394407 Sun Apr 22 19:43:57 -0700 2007 8 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 2505096 Message Stormy's Spirits And Supper 6650 Bloomfield Rd sort of between Petaluma and Valley Ford Six hounds met to have prime rib "as big as your head." Stormy's is in old town Bloomfield --there is no new town. Full bar. We never looked at the menu so I can't tell you about other options or the wine list we brought our own. Everyone had the same thing prime rib and everyone was smiling laughing and very happy. We had a fried moment to start garlic fries, fried calamari , and onion rings. I liked the onion rings best. Next was a Boston style clam chowder and a mixed green salad both served family style. And then the prime rib -most ordered rare and it came that way. Sides mashed potatoes and a broccoli/carrot veg mix. No dessert for me but the other five headed south and east were on their way for homemade pie at the Washoe House on Stonypoint Rd. The sides and etc's were just fine but the draw is the prime rib and it was tender but not mushy and had a lot of flavor. With corkage for the wines we brought including tip the cost was $48.00. This was my first opportunity to meet fellow hounds and truthfully I was having so much fun it almost didn't matter what we were eating. The atmosphe is roadhouse. Our table was in the bar by the fireplace. It was cozy although a bit toasty. There is a larger dining room that has less charm. Thank you to Melanie Wong and "Ruby Louise" for organizing the dinner. We had so much fun we figured out a couple of other North Bay places we want to try --The Triple S Ranch, Parry's, and Rocker Oysterfellers, Valley Ford Hotel . Stormy's serves dinner Thursday thru Sunday Sun Apr 22 19:43:57 -0700 2007 22318 ellenm 1 2505319 Stormy's has been known to sell out of the prime rib so, we called and reserved it ahead of time. They were gorgeous slabs of beef about an inch thick with rippled edges of glistening fat. It smelled not just like meat, but like beef. Tender, juicy without gristle or tough bits and a bit of horseradish on the side. The beef is prime, but not local, and the finish butchering is done in-house. For those of us that ordered sauteed mushrooms on the side, they had nice mushroomy flavor and a good firm but tender texture. The onion rings ellenm mentions were the best of the appetizers for their flaky, nearly sheer coating. Stormy's was purchased by Stormy herself 47 years ago, and a was originally called the Big Valley Inn. According to Stormy's daughter in law Carolyn (who was both hostess and waitress), "Stormy was definitely stormy", and passed away in the last 2 years. Originally the family was from Berkeley, but had always been in the restaurant business. Between the six of us we brough 3 bottles of wine. Corkage was $14 per bottle. I'll post the wines with with collected comments and notes from the group on the Wines board here: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/394429 . Five of us did make it to Washoe House in search of homemade pie. The crust was tender, but warming it in the microwave wilted it a bit. I was just glad to see it wasn't one of those industrial strength crusts. The filling was nice chunks of cinnamony apples that weren't mushy or indistinct, but tender, collapsing in the mouth. I just finished nibbling on the leftover bits of prime rib we brought home with us. The dog just lucked out with a few morsels of congealed fat. I have not seen that dog so excited since she stole a bite of a still warm brownie. I can't imagine what she would do if she actually got some of the prime rib meat! Sun Apr 22 21:40:28 -0700 2007 2505096 16831 Ruby Louise 2 2754912 Thank you to all for the Stormy's recommendation. I went there last night after making reservations for four and mentioned that I wanted to reserve ahead the prime rib dinner. When we sat down Carolyn came over and asked if we were the party who preordered the prime rib saying that they only had a few slices left. She gave the impression that they are not going to accept pre orders in the future and that people will need to come early to assure that there is prime rib available. That said, the food was terrific. The clam chowder was very creamy and as mentioned before contain only a few clams. The dry rub treated prime rib cooked perfectly. The side veggies of green beans, carrots and onions still had a snap to them. When asked Carolyn said that all vegetables are cooked to order not sitting in a steam tray. At the end of dinner during a lull Carolyn