Restaurant Hazel

Restaurant Hazel is located at 3782 Bohemian Highway in Occidental. It occupies the site of the former Bistro des Copains.

They offered a $39 three-course dinner.

First course options were:

Organic mushroom soup--Porcini, maitake, pioppini mushrooms. This was under-salted and really didn't have much flavor.

Lamb Meatballs--Tomato compote, Valley Ford Cheese Company Estero Gold, Olivina Olive Oil, mint. This had good flavor but was swimming in a layer of grease.

The last option for the first course was Grilled Asparagus Salad, Watercress, Pugs Leap Sampson cheese, gribiche, Meyer lemon

The main course included:

Pork Schnitzel--Hazel sauerkraut, New Family Farms German Butterball potatoes. The schnitzel was tender and the sauerkraut was good but the dish was nothing special.

Seafood Stew--Halibut, Dungeness crab, PEI mussels, manila clams, grilled Hazel sourdough. This had a good broth but the halibut was tough and there really wasn't much crab.

Other main course options were Spring Vegetable Bucatini--Pea pesto, sugar snap peas, garlic, pecorino cheese and Roasted chicken with smashed Yukon potatoes, cream fraiche and green onions.

The dessert options were:

Bittersweet Pot de Crème, Amaretti Cookie, whipped cream. This also had tiny malt balls.

Mini Strawberry crumble pie, Three Twins vanilla ice cream

Hazel Sundae, Vanilla ice cream, Homemade chocolate hot fudge and caramel sauce, Candied almonds, Amerena cherries

The desserts were the best part of the meal.


Overall, this was not worthy of a $39 meal. We were disappointed.



2016 03 09

Brasa Churrascaria

Last night's dinner was at Brasa Churrascaria, located at 505 Mendocino Avenue. It's a Brazilian rodizio--all-you-can-eat meats for $29. It also included a buffet of cold and hot dishes. Last year, dessert of caramel-covered strawberries was included. This year, it was not included.

One of 2 soups available. This was a chicken soup with pretty good flavors. The other soup looked like a clam chowder.

Cold dishes included green salad, Caprese salad with tomatoes and mozzarella, watermelon, olive tapenade crisp. The hot items were minimal. The best dish was a potato casserole with chicken pieces in it. 

Brazilian cheese bread and plantains were brought to the table. This is what we missed out on last year.

Then, the parade of meats started. Picanha--sirloin coulotte, garlic marinated top sirloin, bacon wrapped chicken breast, garlic marinated chicken thigh, chicken wings, pork loin with Parmesan cheese, pork shoulder brined in apple vinegar and cider, beef shoulder marinated in garlic oil, peppercorns and sea salt and Calabresa sausages (cured pork sausage flavored with Calabresa chili pepper). My favorites were the bacon-wrapped chicken breast and the pork shoulder. The chicken was very moist and tender, as was the pork shoulder. The beef dishes were on the chewy side.

We had a bottle of Tinto Negro Malbec--$24. This actually paired well with all the meats.

2016 03 8

Sweet T's

It's Restaurant Week in Sonomoa County. First up, Sweet T's, located at 2097 Stagecoach Road, Suite 100. They offered a 3-course dinner for $29.

1st course choices were:

Crispy Brussel Sprouts with Red Pepper Flakes and Lemon Aioli--this is usually $9. The brussel sprouts were cooked through but there was too much oil.

Lil Apple Salad with a maple vinaigrette--usually $7. Arugula, baby spinach, gala apples, goat cheese, spicy pecans and red onions. I liked the salad, especially the pecans. The red onions would have been better if they were pickled.

The last 1st course choice was cup of smoked brisket chili with grated cheese and green onions.

The second course included:

BBQ Smoker Plate (Choice of Brisket, Pork, Pulled Chicken, Smoked Sausage or Ribs), served with Smashed Potatoes and Coleslaw. I chose the ribs which was 1/2 rack. This is usually $24. The ribs were tender but not fall-off-the-bone. The smashed potatoes were creamy and the coleslaw was good. It wasn't too heavy on the sauce. The biscuit was light and fluffy

Other choices for the 2nd course were Oven Roasted Chicken Breast (Mary's Organic) with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Sautéed Vegetables in a natural jus or Blackened Salmon Caesar with Romaine lettuce, parmesan cheese, house made croutons and Caesar dressing.

