1. L}INIlt.fo
Cross-culturalcuisinedelights
NewCloverdaleeateryrun
bySRJCgradsmastersflan,
samplesfromAsia,Greece
By JEFFCOX
FoRTr{EFnp-sspnryrocnar
A coupleofyoungsters
/ f, who trained at the San-
f$ff;Junior
college
openedCrossroadsrestaurant
in Cloverdalelast January,
and you know what?They are
doing a bang-upjob with avari-
ety of cross:cultural dishes
that would makemoreexperi-
encedchefsproud.
Thechefis ShawnCook.
Nicole Greaneyrrrns the room
and waits on tablesout front.
They are trying to makefood
fun, and in the processare
quite ambitious.Their menu
characterizesthefoodas"Fh-
sion cooking:Traditional and
exotic entreeswith a Mediter-
raneanandAsian influence:
alsofeaturingAmericanand
Italian dishes."
Five-coursedinners are of-
feredon Friday andSaturday.
On Friday evenings,when
there'slive music at the Clover-
dalePlaza,the restaurantgives
discountson its specialappetiz-
ers.
Wednesdayis won ton night.
OnThursdaynights,seniors
get 10percentoff.
There'sa children'smenu.
but it's predictable:Macand
cheese,chickenstrips,burgers
andfries. (Woutdn'tit begreat
to have sligh0y more adventur-
ousitemswith greatkid ap-
peal,Iile a broiledlambchop,
Wienerschnitzel,hash
browns,fruit salador Spanish
rice?)
Therestaurantis a clean.
weil-lightedplace,with a
brushedaluninum ceiling,
wall alcovesfilled with knick-
knacks,glassbricks,interest-
ing Asian andEuropeanpho-
tos and artwork, a zigzag
counterwith eightstoolsanda
metalfiligree screen.Thecolor
schemeis oystersheilwhite
andblondnatural wood.
Sornepleasanttouches:A
fresh bouquetof red-orange
montbretias and yellow sun-
flowers on the counter, and
chopsticks with a chopstick
holder in the shape of a ftiend-
ly litfle wha]e so you don't
have to lay the business end of
the sticks on the table.
The wine list consists of six
whites and sevenreds, priced
from $L4to $32,but includes
nothing exciting. The menu
promises that new selections
are coming, however. If you
bring your own, corkage is $9.
Greaney kept everything run-
ning smoothly when I was
there. Her service is unpreten-
tious and homey - if shehas
time, she may chat a bit as she
waits on yor:r table. Shespoke
about the vagarids ofrunning
a restaurant in Cioverdale and
how many folks in.the town
aren't yet aware of their restau-
rarlt.
That's too bad, becauseby
and large the food is very good
and the prices are moderate.
It's the kind of restaurant that
should draw a crowd ofregu-
Iars - you can eat well there
without brealcing the bank.
For example, take the Viet-
nameseChaGio ($6.50***;.
These are deep-friedImperial
rolls and are a cut above the
usual fried rolls, which often
are overcooked.thick and
tough, or too greasy.Here the
rice paper wrappers are fried
to a iight golden color, they're
not greasy at all, and they are
thin and easy to eat. They are
filled with a mixture of mush-
rooms, bean thread noodles,
ground pork, garlic, shallots,
bean sprouts, grated carrot,
and a splash offish sauce,
sliced into eight pieces,then
servedwith a spicy-sweetclear
dipping sauce.
Finally, here's an authentic
GreekSalad($8***) - that is,
no lettuce, just peeledand
sliced cucumbers,tomato wedg-
es,sliced raw red onion, kala-
mata olives and crumbles of
feta cheese,tossedin an olive
oil and baLsamicvinaigrette.
It's nicely presentedas a sliced
salad,although in Greeceone
typically finds the tomatoes
and cucumbers diced. Still, the
fresh ineredients carry the fla-
vors of high sum.mer proudly.
Sandwichescan be routine,
TURNTOCROSSROADS,PAGE5
FUruDIil!ruG
RestaurantCrossroads,1
,|6
E.
FirstSt,,Cloverdale
When:Lunchfrom11:30a.m.to
2p.m.TuesdaythroughFriday.
Dinner5t09p.m.Tuesday
throughSaturday.
Reservations:Call8944667.
Pricerange:Moderate,wilh
mostentreesfrom$11to$17.
Kid-friendliness:**
WineIist:*
Ambiance:**
Service:**
Food:**%
Overall:**%
t-t** - Extraordinary
*** - verygood
** - Good
* - Notverygood
0 -- Tenible
ShawnCookisthe owner andchefat Crossroadsin Cloverdale.Herunsthe restaurantalongwith fellow
SantaRosaJuniorCollegeCulinarySchoolgraduateNicoleGreaney.
