Stanford Inn by the Sea

Vegetarian Times, Oct, 1998 by Karen Dale Dustman

The Stanford Inn's storybook setting is rivaled by only one thing--the food.

Antique chic meets redwood rustic at the Stanford Inn by the Sea. Perched on 10 rolling acres that hug the Pacific Coast Highway in Mendocino, Calif., this inn is the perfect escape--even if you just get away for one exquisite meal. Two walls of windows in the dining room showcase the panoramic view: hundred-year-old white fir and bishop pines in the foreground with the ocean, blue and serene, in the distance. Contemporary paintings by local artists adorn the remaining walls, fine complements to the room's Victorian furnishings.

Stanford is renowned for its delectable, hearty cuisine, developed by chef Domenica Catelli. She varies her completely vegetarian menu monthly, and whenever possible, uses local, organic produce, some of which comes from the inn's private garden. Breakfast standouts include enormous blue-corn waffles served with either fruit compote or organic maple syrup. Equally enticing is the garden scramble. Made with your choice of eggs or tofu, the dish is cooked with cabbage, red onion, red pepper and Swiss chard accompanied by flaky orange-and-poppyseed scones. Plates arrive beautifully decorated with a sprig of fennel and bright edible flowers.

For dinner, start with the local organically produced 1995 Lolonis Zinfandel. Then whet your appetite with nori rolls of braised tofu, vegetables and almond butter or the shiitake-tofu ravioli in a delicious miso broth. Main courses run the gamut from inventive vegetable dishes to time-honored pasta. We loved the grilled peppers stuffed with citrus polenta, layered on braised tofu and drizzled with a creamy walnut sauce. And the penne pasta, topped with a roasted tomato sauce and seasoned with parsley and rosemary, was anything but ordinary.

When the dessert tray comes around, well, diets be damned. Indulge in the ice cream pie: homemade strawberry and rhubarb ice cream layered between sugar cookies. If you're a chocolate lover, pastry chef Georgia Lane's elegant "can't believe it's vegan" chocolate tofu torte is for you. Don't plan on sharing; you'll want to savor every bite.

Perhaps as impressive as its cuisine, is the Stanford Inn's ecological commitment. Leftovers are composted, and glass, plastics, cardboard and metals are recycled. "By the time we separate those out, the amount of waste from our kitchen each night is so minimal," explains Catelli, her hands framing a cube about two feet square. Imagine that--a restaurant that tends to the environment and its patrons with equal care.

Shiitake Spaghettini

4 SERVINGS DAIRY-FREE

12 oz. thin spaghetti
1 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. minced garlic
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
3 cups sliced fresh shiitake mushroom
  caps (about 6 oz.)
1 bunch green onions (white and some
  green parts), thinly sliced
1 Tbs. tamari or soy sauce
1 Tbs. brewer's yeast (optional)
1 Tbs. miso dissolved in 1 cup hot water

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add mushrooms and half of green onions, cook, stirring often, 1 to 2 minutes. Splash with tamari. Add brewer's yeast if using and dissolved miso. When liquid is reduced by one-fourth, remove from heat.

Drain pasta; return to pot. Add remaining green onions to mushroom mixture and toss. Add mushroom sauce to pasta and toss well to coat.

Per serving: 368 cal.; 12g prot.; 5g total fat (1g sat. fat) 68g carb.; 0 chol.; 414mg sod.; 5g fibber.

RELATED ARTICLE: Stanford Inn

Name: The Stanford Inn by the Sea

Address: Coast Highway and Comptche-Ukiah Road, P.O. Box 487, Mendocino, CA 95460

Telephone: (707) 937-5025

Hours: Breakfast, 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. weekdays; 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sat.; Sunday brunch, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.; dinner, 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Thurs. through Sunday

Prices: Breakfast entrees, $7 to $9; Dinner entrees, $10 to $18.50; appetizers, $7 and up; desserts, $6

Dress: Casual

Alcohol: Full bar

Smoking: No

Seats: 48

Credit Cards: All major

Reservations: Recommended for both breakfast and dinner on weekends,

Karen Dustman is a freelance writer living in California.