My forays into wine country have gotten a bit more spread out and diverse, and I’m now finding myself up in Mendocino county a lot more often. It’s due in no small part to a winery up there that makes amazing brandy that rivals some of the best French makers, and while it’s not cheap, it is cheaper than trying to get many of the French brandies, so there is justifiable reason to be part to the club. On the way to the winery, we drive through a cute town called Hopland, and I’ve mentioned on several occasions that perhaps we need to stay the night there and explore more of the town, as I have seen several small, cute restaurants and wine tasting rooms that definitely need my attention. And while that overnight trip is still eluding me, we did manage to be there around lunch time with some time to kill, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to check out the top restaurant on my list: The Golden Pig.
I was a bit apprehensive as there wasn’t a way to book online, but Hopland is very small so getting a table really wasn’t a problem. It has very much a gastropub feel with an extensive wine list from many local wineries, as well as a wine shop attached, but if wine isn’t your thing, they also have local beers and ciders available. There didn’t seem to be many seats available, but I think there may be more dining in the back, although we never really made it out of the front room, so I really don’t know.
We ordered a couple of starters to share: Some Mexican street corn ribs that were on special and some blistered shishito peppers. Both of them were fantastic. While the shishito peppers were pretty standard, the server brought us a side of their garlic aioli to dip into which really amplified the flavor of the peppers. And the corn ribs were absolutely perfect. The corn was cooked wonderfully, and the topping was the perfect hit of lime and saltiness.
For mains, I went with the pork schnitzel sandwich (although the burger sounded heavenly), and my amazing dining partner decided on the sweet potato grilled cheese. I thought the sandwich was amazing, although the pickles were very briny, so it could be a bit discouraging if that hit of acid isn’t what you’re looking for to cut through the fried pork. The real surprise was the sweet potato sandwich. Carbs on carbs is always a winner, but the salty bacon and green kale really just brought the dish to a new level.
Sadly, I was a bit too full after all this amazing food to fit in dessert, but the apple pie bar definitely has my name on it for next time. Everything we ate at The Golden Pig was wonderful with very warm and friendly service. The wine was also received fondly, even though I had to stick with iced tea as I was driving (yet another reason for an overnight trip). It will definitely be a place to visit repeatedly if we are in that area for lunch, and I’m sure we’ll get back there if we do ever decided to take the plunge and spend the evening there.
Score: 4.5/5
Recommendation: Sweet Potato Grilled cheese and anything with the garlic aoili
The Golden Pig
13380 S. Hwy 101
Hopland 95449
