lazy, eh!, but that is how we foodies roll !!) and reached there before the crowd got in!

They have finally moved the cafe seating back into their main dining area and we enjoyed getting window seating, which helped us watch folks watch us watch them as they walked by and we enjoyed our breakfast!

We started off with a cup of coffee, just the way we like it , no milk and with a spoonful of raw cane sugar. We took in the cool, rainy morning through the window while we slowly sipped our elixir.

We ordered all our regular items that we have been ordering these past many years and I am proud and happy to confirm, nothing has changed . Impeccable quality of ingredients, extreme expertise of cooking every dish just perfectly and the ever elegant plating and service - all things that we have grown accustomed to and expect - and get every single time!

So this what we ordered:

Creamy Polenta with Seasonal Vegetables - the Polenta thick, creamy and gritty, just the way we like it, with mushrooms, broccolini, carrots potatoes and other seasonal organic veggies freshly picked from their farm and roasted just enough to enhance their flavors. The portions are big enough for two to share as starters -- our way of making the most of our visit ;-) . Rating - 5/5 - must say this stellar dish is the one that always makes us return to this place, time to time.

Eggs Bennie with Caggiano Ham, Della Toast & Housemade Hollandaise. The ham is to die for with the perfect smokiness leading it to have an unbelievable flavor and the housemate hollandaise complements it perfectly without overpowering the other flavors. The poached eggs too were cooked to perfection, not too runny that you can easily pick up a morsel that has all the components that constitute this ah-mazing dish! Rating - 5/5

Biscuits and Gravy - Crunchy della buttermilk biscuit, poached ranch eggs, gravy and caggiano maple pecan sausage. Everything delectable and a picture of perfection in one pan! Rating - 5/5

Can't...

Looking at the other reviews posted here, I'm utterly shocked that they are so good. We attempted to eat at this establishment last night, and the experience was so bad, it was laughable...

Upon entering, you're greeted with decor that I believe is supposed to be eclectic, but it feels forced. The design style is haphazard, and the lighting in the place is bright in some places, dim in others. The physical experience alone should have been our first sign.

When we entered, the owner of the restaurant made a comment on how handsome we were (a party of 4 gay men) - and suggested they seat us by the window to attract more customers. I believe this was her attempt to be flattering, but it came off as sexist and quite rude. A male business owner would never make those comments to a woman. The hostess was extremely nice and set us at our table very quickly (not by the window, thankfully).

The menu options are VERY limited (only 5 main course meals). And it wasn't until after we were about to order were we told that 2 of those dishes were out for the evening. At 7:45! If it were later in the evening, I would understand, but this felt very much like a bait-and-switch.

We resigned to sharing two salads for starters - the fritto misto and the melon salad. The melon salad was bland, and hardly any taste was found in it whatsoever. The little flavor we did find was...bad. That's really the only word to use. The fritto misto was very small (albeit flavorful).

Our main course took about 45 minutes to get to us from the time we ordered it. My friends ordered a pizza, which they were told would be enough for 2 (it was 8 slices). It clearly was not - little over the size of a personal pizza. I ordered a Cesar salad, with a dressing that was essentially mayo with a little bit of garlic and anchovy paste. I ate 2 leaves and gave up. The pasta/meatball dish my partner ordered was small, pretty bland, but showed a tiny bit of promise.

All in all, this was one of the worst experiences I've had in a restaurant to date. We eventually resigned ourselves to the fact that this was a cocktail-less cocktail hour, gave up and went down the street to Central Market (which was incredible).

If you're visiting the town,...

We like our experiences when we visit Della Fattoria. Love their Chinese Chicken salad and breads. When we cannot visit due to health issues; we order take out and my husband drives all the way to Petaluma. He looks for parking which is not easy or convenient just for me so I can have the salads and bread. Recently, got food poisoning; was sick for on week and also discovered a lot of spoiled lettuces and veggies. At $14 per salad; it was very disappointing. Their current manager has wonderful customer service and people skills made the salads himself and made all well. Hopefully, he will be allowed to stay. Businesses need people with his skills. The owner should be elated to have this manager. The previous manager lacked in many ways. Other previous managers who were great for this business are no longer there...Well qualified individuals hard to find. This restaurant offers 6 chocolate type cookies in a decorative bag for $10. $7.00 would be a good price. Previously, you could purchase 10 traditional chocolate chip cookies for $10. We refuse to pay $10 for 6 cookies. If it weren't for their food and a few waitresses and their great customer service skills we would not return to this eating establishment because of difficult parking , bathroom which is on top floor and very hard to get to. This is no place to eat for the disabled . You cannot make reservations anymore which is a poor decision due to people who may not be able to stand for some usually a lengthy wait to sit in very cramped seating. Owners, need to get a new and better place where there is adequate parking, a bathroom which is easily accessed . Plus , where disabled people can enjoy the food and ambience of Della Fattoria. I Owning this type of business is not just about making money. It's an experience and without the customers no money;...