Jenner occupies a prime piece of coastal real estate between Bodega Bay and Fort Ross at the mouth of the Russian River.

Hundreds of tourists stop here every week year-round to photograph the stunning views and enjoy the world-famous Highway 1. And yet for the last few years the front-and-center Jenner By the Sea Inn was ghost-town empty, its restaurant and bar perpetually closed, leaving visitors with the small, day-time Cafe Aquatica or the upscale River’s End.

This spring, however, locals and tourists woke up to a new reality.

Bay Area entrepreneur Stephen Compagni Portis, “just a guy trying to do stuff that’s meaningful,” bought the property from Richard Murphy, and the business underwent a revival.

“I’ve been coming to the area for 40 years, and this place was essentially dead when I talked to the owner and found out he wanted to sell,” says Portis. Along with an extensive renovation of the rooms, the crown jewel of the inn is its restaurant, a bright, inviting space offering breakfast, lunch and dinner all week long.

Entrepreneurial spirit is infectious. Monica Padua, a chocolatier and chef who worked across the highway at Cafe Aquatica at the time, felt moved to take part in the inn’s rebirth and approached Portis with a food-centered business plan. Soon enough, Padua and her team took over the kitchen. A menu was built, the facilities remodeled, the space reimagined and groovy music started welcoming the intrigued clientele. Communal sitting, big plants and bright colors came to replace the cluttered, old-fashioned furniture and the supremacy of dark brown wood. The bar received the playful name “Mermaid Cove,” and you can now say “Jenner” and “DJ” in the same sentence, thanks to the music events held on weekends.

“We’re trying to create a space that offers wholesome food, a place to rest, things that nourish the soul,” says Portis. “The nature here is off the charts, so it’s a good place to channel your spirit. Food and shelter are the basics.”

This spiritual attitude, as well
as the benefit of working and socializing locally, attracted Jenner’s small, youthful population.

“The previous staff didn’t feel they fit the culture of youth and family we’re trying to create,” says Portis. The younger population embraced the opportunity to contribute. Other Cafe Aquatica veterans, including Padua’s partner, Robert, and twenty- and thirty-somethings, now staff the kitchen and reception. The vibe at the new eatery is fittingly upbeat, cozy and efficient—one counter reads “Ask” and the other, “Receive.” The menus are plainly laminated like at a fast-food diner, but the ingredients are anything but plain.

“We try to bring casual comfort food to the coast,” says Padua.

With a degree from the Culinary Institute of America and previous experience in building restaurants from scratch, Padua has created an affordable, crowd-pleasing menu designed to cater to the international tourist as well as the mindful West County foodie. All products are organic and sourced from local farmers and ranchers, in order to create “familiar flavors, done in a different way.”

A perfect example is the bowl of wild smoked salmon chowder, made with fingerling potatoes and bacon ($8). The broth has a beautiful rusty hue, and the taste, well-rounded and borderline sweet, is something you crave days later. From the breakfast menu, the Goat Rock crêpe ($9) is made with regular and buckwheat flour and smothered with Niman Ranch bacon and cheddar, runny egg on top. This is a mild, satisfying and comforting dish that won’t change your life, but will keep you full and happy until noon.

For lunch, it doesn’t get any better than the turkey club burger ($12). The patty is flavorful and juicy, and the avocado, cheddar and bacon toppings dress it up. Everything, from the bun to the ketchup accompanying the crispy, spicy fries, is made from scratch. For dessert, options revolve around crêpes and sundaes, but why not get a luscious, healthy smoothie to go? Surfer and Starfish ($6) are not too sweet and delightfully creamy, perfect to take to the beach.

As if delicious food in a gorgeous setting and spiritual atmosphere isn’t enough, the whole experience comes with a very West County community angle. Both Padua and Portis stress the “collective” aspect of their new venture. “We’re not trying to make money,” says Portis, “just to make sure everybody’s involved and be as hospitable and warm as we can.”

Padua reveals that all kitchen staff members receive the same salary and make decisions together. The occasional traveler might not know that, but at least the prime real estate is now backed up with something to remember it for.

Jenner By the Sea Inn & Eatery,
10400 Hwy. 1, Jenner. 707.865.2377.

As the name implies, Petaluma’s Native Kitchen
& Kombucha bar has two personalities: food and drink. Make that a split personality. While there are few a standouts from the food menu, the liquid offerings are the real strengths here.

The food cooked in the tiny kitchen is gluten-free and mainly vegetarian, and is prepared with “healing intent,” says the menu. I’ve got nothing against a plant-based menu if it’s done with skill and finesse. Simple food made with good ingredients can be a pleasure, but co-owner Jasmine Dravis’ food is more spartan than simple. I did like the Mediterranean pickle plate ($9) and the excellent hummus served with it. The Sonoma Bounty salad (arugula, sprouted chickpeas; $9) was good but nothing you couldn’t make at home. Other dishes like the wan vegetable tacos ($12), chickpea and quinoa chili ($8) and quinoa-stuffed squash ($12—lots of quinoa here) suffered from an aggressive case of the ho-hums. Food can be medicine, but it shouldn’t taste like it.

Native’s kombucha is as good as any I’ve had, a great balance of sweet and tart. There is a changing lineup of flavors like mango, strawberry and mint, and rose-verbena. Native also offers creative kombucha cocktails that draw on the esoteric selections from the bar. Flor de Muerte ($11) combines kombucha with Sibona amaro, Oregon’s sublime Petal & Thorn vermouth and Abbot’s bitters. Served in a tall tulip glass, it goes down very smoothly.

There’s an interesting list of kombucha-based “tonics” made with various herbs and juices that each claim to cure what ails you.

The wine list is great. Co-owner Joseph Dravis has assembled a few local wines, but it’s the French, Spanish and Italian wines that are the most exciting. There are no usual suspects here. The list is clearly the expression of Dravis’ passion. He’s happy to help customers navigate the highly curated list. There is a small but excellent beer list too.

Since you’ll probably have them last, I saved the lineup of sherries, vermouth and amaro for last, as well. Sherry you’ve probably had before. The list includes three from Alvear that range from dry to sticky sweet. Vermouth and amaro are less familiar, but don’t let that stop you. If all you know about vermouth are the three drops of Noilly Prat that go into your martini, you’re in for a surprise. The aforementioned Imbue vermouths (Bittersweet and Petal & Thorn varieties) are wonderfully aromatic and complex, made for savoring. My favorite vermouth is the Contratto Rosso ($8). The Italian fortified wine is off-dry and luxuriously supple on the tongue, with aromatic flavors and a nuance that seemed to expand each time I took a sip.

Amaro is a delicious bitter-sweet digestif from Italy, the perfect postprandial sipper. Native has four on the menu.

The atmosphere at Native is as inviting as the drinks menu. While the square planks of wood atop wine barrels make for less than comfortable seating, the long, zinc bar, well-pillowed back dining room and cool tunes create a bohemian chic vibe all its own.

Native Kitchen & Kombucha Bar. 110 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma. 707.559.3750.