For decades, diners flocked to the redwood forests of Woodside to visit the Mountain House, a century-old dining destination tucked inside a vermilion cabin. A year after longtime owner Jerry Olson retired and closed the restaurant, Michelin-starred chef Dmitry Elperin and his business partner, chef William Roberts, are reimagining the picturesque roadhouse on Skyline Boulevard.
According to Elperin, taking over the Mountain House, which reopens for dinner service on Feb. 23, was an easy decision—both for him and the former owner. Olson was apparently well aware of Elperin’s culinary reputation. The latter earned his stripes as the executive chef of the Village Pub in Woodside, winning the upscale American restaurant a Michelin star in 2010. Roberts was a sous chef during Elperin’s tenure there.
Olson’s decision to permanently shutter the Mountain House followed a temporary Covid-related closure in the fall of 2020.
While Olson’s crew specialized in local seafood and wild game, Elperin is starting anew with a slightly different concept. He told The Standard the new incarnation of the Mountain House will focus on “coastal countryside cuisine.”