Mardi Gras — the colorful, pre-Lenten celebration held on Shrove Tuesday (Feb. 17) — is right around the corner, and Sonoma County has some New Orleans-inspired festivities planned.
French for “Fat Tuesday,” Mardi Gras tradition calls for eating all the fats in the home in preparation for Lent fasting. In addition to feasting, the day is filled with festive music, costumes and parades. Not ones to turn down a good time, Sonoma County restaurants and bars have a handful of celebrations in store for people to bask in the revelry.
All events take place on Mardi Gras day, Feb. 17, unless noted otherwise.
Party Gras with Cloverdale Arts Alliance, Cloverdale
Cloverdale Arts Alliance will host its second annual Party Gras from 6-10 p.m., Feb. 13, at the Cloverdale Veterans Memorial Building. The event will include live music by Bay Area band The King Street Giants, NOLA-inspired food and a full cash bar. Dinner includes cornbread, Creole ratatouille, chicken and sausage jambalaya, and bread pudding with caramel bourbon sauce. Tickets at $50 per person. Purchase tickets online. Cloverdale Veterans Memorial Building, 205 W. First St., Cloverdale. cloverdaleartsalliance.org
Mardi Gras under the Oaks, Forestville
The Funky Forest, a west county nonprofit supporting local artists, will celebrate Mardi Gras from 1-5 p.m., Feb. 14, at downtown Forestville’s Oaks Park on Front Street. The party will include live music from the Bourbon Street Brass Band, food from Bayou On The Bay and La Fogata Taco Truck, dessert from Santa Rosa-based Frost Bake + Co., local vendors, and a kids’ table with arts and crafts. Flowers and candy will be available for sale across the street during the Valentine’s Day event. Entry is free, but people can reserve a spot on Eventbrite. 6990 Front St., Forestville. thefunkyforest.org
Valentine’s Mardi Gras at Barley & Bine, Windsor
Windsor’s Barley & Bine Beer Cafe will host a Mardi Gras celebration from 5-8 p.m. on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14. The event will include live music from the King Street Giants, Mardi Gras-inspired food specials, drinks and plenty of beads. Free to attend; all ages are welcome. 7765 Bell Road, Windsor, 707-657-7774, barleybinebeercafe.com
Mardi Gras at Parish Cafe, Healdsburg
The Louisiana-inspired Parish Cafe in Healdsburg will offer a special Mardi Gras menu from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Fat Tuesday. Specials include crawfish étouffée, New Orleans debris fries and traditional king cake by the slice. The cafe’s regular menu — with NOLA classics like gumbo, po’boys, jambalaya, muffuletta and beignets — will also be available. Local singer-songwriter Brian Francis Baudoin, of Louisiana, will play live music from 4-7 p.m. at the cafe. Reservations recommended; reserve on OpenTable. 60 Mill St., Healdsburg, 707-431-8474, theparishcafe.com
Mardi Gras at Elephant in the Room, Healdsburg
Elephant in the Room, a Healdsburg pub and music venue, will celebrate Mardi Gras with live music starting at 3:30 p.m. featuring two local bands: Spike Sikes & His Awesome Hotcakes and Marshall House Project. Admission is $20. 177 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, elephantintheroompub.com
Fat Tuesday Feast at Rio Nido Roadhouse, Rio Nido
The Russian River roadhouse will host its annual Fat Tuesday Feast from 5-8 p.m., featuring live music by the local Bourbon Street Brass Band. Classic New Orleans menu specials include gumbo, po’boys and beignets, plus drinks. For all ages; no cover charge. 14540 Canyon 2 Road, Rio Nido, 707-869-0821, rionidoroadhouse.com
Mardi Gras Party at Lagunitas, Petaluma
Petaluma Music Festival will host its 12th annual Mardi Gras party from 5-8 p.m. at the Lagunitas Brewing Company taproom in Petaluma. The King Street Giants will perform New Orleans-style music starting at 5:30 p.m. Lagunitas drinks and a crawfish boil from Bayou On The Bay will be available for purchase. Tickets are $15 for people over 21, $10 for those under 21, and free for children 12 and under. If not sold out, tickets will be $18 at the door. Proceeds will benefit the Petaluma Music Festival, which funds music education programs at Petaluma schools. Purchase tickets on Eventbrite. Lagunitas, 1280 N. McDowell Blvd., Petaluma. petalumamusicfestival.org
