St. Patrick’s Day, let’s be honest, isn’t a food holiday I look forward to with glee. Overly salty corned beef, boiled cabbage and mealy potatoes? Yuck.
Which is why BiteClub is pointing you to restaurants turning tradition pub grub on its ear. From buttermilk battered smelt to rabbit stew, Lagunitas cupcakes and green gnocchi, we’ve got the hookup for March 17.
Okay, and some of the more traditional fare (which I’m sure is better than my my sorry attempts) and plenty of options should you choose to drink your dinner. O’Tasty!
Restaurants
Glen Ellen Inn will be serving a romantic St. Patrick’s Day feast for both lunch and dinner on March 17, 2011. The eating o’ the green will start with Early Spring Asparagus Soup topped with Creme Fraiche ($7.95), and continue with Spicy Grilled Sausage on Corned Beef Hash, with Truffle Fries ($15.95), and finish with House Made Lemon Verbena Sorbet ($6.95). Heck with the pints, why not raise a Green Glen Ellen Melon Martini instead. Secret cottage rooms for the O’romantic and McTuckered available at $139 plus tax. 13670 Arnold Drive, Glen Ellen. Lunch 11:30-4; Dinner 5:30-9
Why are all those Irish eyes a-smilin? It’s almost St. Patrick’s Day, the one holiday each year where drinking, pinching and a wee bit o’ hijinks are the order of the day. Taps turn green, beef gets corned and everyone’s a McSomeone on Thursday, March 17th this year. BiteClub leads you to your own pot of gold, or at least mug of beer, at the end of the rainbow.
Murphy’s Irish Pub: You can take the high road or the low road, but all roads lead to Sonoma when it comes to annual St. Paddy’s parties. Just off the town square, this pub has one of the rip-roarin-est parties in the county, with plenty of Emerald Isle brews, whiskeys and cock o’tails. 464 First St. East, Sonoma, 935-0660.
Friar Tuck’s Pub: Let the bromance flow as costumed bagpipers belt out Danny Boy and other Irish tunes throughout the day, green beer flows and hundreds of pounds of corned beef steam at this Cotati pub. Because if you can endure all that without an “I love you man,” there isn’t an ounce of Irish in ya. $10 for the corned beef dinner buffet, noon to 9pm. 8201 Old Redwood Hwy, Cotati, 792.9847
Nutty Irishman: Each St. Patrick’s Day, the shamrock-hat and beer-goggle crowd overrun this usually-quiet local bar to the bemusement of regulars. Not that they’re not glad to see you. The bar puts out a spread of green beer and corned beef and cabbage for everybody, because, as one staffer says, “We’re all Irish here.” 995 Piner Rd., Santa Rosa, 544-1447.
Maguire’s Pub: The former Finbar Devine’s Irish Pub has been revamped and reborn as, well, another Irish pub. After dark, the scene is more bar than restaurant, but fans say the burgers are solid as well as the fish and chips. 145 Kentucky St., Petaluma, 762-9800.
Ruth McGowan’s Brewpub: Up in Cloverdale, the always lively Ruth McGowan’s celebrates its eighth anniversary with happy hour specials all day, corned beef and cabbage, Green Hornet Emerald Ale and McGowan’s Irish Stout. 131 E First St., Cloverdale, 894-9610.
Stout Brothers: This cozy faux-tiqued public house will still be packed to the rafters with whiskey and beer-drinking revelers on St. Pats. Fish and chips are still solid contenders here, as are its signature macaroni and cheeses (chicken bacon is tops). 527 4th Street, Santa
Rosa, 636-0240.
Spoonbar: Mixologist Scott Beattie will share the bar with legend Bartender Fred Dagnino from the San Francisco Institution, Buena Vista Cafe, Chef Rudy Mihal will prepare corn beef and hash sliders and an entertainment surprise will go on at 9 p.m. Bar hours are 5-11 p.m. 219 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, 433-7222.
Jackson’s Bar & Oven: Irish…pizza? This irreverent pie is topped with corned beef, cabbage and potatoes. 135 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, 545-6900.
French Garden: It’s Irish luck times two. If it’s a bit ‘o fancy you’re after, the restaurant will serve a three-course prix fixe menu throughout the weekend including a salad culled from the FG grams, rabbit stew or spinach gnocchi and lemon verbena creme brulee. In the bistro, grab a more casual “Menage A Trois”, Beer Battered Fish and Chips Three Ways — buttermilk battered local smelt, Guiness battered black cod, cornmeal battered local oysters and a mint julep or Guiness for $17. Thursday through Sunday, 8050 Bodega Ave., Sebastopol, 824-2030.
Sift’s Stud Muffin: Lagunitas beer cupcake, salted caramel frosting and spicy brown sugar bacon on top. Beer cupcake, okay. Salted caramel frosting, addictive. Sift Cupcakery in Cotati, SR and Napa.
Henweigh Cafe: Shepherd’s pie with ground beef and lamb, fresh peas, carrots and corn topped with Colcannon mashed potatoes — potatoes so good there’s a song about them. Owner Dennis Kelly sends along a comment from a recent customer: “Those Shepherds ate pretty well.” On St. Patty’s they’ll also have Guiness stout beef stew. McYum.4550 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, 829-7500.
Pearson and Co: Bring your Irish home with a takeaway meal of Corned Beef and cabbage, baked salmon with fennel and leeks with lime dill cream sauce; bubbles and squeak (mashed potatoes with carrots and peas), spring asparagus, Irish soda bread with clove and currants, or a Bailey’s Chocolate Irish Cream pie. Orders must be received by 3pm Tuesday.
Casino Bar and Grill: Chef Mark cooks up lentil soup with pork belly, Dungeness crab toast with lemon mayo and butter lettuce, corned beef brisket, cabbage and spring veggies. 17000 Bodega Highway, Bodega, 876-3185.
Breakaway Cafe: Black Velvet cocktail (Guiness and Kenwood Brut), sweet pea and mint soup, traditional corned beef and cabbage with boiled veggies, strawberry rhubarb compote with vanilla ice cream, $18. 19101 Sonoma Highway, Sonoma, 996-5949.
Mac’s Deli: I’m a huge fan of their ever-tasty Reuben, piles of corned beef, sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing. Just consider it an Irish dinner on rye.630 4th Street, Santa Rosa, 545-3785.
Traditional Fare:
Quincy’s Pub and Cafe: Corned beef and cabbage and homemade Irish stew from 9:30am to 6:30pm St. Patty’s Day, 6590 Commerce Blvd, Rohnert Park, 585-1079.
Brown St. Grill: Corned beef and cabbage all week starting today, $9.95. Cooked with love by Done by a septuagenarian chef Roger Boileau, a former Marty’s Top of the Hill toque. 100 Brown St., #150, in Sebastopol, 824-4400.
Cafe Europe: Corned beef and cabbage for lunch and dinner on St. Patrick’s Day. 104 Calistoga Road, Santa Rosa, 538-5255.
DIY St. Patty’s
David Little of Little Organic Farms will be at The Seed Bank in Petaluma to help home gardeners learn his dry-farming techniques for this mainstay of the Irish Pantry. 7-8:30pm. 199 Petaluma Blvd. North, Petaluma.
Staying home? Check out Michele Anna Jordan’s tasty tips for corned beef and cabbage on her blog.
Did we miss a restaurant you love? Tell us below!!!