San Juan Bautista's Mariposa House wins kudos for charm and cuisine.

When I heard the next spot for my restaurant visit would be in San Juan Bautista, I was stoked. Nothing like a road trip to stimulate the senses. Naturally, my first inclination was to try to work in a round of golf just down the road at San Juan Oaks, Freddie (he''s always been Freddie to me) Couples'' beautiful course. Unfortunately, Sweet Thing doesn''t golf and it was raining anyway. So much for that idea.

With 7:30pm reservations, we hit the road at 6:30, which would leave us plenty of time to mosey (when I go out, moseying is preferred). It only takes about 35 minutes to get to San Juan from my house. Once you get past the far side of Marina, you''re just a couple of long highway corridors from the sleepy mission town.

Sure enough, we rolled into town about eight minutes after seven. I hadn''t bothered to ask directions since the whole town is easily negotiated, and I assumed that we''d just drive up on our dining destination. Well, it was dark, and it was raining, and Mariposa House is off the beaten path. We drove around town awhile, which is always a hoot--San Juan Bautista is a cool little city (city?) with a flavor all its own.

Chickie Boom, who is not exactly Amelia Earhardt when it comes to navigational skills, was pretty much only good for comic relief. Between the two of us, we would have had trouble finding George W. at a NOW convention. But my always-prepared little Girl Scout did have a cell phone. So like two lost children, we were led to the Mariposa House door via an airways link with the extremely patient Barbara.

Once inside, the aforementioned Barbara graciously welcomed us and sat us in one of the three small dining rooms. We settled into our little corner table and began to assimilate all we could of this restaurant.

Firstly, Mariposa House really is a house. Built in 1892, it sat on San Juan Bautista''s main street until the mid-''70s, when it was moved one block away so a bank could go in its place. It is the only Victorian-style building in town, and a very cool little Victorian it is. Painted blue with white trim on the outside, and sporting a lovely porch, Mariposa House oozes charm.

Each of the dining rooms is individually decorated. In fact, the specific design theme extends to the tables themselves, which sit like pretty dollhouse furniture, each one dressed slightly different. Plates don''t match, salt and pepper shakers are singular, tablecloths come in varying colors--it''s fabulous.

Softly colored walls provide a palette upon which beautiful and imaginative selections of paintings, photographs, mirrors and bric-a-brac combine to form a complete work of art. Elegant, understated chandeliers hang around doing their chandelier thing. Soothing, yet stimulating music from the ''20s, ''30s and ''40s round out the feel. Sweet Thing exclaimed, "I feel like we''re on our own private dining train."

Homespun Silence

Part of the menu (which also tells the tale of the place, along with a story about its house ghost, Rachel) reads: "If you spend only a moment in silent awareness, you will find the Mariposa House bestows a special feeling of home and welcome."

We spent a silent moment and indeed, we felt welcome and at home.

The menu is short. This would be the kind of place that could get by without any menu at all, since eating here is like eating at someone''s home. Delicious bread from a local bakery kick-started the tastebuds. They give you soup or salad with the meal and, apparently, no one ever ordered any apps, so they 86''d them.

A Russian mushroom soup made with two types of stock and sour cream was rich and complex but avoided becoming heavy or cloying. A salad of fresh local greens casually dressed in a good vinaigrette proved to be snappy, crispy and alive. A bottle of Calera Pinot Noir 1998, chosen from a list comprised mostly of area wineries, provided the connective tissue to hold everything together.

When the entrees appeared, we understood why no apps were necessary. Lamb shanks for me and braised short ribs for Sweet Thing arrived piping hot with accompanying mashed potatoes and broccoli, which was just as green and luscious as you would want. The portions were grand and with that downhome, stick-to-your-ribs kind of goodness.

Both meat offerings were fall-apart tender and very delicious. The broccoli was cooked very tender, which, in certain settings would be wrong, but on this type of dish was perfect, and the mashed were right there. Unfortunately, by the time we''d gotten about half way through our meal, we both were stuffed. I continued to pick away, despite my internal organ music chiding me not to.

Tracy, our attentive, helpful, friendly waitress, gushed about the homemade light and dark chocolate cheesecake with chocolate mousse on top (Barbara, who owns the joint, does the baking). Are you kidding me? Tailors everywhere were licking their chops thinking about all the fabric they''d be able to sell me for new pants.

We ordered it. The piece was big enough for four reasonable adults or one normal teenager. It was huge. Needless to say, there was a lot going on. I''m not gonna sit here and tell you it was light, but then again I''m not gonna say it was heavy, either. It was just what it should have been. We ate about 30 percent of it and cried "Uncle!"

The bill wasn''t shocking, prices are in line here, and the return on your investment is high. We left feeling satisfied and renewed, which made the drive home even sweeter.

Mariposa House is located at 37 Mariposa in San Juan Bautista (623-4666) and is open on Tuesday-Saturday for lunch from 11:30am-2:30pm and for dinner from 5-9pm, and for brunch on Sunday from 10:30am-2:30pm.