35th Annual Mardi Gras Mambofest, Petaluma
Petaluma’s Mystic Theatre will host its 35th annual Mardi Gras Mambofest starting at 6 p.m., featuring a Fat Tuesday dance concert and street parade. Festivities kick off at 6:15 p.m. with a band-led street parade through downtown and back to the theater, weather permitting. Special guests accompanying the local Rhythmtown-Jive band will include members from Bay Area bands The California Honeydrops and Big Bang Beat. Music and dancing will resume at the Mystic, where the next-door McNear’s Saloon will serve Fat Tuesday fare such as red beans and rice, New Orleans barbecue shrimp, chicken and sausage gumbo, beignets and banana cream pie. General admission is $27.32. Purchase tickets online. Costumes and beads encouraged. 23 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma, 707-765-2121, mystictheatre.com
Mardi Gras Burlesque & Drag Show at Sally Tomatoes, Rohnert Park
Sally Tomatoes will host a Mardi Gras burlesque and drag show from 6:30-10:30 p.m., Feb. 20, at its SOMO Village Event Center in Rohnert Park. The 18-and-over event will include music, live performances, Cajun cuisine, auction and raffle, and a New Orleans-style market with local artists, tarot readers, fortune tellers and community service organizations. The buffet menu includes portobello soup, dirty rice, big chicken mamou, cornbread with spiced honey butter, carved roast beef and pecan sugar cookies. Proceeds will benefit grassroots Pride initiative Celebrate Love Cotati-Rohnert Park. Admission is $25 for the show only and $50 for the show and buffet (plus fees). A table for eight guests is $400 (plus fees) and includes a special king cake. Purchase tickets on Eventbrite. 1100 Valley House Drive, Rohnert Park, 707-665-9472, sallytomatoes.com
Semla at Stockhome, Petaluma
As in the sweet Swedish tradition for Fat Tuesday, Petaluma’s Stockhome restaurant will offer its annual semla, a cardamom bun filled with whipped cream and marzipan (sweet almond paste). The treat is available only in February. A single semla is $9, an order of six semlor (plural for semla) is $48 and a dozen semlor is $108. Order for pickup online. 220 Western Ave., Petaluma, 707-981-8511, stockhomerestaurant.com
More dining options for Mardi Gras
In addition to semla from Stockhome in Petaluma, there are plenty of other restaurants in the county serving traditional Mardi Gras and Louisiana-inspired foods. Shrove Tuesday is also known as Pancake Day. Head to Healdsburg’s Acorn Cafe (124 Matheson St.) for the fattest pancakes in the county. Find more of our favorite pancakes in Sonoma County here.
Bag O’ Crab: Seafood boils, including shrimp, crawfish and more, plus Cajun and “Louisiana Flavor” seasoning options. 1901 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa, 707-843-7267, bagocrabusa.com
Costeaux French Bakery: Preorder Costeaux’s seasonal king cake now for pickup on Feb. 17. The festive dessert is filled with dried tropical fruits, including mango and pineapple, and finished in a sweet glaze with tri-color sprinkles. $25 per cake. Order online. 417 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, 707-433-1913, costeaux.com
Rocker Oysterfeller’s: Gumbo, po’boys, Cajun blackened pasta and beignets at the Valley Ford location. New Orleans barbecue shrimp, blackened Gulf shrimp and Carolina grits, Cajun blackened pasta, Creole fisherman’s stew, sticky praline bread pudding and Mardi Gras king cake at the Lucas Wharf location in Bodega Bay. 14415 Highway 1, Valley Ford, 707-876-1983; 595 Highway 1, Bodega Bay, 707-772-5670, rockeroysterfellers.com
Saucy Mama’s Jook Joint: Cajun chicken, po’boys, fried catfish, red beans and rice, fried okra, Cajun slaw, cornbread and beignets. 16632 Highway 116, Guerneville, 707-604-7184, saucymamasjookjoint.com
Simmer Claw Bar: Vietnamese-Cajun seafood boils, including shrimp and crawfish, with Cajun seasoning option. 595 Rohnert Park Expressway, Rohnert Park, 707-806-2080, simmerfamily.com
Sweet T’s Restaurant + Bar: Hush puppies, seasoned shrimp, catfish po’boy, Cajun shrimp gumbo, shrimp and grits, blackened catfish and sweet potato bread pudding. 9098 Brooks Road S., Windsor, 707-687-5185, sweettssouthern.com