Mendocino and Northern Sonoma Getting Buzz as a Food Destination

Over the last year, many articles have focused on the food of Mendocino. Here are just a few highlights of ones near the cottages:

• In the SFEater article “15 Restaurants Worth the Drive from SF” they mention  SingleThread Farm – Restaurant – Inn in Healdsburg (25 minutes from cottages), the Harbor House Inn in Elk on the coast near where Highway 128 meets Highway 1 (BTW, this is a one-star Michelin rated restaurant, the only one in Mendocino),  and Fog Eater Cafe cafe in Mendocino.   For the coastal restaurants, a lot of our guests make it part of a day trip which includes driving through giant redwoods and then along a beautiful rugged coast.
• In Sunset magazine, they highlighted the amazing Garden Bakery in Mendicino (town) which has pastries and also delicious Mexican food.
• Speaking of Michelin, in Healdsburg, you have the 3 Michelin star rated Single Thread and one star rated Madrona Manor.

Our own new discoveries and favorites:

• The Golden Pig in Hopland has great food and is very close to the cottages. You drive north along Mountain House Road which can be a little bumpy but takes you through an oak savanna an IMHO it one of the most beautiful drives in norcal.

• Willie’s in Healdsburg is a go-to for us. They have great seafood and veggie options and cocktails are delicious.
• Geyserville has great options like Diavola Pizzeria & Salumeria and
  Catelli’s Restaurant.
• We always loved Stone & Embers but the restaurant changed hands and is reopening soon with two Chez Panisse alum at the helm so fingers crossed.

There are also plenty of festivals that focus on food:

• End of January, early Feb there is a Crab Festival every year.
• Early November this is a Mushroom Festival, many of which are foraged. The festival includes special dinners at wineries and a host of other events including learning how to forage for yourself safely.

There is a lot more but these are some of the highlights and our favorites. Come to Ravenridge Cottages for five-star rated private Mendocino lodging. We hope to see you soon!