Dessert options were:

Key Lime Pie--usually $7. This was very creamy and not too sweet. My only complaint was the graham cracker crust was too thin.

Mississippi Mud Pie--$8. Mocha ice cream drizzled with Ghirardelli Chocolate Sauce, Caramel Bourbon Sauce, Topped with Candied Pecans on an Oreo Cookie Crust. The mocha ice cream was very subtle and I didn't see any pecans. 

I had Ace Pear Cider with dinner--$4. I love the pear cider.

This was a great Restaurant Week dinner. I saw a lot of plates of fried chicken going by and I'll have to go back to try it.



2016 03 07

Mendocino Whale Festival

It was the Mendocino Whale Festival this past weekend. Last year, it was sunny and beautiful. This year, it was rainy and the sea was so rough, it was difficult to see whales.

The Clam Chowder festival was held at Crown Hall on Ukiah Street. Purchase a ticket online for $10 (plus a convenience fee of $1.34). The event starts at 11 am and lasts until the chowder run out.

There were 7 entrants this year:

Albion River Inn
Cafe Beaujolais
Trillium Cafe
MacCallum House Inn
Little River Inn
Harvest Market
North Coast Brewing Company

Albion River Inn had more of seafood stew. It was loaded with bay shrimp and bay scallops. MacCallum House also had a seafood stew and they had mussels in theirs. I liked the Albion River Inn's entry better.

The rest had a classic white chowder. This was North Coast Brewing Company's entry. It was my favorite. It had classic bacon flavor, the chowder was not too thick and it was chock full of clams. My husband thought the potatoes had been overcooked but I overlooked that little error.

I was disappointed by Cafe Beaujolais' entry. It's my favorite Mendocino restaurant but their chowder was too thick. My husband liked Trillium's entry. He thought it had the most spices but I like my chowder pure. Little River Inn and Harvest Market had good chowders but not as good as North Coast.

2016 03 05

Stan's Donuts

After our lunch at Orenchi, my sister wanted something sweet. We stopped at Stan's Donut Shop just a few blocks down. It's located at 2628 Homestead Road. It's open from 6 am to 3 pm daily.

They're famous for their glazed donuts--$0.90 each or $9 for a dozen. The donuts are billowy soft.

2016 02 28

Pullman Kitchen

I went back to Pullman Kitchen for another work meeting this week.

I ordered the Duck Leg Confit with seared spaetzle dumplings, Niman Ranch bacon, spinach & whole grain mustard sauce--$23. The duck was tender and nicely seared but the mustard sauce was bitter and didn't work with the dish. It was also very salty.

2016 03 02

Thursday Night Dinner

Here's last night's dinner at Flavor Bistro. Four courses with 4 wine pairing for $24.95.

Sogliola Con Peperonata--Local Sole Served in Slow Cooked Peperonata Topped with Spicy Aioli, paired with 2014 Tenuta Sant'Antonio Scaia Garganega/Chardonnay I.G.T., Veneto, Italy

Risotto Di Ruspante--Carnaroli Rice Cooked with Homemade Country Style Chicken Sausage, Sweet Leeks, Organic Treviso & Parmigiano-Reggiano, paired with 2012 Matchbook Wine Company Tempranillo, Dunnigan Hills

Agnello Alla Griglia--Grilled Marinated Lamb Loin Chop, Cannellini Bean Ragù Flavored with Escarole, Cipolle Brasate & Garlic Candy Topped with Crispy Sage Butter, paired with 2013 Easton Wines Zinfandel, Amador

Dolci Assortiti--Point Reyes Blue Cheese & Candied Walnuts with Petite Chocolate Tart Topped with Chocolate Mousse, paired with 2009 Easton Wines Zinfandel Obscura "Late Harvest", Rinaldi Vineyard, Fiddletown, Amador

2016 03 03