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If you missed our Winemaker's Dinner with Gabrielli Winery, too bad. We had a great time with Loretta from Gabrielli talking about their luscious, fruity wines while we ate and visited with old and new friends. She was kind enough to say our food pairings were perfect and wanted the recipes for their newsletter. We liked the wines so much we've added them all to our wine list. The 1995 Reserve Syrah is particularly amazing. Once the Beer Bar is open we'd like to do a winemaker's dinner every month so we can share our discoveries with you.
Many of you have asked about our coffee. It is a blend of organic, shade-grown East Timorese coffee we developed with Big River Coffee Company in Santa Rosa. My wife Jaimi Parsons and I worked on the blend for about 4 months before we opened and we feel we have acheived a blend of wonderful, rich flavor with a depth and complexity many restaurant coffees lack. Big River now has labels and bags and are ready to sell this delicious blend in stores. Call your favorite market and ask them to stock Mendo Bistro blend or call Big River directly at 800-260-4218. Or, as always, enjoy it at the Bistro.
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I am so happy to let you know we are now open for lunch. By the time you read this we will be serving lunch Tuesday-Saturday from 11:30-2:30 and hopefully expanding to 7 days a week by early next year. Some of our signature items will carry over from the dinner menu like our Caesar Salad with Horseradish Dressing and Polenta Croutons. We'll feature hot sandwiches like a Philly-style Cheesesteak with Grilled Onions, Cheddar and Sweet Pickled Peppers and we'll always have a Pasta of the Day and a Bistro Special Lunch at our always low prices. All our lunch items are available to go and you may phone in an order for pickup at 964-4974.
We've changed the dinner menu and as some of you already know the Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Gorgonzola Sauce and Spiced Pecans is back. We've added a lot of new pastas as well as some fall favorites.
In other news, I'm working on the bar and am pretty excited about the plans. Soon I'll be able to offer 10 different draft beers and an expanded wine list.
| Remember: Mendo Bistro is available for parties of all sorts. Choose selections from our current menu or let us develop a special meal for your event. Call 964-4974 from 11-3 for more information. |
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Mendo Bistro will be closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
We will be having some holiday parties and will be closed to the public for the ones listed below:
- Friday, December 3rd - Fashion Show to benefit Timberwolf Stadium. Last years event went so well The Company Store has decided to host the fashion show again. Mendo Bistro will be selling special dinner tickets so you can watch the show from the mezzanine.
- Saturday, December 4th - Lighted Truck Parade. We've got the best seats in town- come in for dinner and enjoy the lights from above.
- Sunday, December 5th - Private Party
- Thursday, December 16th - Private Party
- Sunday, December 19th - Private Party (our holiday party)
- Monday, December 27th - Private Party
- Friday, December 31st - Gala 2000 - this private party is sold out. Closed for lunch.
- Saturday, January 1st - closed for lunch
- Wednesday, January 26th - Our 1st anniversary. Join us in celebrating the first of many years in Fort Bragg.
What do Jim Larsen (The Restaurant), Alan Kantor (MacCallum House), Joe Harris (Moosse Cafe), Eric Villard (Mendocino Cafe), Colleen Murphy, (Mendocino Hotel) Steve Smith (Albion River Inn) and Mark Dym (Stevenswood) have in common ? They're all regular customers at Mendo Bistro. I'm thrilled that off-duty chefs and waiters choose us when they go out to eat. Although not yet regulars, we've had staff from Taqueria Ricarda, Little River Inn and Ravens visiting us. Now if I can just find the time to get to their restaurants....
Wine and food are made to go together. We've also made friends among the wineries & breweries, people from Husch, Scharffenberger and Yorkville Cellars have been dining with us when they're able to leave the Valley and staff from our neighbors The North Coast Brewing Company come in pretty regularly.
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Mendo Bistro Gives
$1,000,000
to Fort Bragg |
You heard us right. We're going to donate one million dollars to the City of Fort Bragg. We will deposit into a trust account a sum of money that with accrual of interest will equal $1,000,000 in 100 years. We're asking our customers to help us decide how this legacy should be used. Every time you come in you will vote for the community member who will determine how the money will be used. Voting closes December 24th, 1999. The winner will then make his or her announcement at a dinner on Friday, January 7th.
Help us help our community.
| New Faces at Mendo Bistro |
Join us in welcoming: Polly Burdick (sous chef), Kristina Carbone, Chrissy Casteel, Karen Edwards and Todd Lindsay (waiters), Sky Clark (host), and Juan Manuel (dishwasher/prep)
| Other Tables, Other Chairs |
This is where I get to tell you about the great places to eat I’ve found out of town. Unfortunately, I haven’t had much chance to get away now that we’re open for lunch and dinner. However, Syrah on 5th St. in Santa Rosa is a must. Chef/owner Josh Silvers is an auction buddy and really knows his stuff. My first meal there knocked my socks off and every time I’ve been back it has been consistently great.Open for both lunch and dinner, a bit pricier than we are but worth the money. Also, he has a stunning, eclectic wine list.
