64 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM 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-thewoods 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 {food coloring}
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