Al Johnson's Restaurant in Door County is taking reservations for a Christmas season feast, Swedish-style

SISTER BAY - Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant & Butik is getting ready to welcome diners to its annual buffet feast for the holiday season.

The Sister Bay restaurant is taking reservations for its Swedish Julbord, a multicourse Christmas smorgasbord that is an annual holiday event throughout that Scandinavian country and arguably is its best-known culinary tradition. The local julbord will take place twice a night Dec. 8 and 9.

Other Scandinavian countries have similar dinner parties with loads of food available as part of their holiday traditions — it's a julebord in Norway and julefrokost in Denmark. The Swedish julbord and Norwegian julebord both mean "Christmas table" in their native languages while the Danish julefrokost translates as "Christmas lunch."

While a Swedish julbord is a buffet, it has specific customs to follow. Dishes are meant to be eaten in a specific order, and a clean plate should be used with each visit to get more food.

The first course typically is a variety of fish, followed by a selection of cold sliced meats for the second course, most importantly the Christmas ham. The meats also are commonly served with sliced cheeses, pickled cucumbers and soft and crisp breads. The third course features warm dishes such as roast pork, potato sausage, meatballs, red cabbage and Jansson's Temptation, a baked dish of potatoes with anchovies. Concluding the feast is an array of desserts and coffee.

Beverages, including alcoholic drinks, also are part of a julbord (as with its Scandinavian cousins), and Al Johnson’s will serve its own version of glögg, a hot, spiced holiday wine made from red port, spices, fruit and nuts.

Seating times for the julbord are at 5 and 6:45 p.m. Dec. 8 and 9 at Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant, 10698 N. Bay Shore Drive, Sister Bay. The cost is $34.95 for adults, $16.95 ages 12 and younger; reservations are required and the space fills quickly.

To reserve a spot, email reservations@aljohnsons.com with your name, phone number, day and time of dining and how many are in your party. The restaurant will call back to confirm the reservation and take a credit card number for a deposit. For more information, call 920-854-2626 or visit facebook.com/aljohnsons.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Christmas feast, Swedish-style, at Al Johnson's Door County restaurant