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.