I went to Portland, Oregon for a Chef’s Collaborative 2000 conference (more about that later) and had dinner at Paley’s Place, a lovely Victorian turned into a restaurant. My meal was terrific and the company interesting- I ended up having dinner with the chef/owner of Redbird in Missoula, MT. If her cooking is as good as I think it must be she has a great place. It was fun to compare notes with another recent start-up, it was also comforting to hear other people with the same successes and problems I have.
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| Chef’s Collaborative 2000 and Genetically Manipulated Foods |
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As I mentioned above I went to Portland for the Chef’s Collaborative retreat. As always, I came back inspired. For those of you who don’t know the Collaborative we are a nationwide group of chefs, restaurant owners, writers, farmers, fishermen, vintners, etc. who are commited to sustainanable agriculture and business practices. One of the panels I attended was about genetically manipulated foods. As you may know Europe has refused to import goods from us because our genetically manipulated foods are not labeled. The UK has banned these altered foods from their cafeterias, Austria is fighting to become a bio-tech free zone yet in America 25% of our corn, 35% of our soybeans and 50% of our cotton crops have some genetically manipulated component.
Bt corn threatens the Monarch butterfly and is no longer listed as a vegetable with the FDA. Instead, this corn is classified as a pesticide. Can this be good to eat ? Forty years ago DDT was thought to be a safe and promising addition to agriculture. Thalidomide was given to pregnant women by their doctors. Bio-tech boosters insist the technology is safe. If it is, why are they so stridently opposed to labeling of genetically manipulated foods. Already 60% of the foods in our grocery stores contain some genetically manipulated substances and our government feels we don’t have the right to know what we are feeding ourselves.
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Tom Honer of Harvest Market recently asked a board of retail grocers to participate in voluntary labeling of these foodstuffs. The board declined. Why? Because they are afraid (and they should be) that we as consumers will refuse to buy these untested, altered products.
I am no techno-phobe. This newsletter was written on a computer and I use the Internet daily. I am not against progress or improving our food supply. At the very least I want to know what I am putting into my body and I think you should too.
What can you do? Write Tom Honer and tell him you support voluntary labeling. Insist that your representatives support mandatory labeling. We will have a petition available at Mendo Bistro for you to sign. But mostly be aware of what you’re feeding yourself.
Congratulations to James Angello III, winner of our first annual Pumpkin Carving Contest. His rendition of Rob Zombie narrowly beat out Loretta Young's cat. All the pumpkins were great- thanks to all who carved.
This year the contest was limited to employees but next year we hope to open it up to the entire community |
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| Do Try This at Home: Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Gorgonzola Sauce |
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Serves 4
4 large sweet potatoes
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour (more may be needed)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Salt & pepper
Sauce
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 tsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup whipping cream
4 ounces gorgonzola cheese
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 leaves sage, finely chopped
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Roast sweet potatoes until very tender.
Peel, mash and add eggs, cinnamon, salt & pepper. Work in flour until dough holds together but is not too stiff. Roll into 1" ropes, cut into 1" pieces and drop into boiling water. Gnocchi are done when they float to the surface.
For the sauce, sweat the shallot in butter until translucent. Add whitewine and reduce to 1 Tbs. Add cream, lower heat and whisk in cheese, pepper, and sage.
We serve these with spiced pecans, a perfect match for a fall meal.
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Welcome additions to our wine list include Husch's Chenin Blanc which is a perfect choice for those of you looking for a white wine that's easily drinkable and not too dry. For others wanting something in a more classic California Chardonnay style, try La Crema- intense with spicy pear, vanilla and earth notes, with touches of anise and cedary oak.
For you red lovers Gary Farrell's Pinot Noir is a lovely example of how good this varietal can be with its bright cherry, plum and blackberry flavors.
We've also changed the format of our wine list. We feel wine is a food, and should be as familiar and accessible as our pastas, grilled steaks and seafood. The new list makes it easy to choose the right wine for any palate. Plus we've added some recommendations for specific menu items.
Our soon to be opened beer and wine bar will feature 10 different draft beers, among them Guinness, Anchor Steam, Pilsner Urquell, Anderson Valley IPA and Deschutes Porter. We'll also be serving a few spicy bar items to whet your thirst. We're looking forward to being Fort Bragg's Tavern for the 21st Century.
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| Birthday Information Needed |
Some of you have received birthday thank yous from us. For those of you who haven't, it could be because we don't have your birthday on file. During December we will post a list of people on our mailing list with missing birthday information. Come down and if your name is on the list, write down your birthday. Mind you, we don't want to know the year, just the month and day. Once we've got the information we'll send you a birthday card. Those of you who have already received a card know it is good for a free birthday dinner (tip and alcohol excluded) when you come in with 3 other people anytime during your birthday week.
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