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Mendocino County boasts a bountiful array of unique restaurants, with memorable dining expe-riences, magnificent views and delectable delights to satisfy any craving. Locally produced and organically grown ingredients, as well as freshly baked goods, are a hallmark of many restaurants throughout the county. You’ll find cuisine rang-ing from Thai to Italian to French to North Coast favorites, and enjoy ambience spanning from fine dining to cozy pubs to comfortable, relaxed coffee houses. Pick one. You can’t go wrong!

Mendocino County Restaurant Guide

by Charlie Barra

When it comes to the wine busi-ness, the old adage “timing is every-thing” couldn’t be more true. As I begin preparations for my 63rd harvest, I am reminded of just how many facets of the wine business come down to something we have little control over – timing! When we harvested our 2007 grape crop, we had no idea of the timing of the eco-nomic downturn that would unfold when these wines got to the market in 2009. And when we decided to shift to organic farming over 40 years ago, our crystal ball did not provide any details on what the timing was going to be for consumer demand of organic products. But, as with most businesses, you figure out a way to adapt to the situation at hand. And in the vineyard, we actually have the abil-

ity to work in conjunction with one element of timing, and that’s the weather. As the grape clusters prog-ress from blooms to berries, we begin studying the weather forecasts to help us determine when we think it will be time to begin harvest. Cool weather can slow harvest, while warm weather can speed it up. And, of course, if we encounter rain during the later part of harvest, it makes for a tough go of things (this would fall under the category of “bad timing”!). Through the use of a device called a Refractometer, we are able to tell the sugar levels of our grape ber-ries. By putting a crushed grape berry on the plastic slide (think high school chemistry) of this hand-held device, we can get an immediate read of the brix level which translates to the per-centage of sugar found in the grape. This key indicator for determining when to begin harvest varies from

varietal to varietal, with the optimal brix level being determined between the grape grower and the winemaker. Aside from the quality of the fruit itself, and of course a winemaker’s ability to make delicious wine, the sugar level of the grape at the time of harvest is one of the most important factors impacting the quality of the wine in your glass. So the next time you sit down with a glass of wine, raise a toast to “good timing” for Mendocino County’s 2009 harvest! Barra of Mendocino Winery is located in the heart of the Mendocino Wine Country, approximately two hours north of San Francisco just off Highway 101. The winery is open daily from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, and is located at 7051 No. State Street, Redwood Valley, CA, 95470. Phone 707 485-0322, or visit www.barraofmendocino.com

When the Time is Ripe

Mendocino County Restaurants –Something for every dining desire

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When you are seeking an extra special dinner celebra-tion, a drive just further up Hwy 101 will get you to one of Northern California’s historic treasures, the Benbow Hotel and Resort. The Hotel and Restaurant are now in their sec-ond year of being open year round. In 2007, current owners John and Teresa Porter and Jack MacDonald brought San Francisco Chef Kenneth Aldin on board as Executive Chef. The elegant Tudor style inn was built in 1926, and the dining room is just the beginning of a special occasion. Chef Aldin combines the best locally grown produce (some from the hotels own gardens), fresh seafood and choice meats with his expertise in traditional sauces to create delightful menus. It is difficult to decide what to try first! Appetizers include Chilled Jumbo Shrimp Remoulade, Warm Pistachio Crusted Brie with Marinated Olives, or Sonoma Artisan Foie Gras with Strawberry, Rhubarb and Peppercorns. Salads are always made from fresh garden greens with a variety of enticing vinaigrettes and herbs. Selecting an entrée is also a mouth-watering challenge: Grilled Flatiron

Steak with Shoestring Fries and Cabernet Jus, Griddled Game Hen with Smashed Red Potatoes and Sage Garlic Sauce, Caramelized Alaskan Halibut and Sage Roasted Sirloin of Sonoma Spring Lamb. There is also a choice of vegan options: Foraged Mushroom Fettuccini with Feta and Arugula or Roasted and Marinated Seasonal Vegetables with Herb Puree. The desserts are exquisite: Belgian Chocolate Hazelnut Tart with Spiced Cocoa and Raspberry or Benbow Berry Crisp with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, among others. Of course, the Benbow Inn offers an award winning wine list with many wines from Mendocino County to compliment the menu.

