Delicious Finds at the Lost Frenchman

The Lost Frenchman was dreamed up in 2012 by local owner Tara Hass. It started as a mobile woodfired pizza stand which quickly became a staple at the Garberville Farmers Market and the local festival circuit, and its success led to the 2016 opening of their current brick and mortar on the main drag in Redway. The large dining room and outdoor patio quickly fill up with local regulars on a first-name basis with the restaurant’s staff; the community vibes are palpable and inviting. A giant chalkboard is scrawled with their offerings, ranging from sandwiches and breakfasts during the weekdays, and woodfired pizzas, salads and healthy drinks all week long.

I’m a fan of giving up control sometimes and asking the staff to order for me, and that’s exactly what I did on this trip — well, except for the burrata dish, which I order religiously every time I come in (can’t stop, won’t stop; it’s the best cheese on the planet and I am willing to fight over it). Brandi, the magnetic gal at the front counter, recommended the NorCal pizza and a garden salad with added goat cheese, and totally sold me on trying their popular turmeric iced tea, a first for me. The turmeric makes it a vibrantly golden concoction with chilled black tea, honey, ginger and lemon, perfect for sipping on the back patio in the glorious SoHum heat that persists even on a mildly rainy summer day.

The NorCal pizza, on a base of daily-made organic dough topped with white cheddar cheese, features spicy free-range chicken, lovingly rubbed down with house-roasted jalapeno for the right amount of heat, accompanied by red bell peppers and cilantro. The crust bakes up thin with crisp edges and the right amount of chew. As it’s the backbone of their business, Hass recommends newcomers start with one of their pizzas, an idea I fully endorse — they’ve perfected their crust game. The goat cheesy garden salad complements the heat from the NorCal beautifully, lending some brightness and coolness with a touch of acidity from their homemade balsamic vinaigrette and a delightfully textural crunch from the fresh cukes on top.

Even with the pizza and salad portions before me, I just can’t get enough of the burrata appetizer which is lovely in its simplicity and freshness. Slices of soft bread and artisan crackers accompany a plate of prosciutto, a side of glistening homemade pesto, and a bowl of your choice of burrata or stracciatella drizzled with olive oil and freshly cracked black pepper. The creaminess is divine and I’m hard pressed to find many, if any, local restaurants that let me indulge in my favorite cheese ever. (If you’re counting, that’s three different kinds of cheese I had for lunch, and I’m not sorry about it.)

Hass takes a front-line approach to her business; she’s a one-woman show on the breakfast and sandwich line (hence the weekday-only availability), but she’s supported by her staff (and often her two sons) who round out the prep, cooking and service in the restaurant. Their quality control and consistently delectable flavors come from their commitment to making as much as possible from scratch with well-sourced ingredients. Hass tells me, “We make as much as possible in-house on a daily basis. We grind our own pork for our sausage, make all of our own dressings, and our Hollandaise and gravy are made to order.”

Sidebar: A fan favorite at the Lost Frenchman is the meatball sandwich, which is conspicuously missing from my order on this trip but warrants a mention because it’s just that good. Do yourself a favor and trek down on a weekday so you can indulge in hearty meatballs — made from local Humboldt grassfed beef sourced from Liz and Hugo Klopper at Bear River Valley Farms — drenched in red sauce, snuggled in French bread and topped with a trifecta of provolone, ricotta and asiago cheeses.

With all the economic changes post-COVID and post-Green Rush, the Lost Frenchman has forged ahead with the support of dedicated locals and from the support of seasonal tourists who venture in from word of mouth. But Hass invites her northerly local counterparts to “come down to Redway to eat and check out our pizzas. I really, really appreciate when people from NorHum come just to have a pizza on their way to go check out the Cove. SoHummers always come north to support businesses in Eureka, so we love it when people make their way down to help us keep our doors open during the non-tourist season.”

The Lost Frenchman is conveniently located just south of the Avenue of the Giants — stop in before your next hike to fuel up and support this SoHum staple. Sip on a smoothie, take a turmeric health shot or some golden tea out back, and revel in all the scents pouring out from the kitchen. Believe me, it’s worth the drive.