CRAB & WINE DAYS IN CALIFORNIA'S MENDOCINO COUNTY
By George Medovoy

MENDOCINO --You just know that Mendocino County's crab season is in full swing when the weeklong, second-annual Mendocino Crab and Wine Days gets underway Jan. 26, running through Feb. 4.

It's another reason to head for this wonderful destination on California's North Coast - a region known for romantic seaside villages by remote beaches, a rugged coastline and towering cliffs, and some of California's finest wines.

As part of special events, charter boats will take crab lovers on cruises to learn about crabbing or to do some serious all-day fishing and crabbing.

And Noyo Women for Fisheries will introduce working crab fishermen to visitors at the Coast Guard Station in Noyo Harbor to tell them what crabbing is all about.

In addition to featuring fresh Dungeness crab on its menus, participating Mendocino County restaurants will host winemaker dinners and offer Mendocino wines by the glass or by the bottle.

Many of the winery tasting rooms in Mendocino County's three wine regions have crab appetizers to taste with their wines. Visitors can pick up an official Crab & Wine Days Passport and have it stamped to win lodging, dinners and wine.

To find out more about Mendocino Crab & Wine Days, call 1-866-Go-Mendo for a complete list of participants and activities and to get a Winery and Brewery Passport, or visit www.Go-Mendo.com. This site also includes a great deal of information about Mendocino County wineries. 

In the meantime, you'll want to consider somewhere to stay on your getaway to the Mendocino Coast. 

Here are four of my favorites:

LITTLE RIVER INN

At Little River Inn, whose white picket fence and charming old farmhouse have been coastal features for many years, owner Mel McKinney also runs a snug little cigar shop called "Where There's Smoke…" 

When he's not fly fishing, writing or playing "Happy Birthday" on his trumpet for guests in the inn's dining room, McKinney can be found next to the cigar shop humidor, offering premium domestics along with favorites from Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. 

A family-run lodge, Little River Inn first opened its doors in 1939. Soon it was drawing Hollywood personalities, like Joan Fontaine, star of "Frenchman's Creek," which was filmed nearby in 1943. 

Two other notable Hollywood guests were Jane Wyman and Ronald Reagan. Reagan, of course, was quick to show everyone his old football moves.

Little River Inn sits on a hillside along Highway 1, two miles south of the art galleries and cafes of quaint Mendocino village and just up the road from Van Damme State Park (a pathway connects the park with the inn). 

A small beach across the highway is great for quiet walks or watching abalone fishermen head out in their wet suits. 

McKinney's cigar shop is a tiny place crowded with assorted smoking collectibles he and his wife have picked up at fleas markets - as well as a number of first-edition Hemingway's they found in British Columbia. 

"Where There's Smoke…," by the way, is also the name of McKinney's first book about the night JFK sent his press secretary, Pierre Salinger, out to fetch as many Cuban cigars as he could get - before the Cuban embargo went into effect. 

This winter season, the inn offers the "Hibernation" special, Sunday through Thursday, until Feb. 28, 2001.

Here's how it works: stay two nights, and the third night is free. If you golf, one package includes an ocean-view room plus unlimited golf with use of cart Sunday through Thursday, until March 2001. 

This deal runs $155 per night (double occupancy, tax included).

Information: 1-888-INN LOVE or visit www.littleriverinn.com.

STANFORD INN

In the greenhouse at the inn, big ceiling fans lumber high above an inviting lap pool bordered by semi-tropical plants. Sunlight filters down into the warm enclosure through an angled glass ceiling. 

This must be the place, I whispered to myself alone by the pool, where a mischievous bunch of old guys discovered a space-age fountain of youth in the movie "Cocoon."

I imagined all of them leaving the pool -- magically transformed into joyous, youthful specimens. 

The greenhouse and its inviting pool are the perfect introduction to The Stanford Inn, Mendocino's own version of personal rejuvenation at the mouth of the Big River and the encroaching sea.

This combination of rusticity and creature comforts is the creation of two very special husband-and-wife innkeepers, Jeff and Joan Stanford. 

Here they have established a warm sense of home which comes over you as soon as you arrive, but especially when you're in the cozy living room, with its knotty-pine walls and eclectic mix of antique furnishings, comfy couches, and two giant fireplaces.

There's nothing formal or rigid about any of it. 

Everything has a lived-in feel, like the mantles with pooh bears...an antique wooden snow sled sitting up against a fireplace...or the locally-produced artwork and Mendocino County jams for sale. 

Outside, on the spacious deck, guests can peer across the grounds to the ocean in search of whales or simply to enjoy the sunset. 

We loved snuggling up on the couch, daydreaming to the sounds of classical music. A sparkling grand piano, decorated with a bouquet of lavender butterfly bush from the inn's own gardens, sat next to a big picture window.

Teas and coffee were available all the time, and from 3 to 6 p.m., sweets and hors d'ouevres. 

Adding to the lived-in ambiance of this charmed setting is the fact that the vegetarian inn near the Victorian village of Mendocino is also a certified organic farm, the pride of Jeff and Joan, who were lured here by Mendocino's rugged beauty and the opportunity to build something that embodies their respect for nature and animal life.

The inn also accepts guests with pets, provides and replenishes water dishes and food bowls, and will install furniture covers in the rooms. Spread over 10 acres of meadow and forest lands that sweep down to the sea, the inn is also home to several cats and dogs, 11 llamas, a stable of horses, and black swans. 

The first full day up here, we awoke to one of those wondrous Mendocino 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, but they scarcely paid any attention to us, continuing to eat their breakfast of hay and oats. 

The inn raises vegetables for the kitchen as well as flowers for the lobby and the rooms. It grows 32 different types of lettuce, plus beets, chard, artichokes, asparagus, beans, carrots, corn, guavas, raspberries, rhubarb, strawberries, kale, herbs, edible flowers, and apple trees. 

