A Peaceful Interlude at
the Stanford Inn on the Mendocino Coast
By
George Medovoy, Editor
The big ceiling fans lumbered under the glass ceiling of the greenhouse here at
The Stanford Inn by the Sea in Mendocino, California.
We stood alone
inside, next to a giant lap pool bordered by semi-tropical plants, breathing in
the warm air.
This must be the place, we whispered, where a mischievous
bunch of old guys played by, among others, Hume Cronin, discovered a space-age
fountain of youth in a pool in the movie “Cocoon."
The greenhouse
had an eerie silence to it. We imagined that we had missed Cronin and his friends,
who had just finished reveling in the water like a bunch of schoolboys, now emboldened
by their new-found virility - the gift of mysterious contents originating in some
galaxy light years away.
In our reverie, the greenhouse and its inviting
pool held out the perfect introduction to this vegetarian lodge, whose wondrous
combination of rusticity, nature, and creature comforts combines to produce an
unmatched healing refuge on California's North Coast.
(The
Stanford Inn is down the road from the quaint village of Mendocino)
Here on a bluff overlooking the mouth of the Big River and the encroaching sea
is Mendocino's own version of rejuvenation of body and soul, the creation of the
inventive spirit of Joan and Jeff Stanford.
Feeling
a Sense of Home
The sense of home came over us as soon as we arrived
at the inn, which is located on Highway 1, about an eighth of a mile south of
the village of Mendocino.
Especially when we walked into the warm and
roomy lobby area - which is more like a living room than anything else - with
its knotty-pine walls and eclectic mix of antique furnishings,comfy couches, and
two giant, wood-burning fireplaces.
What's more, there's nothing formal
or rigid about any of this. Everything has a kind of incongruous, lived-in feel
to it, like the mantles decorated with dozens of pooh bears, the antique snow
sled sitting up against one of the fireplaces, or the locally-produced art work
and Mendocino County jams for sale.
Outside, on the spacious deck, guests
can look across the property to the ocean in search of whales or simply enjoy
the sunset over the glimmering sea.
We loved snuggling up on one of the couches and daydreaming to the sounds of classical
music. A shiny grand piano, decorated with a bouquet of lavender butterfly bush,
sat next to the big picture window.
Trying
the Organic Passion Plum Tea
We helped ourselves to a cup of tea
and, being adventurous, tried the Organic Passion Plum Tea. There's an assortment
of teas and coffee all the time, and from 3 to 6 in the afternoon, sweets and
hors d'ouevres. An assortment of publications covered the coffee table - nothing
too heavy, as is usually the case in these situations - but just what the doctor
ordered.
Next to the chess board on the coffee table, we found a copy
of Stokes Field Guide to Birds, Report from the Fund for Animals, and a totally
irreverent little thing called How to Be a Human Bean, written by one Bobby Markels.
"There are all kinds of beans," Markels writes.
"There
are kidney beans, string beans, green beans, baked beans, navy beans, lima beans,
and human beans. “You are probably a human bean."
At that
moment, the big grandfather clock struck five, but the cat sleeping on the big
sofa chair didn't stir a bit.
An
Operating, Organic Farm
Adding to the lived-in ambiance of this charmed
setting is the fact that the inn is also an operating, certified organic farm,
the pride of Jeff and Joan, who were lured here by the Mendocino Coast's rugged
beauty and the opportunity to build something that embodies their respect for
nature and animal life.
"Rather than an inn with gardens," said Joan, an art therapist, and
Jeff, an anthropologist, "ous is a small, working, certified organic garden
and farm with an inn."
It's no coincidence that one of the books
on the coffee table was Report for the Fund for Animals, for Jeff is a former
board member of the local Humane Society.
The Stanford Inn accepts guests
with pets, properly supervised, of course, and provides and replenishes water
dishes and food bowls and installs furniture covers.
Spread over 10
acres of land, it is also home to 14 assorted cats, one of which turned up in
the lobby and fell asleep to the sounds of the crackling fireplace, several dogs,
11 llamas, a stable of horses, and black swans.
(From
the Stanford Inn, you can drive up the coast to Ft. Bragg's boat harbor and try
a seafood restaurant).
The first full day up here, we awoke to one of those wondrous Mendocino coastal
mornings, when the fog hangs over the horizon until noon and the air is crisp
enough to wear a sweater.