Benbow Hotel and Resort is located just south of Garberville on Highway 101 (445 Lake Benbow Drive, Garberville). Reservations recommended. Call 707-928-2124, or visit www.BenbowHotelandResort.com for special events during the holidays.

Benbow Resort and Restaurant

Check Out These Special Restaurants

Outside the big windows, the world’s biggest ocean spectacularly waves on; in a few minutes my friends and I will see the best sunset on the Mendocino coast. Within, contented diners are enjoying comfortable, tasty food. The ambiance is bright and welcoming. Chef-owner Lisa Geer works from a palette that starts in Provence, and picks up many of the flavors and tech-niques of the Mediterranean, before seamlessly integrating local California produce with Asian and Latin flavors. We are greeted by a playful selection of small plates, including duck paté with lavender jelly and Dijon mustard on cros-tini, a superbly savory tomato tart with Gorgonzola and caramelized onions, and oysters on the half shell served with tomato horseradish sorbet. Chef Lisa’s centerpiece cassoulet – white beans, lamb, pork, garlic sausage, and duck confit served in a rich sauce redolent of Provençal herbs – elevates comfort food to a superior level, and sets a standard for all her dishes. We order cassoulet along with the Bistro Special, a three-

course meal that changes every night; tonight, it starts with a lovely Caesar salad, then a saffron-rich risotto with clams and salmon. As befits a chef whose inspiration is drawn from France, the sauces here are the stars. Honest ingredients – local fish, rabbit, leg of lamb, duck, rib steak, gnocchi – all swim in their own perfectly tuned sauces. Vegetables on the side are miraculously crisp and tasteful. Desserts are as deft and flavorful as the entrées, with the specialty being house-made sorbets. Our Bistro Special’s third course was a superb ice full of lavender and vanilla flavors that settled lightly after our rich meal. Ledford House offers a full bar and a good wine list, and every evening pours a good vintage at a reasonable by-the-glass price.

The Ledford House is located at 3000 No. Highway 1, Albion. 707-937-0282

Ledford House: Food With A View

by Gus T. Torrey

by Jill Schmuckley

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MendocinoCafé

GOOD FOOD FORTHE WHOLE FAMILY

OPEN FOR LUNCH &DINNER SEVEN DAYS A WEEK

FREE RANGE CHICKEN, GRASS FED BEEF & WILD OCEAN

CAUGHT SEAFOOD

PASTA, PRODUCE,POTATOES, RICE & BEANS

CERTIFIED ORGANIC

LOCAL, ORGANIC ANDBIODYNAMIC WINES

MICROBREWERY BEERS

PLUS THE EVER POPULARTHAI BURRITO, MEAL-SIZED SALADS AND IRRESISTIBLE

HOMEMADE DESSERTS

SEASONAL ORGANIC SPECIALSADDED DAILY10451 LANSING ST., MENDOCINO • 707-937-6141

Specializing in GreatMade to Order Sandwiches • Breakfast Burritos

Organic Salads • Mexican & Grill Specialties Try our Pulled Pork Sandwich

Convenient ShoppingBeer • Wine • Liquor • Gas

Always With A View

7746 N. Highway 1707 937-5133

Open Daily

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CAFE BEAUJOLAISn Dine in understated elegancen Seasonal Garden Deck Dining / Pet Friendlyn Fresh bread daily from our wood fired brick ovenn Open year round

A MENDOCINO LANDMARK FOR OVER 30 YEARS

Lunch Wed-Sun 11:30-2:30

For Reservations,Call 937-5614

Dinners nightly starting at 5:30

9 6 1 U k i a h S t r e e t , M e n d o c i n o • w w w . C a f e B e a u j o l a i s . c o m

Seasonal North CoastCooking with Garden

and Ocean Views

Serving Lunch & DinnerIndoor & Outdoor Seating Available

Dinner Reservations Welcomed

Kasten at Albion, Mendocino • 707 937-4323

Visit our website: www.themoosse.com

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Char-Broiled Burgers • Chicken Fresh-Cut Fries • Thick Shakes

Best Burgers on the North Coast for 20 Years

Follow The Path Behind the Bakery

Lansing St., Mendocino937-1111

mendocino cookie company

Locally owned and family run since 1984.Organic espresso & coffee drinks, frappes & smoothies. Gourmet cookies, muffins,

scones, and more, baked fresh daily.

