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Willie Bird's Restaurant and Bar may not look like much from the outside, but on the inside you will find an enticing menu and lots of loyal regulars.
The menu has everything from seafood, to salads, to burgers, but its pride and joy is their turkey.
The quality and taste of the turkey landed Willie Bird's Restaurant and Bar a spot on Guy Fieri's show, Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.
Willie Benedetti has raised Free Range turkey's for over 40 years and have now made their mark on not only this region, but on the Food Network as well. His family has been raising poultry in Sonoma County for over 75 years.
My roommate Courtney and I decided to try Willie Bird's Restaurant despite its straight out of the 1960s appearance.
"Are you lost girls?" asked the friendly woman that greeted us after we winded our way around the corner and away from the bar. "Just hungry," we replied.
According to her we had definitely come to the right place.
The décor was reminiscent of my great grandmother's home. Odd shades of olive green and faux flowers made the restaurant feel, bizarrely enough, comfortable.
The patrons as well as the employees were obviously familiar with each other and although this was our first visit, we felt at ease.
When we first sat down I overheard a waitress ask an older man if he knew what he wanted and he chuckled, "I have known for years."
Our hostess seated us with a big smile and our waitress took out order with a sweet, casual demeanor. The employees were like a big family. When one of the waitress's left she got a hug or a kiss on the cheek from everyone, they really are a family.
I knew I really liked this place when my Diet Coke came in a kitchen styled short glass with ice, a straw, and the can to top off my drink as I pleased.
We really were at grandma's house.
Unable to choose from the plethora of options, Courtney and I decided to split the Papa Bird ($9.75) and the Turkey Crunch ($9.25).
The Papa Bird is a sandwich consisting of smoked turkey breast, jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, a French roll, and served with real crisp, perfect fries. The sandwich mirrored the restaurant, it did not look amazing, but it was. The turkey was succulent and left both of us knowing we wanted more, but knowing it just would not fit into our full tummies.
The Turkey Crunch was a battered and deep fried turkey breast served on a hoagie roll with lettuce and tomato.
I have heard that anything fried is good, but this sandwich took that cliché to the next level. The sandwich did not lose its turkey flavor because it was fried; it only enhanced the overall taste.
The portions were hefty for both sandwiches, and we ended up leaving with a half of sandwich each.
After savoring every mouth full I realized that I was thankful to have found this restaurant in the rough.
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