While on my West Coast Road Trip on Highway 1 heading North from San Francisco, California I noticed a nice little historic town on the water named Mendocinco. I decided to take the exit and look for a place to grab a bite to eat for lunch. One of the things I love about road trips and having plenty of spare time is being able to stop at little towns such as this. I usually make it a point to visit small, family owned cafes and restaurants. Mendocino was a quiet, little seaside town and there wasn’t much to choose from but I did spot the Mendocino Café so I stopped in.
The restaurant originally started out as a home but has been converted into a café. The interior had a small bar with a few two-top tables throughout the interior. Ambiance was very calming and relaxing. There was no hustle and bustle here by any means. This café offered me a chance to get a good lunch as well as a little downtime to help plan the rest of my day on the road.
One quick glance over the menu I knew I was in a fully organic style café. The grass fed beef and free range chickens were a big indicator as to what the café had to offer. Right down to the hormone free dairy and free harvested seafood!
For starters, I chose their award winning Clam Chowder. It was presented well and tasted just as good as it looked. It was the highlight of my entire meal. The only down side to being in a fully organic café was they didn’t sell traditional mainstream sodas such as Coke or Pepsi. They only carried “botanically brewed” colas. Not a fan but I managed.
For my main course, I selected the Thai Burrito which is a burrito made up of rock shrimp, organic vegetables & brown rice in peanut sauce. The burrito was definitely different and maybe others with a more exotic palette would have enjoyed it more than me. I’m more of a burger or steak kind of guy, it just wasn’t my cup of tea. The sweet chili sauce was a nice add though as it helped flavor up the burrito a bit which I felt it needed.
I’m sure I’ll disappoint a lot of readers by saying this but I only ate about half of the sandwich. It just wasn’t for me, I kind of wished I had just ordered a larger bowl of the Clam Chowder since that was pretty darn good in my opinion. Even though I was not satisfied with the Thai Burrito I am still glad I stopped in and helped support a local business.
The outdoor seating area was a big hit. Nice, crisp ocean breeze coming right in off the water made me wish I had sat outside instead. Oh well. Next time I’m in that neck of the woods, I’ll have a large bowl of Clam Chowder and sit outside and enjoy the weather and the sounds of the ocean.
If you’re traveling Highway 1 and find yourself near Mendocino, CA be sure to take the exit and venture into town. Grab a bite to eat and wander the streets of this nice, quaint little seaside town.