From New Orleans classics like shrimp and grits and beignets to Swedish sweet rolls with almond paste and whipped cream, here's how to celebrate Mardi Gras in Sonoma County.
Beignets, po-boys and more at The Parish Café: Get a taste of the real New Orleans – not the touristy version on Bourbon Street – at The Parish Café, where owner and chef Rob Lippincott serves up hometown dishes. Lipincott grew up in the Uptown neighborhood, between the French Quarter and the Jefferson Parish line, and got his start at a po-boy shop. The menu at his Sonoma County restaurants features classics like gumbo, shrimp and grits, muffaletta, and po-boys, of course. The beignets are not to be missed. 703 4th St, Santa Rosa; 60 Mill St, Healdsburg, theparishcafe.com. (Christopher Chung)
Shrimp Po Boy at the Parish Cafe in Healdsburg. (Heather Irwin)
Beignets at the Parish Cafe in Healdsburg. (Heather Irwin)
Simmer Claw Bar, Rohnert Park: A brand-new entrant into the Rohnert Park restaurant scene, the boiled bags of seafood — from Dungeness crab to mussels, clams, lobster, crayfish and more — is a take on the Cajun tradition of throwing lots of stuff in a pot and cooking it up with flavorful spices. Here, there’s a Vietnamese twist, with sweet-heat sauces and garlic noodles. Plus, you get a bib for the mess you’re about to make. 595 Rohnert Park Expressway (near Chuck E. Cheese), 806-2080. (Priscilla R. / Yelp)
Mardi Gras Music Festival at Lagunitas: “Laissez Le Bon Temps Roule!” says the invitation to the 7th annual Mardi Gras - Petaluma Music Festival at Lagunitas. The event will feature live music from The King Street Giants, a New Orleans-style jazz band from Sonoma County, a Cajun-style dinner (Chicken & Cajun Sausage Jambalya, Red Beans & Rice, Cornbread, and Pineapple Jalapeno Slaw) prepared by chef Glenn "Gator" Thompson, and plenty of brews. February 25, 5:30 to 8:30 pm, $28, Lagunitas Brewing Company, 1280 North McDowell Blvd, Petaluma. Tickets. (Courtesy of Lagunitas)
Semla at Stockhome: In Sweden, Fat Tuesday is celebrated with “semla,” a wheat flour roll flavored with cardamom and filled with almond paste and whipped cream. The sweet rolls are so addictive that Swedes now eat them from January to Easter and Swedish newspapers run semla taste tests and rankings. But if you want to stick to tradition (and are incredibly disciplined), you’ll wait until Fat Tuesday for your semla premiere. In Sonoma County, you will find them at Stockhome restaurant from Feb. 26. 220 Western Ave, Petaluma, 707-981-8511, stockhomerestaurant.com. (Heather Irwin)
Pancakes: In some European countries like Ireland and the UK, Fat Tuesday (or Shrove Tuesday) is also known as Pancake Day. Here are a few favorites: Goompa’s Pancake Breakfast at Dierk's Midtown Cafe in Santa Rosa, ricotta pancakes at Emily's Kitchen in Santa Rosa, short stack with fresh strawberries and whipped cream at Sam's for Play in Santa Rosa, buttermilk pancakes with fromage blanc, mixed berry sauce and fresh berries with lemon curd at Jeffrey’s Hillside in Santa Rosa, and gluten-free pancakes with huckleberry orange syrup and whipped mascarpone at the Girl and the Fig in Sonoma. (Shutterstock)
Prepare to party, Sonoma County, because Mardi Gras is happening Feb. 25 — in case you live under a rock and haven’t noticed already. It’s time to have a little fun, eat lots of beignets and pretend you’re in the French Quarter (shirts on, please) for a day. Click through the above gallery for some great spots to check out this year.