Open 7 days a week301 N. Main St., Fort Bragg, CA

707 964-0282

Cookies shipped nationwidewww.mendocinocookies.com

301 North Main Street at the corner of Redwood Avenue, Fort Bragg 707 964-4974 • www.mendobistro.com

Local Seafood • Fresh Pasta • Vegetarian Dishes Steaks • Beer & Wine • Great Desserts

“Chef Nicholas Petti continues his amazing track record at this Fort Bragg labor of love...Top Food-Mendocino County” Zagat 2008“Number 1 out of 21 in Fort Bragg”TripAdvisor.com

Dinner Nightly 5 - 9

Locals Love

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Taproom & Grill444 N. Main Street • Fort Bragg • 964-3400

Voted “Mendocino County Restaurant of the Year”

by Great Chefs of Mendocino.

LUNCH & DINNER Starting at 11:30, 7 Days a Week

SEAFOOD HEADQUARTERS.PROUD HOME OF RED SEAL ALE &

OLD RASPUTIN STOUT

GIFT SHOP & SATURDAY BREWERY TOURS

www.northcoastbrewing.com

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Like many chefs, my favorite things to cook are braises. Short ribs in Syrah, meaty lamb shanks, pork shoulder with vinegar and grapes, and Yankee pot roast with carrots and potatoes thrill me. After the quick grills of summer there’s nothing I enjoy more than the start of colder weather and long, slow cooking. The process is simple, the steps easy; browning, deglaz-ing, cooking aromatics, adding liquid, and simmering. But like most simple, easy things, braising well takes care and attention. Take browning. When training cooks, particu-larly those with a little bit of experience in other kitchens, one of the first things I tell them is “the stoves have knobs.” Restaurant cooks have a tendency to take the flame up as high as it will go, get the pan blazing hot and put the meat in. While it’s true you need a hot pan and are trying to brown the meat, not steam it, a good browning for short ribs can take up to half an hour. It’s also true time is short in the restaurant kitchen and rushing the browning process is tempting when the prep list is long, but it’s crucial. You want a nice, deep brown, not black, and not tan. Sometimes dusting the meat in seasoned flour is helpful, but consider whether you want the flour to end up in your sauce. Salting judiciously helps also. You need to salt a little, but not too much because you want to control the saltiness of the fin-ished dish. To deglaze, I usually combine the cooking aromatic step with the deglazing. Vegetables contain a lot of liquid. After the meat is browned, remove it from the pan, carefully pour away most of the fat and add your vegetables. Again, this step requires some thought. Obviously, you have to consider what you want in the sauce. Carrots, celery, and onion are usually good bets, but parsnips, potatoes, leeks, or daikon might be used. Then, are the vegetables going to be eaten as accompaniments, like with pot roast, or pureed as part of the sauce, as is often the case with lamb shanks? This determines both when you add them and how large you cut them. Garlic or no? Bay leaf? If they’re part of the sauce, cooking them slowly, letting them release their liquid and thus deglazing the pan is the way to go. Then, when they start to brown and cling to the pan, a second deglazing. Wine? Stock? Vinegar? Water? All these choices effect the final dish.

Add the meat back to the pan and cover about halfway with liquid. Bring gently to a boil, cover and reduce the heat, simmering gently until done. Better yet, put the whole thing into a gentle oven, about 350 degrees and let it simmer happily away, turning the meat over about halfway through the cooking. How long? That depends on what you’re cook-ing. Lamb shanks should be falling off the bone while pork shoulders should have a little more bite to them. Either way, the braise will benefit from cooling over-night, removing the fat from the sauce, then seasoning with appropriate herbs. The whole process is a lot like creating a work of art. Each choice you make influences the final outcome, and when you’re finished, if successful, the piece looks like it was easy to create and could have been created no other way.

