Traveling beyond the Sonoma border might seem too adventurous for some Bay Area dwellers, but the more up north you go, the better is the view. Rugged cliffs and serene forests of Mendocino County are blessed with scarce human presence, and therefore thrive with abundant animal life, copious succulents and towering redwoods.Driving Highway 1 from San Francisco and stopping at different places, we reached an artist colony town of Gualala – the southernmost on the Mendo coast. At first, we were content with sunset-watching, which is gorgeous here, but then we had to slow down at the sight of a wooden teremok, as if transported from a Russian fairy tale.
Old, weather-blackened timber, onion-shaped cupola, bright leaded-glass windows, and blossoming nasturtiums by the doorstep presented too enticing a picture to just drive by.
So we had to stop, and look, and inquire.St. Orres hotel and restaurant was named and styled in honor of the original property owner from 1830, George St. Ores, who hailed from Russia, and took over from the 1929 Seaside Hotel, built by Sid Johnson.
Today, Rosemary Campiformio co-owns and manages the hotel, and as Executive Chef of the restaurant, creates a sheer fairy tale in this neck of the woods.
Although we were not dressed for dinner, rather for a campy picnic in the wild, my husband and I ended up having a scrumptious meal of wild game and wild mushrooms at St. Orres – and that’s one experience not to be missed.
Our warm round bread looked just like kolobok, but fancily dressed with rosemary, basil and garlic, and served on a hot clay slate.
Garlic flan with wild mushrooms, a dish I’ve never tried before, had whole black chanterelles in demi-glace so rich, it reflected the colors of the nearby window, lighted by setting sun.
Wild mushroom ravioli were filled with a flavorful blend of porcini and shiitake, and accompanied by whole fresh oyster mushrooms in cream sauce with baby tomatoes.
After sharing a butternut squash soup with crème fraiche, and a chilled nectarine puree with raspberry swirl, we decided to split a Sonoma farm-raised pheasant stuffed with andouille sausage and pistachio nuts, and served on wild mushroom risotto cakes with a sauce of locally foraged black chanterelles and truffles.
I was in mushroom heaven.
St. Orres have a good selection of local wines, like Mendocino 2007 Naughty Boy pinot noir and Sonoma 2009 Seghesio zin.Desserts here are made with lots of love, too.
Although my eyes were wandering all over the house-made treats, Jack Daniels’ ice cream with whiskey caramel sauce won the tough competition.St. Orres is open year-round for lodging and fine dining. Call for reservations: 707-884-3303, or visit: www.saintorres.com.
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