JEFFKANLIE/ lhe Pr6 Demwat

2. The restaurant is a clean,
weli-lighted place, with a
brushed aluminum ceiling,
wall alcoves filled with knick-
linacks, glassbricks, interest-
ing Asian and European pho-
tos and artwork, azigzag
counter with eight stools and a
metal filigree screen,The color
scheme is oyster shell white
and blond natural wood.
Somepleasant touches:A
fueshbouquet of red-orange
montbretias and yellow sun-
aboutthe vagariesof running
arestaurant in Cloverdaleand
how many foU<sin the town
aren't yet awareof their restau-
rant.
That'stoobad,becauseby
andiarge the foodis very good
andthepricesaremoderate.
It's thekind of restaurantthat
shoulddrawa crowdofregu-
lars- you caneatwell there
without breakingthebank.
For example,taketheViet-
nameseChaGio($5.50***1.
CROSSROADS
CONTINUEDFROMPAGE4
so I was glad to seetlree inter-
esting-looking choices on this
menu. Skipping over the An-
gus burger and Malibu chicken
sandwich (chicken, pineapple,
cheeseand teriyaki sauce),I
chosethe EarbecueChicken
Sandwich($8***;. A tender
and juicy grilled chicken
breast is topped with melted
jack and cheddar cheeses,ba-
con and barbecue sauce,and
servedon a toastedKaiser roll.
It comeswith a little metal pot
of ketchup, crinkle-cut F?ench
fties, and thin slices of onion
and tomato. It's outstanding.
Four noodle dishes are divid-
ed into two Italian and two
Vietnamese creations. For Ital-
ian, the shrimpscampi($12
**7:) consistedof angel hair
pastatossedwith diced tomato,
choppedparsley and onions,
with broccoli florets and carrot
and zucchini coins on the side,
along with nine shrimp swim-
ming in a shallow dish of melt-
ed butter. All that was fine, but
I missed a hefty handful of gar-
lic in there; an ingredient I as-
sociatewith goodscampi.
The Vietramese selection
was MiXao Gion($11.50***),
a fresh-tasting chow mein. Its
base was crispy mai fun noo-
dles topped with tiger prawns,
bean sprouts, bamboo shoots,
cauliflower florets, zucchini,
scallions, carrots, and mush-
rooms, lightly sauced.
Something went wrong with
DINIilIG
the GreekChicken($11*%), the
centerpieceof which is two
piecesof braised chicken
breast. hrstead of rendering
the meat tender and juicy, the
braising pulled out all the juice
and much of the flavor, leaving
the meat tough and dry. Diced
tomatoes, cherry tomatoes,
rosemary leaves,lemon, kala-
mata olives and wine sauce
couldn't rescuethe chicken,
but the idea of this dish is a
goodone. It was served with a
goodrice pilaf.
Things were back on fack
with the Chefs SpecialSalmon
($14**lA). The preparation of
the dish varies with the mood
of the chef, but this night it
was pan-roasted.It was cooked
hard and fast, so it was firm
and flaky; but it wasn't over-
done.If there was a problem, it
was wittr the 50capers (I count-
ed them) sprinkled over the
top. These sow little pills are
best used sparingly. Five or six
would have beenfine.
The night's special was a
NewYork Steak($18.50***),
seasonedwith lots of blaek pep-
per and grilled medium rare,
then topped with saut6edmush-
rooms and sliced green bell
peppers.Delicious roasted red
potato wedgesand bell peppers
and zucchini accompaniedthe
steak.
You'll never have a better
flan than chef CooKsCitrusFlan
($4.50****), a four-star effort
that is worth the frip to Clover-
dale. The melt-in.your-mouth
custard is coated with a citrus
saucethat addstang and brisk
flavor. Flans can be too loose,
no lettuce, Just peele{tanct
sliced cucumbers, tomato wedg-
es,sliced raw red onion, kala-
.
mata olives and crumbles of
feta cheese,tossedin an olive
oi] and balsamic vihaigrette.
It's nicely presented as a sliced
salad,although in Greeceone
typicaliy finds the tomatoes
and gucumbers diced. Still, the
fresh ingredients cany the fla-
vors of high suurmer proudly.
Sandwiches-can be routine,
TURNTOCROSSROADS,PAGE5
toofirm andrubbery, cooked
toohard sothe caramelburns,
or preyto a hostofother trou-
bles.But this onewasperfect.
To sum up: A sweetlittle res-
taurant run by a talented
youngchefwho,I suspect,will
makehis mark in a grander
kitchensomeday.
JeffCoxwritesa weekly
restdurantreuipwmlurnnfor Q.
Youcanrea.chhirnat
jefcox@soni.c.net.
tckk* - Ex$aordinary
*-t-* - Verygood
** - Good
* - Notverygood
0 - Tenible