Special Feature: Products Sally Recommends
Mendocino, California, Crab & Wine Days
Although this article is about the event in 2001, the event is held annually, from late December to late February:
2009 will be the 10th Annual Mendocino Crab and Wine Days
Mendocino County is proud to celebrate two of its products, wine & crab. Join one of the lovely inns and restaurants and feast at every meal. Educational events, crab cruises, train ride, & cooking classes are also featured during the weeklong celebration. Call one of the inns below for their low winter lodging rates and package prices.
Lodging
Also See Restaurants
*also have restaurants
Agate Cove Inn 937-0551
11201 Lansing Street, Mendocino
Great Country breakfasts; ocean view rooms
*Albion
River Inn 937-1919
3790 N. Highway 1, Albion
In addition to the Thursday,
February 3, multi-course Scharffenberger Cellars
winemaker dinner, Chef Stephen
Smith will be preparing one of his favorite
crab dishes as an appetizer: Steamed
Dungeness Crab Dumplings with nappa
cabbage and ginger, served with a lemongrass
dressing and cilantro-lime sauce.
Recipe for Stephen Smiths Dungeness
Crab Dumplings included.
Avalon House 964-5555, 800-964-5556
561 Stewart Street, Fort Bragg
Crab inspired breakfasts in lovely six-room
inn
The Country Inn Bed & Breakfast 964-3737
632 North Main
Street, Fort Bragg
Crab appetizers & wine in evenings for guests
*DeHaven
Valley Farm 961-1660
39247 North Highway 1, Westport
North of Fort
Bragg by the ocean, dinners too
Elk Cove Inn 877-3321
6300 South
Highway 101
Each evening complimentary crab appetizers will be available at
the bar with
the purchase of a glass or bottle of Anderson Valley wine. For
guests,
breakfasts will feature such crab dishes as crab omelets and quiches.
14-room
inn overlooking the Pacific.
Fensalden Inn 937-4042
33810 Navarro Ridge Road, Albion
Fensalden means "Land of the Sea &
the Mist" and is an historic former
stagecoach stop. Now an eight-room
bed and breakfast inn, Fensalden is located
in a pastoral setting on 20 acres
overlooking the Pacific Ocean. One of the
suites is the Hawthorne, named for
the owners great, great grandfather,
Nathaniel. His portrait hangs above
the sitting room fireplace. Among the
inns antique furnishings is Hawthornes
writing table along with many of his books.
Offering special room packages
with Rumblefish crab cruises & other amenities.
Grey Whale Inn
964-0640 (800)382-7244
615 North Main Street, Fort Bragg
Central Fort
Bragg location in former town hospital and the matriarch of Fort
Bragg Bed
& Breakfast inns. Will be featuring crab in dishes served all week
to
guests. On Friday, February 4, Grey Whale Inn hosts an art exhibit &
opening
with five local women artists including Yvette Schnaubelt, Maureen
Peterson,
Claudia Ellis and Mary Ellen Blume. The lead artist Schnaubelt was
born at
the Grey Whale Inn and also gave birth to her three children here. She
is
the owner of Sea Pal, a smoked fish purveyor on the dock in Noyo Harbor, at
the berth of Rumblefish. Crab puffs and local wine will be served. A Mendocino
Landmark since 1915. stay@greywhaleinn.com www.greywhaleinn.com
Griffin
House Bed & Breakfast 877-3422
5910 South Highway 1, Elk
Cozy
cottages in Elk, wood stoves & ocean views; serving Crab & Swiss omelets
to guests for breakfast. Sunday & Monday, January 30 & 31, 6-9 p.m. Cracked
&
marinated crab and cioppino dinners Mat Bridget Dolans Pub.
Harbor
Lite Lodge 964-0221
120 North Harbor Drive, Fort Bragg
Spacious rooms
with views overlooking Noyo Harbor.
Hay Loft 800-942-6300
Jim
Hays 1-bedroom vacation rental 1 1/2 miles north of Mendocino.
*Highland
Ranch Inn 895-3600
18941 Philo Greenwood Road, Philo
Secluded cabins
above Anderson Valley; horseback riding, wine tasting; full
breakfasts and
country dinners included.
