Words by Johanna Harlow
Mountain House isn’t the place you visit as an afterthought—you’re going to have to seek it out. Head into the forest and through the woods, traversing steep, winding roads to reach this hidden gem on Kings Mountain. Nestled between Huddart Park and Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve, the restaurant seems untouched and untamed by the Silicon Valley hustle. “It’s got this cabin-in-the-woods kind of feel,” observes William Roberts, who reopened the restaurant with Dmitry Elperin in 2023. “There’s a little bit of a time capsule element here.”
Mountain House’s forest room features a breathtaking wall of windows that stretch along the building’s exterior and extend to the roof above, making the towering trees the main course. But this secluded and spellbinding setting has its price: out here, you’re at the whim of Mother Nature. That first winter of the reopening, a toppling redwood crashed down on the roof, storms prompted a multi-day power outage and a landslide took out a nearby highway. But this executive chef duo weathered it all, breathing new life into this century-old establishment.
Step inside, and you feel the weight of history about the place. In the late 19th century, Kings Mountain was well-known for logging. “Up here was pretty wild west,” says William. “It was kind of rugged.” He motions out the window at a well where people came to draw water. Later, the site became a saloon—a different kind of watering hole for thirsty loggers. “Legend is that it was a house of … nocturnal activities,” William adds delicately. Mountain House’s previous owners, Jerry and Lorraine Olson, divided it into a formal dining room and a more casual bar where diners could dig into corn fritters and short ribs while Led Zeppelin and Blondie songs blared on the jukebox. After three-plus decades, they were ready to pass on the legacy.
“When I saw it, I fell in love with it,” William says of his first visit. The Olsons served game on the menu and William was eager to embrace that approach with wild boar, bison, elk and venison. He recounts many fond memories of hunting and fishing with his father growing up—catching his first fish and learning to clean it, eating his first deer liver after a hunt. He envisioned mounting his and his father’s deer heads on the walls to show appreciation for the source—a forest-to-fork sensibility.
“When Will saw this place, everything clicked,” Dmitry chimes in. He admits it took him longer to warm up to the idea: “I’m a little more cautious. Will has more of a free-spirit energy. Like, he’ll dive into the pool and hope that it’s deep enough, you know? And if it isn’t, he’ll make it work anyway. He’ll will it to work. Will wills things to happen.” William is quick to return the praise: “There’s a check and balance,” he says. “I will sometimes start just going off on tangents like, ‘We could do this,’ or ‘We could do that,’ or ‘What’s next?’ And Dmitry will kind of ground it out a little bit … He’s like, ‘Whoa, sure, but let’s make sure this is running first.’”
What unites Dmitry and William is their roll-up-your-sleeves-and-get-the-job-done drive instilled by early years in relentlessly fast-paced East Coast kitchens. William established himself at Blue Water Grill and Ocean Grill, prominent seafood restaurants in Manhattan, then at Michelin-starred Saul in Brooklyn, while Dmitry cut his teeth at Washington D.C.’s Red Sage. “You’re not accepted until you prove yourself. There’s no handholding,” Dmitry recalls of the high-pressure grind. After an impressive roster of subsequent restaurant experiences, the two crossed paths at Bacchus Management Group, where Dmitry led The Village Pub as executive chef—maintaining its Michelin star for eight years—while William took on a range of roles at both The Village Pub and Mayfield Bakery & Café. After Dmitry switched to private chef gigs, the two remained in touch, hiking, sharing meals and daydreaming of a restaurant they could run together one day. That dream is now a reality.
Back in the present, Dmitry sets expectations high with sturdy hunks of rustic bread. “It takes its time fermenting slowly in a cold walk-in,” he says of the process. “It develops more flavor and more complexity.” Without a bread oven, he bakes 20 loaves a day in large cast-iron pots. “I’m still making bread, like Sisyphus,” Dmitry jokes. Bite in and you’ll be met with a satisfying crackle of crust and a delightfully dense center.
At Mountain House, expect a menu that shifts with the seasons with prix fixe three-course and five-course choices as well as a la carte options at the bar. William and Dmitry combine their classical French and Mediterranean backgrounds with California ingredients. “New American cuisine, that almost means nothing now. People have been saying it since the ‘90s,” William says. “So we came up with ‘coastal countryside cuisine.’”
Highlights from their latest menu include Scottish salmon crudo, briny and bright, topped by the delicate crunch of granny smith apple, salty smoked roe and a sprig of dill. The Texas quail, its juicy meat expertly cooked, is complemented by quince, squash puree and a pomegranate vinaigrette.
Their top seller? The venison. “Some people have tried venison at some uncle’s house—or their grandpa used to cook venison and it was gamey,” reflects William. “Whereas, I think if you treat these meats correctly and you showcase them, it’s a beautiful product.”
“Game specifically really loves wine,” adds William. Mountain House’s wine list is approachable and well-curated with plenty of local vintages. On good terms with local producers, William and Dmitry have hosted wine dinners with La Honda’s Mindego Ridge Vineyard, Woodside’s Thomas Fogerty Winery and Los Gatos’ Rhys Vineyards. They’ve also partnered with Domain Eden and Mount Eden, sister wineries in the Saratoga foothills.
After all, mountain living forges strong bonds. “We’re in a community that appreciates this type of cuisine,” says Dmitry. “A lot of the regulars couldn’t wait to share their experiences from the past.” Sometimes mushroom foragers even show up to share their bounty of porcinis, chanterelles and black trumpets. William smiles as he recalls, “They’ll come and be like, ‘These were just two miles away down the road. Here you go: 10 pounds.’”
forest to fork – themountainhouse.com
Just outside Mountain House, you’ll see a wood carving of Neil Young strumming his guitar, a gift from the folk-rock icon himself. Neil’s late wife, Pegi, used to bartend here, and you can watch the couple twirl around the restaurant in Neil’s “Harvest Moon” music video.