We followed the path to the pasture to say
hello to the gentle llamas,
who scarcely paid any attention to us and continued
to eat their breakfast of hay and oats.
Our first in-depth introduction
to The Stanford Inn was during a tour of the two-acre organic gardens with Dana
Ecelberger, who has spent the past 12 years as head gardener and general manager.
The sloping gardens can be seen from the surrounding redwood buildings that
house the comfortable rooms and suites. No pesticides, sprays or chemicals are
used anywhere on the property.
"It's primarily a salad and greens
garden," noted Ecelberger, a self-taught gardener.The inn raises vegetables
for the kitchen and flowers for the lobby and rooms.
There are 32 different
types of lettuce, plus beets, chard, kale, lots of herbs, edible flowers, and
apple trees.
"It makes for a very nice presentation," said
Ecelberger, "and that's
part of the philosophy, too, that everything
should delight the spirit and the eye and the palate. We would like to lighten
peoples' visit here and just make it enjoyable on many different levels."
Christmas
at the Inn
At Christmas time, the inn does fresh garlands and wreaths
for the rooms - and guests get special gifts under the big tree in the lobby.
Beyond the gardens and the animals and the lobby, what we remember most
about The Stanford Inn is The Ravens, its restaurant with a window on the ocean,
where they keep things fresh and simple.
But freshness and simplicity
at The Ravens, named for the pair of ravens that moved here in 1995, denotes something
more complex - really a kind of playful imagination and pure elegance born of
an appreciation for the Mendocino Coast's natural bounty.
And the challenge
of producing satisfying and delicious meals for guests who may not be used to
vegetarian cooking. The diminutive Lane, who grew up in the nearby Elk, has recently
taken to foraging for wild things that grow around the farm.
"I
did a lot of that when I was a kid," she recalled. "I foraged for salad
greens mostly."
On the day that we met, Lane was preparing Pimentos
Veranos, which translates to Summer Chiles, a heavenly entree with tastes as varied
as a rainbow.Lane stuffs the big chiles with tofu, oregano, lime, tequila and
walnuts and then roasts them to flavorful perfection on the grill. They are served
with sauteed collard greens, and flavored with lime juice, fresh herbs and walnut
sauce.
Lane is forever trying to find new ways to embellish the taste
of tofu
and finds that the combination of oregano, lime, tequila and walnuts
serves that purpose very well. Like some old-world chef, she hardly ever writes
down her recipes.
"They're all in my head pretty much," she
said. Another recipe she's
added to her mental compartmentalization is a curious
one called Cattail Crepes - built of fresh ingredients from the Mendocino countryside.
Out on a foraging expedition, she harvested pollen from cattail plants to
make flour for the crepes.
"A little bit goes a long way,"
she noted. "I just take a paper bag... bend the cattail down, shake the pollen
in the bag, and then bring it back and put it through a drum sieve. From like
maybe a dozen cattails, I get two cups of the pollen flour. And that makes a lot
of crepes. You know, you can make a big old batch."
And how do
they taste, these wild crepes? Kind of nutty in a way, Lane said, with a really
nice golden color.
Filled with nectarines and fresh berries, and perhaps
embellished with edible flowers, they can make a special treat.
For sure,
you'll have a hard time choosing between the wonderful selections on The Ravens
menu. Here's a sampling from breakfast, which is included in the price of lodging:
Blue Corn Waffles - light crispy waffle made with organic
blue corn and buttermilk, served with pure maple syrup and seasonal fruit compote,
or Stanford Rancheros - two blue corn tortillas with marinated
tofu, black beans, vegan cheese, chipolte sauce, served with tomatilla salsa and
salsa cruda and grilled red potatoes.
The Eggs Florentine
comes either with real eggs (from cage-free hens that are not fertile) or marinated
tofu, poached above fresh spinach and house-made English muffins with Hollandaise
sauce or lemon tahini sauce.
There's plenty of fresh orange juice, hot
coffee and teas.
From the dinner menu one of our favorites was Ravens
Lasagna - tender semolina pasta layered with roasted winter vegetables,
garlic tomato sauce, spinach and herbed ricotta, finished with aged asiago cheese.
The Ravens recommends this lovely dish with Navarro Valdiguie,
a
fruity Rhone varietal, or Yorkville's spicy Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Another adventurous entree is the Blackened Tofu Creole, made
with marinated Cajun-spiced tofu, seared and served with spicy tomato coulis on
a bed of jasmine rice with winter greens and gingered carrots.
