Aug 11 2008
Mendocino: A Foodie Paradise
Mendocino, Calif., may not be the end all be all for dogs and their humans, but for those who enjoy a good meal, the town sure delivers.
On a recent trip, my husband and I stayed at the MacCallum House for two nights, which included breakfast for both of us the following two mornings.
But before I get to breakfast, let’s talk about the MacCallum happy hour (of sorts). Each room receives two $7 dining credits for use in the Grey Whale Bar & Cafe or the MacCallum House Dining Room, which can be used towards dinner, desserts or for a house specialty cocktail, beer or glass of wine. (Three years ago, the happy hour included a nice spread of cheese and crackers, this time, no vittles to go with the libations.)
On the first eve of our two-night stay, we used our tokens for locally-brewed beers before heading down the street to The Moosse Cafe, a restaurant we discovered and fell in love with on our last trip.
I started with the cream of broccoli soup, and my husband had the Caesar salad. Both were delicious.
The entree I selected, the pan-roasted Petrale sole with rice pilaf, wilted spinach, shallot confit and a tarragon-tomato brown butter, was perfectly proportioned and tasted amazing.
My husband selected the brined and seared pork chop with herbed-creamy polenta, braised Swiss chard, caramelized garlic and piquante sauce, which featured a unique yet pleasant taste (brining leaves the meat salty and not very pork tasting).
For dessert, we shared the house-made espresso chocolate chunk ice cream with sugar cookies, which our server kindly brought with a lit candle stuck in the middle, as we were in fact celebrating my husband’s birthday.
The next morning, we ate at MacCallum, where we both had the fresh-squeezed orange juice and I had the Buckwheat Crepes with Niman Ranch ham, Cypress Grove Lamb Chopper cheese, grilled green onions and Mornay sauce, while my husband had the Eggs MacBenedict, consisting of two poached eggs, house cured Canadian bacon and heirloom tomatoes on a house made English muffin with hollandaise sauce.
The crepes were out of this world good, and my husband raved about the Eggs MacBenedict (which I did not try because of the undercooked eggs).
That evening, we were back at MacCallum for dinner, where Russ spoiled us with glasses of N.V. Roederer Estate sparkling wine and a wonderful duck and gnocchi appetizer.
I enjoyed a mixed berry daiquiri while my husband had the Seasonal Field Lettuces salad with spiced hazelnuts, honey mustard vinaigrette, and Cowgirl Creamery Red Hawk cheese on hazelnut croûte.
For dinner, I had the Grilled Niman Ranch Pork Loin with fig port sauce, creamy mascarpone polenta and (the best) braised greens (I’ve ever had!), and my husband had the Roasted Rosie Organic Chicken with tarragon sauce and scalloped Yukon Gold potatoes with ham and leeks.
For dessert, we shared the Banana Split, made with three scoops of ice cream, chocolate and caramel sauces, whipped cream and candied hazelnuts (we chose the house-made chocolate malt, caramel-chocolate macadamia bark and peppermint-chocolate chunk flavors, all good, but the caramel-chocolate macadamia bark by far the best).
The next morning, we were back for breakfast, where we again started with the fresh squeezed orange juice.
This time, I had Lupe’s Breakfast Burrito, made with scrambled eggs, sausage, white cheddar, roasted red bell peppers, red onions, cilantro, (hold the) sour cream, hand rolled flour tortilla, guacamole and salsa, and my husband had the Cornmeal Pancakes with wild Mendocino blackberry jam and whipped hazelnut butter. My burrito was good, but not as good as the crepes I had the day before. The pancakes must have been good, because my husband devoured them before I had a chance to try them.
The abundance of fresh, local ingredients at both MacCallum and Moosse Cafe were amazing and delicious, making this trip one of the top dining experiences I’ve had in quite a while.
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[...] than a small coffee shop that had outdoor seating, there didn’t seem to be too many places in downtown Mendocino to dine with Greta in tow. We opted to pick up food and take it back to the cottage for lunch during the [...]
you had me at buckwheat pancakes.
oops, i meant crepes. haha. but now i want pancakes too.
I’m glad to find your source. Good news. I’ll become your constant visitor.