Let's Party      A year came and went for us with scarcely a chance to breathe. It seemed we had just finished feeding 400 people at the Gala 2000 bash when our first anniversary was upon us and just after that 200 or so for the Symphony of the Redwoods fundraising dinner and 125 for the Mendocino Coast District Hospital's Employee Recognition Dinner, Opera Fresca's post-performance galas for about 100 and then another 225 for the Good Company II Chamber of Commerce Dinner and Auction (which, by the way, was their most successful yet).      By now you get the picture. Mendo Bistro is the place to have your party. Although I've written about the big ones we've had plenty of rehearsal dinners, holiday parties, family and class reunions and birthday celebrations. We've also become a favorite place for locals to take out-of-town relatives and friends. This is wonderful because it means we're doing what we set out to do. We wanted a great, affordable place for the community to party, relax, celebrate and share the bounty of living on the North Coast.      80% of new restaurants fail within their first year. Thank you all for keeping Mendo Bistro in the other 20%. We're glad to be a part of the community and look forward to serving your needs for a long time to come.    New Manager      As many of you already know Jaimi Parsons is our new manager. Her love of food, sense of humor and willingness to share her enthusiasm have been a great addition to our team. With Jaimi aboard I am free to concentrate on taking the kitchen a step further and to plan more special events like our Wednesday Wine- maker's Dinners. And since we're married having her on the payroll means we actually get to spend time with each other.      Other new faces at the bistro are: Teddie Braud, an affable Baton Rouge surfer who fit seamlessly into our kitchen; local boy Jubal Stedman, the tall, handsome blond waiter at lunch; Eric Anderson, aka Mr Nice Guy, the smiley face at lunch-time; Chrystal Turner, our evening hostess who comes to us from the ROP program at Fort Bragg High and Nitaya Holmes, our lunchtime secret weapon.      I'd like to acknowledge all our staff. They do a great job and constantly improve. We love 'em and hope you do too.

Bistro in the News      We've had a few mentions in the press lately. A Santa Rosa Press Democrat article about last year's Wine & Crab Days festivities featured our Dungeness Crab Cobbler recipe. The New York Times mentioned our Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Spiced Pecans and Gorgonzola Sauce in their huge article about Fort Bragg in February. We're pretty pleased with both articles, many businesses never get this kind of coverage, much less upstarts in their first year. But some of you feel we deserve it. And more.      Many of you have remarked that we need to be reviewed or written about by the San Francisco and Santa Rosa papers and we finally agree. We were reluctant to seek coverage until we were confident that our staff could handle the added traffic the articles would bring. As many of you know, when we first opened we were swamped and frankly didn't have enough staff to handle all the diners. Even though that wrinkle has long since been ironed out some people who came in the first two months haven't been back. This is too bad because they're missing a wonderful dining experience. At any rate, we feel it's time to spread the word beyond the Coast and we need your help. If you've enjoyed yourself here call, write or email one of the food and travel writers below. And if you're among that unfortunate bunch who hasn't visited us since the winter of '98/99 do us both a favor and come back in. Jeff Cox (restaurant reviewer) Santa Rosa Press Democrat POB 910 Santa Rosa, CA 95402 707-521-5343 Follow The Reader (SF Examiner) Travel Section POB 7260 SF, CA 94120 or:Flinn@examiner.com Bill Citara (SF Chronicle) Food Department SF Chronicle 901 Mission Street             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. We can work within most budgets both lavish and economical. We also handle rental of The Company Store. To ensure getting your choice of dates you must book early. Call 964-4974 from 11-3 for more information.

What's Going On Winemaker's Dinner with Yorkville Vineyards Wednesday, August 16th Paul Bunyan Parade Open early for lunch for parade viewing Monday, September 4th Grandparent's Day Bring your grandparents and we'll treat them to dinner Sunday, September 10th Winemaker's Dinner with Claudia Springs Wednesday, September 13th Beermaker's Dinner Brewer TBA Wednesday, October 18th 2nd Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest October 23rd-31st Top of the Barrel      Our big wine news is our Wednesday Dinner Series. Someone suggested the Wednesday Winos but we weren't convinced. The second or third Wednesday of every month we have a multi-course dinner paired with wines from a specific winery. We've had Gabrielli, Husch, Monte Volpe & Enotria with DeLoach, Jepson, Yorkville and Claudia Springs to follow. In October we'll let the vintners crush their grapes while we host a beermaker's dinner. The dinners have been a blast. Good food, good wine and good friends. They vary in cost from $50-75 depending on the winery. To reserve your seat call 964-4974.      People keep asking about the bar. It's underway - some scheduling conflicts with builder Michel Hurni combined with training his daughter Aderyn to take over the helm at lunch have kept us from going at it as fast as we'd like. By end of summer we should be up and running with 10-12 draft beers and a much expanded wine list. We'll move lunch service into the bar area and have food available all day long. Can't wait to see you there.		Other Tables, Other Chairs      I didn't think I'd be writing this column this time around because we hadn't gone anywhere in the last 6 or 7 months but just before writing this Jaimi and I got down to San Francisco and made a few discoveries. A quick bite at Fringale (4th & Howard) was just as impressive as it was last time I was there. Grab a seat at the bar to avoid being crowded. Dinner was at Charles Nob Hill. I was excited about going because chef Ron Siegel had beat the Iron Chef on the wacky Iron Chef show (if you have no idea that I'm talking about, check out www.ironchef.com). Dinner was good but certainly not worth the prices. Similarly, lunch the next day at Rose Pistola was a disappointment. I don't see what the fuss is about. Artisan Cheese (California at Fillmore) was the highlight of the trip. A small shop with about 3 dozen handcrafted cheeses, they also own Cowgirl Creamery in Tomales Bay. You can taste as many varities as you want and they are very knowledgable. Although we haven't been to her Scotts Valley store we were also impressed with the on-line selection of www.worldofcheese.com. Owner Andrea London celebrated her sister's birthday and graduation at the Bistro and sent us a mouthwatering catalog. The restaurant find was Chapeau, a small bistro on Clement and 15th. Reasonable for city prices, delicious food and attentive, gracious service. The only drawback is that like every other place in S.F., the tables are packed in so tightly you could eat as easily from your neighbors plate as your own. The real discovery however was realizing what a good job we've done at Mendo Bistro. We get lots of nice comments; people regularly tell us what a wonderful place we've created, how good the food is, how welcoming the staff is, best place they've been on their trip etc., but like the perfection-driven fools we are we tend to focus on how much better things can be. It was an eye-opener for us (well, me in particular) to see how well we compare with places that are well publicized and high-profile.   Mendo Bistro Chef Jackets Available Our snazzy chef coats are available for home wear. Look like a pro without the sweat and toil. $30.00- sizes available.
Do Try This at Home: Chocolate Volcanoes
Serves 8 Preheat oven to 450   8 oz chocolate, chopped fine 8 oz butter 4 eggs 4 egg yolks ˝ cup sugar 4 tsp flour      Sign up for our online newsletter and birthday list		Butter and flour six 4 ounce souffle cups or other ovenproof molds. Melt chocolate and butter over low heat. Whip eggs, yolks and sugar in mixer until thick and fluffy (about 7 minutes). Add melted chocolate, gently fold in flour. Place into buttered and floured molds. Bake until edges are set and inside is still loose (about 10 minutes). Gently unmold onto serving plates and dust with powdered sugar. Delicious with a glass of Port. We recommend it with Quady LBV.

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