Paradise Found

Prepare for a stay at the Stanford Inn by the Sea to take your breath away, and restore it deeper than before. The coastal Mendocino, Calif., retreat’s perennially blooming landscape and flourishing gardens will naturally put you in the mood for romance—assistant head gardener April Allard calls it the birds-and-bees factor.

Abundance from the certified-organic herb and vegetable gardens also inspires meals at Ravens’, the inn’s acclaimed vegetarian restaurant. Ravens’ sustainable fare fosters innkeepers Jeff and Joan Stanford’s devotion to vibrant health and mindful living. Jeff collaborates with Ravens’ chefs Sally Owens and Merlyn Alvarado and certified nutrition consultant Sid Hillman to serve nourishing and deliciously innovative cuisine.

For their special Valentine’s Day menu, the Ravens’ team features nature’s stores of aphrodisiac foods. These foods are believed to arouse the imagination (due to their resemblance to certain body parts) or otherwise quicken the pulse. Science confirms that promoting blood flow can boost potency; helping rev circulation are the allicin in garlic, arginine in cashews, and folic acid in asparagus.

Here, we offer a sampling of the menu, to savor in your very own love nest.