Food: New MacArthur Place restaurant ready to roll

Layla, the new restaurant at MacArthur Place, will officially open on Wednesday, May 1.

Now owned by IMH Financial Corporation of Scottsdale, Arizona, the former Saddles Restaurant that featured steaks, American food, and a fun cowboy/cowgirl theme decorated with, yes, saddles and cowboy boots, has been replaced with slick, clean moderne lines and lots of grey and beige at three new food and beverage venues within MacArthur Place hotel.

After several delays and super detailed trainings of staff, many of whom locals will recognize from past employment at other restaurants, everything is set to go on May 1.

With IMH’s goal of creating a “5-star” result from opening, 40 paid staff went through weeks of server training workshops at the Sonoma Community Center, spending days at a time on proper ways to offer and pour water.

MacArthur Place chef Cole Dickenson and crew, who have been cooking for hotel guests for several months out of a 40-foot trailer and the Sonoma Community Center’s kitchen, are ecstatic that show time has almost arrived.

“The Porch” will be what management call a “stock house” style coffee bar and marketplace, meaning a grab-and-go corner with a few tables and chairs outside for the neighborhood to sit down and chat over coffee.

The Bar at MacArthur Place has lots of dark wood, cocktails, craft beers and a bar menu.

Layla itself will be a Mediterranean restaurant featuring organic and mostly healthy choices with local ingredients.

Layla will offer breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast plates will include eggs, bacon or sausage and toast ($18), avocado or ricotta toast, English muffin sandwich with cheesy soft scrambled eggs with sausage and arugula, a “croquet madamsel” with ham, taleggio, sausage gravy, egg and hash browns, or a fried chicken sandwich ($11 to $18).

At lunchtime add English pea falafel, California burger, cacao e pepe, steak frites and salmon, plus extra for salt and pepper fries, or garlic and Parmesan, truffle and Parmesan, or Greek fries ($6 to $9).

Dinner entrées include salmon, halibut, chicken agrodolce (savoy cabbage with egg yolk), lamb tagine, pasta, and Israeli couscous ($29 to $36). In the meat and fish categories, steaks come with crispy potatoes, confit onions, blue cheese and choice of port, chimichurri or house-made steak sauce ($56 to $68). Sole meunière comes with whipped potatoes and the baked sea bass is served tableside. 29 E. MacArthur, Sonoma. (800) 722-1866.