In Braise Of Simple Thingsby Nicholas PettiChef/Owner, Mendo Bistro

Featuring fine Italian Seafood

in Noyo Harbor32100 N. Harbor Drive

962-0680Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner

HERON’Sby the

SEA

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FORT BRAGG ASIAN BUFFETHunan, Szechuan & Cantonese405 Franklin Street • 964-8938

BERNILLO’S Pizzeria, Subs & Salads220 E. Redwood Avenue • 964-9314

CAFÉ 1 Organic Breakfast & Lunch753 N. Main Street • 964-3309

CLIFF HOUSE OF FORT BRAGG Seafood & Steak1011 S. Main Street • 961-0255

D’AURELIO’S Fine Italian & Pizza438 S. Franklin Street • 964-4227

DOWN HOME FOODS Lunch Deli115 S. Franklin Street • 964-4661

EGGHEAD’S RESTAURANT Breakfast & Lunch326 N. Main Street • 964-5005

FORT BRAGG STEAK HOUSEBreakfast, Lunch & Dinner332 S. Main Street • 962-0539

HARVEST MARKET Organic, natural and traditional products & servicesHwy. 1 & Hwy. 20 • 964-7000Catering by Margaret Fox, full service deli, bakery and products from gour-met to everyday. Online shopping and delivery available. Open 7 days a week, 5 am-11 pm.

HEADLANDS COFFEEHOUSEEspresso Coffee House120 E. Laurel Street • 964-1987

HOME STYLE CAFE Breakfast & Lunch790 S. Main Street • 964-6106

LA COSTENA MEXICAN RESTAURANTCorner Main & Chestnut 964-7931

LA PLAYA MEXICAN RESTAURANT & BAR 552 N. Main • 964-4074

LAUREL DELI & DESSERTS Breakfast & Lunch401 N. Main Street, Ste. 502964-7812

LEE’S CHINESE RESTAURANTFamily Chinese154 E. Redwood Avenue 964-6843

LIVING LIGHT INTERNATIONAL301-B N. Main StreetIn the Company Store • 964-2420Making Healthy Living delicious!Cuisine to Go, an organic raw vegan café, Culinary Arts Institute: gourmet classes in raw cuisine. Marketplace-a healthy lifestyle boutique.

MENDO BISTRO Contemporary American301 N. Main Street In the Company Store • 964-4974Fun, creative food from a com-pletely scratch kitchen. Presented by friendly, energetic, professional waiters. Open every night from 5 pm to 9 pm.

MENDOCINO COOKIE CO. Espresso Shop303 N. Main Street In the Company Store • 964-0282

NEW BEST BUFFETChinese760 S. Main Street • 961-1688

NIT’S CAFÉInternational Cuisine322 N. Main Street • 964-7187

NORTH COAST BREWING TAPROOM & GRILL California Cuisine444 N. Main Street • 964-3400Award-winning beer, local wines & great food served in generous por-tions, in a relaxed atmosphere. State of the art function room available.

OFF THE HOOK SUSHINigri, Udon, Teriyaki & Sushi118 E. Redwood Avenue • 964-3188

PIACI PUB & PIZZERIA Pizza & Salads20 W. Redwood Avenue • 961-1133

THE PURPLE ROSEMexican24300 N. Hwy. 1 • 964-6507

RELISHGourmet Hot Dogs & Sausages260 N. Main • 962-0633

THE RENDEZVOUS INN & RESTAURANT Fine Dining647 N. Main Street • 964-8142

THE RESTAURANT Fine Dining418 N. Main Street • 964-9800

TAKA’S GRILL Japanese & Sushi250 N. Main Street • 964-5204

TW’S GRILLE & BAR Family Style400 S. Main Street • 964-4761

V’ CANTOLate Night Italian124 E. Laurel Street • 964-6844

VIRAPORN’S THAI CAFEThai16801 Ocean Drive • 962-0717

NOYO HARBORCAP’N FLINTS Family Seafood32250 N. Harbor Drive 964-9447

CHAPTER & MOON Gourmet American32150 N. Harbor Drive 962-1643

DOLPHIN ISLE MARINA DELIRiverside Deli32399 Basin • 964-4113

EL MEXICANOMexican701 N. Harbor Drive • 964-7164

HERON’S BY THE SEA Italian Seafood32100 N. Harbor Drive 962-0680The same menu you have come to enjoy with the same quality and ser-vice you have come to expect.

