Street Social — Restaurant in Petaluma

Street Social is a great addition to Petaluma dining options.

With seasonal, locally sourced ingredients, the menu features small plates that are big enough to share as well as full-sized entrees. The only problem is that there are just too many good choices, and making a final decision is difficult.

Creamy and rich, the housemate ricotta with grilled Della Fattoria rustic bread ($8) is fantastic paired with a glass of Rack & Riddle brut. Served with ripe, creamy avocado, Anna's Dungeness crab ($16) is complemented by a little blood orange and just the right amount of blistered Serrano Chile to give the dish a little "zing." Drizzled with miso "Caesar" dressing, the charred brassicas (cruciferous vegetables, $12) make even a meat lover want another helping. Roasted root vegetables perfectly complement the New York strip steak ($32), while lightly pickled collard greens add an unexpected boost of flavor. (Don't knock it until it you try it!)

The wine list is compact, yet it has enough well-chosen selections that provide selections sufficient to enhance the entirety of the menu. As mentioned above, the yeasty Rack & Riddle brut is a good go-to for sparkling. From the 2018 vintage, Baudry "Les Granges" Chinon is a great pairing with the more hearty dishes. Beer lovers are not forgotten: there are multiple selections from local brewing star Fort Point.

The space was formerly a wine shop as evidenced by the "wainscoting" forged from repurposed wooden wine boxes. Despite soaring ceilings, the brick-walled dining room is tiny: 14 seats downstairs with 4 more (or 6, if you are really friends) upstairs.

Street Social is really local: the chef and his lovely wife and hostess extraordinaire are Sonoma residents and veterans of multiple esteemed local dining venues. The polish and class of service combined with the excellence from the kitchen belie the fact that Street Social is their first foray on their own.

Street Social is great with the potential to be exceptional. Make reservations; as more people find this gem, you...

My anticipation was well rewarded after a perfectly executed meal with inspired ingredient combinations and unexpectedly nostalgic flavor among the unique ones. The appetizer of Peppadew peppers melded and contrasted the tangy creaminess of goat’s with the resistance, heat and charred bitterness of the pepper with the comfort and maturity of smoky honey. Beautiful introduction. The innocently sweet crisp pole beans were transformed with sumac, - I don’t remember, and charred lemon to a textural and sophisticated flavor delight. The perfectly seared scallop and seasonal fig were expertly enhanced by the salt and smoke of the chorizo. The beef filet was sublime, tender, perfectly pink and sliced on the bypass for eating ease and visual delight. The deeply flavorful reduction added just enough salt for a wonderful plate. The potatoes wedges had a unique, the crisp exterior contrasting flakey softness inside, never needing the - I -am -sure -delicious-but -never -tried aioli. The watercress salad was genius, simple, bright letting the green’s inherent flavor shine. Thank you - a wonderful culinary experience that has a price, but we knew that ahead of time, so not a blight. Please be open on some weekends so I can come again! Be aware the restaurant is very cool 😎 , small and therefore a little noisy, but again, a minor wrinkle, in view of engaging and...

Cold food on cold plates served with a cold shoulder. So disappointing. Our dining experience started well but fell apart with presentation of the main course. My steak and the sides were room temperature, served on a cold plate. Very unappetizing. Our server (rude & arrogant woman who turned out to be an owner) asked how we liked the food. I was honest that the flavor was good but everything was cold. She immediately become confrontational and said “It’s not cold”. I replied that it was all room temperature and not hot. Her response was, “room temperature is not cold, so it’s not cold!”. I was amazed. She turned to my husband and asked abruptly, “and yours?!”. He also said the flavor was good but it seemed to have been sitting a while and was not hot. The fat on his pork chop was still uncooked and jelled, not rendered. She then loudly announced, “I’ve dealt with people like you before” and stormed off. We were both stunned. She insulted us once again when we declined to take the undercooked leftovers with us, returning only once to curtly fling the bill onto the table. In my 23 years here in Petalauma and my many dining experiences, this goes down as the absolute worst. So sad they’re taking up a space with...