A Petaluma360 Blog

Above the Brim

Rivertown rants, raves and reviews from a man of many hats

Wine Country Helicopter Tour: The Perfect Christmas Gift

Friday, at 8:24 by

About this time last year, I came across a Groupon deal for a helicopter tour based out of the Petaluma airport.  The tour by Heloventure was offered for two passengers and was deeply discounted – more than what I normally find on Groupon.  If you don’t know, helicopter and airplane tours are quite expensive - something I have always considered far outside my budget, so this Groupon seemed like the deal of the century.  With Christmas coming up, I decided to treat myself and… Read More »

Christmas Experiment – Buying Local??? (Part 2)

Sunday, at 8:50 by

Local Christmas Experiment: Part 2 – Craft Fairs and Baked Goods How easy would it be to find a reasonably priced local tree and decorate it with locally crafted ornaments and lights?  The short answer? – not very.  And not without hitting our pocketbooks pretty hard. The first thing we did was check with a few downtown Petaluma shops to see if they carried anything from local artisans.  This proved fruitless.  We wrestled with the idea of getting no tree… Read More »

Christmas Experiment – Buying Local??? (Part 1)

Saturday, at 11:23 by

Local Christmas Experiment: Part 1 – To Tree or Not to Tree. During our weekly trek through the Petaluma Grocery Outlet, my partner broached the idea of us getting a Christmas tree this year.  Living in a fairly small space for the past few years, we have never before set up a Christmas tree.  We are by no means non-festive – we usually string up some lights inside the house and border our patio with candy cane lights.  We also… Read More »

Taste of Petaluma 2012: Part 1

Thursday, at 7:43 by

In the interest of time, and my hunger, today’s episode of “Taste of Petaluma” will feature mostly pictures.  The event is this Saturday (August 25) and tickets can be purchased at Gallery One or www.tasteofpetaluma.com for $35 (PRICE GOES UP TO $40 ON THE DAY FO THE EVENT.) Well, by now you are all familiar with TOP, as well as my love of local ingredients, locally owned restaurants, and what I consider the best cuisine in the world…which comes from… Read More »

Taste of Petaluma (2012)

Tuesday, at 12:22 by

Whether you have lived in Petaluma for years, have recently relocated here, or appreciate weekend visits to its charming downtown shops and restaurants Taste of Petaluma (TOP) is for you!  Taste of Petaluma is a culinary walking tour of downtown Petaluma’s best restaurants, shops, and galleries, coupled with a great selection of regional wines and beers from the boutiques to the powerhouses. Mark your calendar for Saturday, August 25th (11:30am-4pm) because it is time to sample the best of what… Read More »

Last Minute Gift Ideas…

Friday, at 11:23 by

With only two days left until Christmas (likely less depending on where you shop) filling your last minute gift needs can be stressful.  And keep in mind, this isn’t any regular two days…a trip across town that would normally take ten minutes is going to drag on as if you are on D Street waiting for the drawbridge to lower. So, what to do?  It is one thing if you already know what you are going to buy but if… Read More »

TOP Part II

Thursday, at 5:09 by

For those of you that missed it, Laura Sunday (The Queen of Cuisine) and I did an on-air Tuesday with Steve Jaxon of KSRO’s “Drive Time” in order to promote the 2010 Taste of Petaluma.  The Taste of Petaluma is a culinary walking tour of downtown Petaluma, with art galleries, shops, and many street musicians as appetizer and dessert.  Participating restaurants are invited to send a selection of their food with us for our yearly on-air.  Every year we surprise… Read More »

What Does Petaluma Taste Like?

Thursday, at 8:01 by

The 5th Annual Taste of Petaluma is slated for Saturday, September 25th but DO NOT wait to buy your tickets since there will only be a limited number issued this year.  Get the special “locals” price before tickets increase for the out of towners!!!  (The last day of the “early bird” special is August 2nd.) When I returned to Petaluma after 15 years of living in other parts of the Bay Area, the first thing I wanted to do was eat. … Read More »

Inaugural Strange Pie Challenge

Wednesday, at 11:55 by

Attending Penngrove’s “Biggest Little Parade” on July 4th built up an appetite that only the Penngrove Picnic could fill, and so we spent the middle of the day stuffing ourselves with pit beef, BBQ chicken and 4H Zerts (at $1 a piece, you can’t get just one dessert.)   If we had planned better we would have worn our “eatin’ britches” but with the loosening of belts we rolled over to Humble Pie to see what all the fuss was about… Read More »

Nothing Beats Wood-Fired Pizza…

Wednesday, at 1:23 by

  You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I’m not hungry enough         to eat six. – Yogi Berra There is something unique and organic about firing a pizza with natural wood in an earthen oven… more than just the natural smoky flavor.  Did you know that a wood fired pizza oven can cook a pizza in just five minutes?  I didn’t know that either until I spoke with a salt-of-the-Earth chap by the name of Micah Frazier Elliott… Read More »