*Hill House Inn 937-0554
10701
Palette Drive, Mendocino
Super Bowl Crab Feed, Jan. 30, Mendocino, seafood
crepes & other crab
specials daily in Ocean View Restaurant.
Inn
at Schoolhouse Creek 800-731-5525
7051 North Highway 1, Mendocino
Saturday wine and appetizer events $5; Daily crab Appetizer Hour with
Bonterra,
Husch & Fetzer wines for guests. Every night at Crab Appetizer Hour,
the
guests will be invited to participate in writing a group "the biggest crab
or the one that got away" crab story or poem. Then at the end of Crab &
Wine
Days, the staff will judge the stories and select their favorite. Everyone
who
participates in the story writing gets an automatic 10% off their next
stay
and the winning team gets a fresh crab delivered to their door.
J. D. House 937-5266
571 Ukiah, Street, Mendocino
Fundraiser
breakfast with special guest chefs on Wednesday, Feb. 2. Salt box
Victorian
in the village with lovely English garden.
Joshua Grindle Inn 937-4143;
1-800-GRINDLE
44800 Little Lake Road, Mendocino
Sumptuous breakfasts,
Mendocino wines, elegant rooms in central Mendocino
village location. The
Inn will offer evening appetizers of Spicy Goat Cheese Crab
Puffs with Husch
Mendocino Chardonnay. www.joshgrin.com
*Little
River Inn and Oles Whale Watch Bar & Crab Shack 937-5942;
1-888-466-5683
7751 North Highway 1, Little River
*Wine tasting & Cooking Demonstration:
Saturday, Jan. 29. Noon-3:00 p.m. Chef
Silver Canul will demonstrate some
of his favorite crab recipes. There will be
winetasting of Husch wines and
sampling of Chef Silvers delicious crab
dishes. Recipes for Oles
Hot Crab Spread, Dungeness Crab Cakes, and Western
Crab Omelette included.
Oles Swedish Crab Crepes with Champagne or Chardonnay
Sauce available
by request.
*Husch Winery tour, Tasting and Crab Appetizers, Sunday,
Jan. 30, 11:00-3:00.
Wine & Crab enthusiasts can travel to Anderson Valley
to visit one of the
first Valley wineries--Husch Vineyards. The rustic setting
is the perfect
setting to enjoy a barrel tasting of Husch Wines and to sample
Little River
Inn chef Silvers Crab Appetizers.
*Super Bowl
Sunday, Jan. 30. Little River Inns Football Fan Bartender--Sue
Bondoux--will
be leading the pack of football fans to cheer on the Super Bowl
teams. Large
Screen TV and Crab Rolls in Oles Whale Watch Bar & Crab Shack.
*Crabbiest
Person Contest: Enter our Crabbiest Person Contest and win a
fabulous stay
at the Little River Inn. In 100 words or less tell us about the
Crabbiest
Person youve ever met. The contest ends Saturday, Feb. 5, 2000. Be
sure
to include your name, address and telephone number. You may enter by . .
.
Faxing your entry to: Little River Inn "Crabbiest Contest" 707-937-3944.
Mailing your entry to: Little River Inn, Attention "Crabbiest Contest",
P.O.
Box B, Little River, CA 9 5456
E-mailing your entry to: lri@mcn.org
The winner will be chosen by Drawing to receive:
Two nights stay at Little
River Inn
in a luxurious Jacuzzi & fireplace room with
King bed, Ocean
view, deck
PLUS
Breakfast for two at Little River Inn
Dinner for Two
at Little River Inn
One Round of Golf (9 holes) for Two, with cart
A special
"Pampering Package" from the Third Court Salon & Day Spa
(This
special award expires at the end of 2000 and is not valid during holiday
periods)
*Crabbiest
Rate Around! During the first annual Mendocino Crab & Wine Days,
January
28 through February 5, 2000, Little River Inn is offering the
"Crabbiest
Rate" around! Call out toll-free reservation line 1-888-466-5683
and
ask the reservationist for "The Crabbiest Rate."
