Perhaps it has to do with the seemingly constant uproar in the world, but nostalgic foods are coming back strong. Everywhere we look, restaurants are serving up comfy retro delights like corn dogs, deviled eggs, and your grandparents’ beloved shrimp cocktail cradled in ketchup-horseradish sauce.
“Every time there’s an economic downturn — a recession, a pandemic, a war — people go back to the foods that comfort us,” says Clark Wolf, a Guerneville-based food, restaurant, and hospitality expert who consults for businesses across the country. “From the sourdough bread we baked while we were in Covid isolation, to mac and cheese and barbecue at eateries when we started to get back together, we know what we want.”
Wolf, a 2009 “Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America” James Beard Foundation inductee, author, and host of television and radio shows, adds that the trend isn’t surprising.
“In big cities, and now almost everywhere, in a predictable cycle, casual French bistros resurface,” he says, referencing newer hot spots like Brigitte Bistro in Petaluma and Santa Rosa’s Augie’s French for soul-warming onion soup gratinée and beef bourguignon. “It’s true in New York City, San Francisco, and now, all over Sonoma County, (and) happening everywhere from a limited-service counter spot to a fancy restaurant.”
Foods that remind us of childhood and simpler times when life moved at a slower pace have a similar appeal. Remember when weekend mornings meant French toast in front of Saturday morning cartoons, followed by a neighborhood baseball game while snacking on steamed, grilled hot dogs?
While we may be peckish for the past, many of us have more evolved palates than when we thought Jell-O Pudding Pops were the pinnacle of good taste. We’re no longer picky, we’re choosy. And whether we’re at a diner or a Michelin-starred restaurant, we like our comfort food with a side of sophistication. That French toast might be crafted with ube (vibrant purple yam), topped with fresh local berries and homemade ube-taro whipped cream, as found at the Kelly family’s Two Niner Diner at the Petaluma Municipal Airport. And those franks might be spiffy corn dogs, enjoyed at Sebastopol’s Fern Bar with a contemporary twist of crisp-skin hot links dunked in curried ketchup.
Even the classic grilled cheese is recontextualized with high quality ingredients and some degree of novelty, such as the golden, griddled Texas toast stuffed with melty cheese and juicy birria, plump shrimp, al pastor, grilled chicken, or tender asada at Galvan’s Eatery & Beer Garden in Cotati.
“We want some adventure, but not too much,” Wolf says. “We crave a burrito, but maybe now with a Korean taste,” such as the version at Santa Rosa’s Zoftig gussied up with Stemple Creek Ranch grass-fed beef and housemade kimchi.
Call it “NewStalgia.”
As Sonoma County chefs pull out the stops for treasured treats to soothe our souls, there’s plenty of room for fun.
At the posh Valette in Healdsburg, the “Snickers Bar” has long been a favorite dessert, looking like the famous candy: a slim rectangle of sea salt caramel, peanut powder, and locally made Volo dark chocolate. More recently, chef-owner Dustin Valette revamped the confection into “It’sNotA ‘Snickers Bar’ Deux” as an even fancier work of art, a tall cake layered with dark chocolate sea salt ganache, peanut butter custard, and espresso caramel, then sprinkled in peanut crumble and pierced with shards of cocoa tuile.
“We’ve run our original take on the Snickers Bar forever,” says Valette, who is celebrating the 11th anniversary of his eponymous destination. “Everyone absolutely loves it — it evokes childhood memories, but now it’s with an even more elegant chef touch.”
Some chefs turn to our childhood bookshelves for inspiration — specifically, Dr. Seuss’s “Green Eggs and Ham.” Healdsburg’s Acorn Café offers a version with herbed yogurt, dukkah, and a sprinkling of fresh herbs providing the “green” to poached eggs and ham, while Charlie Palmer, the celebrity chef-owner of the new Folia Bar & Kitchen in Healdsburg, gives a whimsical salute with his Green Eggs and Ham Benedict; the brown butter hollandaise is capped with an herb shakshuka.
Palmer’s son, chef Reed Palmer, Folia’s chef de cuisine, recently unveiled his twist on the tried-and-true tuna salad sandwich. This one features premium oil-packed Italian tuna spiked with pickled peppers and onion, topped with lightly dressed organic iceberg lettuce, and piled atop griddled, fresh-baked challah.
“It’s an homage to an East Coast luncheonette-style tuna fish sandwich,” he says. “The main inspiration is the Palace (Diner) in Maine — the best diner in the world. And if you want, we’re happy to make it a tuna melt with lots of beautiful cheese.”
While homestyle is trending, chefs are walking a tightrope to keep quality high but prices low.
“Value is the story this year,” says Andrew Freeman, founder of San Francisco’s af&co., a lifestyle and hospitality marketing and public relations firm that represents several Sonoma County restaurants. “Even in fine dining, guests want to walk away feeling like it was worth it. So whether it’s a great lunch deal, a prix-fixe only concept, or a high-end ‘happy meal,’ operators are finding creative ways to offer value at every level.”
Sax’s Joint in Petaluma — typically a breakfast and lunch spot — leans into its 1950s-style diner vibe with modern-day blue-plate specials at monthly pop-up dinners. Locals crowd in for prime rib, stuffed pork tenderloin, and the chicken Diane, a mid-20th century throwback recipe from owner “Mee Maw,” featuring pan-seared poultry blanketed in rich, creamy sauce made with mushrooms, brandy, and Dijon mustard. Included in the $35 tab is a choice of salad or soup; baked potato, mashed potato, rice, or French fries; plus a side of veggies and garlic bread.
Even the Michelin-starred Cyrus in Geyserville is taking note. While the restaurant’s multicourse Cal-Japanese tasting menu commands a $325 price tag, savvy diners have discovered the luxe destination’s Sunday Family Meal. Chef Douglas Keane’s menu offers an upscale take on deeply satisfying comfort dishes with an East-meets-West approach: fried chicken glazed in spicy-sweet Korean gochujang and pillowy Parker House rolls slathered in savory-sweet miso butter along with creamy mashed potatoes, housemade pickles, and kimchi. For $95 per guest plus a 20% service charge already figured in, it makes end-of-meal math easy.
The set menu idea ends up being a win-win. “In an era where guests are seeking value at every level, these concepts balance approachability with a sense of occasion,” Freeman says. “Guests know what they’ll spend; operators gain consistency, cost control, and efficiency.”
Desserts, too, hearken back to a bygone era. Suddenly, several Sonoma County restaurants are parading out twists on the iconic baked Alaska — once the height of sweet sophistication on big nights out. There’s the baked “gelaska” at Stella in Kenwood, made with gelato rather than the typical ice cream, and served “up” in a fancy brass coupe. The casual, hip Lazeaway Club at the Flamingo Resort in Santa Rosa has its own inventive take: baked Japan with sesame chiffon cake and matcha ice cream surrounded by fluffy toasted meringue. Tucking into that in the Rat Pack-era resort makes this finish to a meal even more fun.
It all equates to a tasty stroll down memory lane filled with beloved foods that hold timeless allure.
“The bottom line is that we’re coming to really appreciate the foods we may have long taken for granted,” Wolf, the restaurant consultant, says. “Those natural, wholesome, homegrown foods many of us grew up with are harder to get and much more expensive to buy, yes, so we’re learning to value them more. And I think that’s always a great thing.”