SILVER’S AT THE WHARFFresh Seafood & Contemporary American32260 N. Harbor Drive • 964-4283

MENDOCINO 955 UKIAH STREET RESTAURANTFine Dining955 Ukiah Street • 937-1955

BAY VIEW CAFÉRelaxed American45040 Main Street • 937-4197

CAFÉ BEAUjOLAISFine Dining961 Ukiah Street • 937-5614A menu inspired by California cui-sine, a bounty of fresh ingredients and outstanding fresh bread from a wood-fire red brick oven.

CORNERS OF THE MOUTHNatural Foods45015 Ukiah Street • 937-5345

CULTURED AFFAIR CAFÉSandwiches, Salads, YogurtCorner of Kasten & Albion • 937-1430

FRANKIE’S HAND MADE ICE CREAM & PIZZA PARLORIce Cream, Pizza, Soup and More44951 Ukiah Street • 937-2436

HARVEST AT MENDOSA’S Ready-to-go products and groceries10501 Lansing Street • 937-5879Full service meat and seafood counter, fresh produce, beer & wine, sushi and ready-to-go sandwiches made daily. Open 7 days a week, 7:30 am to 10 pm.

LU’S KITCHENOrganic Mexican45013 Ukiah Street • 937-4939

MACCALLUM HOUSE INN & RESTAURANTFine Dining45020 Albion Street • 937-0289

MENDO BURGERSCharcoaled Burgers, Thick Malts & Fresh Cut French Fries10483 Lansing Street • 937-1111

MENDOCINO BAKERY & CAFÉSoups, Salads, Burritos, Pizza10485 Lansing Street • 937-0836

MENDOCINO CAFÉMendocino Cuisine10451 Lansing Street • 937-6141International dishes, organic pro-duce, wild-harvested fresh seafood, beans, rice, pasta, Mendocino County grass-fed beef, free-range chicken, all GMO-free. Outside din-ing with ocean views.

Restaurant Guide

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MENDOCINO HOTEL VICTORIAN DINING & GARDEN CAFÉFine Dining, Bar Menu45080 Main Street • 937-0511

MENDOCINO MARKETDeli, Sandwiches, Picnic Foods45051 Ukiah Street • 937-3474

MOODYS ORGANIC COFFEE BARCoffee Bar10450 Lansing Street • 937-4843

THE MOOSSE CAFÉSeasonal North Coast390 Kasten at Albion Street 937-4323North Coast cooking with Mediterranean influences. Ocean and garden views with indoor and outdoor seating.

PATTERSON’S PUBBar Menu10485 Lansing Street • 937-4782

THE RAVENS AT THE STANFORD INN BY THE SEAVegetarian CuisineHwy. 1 & Comptche-Ukiah Road 937-5615Prepares vegan and vegetarian cuisine with produce from their California Certified Organic farm and other organic producers.

TOTE FETESoups, Salads, Sandwiches10450 Lansing Street • 937-3383

LITTLE RIVER &ALBIONALBION GROCERYDeli, Sandwiches, Picnic Foods3380 Albion Ridge Road, Albion937-5784

ALBION RIVER INNFine DiningHwy. 1, Albion • 937-4044Features succulent fresh seafood and gourmet dishes such as oven-roasted quail, filled with chicken mousseline flavored with bacon. Romantic ocean view.

