Matt Kammerer

Harbor House Restaurant (update), Elk, CA., 5/10/25

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back of Harbor House – 5600 CA-1, Elk, CA 95432

Whether you stay in the main house or one of the cottages at Harbor House you often have required 2 or 3 night stays.  Dinner can be in your room or this site has some other restaurants in the area but your best bet is to eat 2 nights at their restaurant.  When you let them know, Chef Matt Kammerer and his team will try and change the menu for you the second night but when possible he will also repeat those courses you ask to have again.   We’ve done the 2 night dinners many times but this one they knocked it out of the park with variation while still serving the quality of food we have come to love.  It’s hard to explain the purity of flavor and the seeming simplicity of the dishes (especially when I know how many steps were involved in the process) but it is always a glorious meal that leaves you feeling satisfied even though you know it was really healthy too.  Combined with the fantastic staff and beautiful setting I can’t encourage you enough to go and try it.  The Santa Rosa airport is about a two and half hour drive away and the twisty road through the mountains is gorgeous.  Then being from Texas it’s also thrilling to watch the temperature drop as you leave the valley and cross the mountains.  If you regularly read this blog you’ll see this place again many times and that speaks volumes. Continue reading →

Harbor House Restaurant (update), Elk, CA., 5/9/25

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exterior – 5600 CA-1, Elk, CA 95432

Harbor House is undoubtedly one of my very favorite restaurants and so we try and visit often.  It’s been several months and a different season so it’s fun to see what’s new on the menu.  Staying at the Harbor House is the best way to go – the view is beautiful as is the property and they’ve been working on upgrades to the rooms and bathrooms.   Their ranch/farm is in full production which along with other local fisherman and ranchers give them access to top quality ingredients. The food has a purity to it without 25 ingredients on each dish and smears, foams and unnecessary green garnishes.   Sommelier Jason Chin has taken over the wine program and will find you a fine wine in your price range to go with the tasting menu.  As they require a 2 night stay you can look forward to another Harbor House meal in a few days!  Hope you’ll go and tell them Frankie sent you. Continue reading →

Harbor House Inn Restaurant, Elk, CA., 8/22&23/24

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front – 5600 CA-1, Elk, CA 95432

Prior to this visit we dined at Harbor House last May 2024 and Nov. 2023 but many other times as you’ll find if you search for it on this site.  We would go more often if we were a bit closer – it’s definitely at the top of our list of favorites.  The staff are all very welcoming and the meal truly deserves its 2 Michelin Star rating.  They also achieved a Green Star for their protection of the environment and no-waste ethic.  Chef Matt Kammerer and his team have created a jewel for this beautiful coastal setting which serves locally sourced proteins and ingredients harvested from their ranches.  They put great effort into creating new items for your second night but will repeat some of your favorites too.  Their wine list continues to evolve nicely under Kelly Eckel and we trusted him to select for us and he finds some wonderful choices.  The restaurant changes a few things every time we visit and this visit found carpet in the main dining room.  Another means to buffer the perfect noise level but I’m not sure I liked covering the gorgeous wood floor.  Now that most amazing staff can whiz by and you won’t even notice.  I must also mention that one of their fabulous captains, Jaclyn Bisantz won the young server competition and will now represent the U.S. in the international competition!  Quite an honor but you couldn’t find someone more deserving.  Great staff are a huge component of a restaurant’s success and I look forward to seeing every one of them again soon.  Hope I’ll see you there too! Continue reading →

Harbor House Restaurant, Elk, CA., 11/2/23

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exterior – 5600 CA-1, Elk, CA 95432

