Restaurant Review: Risibisi

Sea Bass Carpaccio with lemon drizzle, extra-virgin olive oil, and a rice salad at Risibisi Restaurant in Petaluma. (BETH SCHLANKER/ The Press Democrat)

Sometimes a chef will come up with a dish so good, it alone makes the visit to the restaurant worthwhile. Such a dish is prepared by Chef Mirko Inglese at Risibisi in Petaluma.

He uses Asian sea bass, also known as barramundi. It’s a popular sport fish that can live in fresh or salt water and is farmed from the Persian Gulf to Australia and even in the U.S., which harvests 800 tons of farmed barramundi per year. Its flesh is flaky and white, with a pleasantly sweet, fresh flavor. Inglese takes ultra thin slices of filet and arranges them on a plate as a Sea Bass Carpaccio ($9.95 ****). The slices are drizzled with lemon juice and set around with lemon wedges. A large ladle of white rice mixed with minced parsley and enflamed with crushed red pepper is spooned into the middle of the plate, and the whole dish is chilled in the refrigerator. If you order it, the server will bring a black pepper grinder so you can pepper this refreshing, cold dish to your satisfaction.

The first thing you’ll notice when you enter Risibisi is the bar. Its top is a large piece of yellow-orange onyx with lighting underneath that makes a Creamsicle-colored glow. One brick wall and one plain wall hung with drapes pulled back to reveal a huge mirror complete the décor – except for the row of children’s chairs hanging from the south wall ceiling.

Owner Marco Palmieri talks with customers. (BETH SCHLANKER/ The Press Democrat)

This decorative mashup doesn’t extend to the kitchen, where the food is very northern Italian, except for special cooking classes, which may feature foods from other regions of Italy. To augment the Italian dishes, Risibisi carries one of the better Italian wine lists in Sonoma County. A 2009 Arneis would pair well with that fish carpaccio. It and a 2008 Barbaresco both hail from Piemonte. Two Barolos are too young to bother with, but a 2009 Aglianico from one of the lesser producers in Campania for $44 might be just the thing. A reserve red list has very expensive treasures, like a 2001 Sandrone Barolo for $240 and a 1967 Bertani Amarone for $495. Corkage is $15.

A daily dinner special for $14.95 is soup or salad plus entree, served from 5 to 6 p.m.