The appetizer
of shitaki and brazil nut pate with herbs and red wine,
served with house-made
sourdough crustini and green kalamata olives, was memorable - with a zingy taste
from the Mendocino mustards.
Lighter fare includes pizzas with roasted
garlic tomato sauce,
mozzarella and fresh herbs.
The Ravens wine
list focuses on the Pinot Noirs, Chardonnays and Dry Gewurtztreminers of the nearby
Anderson Valley, including wines made from organically-grown grapes with lower
amounts of sulfites or that are pesticide-free.
Among organics on the
list are these: Bonterra North Coast 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon;Lolonis
Redwood Valley Mendocino 1996 Zinfandel, Napa Wine Company; Napa
Valley Sauvignon Blanc 1997, and a Preston Dry Creek Valley Estate
Viognier 1997.
Interestingly enough, according to Scott
Weintraub, who spent a year as maitre d' at the inn, there are many California
wines - very upscale wines - made with organically-produced grapes, but they don't
say it anywhere on the bottle.
One of the biggest organic producers is
Bontera, which is related to
Fetzer Winery, with acres of organic grapes
growing in the Hopland area near the Russian River in southern Mendocino County.
The inn wants to add French organic and biodynamic wines, the latter of which
involves a kind of spiritualist philosophy - like burying chamomile for three
weeks and then using it as a fertilizer.
But the main issue in building
the wine list, said new maitre 'd Sarah
Stauffer, is making sure that the
wine is compatible with the food, "because wine and food ... go hand in hand."
That is the main concern,she said, "good wine."
STAYING
AT THE INN
The inn has rooms and suites paneled in pine and redwood with lovely ocean views,
wood-burning fireplaces or Irish Waterford Stoves, king or queen four-poster or
sleigh beds, cable TV, VCR's, compact stereos and CD players.
There is
also a big facility called The Barn, which is anything but barn-like in its comforts
and comes with a big main room, cooking area with stove, refrigerator, dishes
and silverware, a bedroom, two fireplaces, stereo with CD player, cable TV, VCR,
a king-size bed and two queen-size couch beds.
You can rent videos from
the inn's large collection and watch them in
the comfort of your own room.
The inn also operates Catch A Canoe & Bicycles Too! for guests to explore
California's longest undeveloped estuary, Big River, by canoe or kayak depending
on the tides. Guests may use the mountain bikes for free to go exploring miles
of back roads or ride up the highway to the quaint village of Mendocino.
For the fitness-minded, there is a fitness center near the pool with
exercise
equipment, as well as a sauna.
Rates: Rooms $215-$275
per night; suites $275-$365 per night; barn $330 per night. Rates are for two
persons and include full breakfast in The Ravens.
Information:
The Stanford Inn by the Sea, 800-331-8884.
Address:
Coast Highway One & Comptche Ukiah Road, P.O. Box 487, Mendocino, CA 95460.
Web:
www.stanfordinn.com.
The inn
is about three hours north of San Francisco.
THE RAVENS LASAGNA
(essentially three recipes):
First, prepare lasagna noodles according to package
direction -
1/2 package. Drain cool and set aside. Second, prepare the Herb
Cashew Sauce:
1 cup raw cashew pieces
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh minced herbs - oregano, basil. parsley - select
based on your own taste
2 tbs. minced and sauteed garlic
2 tbs. Umebosh
plum paste
salt & pepper to taste
In Food processor, pulse nuts
and stock until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend. Adjust seasonings
to taste.
Third, prepare the Lasagna Vegetables and Ricotta: 1 small
globe egg plant peeled and sliced approx. 1/2 inch
3 medium Chiogga beets
peeled and sliced
1 large red bell pepper sliced
Place vegetables
on a sheet pan with olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast in a moderate oven {300
degrees) until just tender.
Tofu Ricotta: 6 ounces crumbled firm tofu:
1 tbs. tahini
1 tbs. Umeboshi Paste
1 tbs. mellow miso
1 tbs.
chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
In a medium mixing bowl
combine above ingredients and adjust to your taste. Layer all ingredients, starting
with the sauce, noodles, roasted vegetables, tofu ricotta, noodles, etc. The last
layer must be the sauce. Bake in a moderate oven until heated through (10-15 minutes)
and serve. Lasagna can be prepared ahead, held in the refrigerator, and cooked
just prior to serving.