Harbor House Restaurant is a favorite of ours, if you haven’t guessed due to the frequency of its write-ups.  It’s a bit of an effort to get to but with a direct flight from Dallas to Santa Rosa, CA airport (named for Charles Schultz and decorated with Peanuts characters), then pick up a rental car and it’s a 2 hour drive filled with wonderful scenery including forests, grape vines, grazing animals, coastal vistas and lots of fun twisty roads.  When you go, try and arrange to stay at the Harbor House Inn.  A lovely historic place, the building sits on the coastline and overlooks the water and some of the restaurant’s gardens.  The staff at the Inn and the restaurant are all first-rate and will make you feel like VIPs.  The accommodations have great linens and a superb breakfast is included with your stay.  Chef Matthew Kammerer has recruited wonderful people to be a part of your experience and the wine list is growing under the tutelage of Wine Director Kelly Eckel (beverage pairings are optional).   It’s not inexpensive ($285/pp) but it’s worth every penny to be able to enjoy a 2 Michelin-star meal filled with fresh fabulous flavors without the stuffy atmosphere that so often is part of it.  The room is small (just 20 people) so book now.  (No, I’m not on the payroll but when I find some magical, I want everyone else to enjoy it too.) Continue reading →

Harbor House Restaurant, Elk, CA., 8/24/23

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interior – 5600 CA-1, Elk, CA 95432

The restaurant at Harbor House has been on this site numerous times (3/23, 11/22, 3/22, 7/22, 7/21, 8/20) but I never get tired of taking photos and writing descriptions of the exquisite food produced in the 2- Michelin-star kitchen of Matthew Kammerer and his team.  The Harbor House Inn is situated on a beautiful piece of property overlooking the Pacific Ocean and jutting rocks.  The 1916 Craftsman-style house has around 20 ocean view seats for this Coastal-cuisine-focused tasting menu experience that is not to be missed.  The place also received a Michelin Green Star for the sustainable nature of its processes.  Now there are 2 farms raising produce for the restaurant and local farms and fishermen supply the rest.   The staff treat all like royalty and the food is as delicious as it is stunning.  With the addition of Sommelier Kelly Eckel, who most recently was at Single Thread, there should be some exciting new additions to their wine list also.  I urge you to plan a trip here, stay a couple nights and enjoy the very fine food and ambiance.  I know I’ll be back soon and post it again here. Continue reading →

Harbor House Restaurant (update), Elk, CA., 3/25/23

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view – 5600 CA-1, Elk, CA, 95432

One of the aspects of Harbor House Restaurant that I haven’t written much about is its status as a sustainable site.  In 2020 they received a Michelin Green Star for their efforts in recycling and local sourcing. Nothing is wasted.  For example, they make their candles from recycled fryer oil and beeswax, they repurpose wine corks for mulch and re-use vegetable rinsing water to water growing plants – and that’s a small accounting of their efforts.  It’s wonderful to think you can come here and have the elegant and sophisticated experience of a 2 Michelin star restaurant and still not leave a huge carbon footprint as a result.  It’s excellent food and the staff is first rate.  Frankie enjoyed visiting with a number of the team during our visit.  Make your reservation for this tasting menu today! Continue reading →

Harbor House Restaurant (update), Elk, CA., 11/27/22

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building – 5600 CA-1, Elk, CA 95432

Harbor House Restaurant has been on this site a number of times but this was our first winter visit.  We were lucky to find an opening to stay at their lovely main house for 2 nights and also open reservations for dinners those evenings.  This is when you know you should have bought a lottery ticket cause your stars are aligned.  There are only 20 seats at this ocean-view dining room on the Pacific coast.  Matthew Kammerer is the chef of this 2 Michelin-starred restaurant, and other well-deserved honors like Food and Wine‘s Best New Chef of 2019.  However, as I’ve said before, a chef alone can not make a restaurant this great, it takes a wonderfully talented staff too.  It’s one of those amazing places where you can ask your server pretty technical questions about the food and they know the answers, without having to run to the kitchen.  Sommelier John Miller continues to add to the wine selections, especially those from this region.  At this point, the whole staff knows me but everyone who goes gets the same caring attention that makes this a magical place to dine. I heartily recommend it, especially now that their ranch is up and running and supplying some fabulous produce that you can enjoy along with the marvelously fresh seafood, also obtained locally.  They do stress sustainability and thus will highlight some less common items. Continue reading →