Sun streams in the window. The café cat, Luna, sprawls across a polygon of light, licking her paws. An espresso machine purrs as customers of Mind’s Eye Coffee Lounge line up for a mid-morning hot beverage fix. A door in the back of the coffee machine and counter opens into a shop with works in […]
Casual
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Treat Yourself
If you stroll by between 7 am and noon, go around the side to the walk-up coffee window at Sweetness and Light, and you might get a peek at Matt and Tami Toste tempering chocolate or hand dipping the old-fashioned candies that fill the cases at this Ferndale institution. Inside, treat yourself to browsing the […]
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The Market
Would you rather kick back in the sun, quaffing a draft kombucha and nibbling a Garden Goddess wrap, or hunker down and watch football amongst the barflies with a pint of local beer and a cheeseburger? Luckily, at Fieldbrook Market and Eatery, you can do both. Not to mention draft cider and corn hole, Diet […]
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The Big Cheese
For those of us who’ve been pushing the boundaries of what constitutes a “sample” at the Loleta Cheese Factory — skewering cube after creamy cube while patient cashiers restock — the recent addition of the Queso Kings grilled cheese bar is a revelation. With new owner chef Robert Stokes at the helm, the tiny town’s […]
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Sweets by the Sea
When you step into Humboldt Chocolate, tucked behind the gazebo in Old Town Eureka, breathe deeply. The air is heavy and sweet in the little shop. That’s because chocolatiers are hand-making each molded, cream-filled, foil-wrapped piece right on the premises. Peek through the window into the kitchen — you may glimpse Ken Buntin at the […]
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Pints on the Patio
Summer stretches well into fall in terms of fine, mellow weather in Humboldt. Revel in the sunshine and eat with your sunglasses on. Bittersweet Honestly, we are struggling to find the bitter here. This tag-team venture with Slice of Humboldt Pie and The Local Cider Bar is a very sweet deal. Stake out a couple […]
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Roadside Attractions
Humboldt has classic summer road food well worth pulling over for. Nothin’ fancy, just favorites from the grill and the fryer that will take you back. Don’t forget napkins. Lots of napkins. Chili dog aficionados around here are devoted to Bob’s Footlongs (505 12th St., Fortuna). Feed your nostalgia with an order of piping hot […]
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Sweet Eats
Don’t wait until after dinner for your dessert — head into Humboldt Sweets (614 Main St., Ferndale) for breakfast. The cinnamon rolls ($5) and massive caramel pecan cinnamon rolls fresh from the oven are a hot mess in the best possible way ($6). You might also see for yourself just how naughty the cream cheese […]
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The Warm-Up
A little chill is a fine excuse for a meal with a kick of spice. Get back up to temperature over something steamy, like these worldly wonders from the other side of the globe — right here in Humboldt. Just be responsible with the hot stuff. You have nothing to prove to us. Peek into […]
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Up and At ‘Em
Are two of these homemade blackberry hotcakes going to be enough? Better make it a stack of three ($10.75). Or more — the staff at the Seascape Restaurant (1 Bay St., Trinidad) understands. Your table also has postcard-worthy views of the sea and you’re a berry’s throw from a hiking trail to walk it off. […]
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Farm to Mouth
Even if you’re not doing your weekly produce shopping, strolling the farmers market in Arcata makes for a lovely Saturday morning or afternoon (the stalls are open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.). You’ve got live music, primo people watching, honey, jams and jellies worthy of suitcase space and a bevy of local food stalls […]
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Gone Fish’n Chipping
Just a vinegar bottle’s throw from the waterfront in Eureka, Gallagher’s Irish Pub in the old Victorian Eagle House (139 Second St.) is frying up old-fashioned, beer-battered slabs of firm cod or salmon ($13-$14). Wash it down with a cold Harp and stroll the boardwalk after. Mad River Brewing Company (101 Taylor Way, Blue Lake) […]