At Christmas time, the inn does fresh garlands and wreaths for the rooms, she said, and guests get special gifts under a big tree in the lobby. 

Beyond the gardens, the animals, and the living room, what you'll probably remember most about this place is The Ravens Restaurant, where things are kept fresh and simple.  

I fondly remember a dish called "Pimentos Veranos" ("Summer Chiles"), a heavenly entree with a rainbow of tastes. 

The big chilies were stuffed with tofu, oregano, lime, tequila and walnuts, and then roasted them to flavorful perfection on the grill. The chilies were served with sautéed collard greens, and flavored with limejuice, fresh herbs and walnut sauce.

For sure, you'll have a hard time choosing from the wonderful Ravens menu. Here's a sampling of three items for breakfast, which is included in the price of lodging:

* "Blue Corn Waffle" -- a light crispy waffle made with organic blue corn and buttermilk, served with pure maple syrup and seasonal fruit compote, 

* "Stanford Ranchero" -- two blue corn tortillas with marinated tofu, black beans, vegan cheese, chipolte sauce, served with tomatilla salsa and salsa cruda and grilled red potatoes. (It's enough to fill you for the entire day!)

* "Eggs Florentine" -- 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. 

Another of my favorite dinner dishes was 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 Edmeades Zinfandel or the Preston Viognier brings out the best in this signature entree. 

The appetizer of shitaki and brazil nut pate with herbs and red wine, served with house-made sourdough crustini and green kalamata olives, was truly memorable -- with a zingy, whimsical sparkle from the Mendocino mustards on the side.

As for the extensive wine list, The Ravens focuses on the Pinot Noirs, Chardonnays and Dry Gewürztraminers of nearby Anderson Valley, including a number of wines made from organically grown grapes with lower amounts of sulfites or which are pesticide-free.

Examples of organics on the wine list included a Bonterra North Coast 1996  Cabernet Sauvignon, a Lolonis Redwood Valley Mendocino 1996 Zinfandel, and a Napa Wine Company 1997 Sauvignon Blanc. French organics will be added
next.

The inn operates "Catch A Canoe & Bicycles Too!" to explore Big River, California's longest undeveloped estuary, by canoe or kayak, or to go riding along back roads and to nearby Mendocino. Mountain bikes are free for guests. 

If you stay at the Stanford Inn from now until March 2001, the inn is offering a 25 percent room discount. 

Weekend and holiday periods are excluded, but if you stay three or more nights, the inn will include the weekend.

Through March 30, 2001, the inn is offering a "Health Kick" room package, including three nights in an over-sized room with wood-burning fireplace; no charges for pets; organic wine at check-in; full breakfast each morning; vegetarian/vegan dinner on one evening of the stay; canoe or kayak rental for one afternoon or morning (depending on the tides).

The package starts at $300 per person and is available Sunday -- Friday nights, based on double occupancy, subject to availability, and requires advance reservations. 

Information: 1-800- 331-8884 or visit www.stanfordinn.com.

WHALE WATCH INN

In tiny Anchor Bay, just outside the village of Gualala, you can soothe your nerves sublimely at the Whale Watch Inn, an elegant, romantic getaway that overlooks the crashing waves of the Pacific. 

Imagine - you're tucked away in your cozy bed, with just the sounds of the ocean and a view of the stars from the skylight. 

Come morning, there's a knock at your door (at a pre-arranged time, of course). It's breakfast, delivered warm and fresh to your room, and can include perhaps warm blintzes filled with sweetened cream cheese, and warm croissants. 

The Whale Watch Inn is a series lodgings, tied together by landscaped walkways. 

It overlooks the quiet beach at Anchor Bay, which you can get to from steps at the inn. Anchor Bay is located in what is known as the banana belt of the North Coast because it usually gets quite a bit of sun once the fog clears. 

Check out the Whale Watch Inn at 1-800-WHALE 42 or visit
www.whalewatchinn.com.

JOSHUA GRINDLE INN

Finally, let's not forget the Joshua Grindle Inn, located in the village of Mendocino itself, on a knoll overlooking the Pacific. 

If you're from the East Coast, Mendocino may remind you of a New England village. Indeed, it's been used in films set in New England because of the striking resemblance. 

Joshua Grindle offers not only an old farmhouse, but also a water tower to stay in. 

Back in the nineteenth century, Mendocino was once known as the town of water towers, which would provide running water indoors. 

There aren't many of the water towers left today, and the one at the Joshua Grindle Inn is a loving reproduction. 

This winter, the inn teams up with Mendocino's Café Beaujolais to offer the sixth-annual "Bed, Breakfast and Beaujolais" mid-week winter getaways.    

Available Sunday through Thursday evenings, Feb. 4-April 30, 2001 (excluding holidays), the one-night package is $209 for an ocean view or fireplace room.

Rooms with whirlpool tubs are available for $229; rates are per couple and do not include tax. 

The package includes gourmet breakfast served around an 1890's farm table, and dinner for two at Cafe Beaujolais. 

Information: 1-800-GRINDLE, or visit bbb@joshgrin.com. The restaurant can be explored at www.cafebeaujolais.com. The web site for the Joshua Grindle Inn is www.joshgrin.com/bbb/.

And Remember: Mendocino Vintners Offer a 'Whale of a Time.' When heading up to Mendocino in winter, remember that this is also the season when California welcomes the return of its official marine mammal, the gray whale. 

Mendocino's nineteenth-annual Whale Festival takes place March 3-4, 2001, with wines from Mendocino vintners, chowder tasting, marine art exhibits, music and whale-watching walks. 

For more information, call 1-800-726-2780. 

Happy travels!

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