LA PETITE RIVEGourmet Dining at 5:30 & 8:00 p.m.7750 N. Hwy. 1, Little River937-4945

LEDFORD HOUSE RESTAURANTFine Dining3000 N. Hwy. 1, Albion937-0282

LITTLE RIVER INN RESTAURANTFine DiningHwy. 1, Little River • 937-5942

LITTLE RIVER MARKET & DELIGourmet Deli7746 N. Hwy 1, Little River937-5133Organic & vegetarian salads, Mexican food, made to order sand-wiches, hamburgers, fries. Ocean view seating. Beer, Wine, Spirits.

STEVENSWOOD RESTAURANTNouvelle American8211 N. Hwy. 1, Little River937-2810

ELKBRIDGET DOLAN’SCalifornia Grill & Bar Menu5910 S. Hwy. 1 • 707 877-1820

GREENWOOD PIER CAFÉ/INN & COUNTRY STORECalifornia Cuisine5928 S. Hwy. 1 • 707 877-9997

QUEENIE’S ROADHOUSE CAFÉBreakfast & LunchHwy. 1 • 707 877-3285

POINT ARENAEL BURRITOMexican165 Main • 707 882-2910

PIZZA & CREAMPizza & Ice CreamArena Cove • 707 882-1900

THE PIER CHOWDER HOUSE & TAP ROOMChowder, Seafood, Burgers and More790 Port Road • 707-882-3400Fresh local ingredients, prepared for your dining pleasure. 31 beers on tap and an extensive wine list. Located at historic Arena Cove in Point Arena. Open daily, 11-9.

ANCHOR BAYMARIACHISMexican35501 S. Hwy. 1 • 707 884-1735

REDWOOD GRILLCasual Fine Dining35517 S. Hwy. 1 • 707 884-1639

GUALALABONES ROADHOUSEBarbecued RibsHwy. 1 • 707 884-1188

CAFÉ LA LASoups, Salads & SandwichesCypress Village • 707 884-1104

OCEANSONG RESTAURANTSeafood & CaliforniaHighway 1 • 707 884-1041

TOP O’ THE CLIFFFine DiningHighway 1, Seacliff Center 707 884-1539

THE SEA RANCHTHE SEA RANCH LODGE & RESTAURANTCalifornia Cuisine60 Sea Walk Drive • 707 785-2371

ANDERSON VALLEYBOONVILLE HOTELCalifornia CuisineHighway 128, Boonville 707 895-2210

LAUREN’SEclectic American International14211 Hwy 128Boonville • 707 895-3869

LIBBY’S RESTAURANTMexicanHighway 128, Philo 707 895-2646

UKIAHELLIE’S MUTT HUT& VEGETARIAN CAFETofu, Vegetarian, Hamburgers,732 S. State Street 707 468-5376

FORKS CAFE Home Style Breakfast/Lunch 3166 N. State • 707 462-4530

OCO TIMEJapanese Cuisine111 W. Church Street 707 462-2422

PATRONA BISTRO & WINE BARClassic, Contemporary Cuisine130 W. Standley Street707 462-9181

RUEN TONG THAI CUISINEFresh Ingredients, Beer, Wine List801 N. State Street 707 462-0238

SCHAT’S COURTHOUSE BAKERY & CAFEBakery, Breakfast, Lunch 113 W. Perkins • 707 462-1670

THE HIMALAYAN CAFÉNepalese & Indian Cuisine 1639 S. State Street 707 467-9900

UKIAH BREWING CO. & RESTAURANTCertified Organic & Beer 102 S. State Street 707 468-5898

WALTER CAFÉ920 N. State • 707 462-2080

WILLITSAL’S REDWOOD ROOMThai & American, Full Bar207 S. Main Street707 459-2444

ANNA’S ASIAN HOUSESzechuan & Asian Cuisine47 E. Mendocino Avenue707 459-6086

THE PURPLE THISTLECalifornia Cuisine50 S. Main Street • 707 459-4750

HOPLAND CRUSHED GRAPE GRILL Pizza, Seafood13500 S. Hwy. 101 707 744-2020

MENDOCINO BREWING COMPANY TAVERN13351 S. Hwy. 101707 744-1361