Trevor Logan’s popular buttery pies and Southwestern eats of the closed Green Chile Kitchen and Chile Pies Baking Co. have found a new home in a restaurant with a surprising focus: “wellness.”
Called House of Better, the restaurant will be part of a massive renovation at Dr. Wilkinson’s Backyard Resort & Mineral Springs in Calistoga. Assuming construction goes well, the resort and restaurant should open in October.
Before Logan closed his 14-year-old Green Chile Kitchen in 2019, he dreamed of relocating to Sonoma County. Serendipitously, the team behind Dr. Wilkinson’s sampled one of Logan’s pies at a party and thought they’d work for the resort’s restaurant.
“They love the idea of having healthy options and spa food but also something that would really offer a little bit of nostalgia,” Logan said.
Chile Pies, which closed in San Francisco after 12 years but maintains a location in Guerneville, is known for rustic, fruit pies that use organic butter and less sugar than average.
In addition to pies, Logan also brings a noted interest in nutrition to House of Better. He graduated from Berkeley’s holistic nutrition school Bauman College in 2018, going on to launch a San Francisco pop-up called Booster Foods Nutrition Kitchen that sold protein bowls, seaweed salads and gluten-free pizzas made with hemp-cauliflower crusts.
In a sense, House of Better will be an amalgamation of Green Chile Kitchen, Chile Pies and Booster Foods, with everything on the menu topping out at about $20.
A few New Mexico-style favorites from Green Chile Kitchen will likely appear on the House of Better menu, including the best-selling breakfast burrito, green chile stew and carne adovada. The latter — slow-roasted pork marinated in New Mexican red chile for 24 hours — might come as a filling for tacos with freshly made blue corn tortillas or lettuce to keep the meal lighter.
“The mains won’t have as much cheese and stuff as they have had in the past... a little healthier and lighter but still have all those flavors,” Logan said. “I think that’s what everyone is doing these days, finding the balance between the comfort food and the things that are good for us.”
Protein bowls from Booster Foods will also be on offer. They feature a choice of protein with quinoa or wild rice, kale, sweet potatoes and sauerkraut or yogurt. Those, along with nonalcoholic drinks such as kombucha, water kefir and adaptogen teas, are meant to appeal to spa-goers.
Local beer and wine will round out the beverage menu, with more indulgence coming in the form of pie. While Chile Pies is best known for its green chile apple pie with a walnut crust, the bakery also makes seasonal versions like lemon buttermilk and country peach with blueberry and creme fraiche.
Much of the seating for the counter-service restaurant will be outside, channeling a chill backyard vibe games, picnic blankets, a wood-fired oven and a New Mexican chile roaster. It’s what Logan is most excited about, as he’s never seen one in action in Northern California.
“The beautiful, playful space has the magic of Calistoga and the smell of chiles roasting from time to time,” he said. “There’s nothing like the aroma of a chile roaster.”
House of Better. Opening fall 2020. 1507 Lincoln Ave., Calistoga. https://drwilkinson.com/
Janelle Bitker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: janelle.bitker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @janellebitker
The Link LonkAugust 18, 2020 at 03:33AM
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Wine Country’s getting a new ‘wellness’ restaurant with popular pies of Green Chile Kitchen - San Francisco Chronicle
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