The Drawing Board restaurant review - Petaluma, USA

It can be tricky for a first-time restaurateur to translate her vision into reality, but 26-year-old Rosie Wiggins boldly presents her own aesthetics with this debut project.

Befitting of a restaurant that emphasises clean eating and sustainable agriculture, The Drawing Board furnishes a stripped-down space with entirely reclaimed or recycled materials. The wood for the tables comes from Arborica’s Evan Shivley, whose contributed to Jensen Architects’ Shed, which won a James Beard Award for best restaurant design. (Each section of the The Drawing Board comes from one specific tree, so that tables form a seamless slab when pushed together.) Vintage store and flea market finds like Parisian school chairs, 1920s pendant lights, salvaged farm house windows, and wood-and-mirror chandelier round out the eclectic décor objects, and the stools are custom-made with recycled denim. You’ll also spot paintings by muralist Kelly Ording whose work graces many San Francisco establishments like The Buchanan.

The seasonal menu, from chef Ariel Nadelberg, showcases California’s abundant heirloom varietals with dishes such as sweet potato noodles and lox-like grilled carrot alongside heartier plates like oil-poached halibut served with puffed wild rice. And paying homage to its home of the picturesquely bucolic Sonoma town Petaluma, once known as the ‘egg capital of the world’, the restaurant also does some mean deviled eggs, lightened with nori and radish.