Marianne H.
Yelp
It was 7:30PM on a Saturday night last October 2022 and My husband and I were on our way back to Oregon after attending a wedding in Redding earlier that day. We decided we didn't want to drive all the way home and began looking for a hotel in Dunsmuir where we could stop for the night. We were also hungry and so while he drove, I searched Yelp for restaurants in Dunsmuir (I'll be honest, I did not have high hopes of finding anything beyond fast food ). I ran across café Madalena and I gave them a call. We were about 45 minutes away and when I asked if they might still be open around 8:30 (when our GPS said we would arrive in town), "Of course" said the pleasant voice on the other side of the line. "Our last seating is at 8:30". Whew, we made it just in time. You would never know Cafe Madalena was there unless you drove off the main drag through town so a big thanks to Yelp for helping us find this delightful, warm, cozy hidden gem. When we arrived, almost every table was full (an indicator of good things to come) yet they greeted us warmly and we were seated immediately. For starters, I'm a huge critic of table-settings. In my opinion, there's nothing worse than going to a well established, or higher end, restaurant and being served a meal on cheap, cafeteria dishes with chintzy silverware and dime store wine glasses. (I digress)....I loved the little touches that our table had. White linen tablecloth, flatware placed carefully on the table, beautiful wine glass, linen napkins, and a sweet little flower in a vase and candle made the atmosphere. The menu here is simple, with fresh, farm to fork offerings. I am gluten free and our server (I believe her name was Kelsey) gave excellent suggestions. We received impeccable service as well (service that rivaled any 5-star restaurant in a large city. Kudos to the entire staff for that) and they never made us feel rushed even though we were the last two patrons left in the restaurant. Before our meal our server brought us this wonderful little treat, of goat cheese wrapped grapes, rolled in pistachios (delicious) we enjoyed a lovely white wine (from lake county if I remember correctly ) with our meal at her recommendation. My husband ordered the salmon and I had pork chops. Our portions were just right, not too much, not too little. Everything was presented beautifully and cooked perfectly. We left with very satisfied bellies, and a promise to return. We had no room for dessert, but our once again our wonderful server insisted on sending us on our way with a to-go box filled with a gluten-free dessert for me and a regular dessert for my husband. (I wish I could remember what they were but they were so yummy, we ate them for breakfast the next day). So in closing We loved everything about this restaurant. The atmosphere service, the food, wine, and I can't wait to go back and visit this lovely hidden gem.