* Oles Whale
Watch Bar & Crab Shack: During Mendocino Crab & Wine Days, the
bar
and restaurant at Little River Inn will be transformed into : Oles Whale
Watch Bar & Crab Shack--featuring daily crab delicacies, Pirates Grog
and Sea
Chanty Tunes! Chef Silver Canul will offer his world-famous crab cakes
and
delicious crab bisque, as well as Daily Specials. Call 707-937-5942 to
make
dinner reservations.
Lodge at Noyo River 800-628-1126
500 Casa del Noyo Drive, Noyo Harbor, Fort Bragg
Beautiful restored inn with
packages with crab cruises, cooking class, Skunk
Train AT NOYO HARBOR.
*Mendocino Hotel 935-0511
45080 Main Street, Mendocino
Landmark
Mendocino village hotel on National Register of Historic Places. High
Victorian
and country garden dining rooms, with rooms in elegantly restored
hotel and
contemporary suites in the garden.
Winemaker dinner with McDowell Valley Vineyards
on Thursday, Feb. 3. Crab
menu all week in restaurant. Recipe for Mendocino
Hotel Crab Pasta Salad from
chef Colleen Murphy included.
*Old
Milano Hotel 884-3256
38300 South Highway 1, Gualala
Brutocao Cellars
winemaker dinner, Feb. 2; historic inn & restaurant
Old Stewart
House Inn 800-287-8392
511 Stewart Street, Fort Bragg
Crab appetizers
with Mendocino wines in afternoon for guests
Packard House B & B
937-2677
45170 Little Lake Street, Mendocino
Crab hors doeuvres
& wine for guests in afternoon. Packard House recipe for
Crab Balls included.
Reed
Manor 937-5446
44950 Little Lake Road, Mendocino
Crab Cocktail and
Fetzer wine upon arrival
Sea Rock Bed & Breakfast Inn 937-0926
Lansing Street, Mendocino
Cottages with ocean views in Mendocino
The
Spires SEAESCAPE 877-3331
7426 South Highway 1, Elk
Taste a different
t Mendocino wine each evening in lovely vacation rental suite
*Stevenswood Resort & Spa
937-2810
8211 North Highway 1, Little River
Prix-fixe crab menu
in restaurant all week with Claudia Springs 1998 Viognier.
The menu: Dungeness
Crab Consommé with Enoki Mushrooms and Lemongrass; Crab,
Ahi Tuna and
Avocado Tartar with Field Greens in Black Sesame and Orange
Vinaigrette; Traditional
Veal Oscar with Dungeness Crab Legs, Asparagus Tips
and Béarnaise Sauce;
and for the finishing touch--Green Apple and Ginger Granité.
*Thatcher
Inn 744-1890
13401 South Highway 101, Hopland
Crab Cooking Classes
February 4 & 5.
Taught by Thatcher Inn owners, Don and Marlena Sacca,
the hands-on culinary
experience will start at 3:00 p.m. and will end around
9:30 p.m on Friday and
Saturday. Dinner and wine tasting will be around 7:30
p.m. The demonstrations
and prepared recipes will be different each day and
participants can attend
one or both days. The classes will cover techniques
of working with crab and
other seafood from the cleaning stages to the table:
in appetizers, salads,
soups, stews, seafood sausage, one-dish meals. Traditional
Mediterranean
sauces that accompany seafood dishes will also be taught and
prepared. The
wines of Fetzer, Milone and Jepson will be tasted.
Cooking
Class & Room package: Rates from $174.21(one person, one class and
night)
to $304.42 (two people, two nights) Includes: recipes, materials,
cooking
session, instructions, dinner, full breakfast, overnight stay.
Cooking Class
and Dinner only: $65.00.
Dennen's Victorian Farmhouse 937-0697
7001
North Highway 1, Little River
Saturday night, January 27th, Navarro Vineyards wine and crab hors d'oeuvres
http://www.victorianfarmhouse.com/
*Victorian
Gardens 882-3606
14409 South Highway 1, Manchester
Dinner Thurs-Sun;
exquisite Victorian inn 30 minutes from Mendocino village
Weller House
Inn 877-893-5537
524 Stewart Street, Fort Bragg
Music & crab fun
under the tent, Saturday, January 29; Inn packages available
with Crab Cruises.
