VI

We had tickets to see my fellow thespian, Kyra, star in 'Brides of Dracula' at the Ferndale Repertory Theater, and so I decided this would be a good opportunity to check out the one Ferndale restaurant on the list - VI. That is an odd name, and it is not "6," but rather, the restaurant in the lobby of the 100+ year old Victorian Inn Hotel.

Beautiful building, very elegant, and since I made a reservation, we got a table in the bay window with a view of the street. Period-style wall paper and chandeliers, table lamps....very special. I was going to order wine, but when I glanced at the bar list and saw one of their specials was a negroni (a favorite drink from my trip to Italy), I decided I had to try that. They served it up in a martini glass with a thick twist of lemon peel, and it was good - bitter and just sweet enough without going overboard.

For lunch I ordered the chef's special: chicken and mushroom pot pie with a side salad. I could have picked any number of delicious sounding dishes and pot pie didn't sound all that special, but the server said it was hearty and perfect for the weather, and she liked it...so why not. She also recommended the green apple balsamic dressing for the salad over the more traditional choices, and I decided to trust her again. Geoff was more adventurous, and opted for the Portugese-style seafood paella.

The rolls were baked that day and were very good - served simply with softened, whipped, unsalted butter. I forgot to ask if they were made in house. My salad was mixed greens and tiny-tiny tomatoes, and was actually tossed - they did not just pile a bunch of dressing on top like I have come to expect. I was afraid green apple would be too tart for the Spring greens, but there was enough sweetness so it worked.

The pot pie was topped with puff pastry instead of a pie crust, which was pretty, but the underside got too damp and became sort of gummy. After a few bites I moved it to the side with my fork. The stew inside was delicious - they used lots of shiitake mushrooms, baby potatoes, wee bits of diced carrots and peas, with the occasional fleck of bacon. Lots of cubes of white meat that had been pre-seared to keep in the moisture, so the texture was firm and the meat juicy. But in the end, it was all about the gravy! Thick, creamy, slight taste of onion although there was no onion in the stew itself, lots of pepper and I think rosemary and parsley.

The paella came out in a mini paella dish - loaded with mussels, clams, scallops, shimp and Portugese style linguica. The rice was bright from all the saffron, with good tooth, and just enough peppers cooked in to add flavor without being too spicy. The rice was easily the best I've had in a paella, mostly because they were so generous with the saffron and they didn't overcook it. The seafood - well, some was frozen, like the shrimp and scallops, but that is to be expected considering our location. I am pretty sure the clams were fresh and the mussels probably were - but the linguica was the best, I am sure made locally from Ferndale meats down the street for the large local Portugese population.

Service was prompt, friendly and non-intrusive. We were dressed up for the theater, but most of the other patrons were pretty casual, and the servers wore button-down shirts and slacks. Without drinks or tip, it was just under $40, which is expensive for lunch, but that was our choice - there were plenty of options in the $10-14 range, like fish & chips, assorted grilled sandwiches, and an artisan mac & cheese.

VI is much better than your standard "hotel" restaurant. The menu is old-fashioned, but they know what they are doing in the kitchen, they don't skimp on ingrediants, and I like they have negroni and paella for those who want to go beyond Cosmos and steaks. I can definitly see going back for drinks after a play, or for a sandwiches on my way back from playing at the Eel River.

Brick & Fire

Dinner: 10/10/10

I tried to eat here last week but was told that since we didn't have a reservation we couldn't get in. Really? In Eureka? Okay, so I made a reservation for the following week with the determination that if this place really is this 'hot' that I was going to work my way around the menu and see what the fuss was about.

I was impressed with the wine list that featured lots of Italian varietals, and decent bottles in the $20 range, and everything available by the glass. The bread basket had three types of bread, each made in-house that morning. I recall a 3-seed bread (poppy, sunflower and pumpkin), a heavier barley style, and one with sweet onion and cumin. The olive oil was really fruity and a great accompaniment - but I didn't eat too much bread because I didn't want to ruin my appetite for what was to follow.

We started with the roasted oysters and the mushroom cobbler. Both were excellent, prepared and seasoned well, and very tasty. Also not too large, which is a good thing because I hate getting filled up on the appetizer so I can't finish the entree. For dinner I ordered one of the rotating dishes, the organic pork chop served with stewed apples, a gorgonzola sauce, and steak fries with homemade ketchup. Geoff ordered one of the regular items, the brick-fire game hen with a fig/wine sauce and rice pilaf. We split a side of kale and red peppers (you have to order vegetables separately, no veggies come with the entrees).

The pork was perfectly cooked, the sauce was not too rich or salty, and the apples rounded the whole dish. I thought the fries were good - but not necessary and would have prefered the potatoes cooked another way, garlic-smashed maybe? We both agree the game hen was the BEST we'd ever had. The server said it was one of the best things on the menu, and for the price (under $20) this was a bargain considering the care in the sauce and the preparation. Neither of us liked the kale and peppers because they had a sour aftertaste - this was the only thing that did not work at all. If I could get a do-over, I would have gone with the roasted cauliflower.

We split a creme brulee, lightly flavored with orange and vanilla, and garnished with a slice of strawberry, a blackberry, and a green leaf that I assumed was mint, but after careful inspection (and finally asking the server who asked the chef) turned out to be fresh oregano leaf from their herb garden. They chose too deep a dish for the brulee which made the top of the custard get too hot during torching. The crust was perfect, but some of the custard was runny. We still ate the whole thing in under 5 minutes - I really like creme brulee!

Now the really, really picky stuff. The plating was unimaginitive. I tried to take a picture of one dish and everything just looked brown. Brown hen, brown pilaf, brown sauce, on a plain white dish, served on a white tablecoth. The interior is really beautiful and the sound level was lively, but we could still hear each other without raising our voices. The restaurant was warm because of the wood-burning ovens - something the server said right up front with a nod suggesting I take off my wrap (which I did).

We had a $25 bottle of wine, two starters, two entrees and one dessert, for $97. Pricy for Eureka, but the same meal in San Francisco would run at least $50 more. There was a family across from us - parents in University sweatshirts with a toddler, and they were all just spliting a pizza and a salad. Again, I love the range of offerings, and can see stopping by after work to sit at the counter with a draft microbrew and some pizza, as well as going back for special occasions.

I am batting a thousand so far, and am glad that I started this project. Next up, Folie Douce on the 19th.