For generations of Petaluma families, a birthday or an ordinary Wednesday has meant spaghetti and meatballs at Volpi's Ristorante & Bar. On Thursday, Nov. 5, KQED's long-running restaurant show Check, Please! Bay Area brings the place to a regional audience.
According to KQED's episode lineup, Volpi's shares the half hour with two other guest-picked restaurants: Bundoo Khan in Fremont and Bungalow on Rose in Danville. On the show, three regular diners each recommend a favorite spot, all three visit each one, and they compare notes on camera.
A speakeasy past
Sonoma Magazine reports that the Volpi family has run the business since 1925. It began as Volpi Grocery on Washington Street and became a restaurant in 1992. It's known for traditional Italian food, a nostalgic dining room and a back bar that served as a speakeasy during Prohibition, where accordion music and singing are part of the tradition. Deanna Volpi-Kreger told the magazine the TV appearance is both exciting and bittersweet for her family.
How to watch
The episode airs Thursday, Nov. 5, on KQED, and past episodes and restaurant lists are on KQED's Check, Please! site. If you go to Volpi's afterward, expect old-school red-sauce dishes like gnocchi and ravioli rather than modern small plates.