Gerard’s Paella y Tapas dishes up sumptuous Spanish cuisine

With his tousled curly white hair, white goatee, and gregarious personality, Gerard Nebesky has long been a notable presence at Wine Country farmers' markets, festivals and winery events. His catering set up is as impossible to miss as he is, anchored by huge pans of paella slow-cooked over open flames and wafting the seductive perfume of chiles, garlic, shellfish, sparkling lemon, sofrito and plenty of precious saffron.

And I mean huge - his pans span up to 10 feet around.

His fame only heightened when, in 2008, he beat out star chef Bobby Flay in Flay's televised paella throwdown. Yet for nearly two decades, the only way we could get the sumptuous Spanish staple was if we found Nebesky at an event, or hired him for private catering.

I was quite happy when I learned this summer that Nebesky was going to open an actual restaurant, in downtown Santa Rosa. Then, I was even more joyous when he announced that this would be a casual operation, where, instead of sitting down for a drawn out meal (paella typically takes up to an hour to prepare) we order at the counter and are digging into steaming hot food within about 10 minutes.

Calling his Gerard's Paella y Tapas concept “people's paella,” Nebesky also keeps the usually pricey feast reasonable, with individual-sized skillet meals ranging from $12 to $15. Rounding out the meals are a selection of salads, Spanish sandwiches, assorted nibbles, and crème Catalan ($6) and churros ($6). We can enjoy wine and beer on tap, too, plus grape-based cocktails like Kalimotxo, a Spanish blend of red wine, cola and Chuncho bitters ($8) that is admittedly an acquired taste.

Count me in. I'd never have thought fancy paella could translate to fast food, but Nebesky has nailed it.

To keep things quick, Nebesky pre-cooks rice with seasonings liked smoked paprika, then adds each guest's protein and vegetable choices before sliding each pan into a large, red tile lined wood-burning dome oven. The socarrat (the caramelized layer of crunchy rice that forms on the bottom of the paella pan) finishes crisping, and the toppings release more flavors into the rice. He jokes that it's like making pizza.

To keep prices affordable, he grows his own saffron at his rural Sebastopol home. He also uses California rice instead of Spanish rice, but says that's about the Calrose rice's superior quality, not cost savings.

The action in the open kitchen is part of the fun, with staff, and often Nebesky himself, constantly cooking rice in giant paellas on imported Spanish burners at the ordering line entry. In fact, this the prettiest part of the eatery – besides the paella – thanks to the tile work fronting the kitchen counter.

Otherwise, the décor eschews Spanish knickknacks for a more contemporary feel, as the former Arrigoni's and Persona Pizza space has been updated with wood floors, plain wood tables and black café chairs, with just a bit of stained glass to lighten things up.

While guests can mix-and-match ingredients as we go through the cafeteria-style line, I prefer to rely on the master, with his own four combinations.

The Senorita Rosa model is traditional, brimming with marinated Rosie chicken, lightly wilted arugula, fennel, red onion, and the star of the dish, rounds of spicy, dense, deep red imported Spanish chorizo ($13).

The mild El Valedon is another good choice, arranged with prawns, squid, mussels, chicken, sweet peppers and garbanzo beans over chicken stock-tomato infused rice ($15). Or, I should say, great choice, since this is recipe that brought chef Flay to his knees.

For a lighter option, La Verdura floats in with sweet peppers, squash, green beans, garbanzos, kale and sofrito atop the vegetarian broth rice ($12). And on looks alone, El Pescador is a winner, thanks to its base of squid-ink-stained rice and bright, creamy dollops of Meyer lemon aioli over the clams, mussels, prawns, squid, sweet peas and peppers ($14). It's my favorite in flavor, too, for its firm silky texture and that aioli I could eat by the spoonful.

The only thing I miss in all the paellas is the crunchy socarrat. There's not much of it, since the dish cooks faster in the oven than on the stove.

Honestly, the hearty paellas are so filling that I save other parts of the menu for another visit. Pintxo (appetizers, all $5) demand a snack-a-thon, through citrus-herb marinated olives, quite vinegary sherry-pickled mushrooms sprinkled in oregano, and crispy fried rice-manchego croquettes smothered in aioli.

Add in some tapas and a nice County Line Pinot Noir 2016 ($10), and you've got a full meal. The crispy potatoes dunked in spicy pimento sauce and aioli are an absolute must ($8), while crispy chickpeas and calamari gets some spark from smoked paprika ($10). A half dozen fire roasted garlic butter prawns ($10) are fine, while the huevos al plato is excellent, in a bubbling-golden casserole-stew of egg, slow-roasted tomatoes, garlic, onions ($8) and optional Serrano ham ($4), all scooped with warm baguette.

If you've got room, try some bocadillos, too. The little Spanish baguette sandwiches are fun nibbles, layering ingredients like jamon, manchego and arugula ($8), or bold chorizo and charred kale tempered by buttery tetilla ($8). You might also add in a baby spinach salad tossed with goat cheese, and pecans, notable for its vibrant, sweet membrillo (quince paste) dressing ($8).

As for working indoors now, Nebesky says he is happy. “I do love the catering events, but it's like being a carny,” he said. “You go and set up shop and sell your wares and close up your tent and move on. It's very much like a circus; same environment, same everything. I like being more settled.”

I, for one, am happy that his settling means I can now find his paella all in one spot, seven days a week.

Carey Sweet is a Sebastopol-based food and restaurant writer. Read her restaurant reviews every other week in Sonoma Life. Contact her at carey@careysweet.com.