Whitegate
Inn 937-4892
499 Howard Street, Mendocino
Stately Victorian in the
village; elegant breakfasts
Mendocino Crab & Wine Days Wineries
The following wineries will
be featured throughout Crab & Wine Days at
participating restaurants.
Brutocao
Cellars 744-1066
South Highway 101, Hopland
7000 Highway 128, Anderson
Valley, Philo
Winemaker Dinner, Old Milano Hotel, Wednesday, Feb. 2; Tasting
rooms in
Hopland and Anderson Valley open daily.
Claudia Springs
Winery 895-3926
Tasting room open by appointment; Wines featured all week
with Crab Menu at
Stevenswood Lodge.
Domaine St. Gregory 744-8466
13251 South Highway 1, Hopland
Hopland Tasting Room serving Mendocino Seafood
Soup on Jan. 29 & 30 and
Avocado Crab Dip on Feb. 4 & 5. Winemaker
dinner Tuesday, February 1, North
State Cafe, Ukiah. Recipes for Mendocino
Seafood Soup and Avocado Crab Dip
included.
Fetzer Vineyards/Bonterra
Wines 800-860-3347
13601 East Side Road, Hopland
Main Street, Mendocino
Winetasting January 29, Inn at Schoolhouse Creek and Victorian Farmhouse;
Mendocino &Hopland Tasting Rooms open all week; Six inn rooms also available
at Valley Oaks in Hopland.
Gabrielli Winery 485-1221
10950 West
Road, Redwood Valley
Redwood Valley tasting room open 7 days. Winemaker Dinner
Jan. 22, Harbor
House, Elk.
Greenwood Ridge Vineyards 895-2002
5502 Highway 128, Philo
Winemaker Dinner, Feb. 2. Rendezvous, Fort Bragg;
Anderson Valley Tasting room
open daily.
Handley Cellars 895-2190
3151 Highway 128
Serving crab appetizers in tasting room; Wines featured at
Ledford House
Restaurant with crab Bistro menu nightly.
Husch Vineyards
895-3216
4400 Highway 128
Wine tasting at Little River Inn-Jan 29;
Winery Tour & Barrel Tasting -Jan 30;
See Little River Inn for more details
Lolonis
Winery 485-7544
1905 D Road, Redwood Valley
Redwood Valley Tasting
room open by appointment.; wines featured in
participating restaurants.
McDowell
Valley Vineyards 744-1053
3811 Highway 175, Hopland
Winemaker dinner
Mendocino Hotel, Feb 3. Winery open by appointment.
Navarro Vineyards
895-3686
5601 Highway 128
Winetasting: Schoolhouse Creek Inn & Victorian
Farmhouse Saturday, February 5;
Anderson Valley tasting room open daily.
Parducci
Wine Estates & Hidden Cellars 463-5350
501 Parducci Road, Ukiah
Mendocino Countys oldest winery tasting room north of Ukiah will be serving
crab appetizers all week. Winemaker dinner Tuesday, February 1, at the Fort
Bragg Grille in Fort Bragg. Cajun inspired menu and music.
Scharffenberger
Cellars 895-2065
8501 Highway 128, Philo
Winemaker dinner Albion River
Inn, Feb 3. Art exhibits in Anderson Valley
tasting room where you can taste
all of the wines, which also go well with
crab. For example the Blanc de Blancs
and nonvintage Brut are great with fresh
crab, spicy crab cakes, and Southeast
Asian ginger crab purses. The Brut Rose
is a natural with crab thermidor.
And Cremant goes perfectly with mangos and
crab with coconut milk.
Mendocino Crab & Wine Days
Restaurants
See Lodging for more
restaurants that are in inns or hotels.
(* also have lodging)
Fort
Bragg Grille 964-3663
356 North Main Street, Fort Bragg
Crab Gumbo
& other Cajun delights all week. Parducci & Hidden Cellars
Winemaker
Dinner, Tuesday, Feb. 1; First Friday, Feb. 4, Special crab dinner
and Cajun
music.
Ledford House 937-0282
3000 North Highway 1, Albion
Economical three-course Bistro menu featuring crab and Handley Cellars wines
on menu all week.
