Food & Mendocino

We're looking forward to going up to Mendocino county early in the Labor Day Weekend. We'll be trying two restaurants, both of which - in different ways - emphasize local food and drinks. Rendezvous just got top-rating from Zagat, but it's the description of the inn owners - one of whom is the chef - that made me feel that this was the real deal. A labor of love. Plus, it set the right tone for me when I read on their web-site, that children were allowed as long as they were well-behaved. Mendo Bistro seems quite different and not just on ground rules for kids. It has a much more actively claimed relationship with local food and farmers, clearly thought-through attitude towards 'organic' rather than superficial, and what looks like a hip and creative space for eating in downtown Fort Bragg. I'm excited. On the complexities of understanding organic and local, from Mendo Bistro (written in 2005):

While USDA organic standards have pushed the concept into the mainstream, some farmers and consumers think the regulations make it easy to subvert the purpose of organic farming. Indeed, when you see labels like "Dole Organics" you have to wonder. With organic certification comes a mountain of paperwork to file and fees to pay. Affordable for large corporations but not small farmers. One of our main suppliers, an organic farmer in the foothills, is considering dropping his certification. "Why should I pay fees and fill out paperwork to do what I'm already going to do?" is his argument... ...How should we define local? According to Gussow the most commonsense principle to follow is that the fewer miles the food travels from the farm to your table, the better.... ...We try to get our products locally as often as possible. Being in Mendocino County that means many of them are certified organic. Many aren't however, but they would be if the farmers wanted to jump through hoops instead of tending the soil... More Here. (Scroll to "The New Organics")

Foodies: Don't forget to check out Marco's "Cook Here & Now". technorati tags: food, mendocino, localfood, organic