Mendocino Cafe, Northern California's Best Kept Secret

After my arrival in San Francisco I decided to take a drive up the Pacific Coast Highway. Leaving San Francisco, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, I began the long and winding road toward Mendocino. The day was perfect for the drive with temperatures in the upper 80s. I passed through Muir Woods, up toward Bodega Bay then to Point Arena and eventually into Mendo. The view as you travel this road is indescribable. Yes, it is full of twists and turns, but well worth the drive for the breathtaking scenery of the cliffs dropping into the ocean on your left and the mountains on your right.

As I had been to Mendocino a few years earlier, though briefly, it made a strong impact on me. The town is full of incredibly talented people who display their work through festivals held in the town. If you are an art lover this is a must see.

I was looking forward to returning to the Mendocino Cookie Company for the most delicious oatmeal raisin cookie I have ever tasted. But, alas, to my dismay the Mendocino Cookie Company had relocated to Fort Bragg, California. Fort Bragg is only a few miles from Mendocino so I thought I would find somewhere to get a bite and enjoy the sunset.

Directly across the street from where the Mendocino Cookie Company used to be located I noticed the Mendocino Cafe. The cafe had an outdoor seating area with a view of the Mendocino Cove. For those of you who don't know the cove in Mendocino was used for the opening shot on the show Murder She Wrote, as was the house on the cliff that Angela Lansbury was to have occupied.

I arrived across the street and was seated outside to enjoy the sunset with my dinner. The wait staff was extremely pleasant to deal with and attentive to my table during my staff. I ordered a surprisingly wonderful wine, Navarro Gewurztraminer. Looking over the menu it was so difficult to decide which of the tasty treats to order. Being a seafood lover I began with a starter, the Fresh Crab Portobello. This is an oven baked portobello mushroom cap overflowing with Dungeness Crab meat and topped with Asiago Cheese. And continuing with the seafood theme I followed this with the Tuscan Snapper, which was sautéed with tomatoes, roasted garlic, olives, capers and lemon and served with fresh vegetables and Jasmine rice. Fresh Crab Portobello was nothing short of spectacular and I do not believe I have ever tasted snapper that was quite so fresh. The blend of the tomatoes with the olives, capers and lemon was a perfect execution by the chef. The wine was the perfect compliment to this fine dining experience. Combine the food, wine and the view and you have the perfect place to dine in Northern California.