I’m exploring the possibility of heading to Nor Cal (from Los Angeles) for a celebratory dinner with my wife and believe we’ve narrowed the choices down to French Laundry or the Harbor House Inn. I’ve read the reviews for both restaurants and am slightly leaning in favor of doing a weekend at the Inn plus a Saturday night dinner at the restaurant. As between the two, pricing is similar and the reviews (albeit some are a bit long in the tooth) suggest that the cuisine at the Inn is a bit more interesting and consistent than FL. Any guidance is greatly appreciated (including if there’s another celebratory restaurant we ought to consider). TIA.
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Maybe try hitting up Golden Bear Station on the way back from Harbor House if you’re driving
I’d do HHI over TFL…
Would you rather spend that weekend around Elk or around Yountville?
Never been to Elk (looks beautiful) have been to Yountville (enjoyed it and would return) but geography really isn’t a major consideration. Simply put, it comes down to the food.
The Yountville area offers a lot more choices for the other meals of the trip.
I’m pleased to share that we enjoyed a wonderful weekend in Elk. Flew into Oakland and rented a car. But before heading north we spent the night in the city. We returned to State Bird Provision for the first time in a few years and had fantastic dinner. Highlights were the ahi toast and the trout dip. The state bird was a different preparation that I recall from our last visit (less citrusy) but nonetheless perfectly fried and tasty.
Before hitting the road the next morning, we stopped at Swan Oyster for breakfast. Walked right in at 8:45. Per normal it didn’t disappoint. The Sicilian sashimi and the smoked salmon were the highlights. Simple, clean and fresh.
Drove north on the 101 and spent one night/morning in the Anderson Valley to do some wine tasting. The wineries were good, not great. The cheese tasting and cheese board at Penny Royal Farms were the highlights. Wine was good, cheese was outstanding. With the benefit of hindsight, we probably would have stayed in Healdsburg and explored the area a bit more before heading to Elk.
The Harbor House Inn didn’t let us down. It’s deserving of its 2-star status. My wife and I found the food and taste similar to Providence in Los Angeles (IMO, Providence still serves the best meal in LA). The food leaned sea food and local ingredients – farm and forage. The flavors were light and Japanese inspired. Outstanding dinner from start to finish. There was not a misstep the entire evening. And they do wonders with seaweed. Didn’t do the wine tasting but the glasses we ordered were tasty and complimented the meal well.
The two breakfasts at the Inn were similarly spectacular. The congee was insanely tasty and studded with roasted mushrooms.
On our first night in Elk, we dined at the Greenwood restaurant. It was good, not great. We ordered a nice short rib and cod to share. The Hamachi crudo was a bit of a miss. Given the price, if we had to do it over again, we’d probably pick up a couple of sandwiches, sides and a 6 pack from the Elk Store deli and picnic on the beach behind the HHI.
The Drew winery in Elk was our favorite of the wineries we visited. They lean heavily pinot noir and serve several very nice versions.
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