Mendocino Flavors: Chef Ryan Seal joins Elk’s Greenwood Restaurant and soon-to-open Elk House; McCarty’s Bar expanding and more tasty news bites

MENDOCINO Co., 5/11/23 – It’s going to feel more like summer in Mendocino County this weekend, especially inland where temperatures will hit the nineties in Ukiah and Hopland. The hot weather is a great excuse to visit air-conditioned establishments like a local museum or movie theater, or head out to the coast for a little ocean breeze and fish and chips at Noyo Harbor. After the usual weekend tasks of cleaning house and laundry this weekend, I’m looking forward to enjoying an ice-cold beverage on my shaded porch. For me, that likely means a Mendocino Spirits Dry Gin and tonic with a squeeze of lime. What’s one of your hot weather, go-to local beverages? 

Mother’s Day is on Sunday, May 14. Restaurants throughout the county are offering Mother’s Day specials. If my mom was visiting from Indiana, she’d want to go to the Brickery at Cafe Beaujolais in Mendocino for a margherita pizza, a bottle of pinot noir and fresh ocean air. If my stepmom was visiting from Sonoma, we’d head to Left Coast Seafood in Ukiah for its over-the-top prix fixe menu featuring an entree option of three different lobster dishes (surf and turf, lobster thermidor or a whole Maine lobster). Two different moms, two different tastes, both loved equally.