Wood You Care to Join Me?

I brought my mom lunch last week and picked up Redwood Cafe to go—an excellent choice if I do say so myself *flips hair*. I got her the Classic Cobb Salad which would never in a billion-trillion-gazillion years ever be my first choice for personal reasons (blue cheese is the devil and I feel very strongly about that). I ordered myself a Garden Wrap. My mom said the salad wasn’t her favorite Cobb ever because she likes her lettuce a bit crunchier, but that it was “pretty tasty’. It looked like it, especially if you’re a hardcore Cobb gal like she is.

Those people exist, you know (kinda freaky).

My wrap was as fantastic as I anticipated and was such a beautiful rainbow of vegetables and hummus—so refreshing on a warm spring day! Unlike the Whole Foods burrito bar (click here to read my first post), Redwood Cafe is killing it with the tomato tortilla—try to keep up, Whole Foods.

It would’ve been nice to eat in the sun instead of having to eat my wrap while doing homework… Next time, once I'm done with school and can enjoy my sweet, sweet freedom!

The food is nothing but fresh and flavorful, and slowly but surely I have worked my way through a good chunk of the menu over the years. When I was there last week picking up my Garden Wrap and my mom's Cobb Salad, I noticed that they had just added the Impossible Burger to the menu which I’m sad I missed out on, but this gives me yet another reason to go back! I know lots of people are skeptical about it because, like, there’s NO WAY eating fake meat can taste good (!?). Ya, it can.

I’m here to predict the future and write a review about something I haven’t even tried yet: Redwood Cafe’s Impossible Burger is probably tasty.

I nearly always forget about Redwood Cafe and overlook it when choosing somewhere to eat—perhaps it’s because it’s in Cotati (somewhere I don’t go as often as I’d expect for someone who spends a lot of time in both Petaluma and Rohnert Park), or because when I do consider it, I quickly change my mind when I remember that it’s a nightmare to find parking in the tiny downtown during lunchtime, although not entirely impossible. Whenever I end up making it there, I’m instantly reminded of its charm and “lively atmosphere”, as my mom calls it.

Arguably one of the best aspects of Redwood Cafe is the live music. My mom said, “I love when I go for lunch and happen to stumble upon a musical act by a local performer”. I’ve run into an elementary school classmate and her family once before and loved how many people were actually watching her sing and play the guitar rather than treating her as some annoying background noise. It’s great to see people gathered around the table, enjoying each other’s company, food, and drinks, and having a slow afternoon. That’s my kind of lifestyle!

I have never been rushed to leave or felt the need to scarf down my food because someone was waiting for my table (partially thanks to the abundance of seating, both indoors and outdoors), so trips to Redwood Cafe are always relaxed and long in duration which is totally my jam. I can’t wait until its more consistently warm outside so that the patio lunchtime visits can start up again—it’s so nice and cheerful out there!

The restaurant has such a homey vibe it’s difficult to want to go back to your actual home. Unfortunately, you can't camp out and hang for a week, or set up permanent residence at Redwood Cafe either. You can, however, spend a wonderful afternoon in the sun or in the cozy indoors, enjoying the comfortable and lovely ambiance, and, if you're lucky, a performance as well!