If you venture north beyond Sebastopol, inland from the jagged California coastline, and Bodega Bay, you will find yourself in yet another valley: the Russian River Valley.

The Farmhouse Inn is a tranquil bed and breakfast in Forestville. It boasts a spa, a reputable restaurant with fantastically professional service (if not a little slow), and a beautifully manicured property complete with a herb garden and a chicken coop. After all, the name would be misleading without a few requisite barnyard animals. Breakfast is a decadent treat, to say the least. Repeat the phrase ‘I’m on vacation’ and allow yourself to indulge in homemade pastry, hot scones, just-picked seasonal fruit compotes, French toast filled with mascarpone, pancakes, sausage, and more. Dinner at the restaurant is prix fixe. The service is exceptionally trained and the plating is of course exquisite. The rooms are lovely; comfortable and luxurious, clean and charming. The service is overall excellent, and everyone exhibits that innate California friendliness that always throws a New Yorker slightly off kilter.

Swiss chard growing at the Farmhouse Inn

The Farmhouse Inn

We hope these chickens are for eggs and overall setting, rather than a poulet diner

Asparagus-Spring Onion Soup with chili roasted Dungeness crab meat and green garlic, at The Farmhouse

Frozen Rhubarb Mousse. Poached rhubarb, fennel cream, rhubarb puree, pistachio, and fizzy lime sugar, at The Farmhouse

The Farmhouse Inn’s decadent oatmeal pancakes with enough mascarpone cheese and strawberry sauce to classify it as dessert.