Mendocino Magnet

By Emma Krasov. Photography by Yuri Krasov

In view of the upcoming Lunar New Year, Valentine’s Day, and International Women’s Day, I can’t help but think back to our latest visit to Mendocino right before Christmas and New Year’s, when my husband and I not only enjoyed a carefree weekend in the country, but fully accomplished our holiday gift shopping in a rather unhurried manner, just by traversing the quaint little downtown on foot.

If I only could be there right now, at this prime Northern California destination for untamed oceanic nature, harvest-driven cuisine, and proliferation of arts and crafts, presented in countless galleries and locally owned boutiques! Like a powerful magnet, Mendocino pulls me back year after year, and season after season with its never ending surprises and discoveries.

But let me start from the very beginning. The road to Mendocino from the San Francisco Bay Area is gorgeous all its own. Just looking at the rolling hills covered with tidy vineyards, live oak groves, and peacefully pasturing cows fills a road traveler’s soul with calm and serenity.

A stay at the historic MacCallum House Inn has been a dream of mine for years, and finally it came true! Upon arrival at the Inn we were taken by its architectural perfection and a charming yesteryear atmosphere. Located at the center of Mendocino village, beautifully restored, and decorated for the winter holidays, the 1882 Victorian mansion promised a peaceful retreat and warm hospitality in the inclement December weather.

Surrounded by well-kept gardens, flower beds and green lawns, MacCallum House provides its guests with 19 comfortable rooms and suits with all the contemporary conveniences in the main building, and additional lodging in surrounding cottages and a large refurbished two-level barn.

We followed the garden path, and took stairs to the upper level of the imposing barn. Our room had a vaulted ceiling, a massive stone clad wood-burning fireplace, a comfy king size bed, and an undeniably cozy feel, enhanced by a cast iron chandelier, and artisan furniture pieces made of local redwood.

While the lower level rooms of the beautifully restored historic barn were equipped with private decks and outdoor hot tubs, our floor boasted a huge balcony with potted palms surrounding a seating area that overlooked the main building, and opened to a panoramic view of the ocean, just barely touched by the dramatically red sunset unfolding among the dark-blue clouds.

Our first excursion was to the Pacific coast, so close to the Inn, and so far removed from anything we could’ve been preoccupied with. (There’s hardly any other place on Earth, where Mother Nature is so demonstratively magnificent and self-contained, and despite its wild character and foreboding appearance so calming and healing for our mind and soul).

The next day, while exploring the surrounding area, we discovered a tiny little boutique shop right under our balcony. Cute, like a toy box, My Chic Farmhouse, Home Décor and Accessories, sells unique tableware and handmade goods from Italy, ornaments and toys from Croatia, and various household items as rare as they are beautiful, especially selected by the proprietor, Rosanna Bertheola for the MacCallum House guests who constitute the majority of shoppers here, on the hotel campus.

Next door, there’s an eye-catching entrance to The Well, Spiritual Center & Visionary Art Gallery, where besides the displays of painting, sculpture, stained glass and photography, Sally Wells and her associates organize meditations, tai chi and qi gong classes, sound healing sessions, jazz jams, workshops, seminars, and meetings for different support groups.

A short walk in downtown revealed quite a few remarkable gift shops, like Whistlestop Mendocino, Gifts & Accessories for Your & Your Home, where an entire wall was dedicated to musical clocks that play long repertoires from classical to pop, and come alive with rotating shiny details when they strike an hour.

We visited several bookshops, toyshops, handmade clothing shops, and artisanal chocolate makers to bring back something for everyone on our gift list.

Slightly tired and hungry, yet happy with everything we’ve accomplished in this magical place in just one short winter day, we sat down to a lavish dinner at the award-winning MacCallum House Restaurant, one of California’s original farm-to-table dining establishments. Helmed by the Executive Chef Alan Kantor, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, recognized in national culinary and travel publications for his innovation and support for local farmers, rangers, and foragers, the restaurant is popular with the locals as much as with the out-of-town guests.

The restaurant kitchen uses locally sourced seasonal produce—salad greens, vegetables, and herbs from local farms, fresh fish and shellfish from the ocean, meats and grains from the nearby regions, huckleberries, grown steps away from the Inn, and wild chanterelle and porcini mushrooms from the forest.

With Mendocino’s mushroom season at its peak, our dinner menu reflected the much appreciated seasonal trend. Porcini Gnocchi Bolognese Gratin with House Made Italian Sausage and Mozzarella and Duck Confit Frisée Salad with Warm Sherry Vinaigrette, Poached Egg, and Sourdough Croutons from the Starters menu exceeded our expectations with their freshness and a perfect balance of tastes and textures.

Main courses of Liberty Farm Duck Breast with Fried Brussel Sprouts, Porcini Bread Pudding, Garlic, and a Huckleberry Pinot Noir Reduction, and Fried Mary’s Free Range Chicken with Chive Mashed Potatoes, Trumpet Royale Mushroom Sherry Gravy, and Braised Greens with Bacon were thoroughly satisfying and filling, but the house desserts were surely not to be missed!

Who could say no to hand-crafted Apple Beignets with Salted Caramel and Cinnamon Ice Cream and over-the-top chocoholic’s dream Chocolate Extravaganza— a trio of Chocolate Pecan Torte with Bourbon Maple Crème Anglaise; Chocolate Almond Coconut Truffle, and Chocolate Huckleberry Swirl Ice Cream…

Besides a long list of California wines, grown and produced in Mendocino County, Napa and Sonoma, the restaurant bar excels at cocktails, like Manhattan Noir (Bulleit Bourbon, Cynar Artichoke Liqueur Bitters, Navarro Pinot Noir Grape Juice, Fee Brothers Old Fashioned Bitters) and a seasonal Smoke & Smash (Del Maguey Vida Clásico Mezcal, lime juice, huckleberry sage syrup, pomegranate juice).

And then there was an indulgent breakfast on a sunlit glassed terrace of MacCallum House, where every guest of the Inn, and every Mendocino regular seated by the table, couldn’t contains their happy smiles!   We picked MacBenedict (two poached eggs, Niman Ranch ham, sourdough toast, chive hollandaise, arugula, griddled Yukon Gold potatoes) and Cornmeal Pancakes (huckleberry syrup, lemon zest butter) from an extensive menu, and happily shared both delightful treats.

Before heading home, we stopped for a few wonderfully relaxing hours at the long-time favorite of mine, Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens.

Founded by Ernest and Betty Schoefer in 1961, this amazing place never fails to instill in our hearts the joy that only comes from closeness to nature. With its mission “to engage and enrich lives by displaying and conserving plants in harmony with our Northern California coastal ecosystems and to preserve public access to the coast” the 47-acre garden park offers the exemplary maintained grounds with clearly marked climatic zones and individual plants, dense leafy groves, and lavish seasonal flower displays.

At the end of the longest trail, a deer-protective gate, made of tree branches, leads to the wild side—a cypress forest and an ocean shore. Altogether, this unique environment creates a very special retreat, equally enticing in summer, when everything is in bloom, and pollinators are buzzing around on par with swarms of hummingbirds, and in winter, when the campus is decorated with LED lights, and the garden paths meandering among the small sculptures and benches call for a solitary walk and reflection.

MacCallum House Inn is located at 45020 Albion St, Mendocino, CA 95460. Phone: (707) 937-0289. Website: https://www.maccallumhouse.com/.

Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens: 18220 CA-1, Fort Bragg, CA 95437. Phone: (707) 964-4352. Website: https://www.gardenbythesea.org/.