As I was driving to Jenner this weekend for a bit of sightseeing, I passed Mom’s Apple Pie on Gravenstein Highway at the northwestern edge of Sebastopol.
Mmmm, pie, thought I, good any day, any time.
But what caught my eye was a big chicken, emblazoned on an awning over a door that used to lead to Elmo’s Steakhouse. The Henweigh Café had recently opened adjacent to Mom’s, courtesy of owners Dennis Kelly and Lois Nielsen, for a casual roadhouse serving rib-sticking portions of American comfort food.
Mmm. Comfort food. Just the thing to go with pie.
Though it’s short, the menu delivers, with a theme we can all appreciate: “for a frugal budget during these economically challenging times.” That means meals – with leftovers pretty much guaranteed – for $18 and under.
Loosen your belt for all-day lunch and dinner plus Sunday brunch fixin’s like chicken potpie studded with roasted corn and fennel, bourbon marinated flank steak with sweet potato fries, and BBQ baby back ribs (some of the more creative plates show up as nightly specials). Sandwiches are popular, including a grilled prosciutto and provolone panini brightened with basil and balsamic aioli, or grilled chicken and havarti sparked with garlic mustard aioli and partnered with citrus slaw and homemade potato chips.
There are also a selection of small plates, including fondue (mmm, fondue!), a traditional Swiss recipe bubbling with Gruyère and Emmanthaler and served with dippers like pineapple sausage.
Sunday brunch is a prix-fixe affair, where for $17 you get your choice of entrée plus coffee, juice, fresh fruit, fried potatoes and house-made nut bread. Highlights include a slippery, meaty crab, cream cheese and dill scramble, egg Benedict (either Canadian bacon or artichoke hearts), or poached eggs nestled into home fried chorizo-potato hash.
You can watch your meals being prepared in the open kitchen, but my vote goes for al fresco, dining with my well-mannered puppy on the pretty patio on the edge of apple orchards and overlooking vineyards.
The restaurant, by the way, gets it name from that classic joke that’s as funny for a five-year-old as it is for a 105-year-old. The café’s website, in fact, details how to successfully deliver the funny bit:
“You: Start off by telling a story about something crazy that supposedly happened to you that week. When you’re to the point in the story where it’s time for you to explain how you dealt with the situation, say ‘So, I decided I had to go to the store for a henweigh…’
Subject: In most cases, your listener will ask, ‘What’s a henweigh?’
You: ‘Oh, about four or five pounds.’ Tag on a quizzical ‘Why do you ask?’ for bonus laughs.”
Got your guffaw on? Get creative and come up with your own version. Once you’ve henweighed someone, send your successful story to: ihenweighed@henweighcafe.com. Kelly and Nielsen will post the best ones and give away a free dinner for the monthly top winner.
Details: Henweigh Café, 4550 Gravenstein Hwy N., Sebastopol, 707-829-7500, henweighcafe.com.