stopped by our table and noticing that one member of our party had not eaten much of the prime rib, asked if there was something wrong with it. ( Prime rib was fine, the person was 80 years old and just couldn't finish the whole thing). She started talking about the restaurant and this was also when I felt that the pre ordering may become a thing of the past. She also said that the corkage fee of $14 is based on the replacement cost and handling of the glasses. All in all a wonderful meal. Thank you chownounds. Mon Jul 16 14:11:47 -0700 2007 2505319 82099 Novatogirl 3 2769979 I'm glad you enjoyed it. Stormy's just is what it is at a good price. I'm glad it has survived all these years. Fri Jul 20 23:47:56 -0700 2007 2754912 10039 Melanie Wong 1 2505388 Thank you, Ruby Louise and Melanie, for organizing supper at Stormy's. We tucked into good chow in fine company. Great 'hounds, one and all. (should red meat make me this happy?) - I'll sleep tonight with visions of grazing cows and frolicing lambs in the bucolic-pastoral landscapes of west county...and wake tomorrow to nosh on Della Fattoria semolina bread...Meyer Lemon and Rosemary...epi...walnut baguette. Sun Apr 22 22:27:16 -0700 2007 2505096 13519 Cynsa 1 2506779 Thanks to the intrepid 'hounds who made their way to old Bloomfield from all over the Bay. I had a lovely drive down from Alexander Valley, routing myself along country roads that I'd not passed before. It took me about 75 minutes to cross the 50 miles to the corner of Bloomfield Road and Valley Ford Road to the tavern. Image of Stormy's exterior - http://farm1.static.flickr.com/199/470143332_bd1ffb0d44.jpg?v=0 I was surprised to see the new deck and under-construction seasonal bar outside since my visit two years ago. Still, I'm happy to see an old place refresh itself, and certainly the new restrooms are an improvement. Sitting in the bar room by the fireplace was charming as all get out. The leisurely pacing of our big meal and keeping our table for three hours until the next party arrived at 6:30pm was an uncommon luxury. I liked the texture of the onion rings, but they were somewhat lacking in flavor. Calamari was a bit overdone, but I couldn't stop eating those squid pieces as I liked the thick tartar sauce and the piquant cocktail sauce with a horseradish kick. The clam chowder was better than my previous visit with more clam flavor and a bit of extra natural sweetness from the carrots. I was happy with my slab of prime rib, denied to me the last time. So, be sure to go early or reserve your order ahead of time ($27 on the dinner). Image of prime rib - http://farm1.static.flickr.com/229/470143328_13dc942c76.jpg?v=0 After supper, we stretched our legs a bit with a walk to the Bloomfield Community Park. Fortunately, we'd remembered to leave our horses and firearms at home. Image of park rules - http://farm1.static.flickr.com/178/470143320_4a30056b86.jpg?v=0 Dessert at Washoe House - http://www.chowhound.com/topics/394582 Chowdown wines - http://www.chowhound.com/topics/394429 Reports and more information on Stormy's: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/38119#178760 http://www.chowhound.com/topics/38609#182069 http://www.chowhound.com/topics/18166#56429 http://www.chowhound.com/topics/38078#178555 http://www.chowhound.com/topics/389331 http://bohemian.com/bohemian/02.28.07/dining-0709.html http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/reviews/restaurants/7077950127.DTL&type=food Mon Apr 23 11:28:42 -0700 2007 2505096 10039 Melanie Wong 1 2512319 P.S. ellen, how was the Cosmo? Tue Apr 24 18:48:28 -0700 2007 2505096 10039 Melanie Wong 2 2513085 The cosmo was just fine and it really is a double.....you get the shaker too When we were sitting at the bar there was a big stack of glass shakers and I asked the bartender about them and he said martinis were the specialty. Wed Apr 25 05:01:29 -0700 2007 2512319 22318 ellenm 1 3457201 I have been a patron of Stormy's for many years and know for a fact that they have never reserved prime rib. It has always been while it lasts. When we had a large group of 24 come in for dinner we were asked about how many people we expected to have prime rib so they would know how many roasts to cook to at least have enough for their other patrons. Also seasonal desserts are available. In the summer a blackberry tart is homemade when they are in season. I also know that requesting for the fireplace room( bar) is available upon request, but not guaranteed. Mon Mar 03 20:21:06 -0800 2008 2505096 171651 norton284