Carter House Gardens

My favorite Restaurant in Humboldt, and one of my top three favorite restaurants I have ever been to is  Restaurant 301 at Carter House.  It's expensive, but not over priced.  The ambiance of their restaurant is upscale, but cozy and comfortable and the service is over the top professional, yet friendly and comfortable.  Never pretentious.  To top that off, I really love their "garden to table" philosophy.  They don't just talk the talk at Restaurant 301, they walk the walk.  Twenty seven years ago they started an edible flower and herb garden for their restaurant. What ever they don't grow themselves they do their best to find locally, and use the local supply of food as their inspiration in the kitchen.  They supply the restaurant from local farmer's markets, farms, and ranches, and use that to create both an amazing al a carte menu and an even more amazing discovery menu which is 2 special multi course meals, with each course being paired specially with a different wine.

Today on my walk to the library I got a little distracted by the local Victorian's and was happy to find myself standing outside the very Carter Gardens that help supply those menus - the one started 27 years ago to raise edible flowers and herbs.  I snooped around three sides of the garden until someone walked up to me and said, "they don't mind if you go on in the garden and walk around.  Just don't take anything. "  I hope that didn't mean, don't take any pictures, because I couldn't help myself.

I could have spent the whole day here, and I'm wondering if they would mind if I came back with a book on my next lunch hour and sit on the bench in front of the lavender bushes and read for a while.  I'll just have to try.