I'll share a few food notes from a trip north to Eureka during the New Years week. THE SAMOA COOKHOUSE: Revisited this quaint Lousiana Pacific gem on the island of Samoa in Humboldt Bay. My last time was 1985, but not much has changed including the servers who brought endless platters of food, with a fat content from years ago. House-made bread at every meal with a trio of great jams. Family-style, lumber-camp service from menus dating back to the 1800s, featuring the dining hall and kitchen that first served them. All meals include coffe, tea or iced tea, and an endless supply of every dish. Breakfast $5.95 - Platters of scrambled eggs and sausage at breakfast daily, served with pitchers of coffee and juice, flanked by platters of either pancakes, French toast, or fried spuds--depending on the day of the week. Add biscuits and gravy on weekdays. (On weekends the kitchen can't keep up with the demand for fresh biscuits, so they don't try.) The the only sour note: the eggs seemed extended to the point that their texture resembled scrambled custard. Lunch (forget the exact price, about $8) - Fresh soup, green salad and house-made bread (with jam) led the way to a vegetable and a single meat entree served with rice or potato. Mine featured pot roast of beef and baked potato with mushroom gravy. Followed by slices of apple pie. Dinner $11.95 - Follows the same format as lunch, with the addition of a second meat entree. The night we went they served green peas with mushrooms, fried chicken and roast beef with gravy. Endless slices of pie wrapped it up. THE SEA GRILL - A great spot for fish in Old Town Eureaka. A convivial happy-hour at the full bar amidst friendly locals. After compliamentary roasted garlic with baugettes in the bar, we were served a fine fried calamari appetizer. No one blinked when we asked for an assortment of hot condiments to add. Our fresh opaka and mahi-mahi entrees at $15.95 included choice of fresh soup or a salad bar (served from the only tacky-looking fixture in the place). Best seafood I've had in that town. Even better than Lasio's inflated reputation of old. Decent wine list. Tried to go back, but they were booked solid the next three nights. CELESTINO'S - Whenever I read boasts of "New York Style" food, I fear local fare at Manhattan prices. Not so in this case. It was Italian soup, pasta and pizza in a cavernous space that is professionally decorated and accoustically dampened. Locals spoke highly of the place. And the folks we met at the next table were from the City. Surprisingly they gave the food the imprematur of the five borroughs. (I say surprising because this was the first time I've heard a NYorker say that any food in California was "like in New York.") Big portions, moderate price-points, modern decor that attempts to convert a big space into soft dining room ambiance. OLD MEXICO - Stopped there in Santa Rosa for the first time on the trip home, after reading threads from this group. I had an expectation that some of the dishes may be a "reach," like baked prawns with ham and crab wrapped in bacon. But the decor was festive, the service was prompt, the prices were fair, the portions were large, the sauses were remarkable and the two entree we tried‹‹chile verde and carnitas‹‹were very good. I'll go back.
California