Trading Post’s bakery opened well before its restaurant was able to open. Nobody seems to have visited, so here’s my report on our two dinners there:
The restaurant side opened Jan 11, 2017, under exec chef Erik Johnson. Aaron Arabian continues to run the bakery side.
We visited twice: November and December 2017. Although there were some small missteps, overall we were wowed. The salads are phenomenal: each one combining not only creative flavors but varied textures, something few chefs can pull off consistently. The dressings were different and matched the tastes and ages of the house-grown lettuces.
We tried two beef entrees, one pork, and one duck dish. The beef were easy winners. The December short ribs blew us away; the slices tasted more like our favorite lengua (beef tongue) than the usual chuck (a lot of restaurants these days are subbing a slice of chuck roast for actual short rib). November’s beef kabob was small but tender and flavorful, with a great rice side that did a creative take on sweet/sour.
In May 2017 we visited Spinster Sisters, a perennial CH fav, and really liked it. My spouse and I both feel that Trading Post is a similar style but even better. Over the course of our three 2017 visits to Sonoma County we ate at 22 restaurants. We would rank Trading Post an easy first over the others.
It’s a long drive up to Cloverdale, but well worth it! Note it is VERY popular with locals, especially on weekends or after school events. On our December visit (a Friday) it seemed half the town was there with their primary school kids; clearly some event had just ended because everybody arrived at the same time. The bar area was full and people were waiting outside.
My spouse leaned over and whispered, “You know, I think we’re the only out-of-towners here tonight!”
This is a large restaurant but best to make a reservation via OpenTable, just in case. Service on both visits was excellent, but it was clear on the December visit the kitchen was a bit backed up due to the overflow. Nothing really bad, just a bit slow.
Trading Post Market & Bakery
102 S Cloverdale Blvd
Cloverdale, CA 95425
Facebook (lists their special dinners/pop-ups): https://www.facebook.com/ThePostClove…
Website: http://www.thepostcloverdale.com/
