It’s that yummy time of year when the sweet treats and traditional dishes that we are deprived of all year long finally reappear to fill our palates with their mouthwatering delights.

Just in time to tempt us even more, the Claremont Resort Club and Spa debuts its new restaurant, Meritage, as part of its overall redesign. The concept of the restaurant’s menu is not an earth-shattering one here in the land of living in accordance with nature, and as such, is devoted to employing local farmers and purveyors in the creation of its contemporary California cuisine offerings.

What is rather more interesting is the idea that the restaurant will be devoted to wine and food exploration. We always love a good adventure and won’t snub our nose at this proposed culinary journey. Also catching our eye is the fact that the executive chef is French Laundry graduate Josh Thompson. While Castroville artichoke soup with prosciutto and roasted tomatoes doesn’t necessarily conjure up images of Christmases past, he does recommend it with the Light White section of the wine list. But the Black-eyed peas take us back to that age-old tradition on New Year’s Day, so we can recommend a side of those with Thompson’s cider-braised kurobuta pork belly and Brussels sprouts, found in the Spicy Earthy Reds menu category.

So its not just our own Haute Living culinary ambassador, Chef Ron Siegel at the Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco, who is employing the farm-to-table movement that is so popular on the West Coast. Chef Siegel, Chef Thompson, and the leader of the farmers market movement, Chef Alice Waters are turning their locavore mentality into a notion that is sure to sweep its way eastward soon.

Via Hotel Chatter