found in Mendocino restaurants and wine shops are
affordably priced. I’m told this is because wine is such
a mainstay here that price gouging would not be
tolerated. The Restaurant at Stevenswood is dinner
only (homemade breakfast served to hotel guests)
and reservations are required.
Elsewhere in downtown Mendocino are a number
of small coffee houses and diners, including sev-
eral natural foods markets with prepared meals and
healthy snacks. Moody’s Organic Coffee Bar (www.
moodyscoffeebar.com) came in handy for early-
morning lattes, scones and Internet access. The Bay
View Café (45040 Main St.) sits perched on the edge
of town with a magnificent view of the coastline.
While the menu leans more toward classic diner fare,
the food was respectable and the ambiance, low key.
The reasonable prices and noteworthy views make
this a fine pick for a casual breakfast or lunch.
At The Moosse Café (www.theblueheron.com)
you’ll find a seasonal menu for lunch and diner, with
homemade soups, salads and hearty main courses
like Idaho rainbow trout and grass-fed New Zealand
rack of lamb in a cozy seaside setting. The Victo-
rian Dining Room at The Mendocino Hotel & Garden
Suites (www.mendocinohotel.com) is handsomely
appointed with antiques and harkens back to the
early days of Mendocino. The hotel also features a
picturesque Garden Room for breakfast or Sunday
What to do:
Brunch, and the elegant Lobby Bar and Lounge, a
Mendocino is the kind of place where you’ll be just as
popular gathering place for pre-dinner cocktails with
happy doing nothing, if whale watching, kayaking, hik-
light fare served from a bistro menu.
ing, shopping and strolling along the beach sound like
The surprise experience of my brief trip was my
too much effort. Otherwise, visit
www.101things.com
chance dinner at Mendo Bistro (www.mendobistro.
for 101 things to do in Mendocino. And if you’d like to
com) in nearby Fort Bragg. Chef/owner Nicholas
try 102 things in romantic Mendocino, I suggest taking a
Petti pairs local wines with delicious grilled pork loin,
special someone along with you.
cheese plates, flatbreads and his signature award-
Where to sleep:
winning Dungeness crab cakes. Located upstairs
You’ll eventually need a place to digest all these
in a historic and charming building known as The
gastronomic delights of Mendonico. Three of the restau-
Company Store, Mendo Bistro is spacious and casual
rants I mentioned above are also home to a diverse range
with friendly and attentive staff. Chef Nicholas is also
of overnight accommodations. Stevenswood Resort
kind enough to list a few recipes online, including
and Spa is a gay-owned AAA Four-Diamond property on
those famous crab cakes.
Point Cabrillo Lighthouse
the edge of town, and virtually on the edge of California.
Here you’ll also find an eco-friendly spa and lush grounds
with neighboring llamas. The Mendocino Hotel & Gar-
den Suites is the only full service hotel in the heart of the
village directly overlooking the Pacific Ocean. If you like
watching Antique Roadshow, this is definitely the hotel
for you. The Blue Heron Inn (www.theblueheron.com)
has three nicely appointed modern rooms at reasonable
prices in the heart of the village, upstairs from the The
Moosse Café. The Lighthouse Inn at Point Cabrillo (www.
mendocinolighthouse.pointcabrillo.org) is a short drive
north of town, offering 19th century atmosphere on
secluded grounds where the Pacific waves practically
Guest room at Stevenswood Resort and Spa crash at your bed.
July 2009 | RAGE monthly 61
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