SHUCK-YEAH! The Shuckery Petaluma
When my eldest brother moved up to Petaluma nearly 10 years ago, I remember thinking “Where the heck is that?” I was born and raised in San Francisco and rarely ventured out of my city bubble unless it was to visit my great grandmother in Russian River or going to the South Bay for events. Fast forward to present day and I find myself venturing to visit my family after work and spending long weekends in the Egg Capital of The World.
Petaluma has done a lot of developing in the last 10 years. Yet, one of my absolute favorite discoveries of this charming town has been The Shuckery Restaurant located below the historic Hotel Petaluma in the heart of downtown. Okay, I will admit I am somewhat biased when it comes to this establishment. It’s where I’ve gone for girls’ night with my sister-in law, celebrated birthdays, mourned breakups, and cheered to new job opportunities. When I started a new job and was told I could be put up at a hotel in the North Bay for training, I chose the Hotel Petaluma just so I could spend nightly happy hours at The Shuckery. Also, I am severely obsessed with oysters. My brothers and I once devoured 6-dozen oysters at The Waterbar in San Francisco during their famous “dollar oyster” times. I can’t get enough seafood and there just aren’t enough seafood restaurants in my opinion.
So low and behold, Petaluma had a spot to fulfill my seafood cravings. The Shuckery is owned by sisters, Jazmine and Aluxa Lalicker who dreamed up The Shuckery on a trip to New Orleans. Aluxa was running a traveling oyster bar. Jazmine knew Petaluma needed a seafood/oyster hotspot and so The Shuckery was born.
It’s hard to explain the experience you get when you step into The Shuckery. You can smell the tantalizing aromas before you even walk in the door. There is a warmth that envelopes you from the moment you step across its threshold. The ambiance is cozy but fresh with the bar’s blue scale-like tile-work, to the oyster paintings that adorn its walls. While it isn’t a large restaurant, its open kitchen design and minimalistic furniture somehow make it seem larger than life. The staff is always friendly and helpful, especially when it comes to selecting that perfect wine to pair with your meal.
The Shuckery is always packed and they’ve recently expanded their bar into the Hotel Petaluma’s lobby. This was a brilliant and long overdue decision in my opinion. This allows you to sit in the historically charming Victorian ambiance of the Hotel Petaluma and partake in tasty shared plates and wine. During fall and winter, try to snag the prime spot in front of the opulent fire place while you cozy up with your loved ones, wine in hand.
I must say, I was a little nervous when in February, my sister-in-law took me to The Shuckery to celebrate my birthday. As we waited, we spotted the realtor who sold my sister-in-law her home, sitting at the bar. As we chatted with him and his wife, they exclaimed about all the new food from The Shuckery’s new chef. “You have the try the chorizo and clam bucatini,” he exclaimed. I sat down with the apprehension of being faced with a new menu. What if all my beloved classics were gone? What if I didn’t like the changes? (I hate to admit it, but I am definitely one of those people who hate change. I mean, why change a good thing?)
Why, indeed? Well, to make it even greater than it was before! I was pleasantly surprised with the menu, which now included non-seafood selections. “But, it’s a seafood restaurant! How can you serve meat at a seafood restaurant?” While these were my initial thoughts, being the seafood lover I am, it actually makes a lot of sense. There were many times I attempted to get one of my brothers to go to dinner with me at The Shuckery. For the most part, he is allergic to shellfish and apparently doesn’t have the same seafood obsession I have. Having non-seafood options on the menu opens the door to so many more customers. Don’t worry; The Shuckery is still very “oyster-forward.”
The Shuckery’s new chef, Stephane Frantz Saint Louis has kept some of the classic favorites but has expanded the menu with new and innovative culinary delights. That night, I partook in an amazing seafood sampler for two, crab croquettes, a chorizo and clam bucatini and a panna cotta birthday dessert. The bucatini that I had questioned for having meat in it? Now, it is my absolute favorite thing on their menu . That is, aside from their baked oysters. Try them all, trust me…The BBQ Oysters, Oysters Rockafeller, and Oysters Bingo. I could eat that every day for the rest of my life. No joke.
I admit this is not the typical review I would do of an establishment, and I don’t often blog outside of wineries and cocktails for some reason. (Hmmm, that needs to change). I have no fancy photos to show you, other than generic iPhone photos that just don’t do the food enough justice. I’ve been showing up in yoga pants and a sweatshirt to pick up my food. Gone are the days of heels, makeup and actually doing my hair. As the COVID-19 pandemic began, I found myself frantic for others to partake in The Shuckery. This place is the heart and soul of “The Petaluma Experience.” On the weekends I am able to make it up to Petaluma from The City, I order a dinner for myself and my parents.
Chef Stephane has been cranking out family style dinners of fried chicken, ribs and fresh local fish, tarts that look like art work, sheets of bread pudding and old classics like their clam chowder and lobster roll. He even took my request for their amazing chorizo and clam bucatini that I had been dreaming about since my birthday. Customers are also able to pre-order fresh oysters so that you can still have that intimate family shucking party. You can even hire The Shuckery for in-house chef services. If that isn’t A-List treatment, I don’t know what is.
To say The Shuckery has gone above and beyond during the COVID crisis is an understatement. They’ve found ways to still support the local industry through farmers and fisherman. You can even purchase organic produce to skip the line at the grocery store, including bottles of wine to-go, and pasta freshly made in-house. Yes, it’s the bucatini again. Yes, I bought 2 lbs of it. Have you caught on yet that I can’t get enough of it? I always said I was the one Italian that didn’t like pasta, having to suffer through years of weekly “spaghetti with meat sauce” nights as a child. However, The Shuckery has made me a pasta lover again just from that one dish.
The leaps and bounds of hard work that The Shuckery’s owners, staff and chef are putting in during this time has not gone unnoticed. They frequently reach out, asking how to best serve the community’s needs. They don’t just ask – they deliver EVERY TIME. You can see the wheels of innovation constantly turning with Chef Stephane. The “fight” to sustain their business is evident in every Instagram post of new offers and menu items.
Needless to say, I dream of the day The Shuckery opens its doors once again for dine-in meals. It’s more than just a restaurant. It’s the place you can’t wait to be seated just to see and smell the culinary delights that await you. It’s the place you gather around the table with your loved ones, glass of wine in hand, laughing and making memories. It’s not just a restaurant, it's home.
Please help support this local institution. They’re offering curbside pickup or you can use Door Dash for local delivery. Visit them at www.theshuckeryca.comor call (707) 981-7891 to place your order.
