Art’s Place in Rohnert Park carries on Pasta King’s legacy

Many moving tributes have been written since restaurateur Art Ibleto died at his Cotati home last month at the age of 94. The words are loving and proud, honoring a man with a remarkable life that took him from battlefields in Italy, where as a teenager he fought Nazis and fascists, to Wine Country, where he became a successful entrepreneur running several food and wine businesses.

The local accolades are especially well earned. The longtime Sonoma County resident was known as “The Pasta King” not only for his signature Italian American cuisine but for his constant generosity to us through donations, free pasta feeds, fundraisers and community service to benefit anyone in need.

What better time then, to celebrate Ibleto’s magnanimous spirit by supporting his restaurant, Art’s Place in Rohnert Park. He opened the casual trattoria in 2013, but 2020 has been challenging, with COVID shutdowns, closure of the dining room, a transition this past month to dining outdoors under a spacious new tent and now al fresco dining halted again with the stay-home order that takes effect Saturday, Dec. 12.

On the bright side, most of the Art’s Place menu is built for takeout. Hot buffalo chicken wings dunked in tangy house-made blue cheese dressing ($10); old-fashioned potato skins loaded with Cheddar, bacon, green onions, pico de gallo and sour cream ($8); garlicky Fettuccine Alfredo ($14) and pizzas like the Verdura topped in tomato, basil, mushroom, roasted garlic, onion and artichoke (small $15, medium $18, large $22) — they all taste great, pack well and reheat easily if needed.

For those who knew Ibleto, pasta truly was his calling after he arrived in Petaluma in 1949. It seemed everyone knew him, if only for his Spaghetti Half & Half that he served at his Spaghetti Palace on the Sonoma County fairgrounds in Santa Rosa. The dish topped in a half portion of marinara and a half portion of pesto sauce ($15) was a bestseller there every year since the Palace debuted in 1974.

So that’s what I ordered on a recent visit, lifting my fork in a salute. The marinara is mildly seasoned and soothing, with toothsome chunks of fresh tomato, while the pesto is a knockout, the pine nut-Parmesan-basil purée thick and glistening with olive oil. I could eat this fragrant pesto by the spoonful, and I do always get an extra little cup of it on the side (25 cents) to dip bits of the buttery garlic bread that comes with pasta dishes.

I can choose any sauce for another favorite, the 10-piece fried cheese raviolis appetizer served atop lettuce ($9), but the breaded, crisp-edged bundles demand classic marinara in that comfort-food way. Plus, I’d also gotten an order of pesto bites ($10), which is a bubbly crusted mini pizza smothered in mozzarella and rich pesto, cut in squares and served alongside marinara dip.

The Ibleto family of Art’s son, Mark Ibleto, daughter Annette Ibleto Spohr and brother Angelo Ibleto won't be changing any recipes after so many decades, which means all the details, down to salad dressings, will remain homemade.

So be sure to add a house salad to your pasta meal ($4 with an entrée or $5 a la carte). The signature Italian, in particular, is excellent, thick and tart, silky with olive oil and flurried with fresh herbs. It gilds what is already a pleasing mix of crunchy iceberg lettuce, shredded carrots, red onions, cherry tomatoes, shredded Jack cheese, marinated three-bean salad and julienne salami.

Sandwiches come with a choice of fries, chunky minestrone, house or Caesar salad tossed with raw-egg dressing, croutons and shaved Parmesan. The fries, soup and Caesar are fine, but on another visit, I returned to the house salad, alongside my meatball sandwich ($14). And what a great value I got, for the soft French roll that’s lightly griddled and stuffed with six dense, springy meatballs blossoming with earthy herbs, then mantled in lots of mozzarella and baked until it melts. I always request extra marinara (25 cents); the big bread loaf can get dry.

The restaurant boasts a wood-burning oven, and kitchen staff bakes the pies to that peak moment between crisp and charred. My go-to, the Italian sausage pizza, is finished with roasted red peppers and roasted garlic for a bit of sweetness ($20).

It’s hard to resist the Chicken Parmesan, either ($18). An ample breast is baked with plenty of marinara and mozzarella and served with penne in more marinara, sautéed carrots and squash, along with garlic bread ($18). This is the kind of dinner to cuddle up with in front of a good movie and decompress.

After such filling, traditional meals, it seems necessary to finish with old-school tiramisu. It’s just what I’d hoped for: classic, dry ladyfinger cookies dipped in coffee, layered with mascarpone cheese and topped with whipped cream ($7). Naturally, it’s house made.

As the Ibleto family moves forward into the next generation of the beloved Pasta King story, it’s heartwarming to know his legacy will carry on. Now, let's all go toast The King, with marinara and meatballs.

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.