Mendo Bistro 964-4974
301 North Main Street,
Fort Bragg (upstairs in the Company Store)
"Deconstructed" crab
cakes, Portuguese-style cioppino and more on menu all
week. Catering to local
crowd with local food by rock and roll musician
turned chef/owner who is quite
picturesque in his "jester" hat.
North State Cafe 462-3726
263 North State, Ukiah
Domaine St. Gregory Winemaker Dinner, Tuesday, February
1, 2000.
*Old Coast Hotel 961-8142
101 North Franklin Street,
Fort Bragg
Crab Dishes featured Thurs-Sunday. Special art exhibit in historic
hotel in
Fort Bragg. Recipe for Old Coast Famous Cioppino included.
*Rendezvous Inn & Restaurant 964-8142
Six-course winemaker dinner
with Greenwood Ridge and winemaker Allan Green,
Wednesday, Feb. 2. $65.00.
Menus for dinner: Dungeness Crab Bisque with
Greenwood Ridge 1997 Chardonnay;
Salad of Organic Mesclun with
Grapevine-Smoked Fresh Goat Cheese & Toasted
Walnuts; Spicy Crabcakes with
Jalapeno Mustard & Lime Wedges with Greenwood
Ridge 1998 Sauvignon Blanc;
Granite of Grapefruit; Grilled Breast of Pheasant
with sauce of local wild
chanterelles and Greenwood Ridge 1997Pinot Noir;
Beggars Purse of Braised Lamb
and Smoked Ratatouille with Greenwood Ridge
1997 Merlot and 1996 Cabernet
Sauvignon; Warm Caramelized Apple Tart with
Cinnamon Ice Cream Recipe for
Rendezvous Spicy Crab Cakes included.
Six
comfortable Bed & Breakfast rooms at $65. Breakfast will feature such
dishes as Eggs Florentine with crab, Crab Benedict.
*The Wharf Seafood
Restaurant 964-4283
32260 North Harbor Drive, Noyo Harbor, Fort Bragg
Jan. 28 Crab & Wine Days Kick-off dinner with Mendocino wines, by reservation.
Dishes to be served during Crab & Wine days include Seafood Cioppino with
Crab; Marinated Crab in House Vinaigrette; Cracked Crab; Crab Louis; Crab
Sandwiches; Crab Cocktails. Serving freshest seafood all year with view of
Noyo Harbor. Anchor Inn is right in the harbor across the street from The Wharf.
AUXILIARY ACTIVITIES
Crab Cooking & Wine Tasting Class with Heidi Cusick,
food
& wine journalist. Sat. Feb. 5, 2:00 p.m. Preston Hall, Mendocino.
$35.
707-462-2112.
Rumblefish Crab Cruises, daily at Noyo Harbor. Cruise
includes 1 1/2 hour ride
to Mendocino Bay, crabbing demonstration and dockside
cooking of fresh crab
caught on the cruise. $25. Noyo Harbor. 707-964-3000
Skunk
Train & Crab Louie Extravaganza, Sat. Jan. 29, 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. ride
the historic train to Camp Mendocino and dine on Crab Louie. Fort Bragg Depot.
$49.00 800-777-5865
Kelly House, Mendocinos Historical Society salutes
the Coast Fishing Industry
with exhibits to view daily. Crab & Wine Days
kickoff at 6:00 p.m., Friday,
January 28. $5 Admission. Mendocino Village.
Guest
House Museum, Salute to Mendocino Coast Fishing exhibit, First Friday,
February
4, 5:30 P.M. Fort Bragg. Exhibits, music, and art exhibits. More open
galleries
and activities all around Fort Bragg as well.
Commercial Crabbing Demonstration
with Coast Guard & Noyo Fishing Groups. 9:30
a.m. Saturday, Jan. 29 &
Feb. 5. Commercial crab boats and fishermen talk
about baiting, catching,
sexing & sizing crabs at the Coast Guard Station on
South Harbor Drive,
Noyo Harbor. Open to the Public. Free.
GENERAL INFORMATION: MENDOCINO COAST CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: 1-800-726-2780
www.goMendo.com/events/crab/
707-462-7417
Note: This information was accurate when it was published. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the businesses in question before making your plans.