Southern Humboldt’s food scene, notably homemade and crafty, doesn’t seem a likely location for high-end dining. Certainly, there are pseudo versions of high-end cuisine, and often restaurants that claim such experiences remain in the overpriced and staid tourist trap category. But that stigma saw a serious blow this past summer with the reopening of the Olde Riverwood, a restaurant that now represents far more than the sum of its parts.
Phillipsville is a very unassuming place. One of a handful of small towns dotting the Avenue of the Giants, it’s a hamlet many could drive by without taking notice. A stunning part of the county, old growth redwood trees are the main attraction. The Olde Riverwood fits in here with the aesthetic of a classic roadhouse.
Upon entering for dinner, you immediately notice buzz and energy from a bar, the warm feel of a beloved locals’ dive dominates the space. The bar hosts live music and, on some nights, line dancing, true tenets of a country establishment — no hint of what someone entering for a meal on a whim is about to experience.
Behind the bar space lies the dining room, more brightly lit and softer edged. While dated and lived in, the dining space has a sense of comfort and ease. You are given a short menu and a drinks list, and suddenly it dawns that this restaurant is built differently.
When partners Vahan Petrossian and James Fleming purchased the Olde Riverwood in May, they immediately did something quietly revolutionary. By leaning into the traditional roadhouse theme, they made a decision to curate pop-up menus based on local and seasonal ingredients. Menus have been led thus far by three different chefs, each with a unique spin on the concept, and more chef collaborations are in the pipeline.
The resulting food is consistently exceptional, features modern interpretations of traditional dishes and punches well above its price point. An initial chef collaboration with America’s Test Kitchen veteran Garrett Schlichte shows just how serious this place is about food. The first menu was to the point, highlighting simple ingredients done incredibly well. Meatballs and chicken schnitzel were some of the early winners, and each was a refined version of a homemade classic.
Since Schlichte, the Olde Riverwood has brought in local chefs Trevor Samuels McTear and Lara Ortiz-Luis to help helm the restaurant. Ortiz-Luis is the cofounder of Virgo Supperclub with Schlichte in San Francisco, while Samuels McTear is a frequent collaborator with Humboldt businesses, including a recent lamb chop and A5 wagyu dinner with Septentrio Winery.
Samuels McTear’s menu during October was memorable and a marked shift towards more ambitious fine dining. Among the highlights was a Chinese spiced cassoulet with duck confit and stuffed delicata with lamb keftedes. The duck was a melt-in-your-mouth experience expertly paired with pickled fennel that helped offset immense richness. Other menu items included a savory and decadent cheesecake with artichoke heart and pickled vegetables, a beetroot tarte tatin, and an olive oil cake as a dessert option.
This is truly creative food, and it’s worth mentioning that items on the menu ranged from $11 to $26, reasonable prices almost unheard of for cuisine at this level. Service can be on the slower side, but well worth waiting for and frankly part of the growing pains of a new restaurant.
Menus since have hit the same theme of cuisine punching above its weight, and the restaurant has been able to maintain similar food quality between pop-ups with owner Vahan Petrossian at the helm. It’s impressive to see a restaurant not only serve excellent food, but execute it in such a dynamic and constantly shifting way.
The consistency of the Olde Riverwood can likely be traced to its partnerships with local farms and vendors. Local notables like the Foggy Bottoms Boys, Luna Farm, Fruitland Farms, Green Spiral Farm and others have been supplying the establishment. Having such fresh produce comes across plainly in resulting dishes.
Local sourcing and collaborations are continuing, most recently with the start of a series of local winemaker dinners. The first of these last month featured Miles Garrett Wines, a winery based in Willow Creek. Also incoming is a holiday pop-up store featuring local wines, condiments, home goods and even local art. Clearly the roadhouse is now a constantly evolving entity.
SoHum’s economy has been hit hard over the past decade but it is reassuring to see signs of recovery. The Olde Riverwood gives a glimpse of the region’s potential for locally sourced, high-level cuisine and sets a new standard for dining in Southern Humboldt.
April Louis (she/her) is a South Humboldt based journalist. A veteran of wine industry publications, she now focuses on the culture and people of Humboldt County.
This article appears in Sacred Groves.