The Bear and Star

“We have an 800-acre ranch where we raise Wagyu beef, chicken, quail, and lamb to supply 100 percent of our menu. We raise our Wagyu beef on open pastures during the spring (on green grass) and then finish them on a diet of spent grains and grape pomace (from our brewery and winery). We have an organic farm and orchard and we forage items such as acorns, wild watercress, and mushrooms when available. We observe the Monterey Aquarium Seafood Watch list and have also re-purposed old wine barrels and commercial grape picking bins into raised beds and aquaponics systems for catfish.”

Smoked Wagyu meatloaf with pickled mustard seeds, tomato glaze, and garden vegetables; charcoal-grilled fava beans with soft-poached quail eggs; wild foraged herbs and greens with house-made strawberry vinegar and cold-pressed olive oil.

The Bear and Star is redefining the concept of farm-to-table, while offering guests a luxurious experience of ranch-style cuisine. While delicious dishes are reason enough to visit this restaurant, the sustainably minded vision behind it is another. “We are actively pursuing Air Not Water, a technology we developed to replace the pre-rinse used in all commercial kitchens with a mix of high-pressure air and water for clearing plates“, Chef John Cox explains. “This promises to save millions of gallons of water each year in California alone.”