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A tiny northern California town has been named the best small town in America for foodies and wine lovers.
The quiet idyll of Elk, which is located three hours drive north up the coast from San Francisco, took the top spot in a new ranking by Travel + Leisure.
The string of houses and hotels straddling the Pacific Coast Highway are often overlooked by travelers, and it is home to only around 275 residents.
To find the best small towns for food and wine across the US, Travel + Leisure only considered places with fewer than 25,000 residents.
Elk stood out for its high quality restaurants and its location amid a world-renowned wine region.
The quiet town of Elk is located three hours drive north up the coast from San Francisco
In order to be recognized in the ranking, a town had to 'excel in its category and offer a variety of activities, accommodations, and a timely reason to visit - be it a notable new festival, hotel, restaurant, attraction, or tourism initiative,' Travel + Leisure wrote.
Despite being home to fewer than 300 residents, Elk boasts a Michelin-starred restaurant.
The Harbor House Inn, which has received two Michelin stars, is a 20-seat restaurant which serves 'a coastal-cuisine focused tasting menu,' according to its website.
The Michelin guide calls the cooking 'highly original.'
It touts chef Matthew Kammerer's use of 'hyperlocal and foraged ingredients, elevating not only delicacies like sea urchin but also more humble items like seaweed harvested from the nearby coastline or lace lichen plucked from overhanging trees.'
Elk is also home to the recently reopened Sacred Rock Inn, which has unobstructed vistas of the Pacific coastline.
The hotel has two restaurants - Greenwood Restaurant, which considers itself to be 'approachable fine dining,' and Elk House, a casual eatery with pub fare set in a historic building.
The former has a wine menu sprinkled with local vino, according to Travel + Leisure, while the latter has a beer list that includes brews from the neighboring towns of Point Arena and Boonville.
Elk Cove Inn is home to Sibo Restaurant, which has a distinct French flair.
When it comes to wine, Elk has its own wineries, and is in a prime position just half an hour away from Anderson Valley's vineyards.
The string of houses and hotels straddling the Pacific Coast Highway are often overlooked by travelers, and it is home to only around 275 residents (Pictured: Harbor House Inn)
Elk stood out for its high quality restaurants and its location amid the world-renowned wineries of the Anderson Valley
The Harbor House Inn, which has received two Michelin stars, is a 20-seat restaurant which serves 'a coastal-cuisine focused tasting menu,' according to its website
The Michelin guide calls the cooking at the Harbor House Inn 'highly original'
The wineries of Anderson Valley are known for their sparkling wines and Alsatian grape varieties.
'Unlike many wine regions that have been popularized to the point of overtourism, the wine experience in Elk and Anderson Valley remains approachable and intimate,' said Travel + Leisure.
'Many wineries are owner-operated, and some retain a food element, like the handmade cheeses that complement Pennyroyal Farm's estate wines.'
To get a taste of the area's wine, visitors only need to drive 10 minutes inland from Elk to reach Drew Winery, which is located on a former apple orchard.
The family-run operation is known for its pinot noir and chardonnay, in addition to organic-certified, farm-grown food.
English (US)