No compromise at Pullman Kitchen

Destination: Delicious, Pullman Kitchen: I never order chicken at restaurants.

Ever.

Because inevitably it’s the compromise entree, the bland and uninspired dish for cautious eaters.

So when a perfectly roasted chicken is the specialty of the house, as it is at the newly opened Pullman Kitchen, I bite. And bite. And bite.

Roasting a chicken isn’t as easy as it sounds, of course. The trick is crispy skin and juicy, tender meat (both light and dark). Chef Darren McRonald hits the mark, serving up the bird with a light pan sauce and two dreamy spinach Parmesan pancakes. It’s everything a roast chicken should be, which is comforting and hearty, homey and succulent. Consider me a convert.

After several visits, I’m a bit in love with Pullman Kitchen, housed in the former Syrah Bistro in Santa Rosa’s Railroad Square.

The interior is familiar, with an open kitchen and cozy dining room, but McRonald has better seating and a more open feel. The interior courtyard, always a bit exposed, noisy and uncomfortable, has been sectioned off, giving it a more unified feeling with the restaurant. The reference to the posh Pullman train cars is a bit lost, but there are a few nods, including a large train against the east wall.

The menu is brief and fairly consistent (though seasonal ingredients come and go), with plenty of rib-sticking entrees, including fish tacos, cheeseburgers, skirt steak, lamb and Manila clams with chorizo.

What we’ve been inspired by, however, are daily specials like a crab cake poboy and fried green tomatoes atop a tart aioli, with avocado, microgreens and radish.

Also, don’t miss the bacon-wrapped dates with paprika, honey and lemon.

Dessert is just as inspired, and just as comforting. Choose from rich carrot cake with cream cheese frosting (notice the golden raisins, a nice touch), warm rhubarb and strawberry crumbles with whipped cream, or house made ice cream, another dish I rarely order because of its banality.

Flavors of dark chocolate, chocolate chip and several other daily flavors go beyond the usual icy scoop of vanilla. Again, I’m a convert, especially when the dish comes with warm sugar cookies on the side.

A few minuses, depending on your perspective. In warmer months, the menu seems a bit wintry, and the lack of air conditioning inside makes for a bit of a sweat (especially near the front windows).

We also were a bit taken aback by the automatic inclusion of an 18 percent tip on the bill. Servers do explain the logic, stating that it helps the staff have a living wage. On both visits, servers were more than accommodating, and we added another 2 percent to the tip.

BiteClub is looking forward to seeing the evolution of this stellar dining car, destination: delicious.

Open Monday through Friday for lunch and dinner, weekend brunch. 205 Fifth St., Santa Rosa, 545-4300.

Still hungry? Check out Heather’s food and dining blog at BiteClubEats.com.