Barely an hour after finishing an early May taping of the Food Network’s “Tournament of Champions” with her friend, Guy Fieri, chef Crista Luedtke had already strapped on an apron and started bussing tables at her newest restaurant, Road Trip.
Guerneville’s most notable serial entrepreneur and cheerleader, Luedtke isn’t afraid to put in the work as she spins around the globally inspired cafe as server, line cook, host, fryer maintenance expert and chief table wiper.
Days later, the pompadoured spitfire who seems to be everywhere at once headed to Montana for a luxury ranch cooking gig followed by a three-day, 300-mile cycling fundraiser along the North Coast. Luedtke’s Instagram feed is both a travelogue and geography lesson as she globe-hops from Peru to Thailand, London to Mexico and Los Angeles to Maui.
At the end of the day, however, the Midwest-born Luedtke comes home to the sleepy Russian River town where she is the chef/owner of Boon Eat + Drink, proprietor of Boon Hotel + Spa and was a key player in the founding of Big Bottom Market and El Barrio cocktail bar. Luedtke opened Brot, a restaurant focused on German cuisine, in 2019 and shuttered it in late 2023.
Brot’s Main Street restaurant space was quickly recast as Road Trip, a culinary journey that pays homage to the chef’s global travels. From street food to fast food, with a generous sprinkling of comfort favorites, Luedtke’s menu is a mashup of flavor memories that include a Vietnamese-inspired Banh Mi Panzanella salad, Texas-style pulled pork flatbread (with pickles), and Mexican hot dogs wrapped in bacon. All dishes have an adventurous yet approachable quality.
“I wanted it to have creativity and not stay in one lane. I want people to come up to the river and look at the menu and find four or five things they absolutely want to have,” Luedtke said in an April interview. She and her longtime Chef de Cuisine, Carlos Mendez, have created just that in Road Trip.
Inside the restaurant, lights are kept low during daylight hours, allowing the town to become the backdrop. Road trip-themed movies play silently against a back wall, adding to the travel motif, and bench and bar seating lend a casual “come as you are” feel. A smattering of outdoor bistro tables are hot property, as the interior can get warm on summer days. Hawaiian shirts and board shorts welcome.
Though Road Trip lacks a full liquor license, well-crafted low-alcohol cocktails fit the bill if you’re seek something more continental than beer or wine.
Don’t miss the RTK-SBG ($12), a riff on the Negroni Sbagliato that gives herbal Coca-Cola vibes, or the crisp Clean Slate ($14), made with sherry, vermouth and bitters. The menu also features a small but well-curated list of refreshing bubbles, whites and rosés by the glass (and a handful of reds), local and international beers and nonalcoholic drinks.
A dedicated kids’ menu with the usual suspects — hot dogs, chicken bites and pasta — makes the experience genuinely family-friendly. A thoughtful selection of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options considers various dietary requirements.
A month into service, there are a few hiccups yet to work out, but Luedtke and her team rarely skip a beat when it comes to reliably good dining in West County. Service is solid, and the experience is a worthwhile Guerneville adventure.
Best bets
DIY Deviled Eggs ($11): Squeeze a pastry bag filled with creamy hard-boiled egg yolks and Kewpie mayo into naked egg white halves. Add as much kimchi, green onion and sliced chiles as you dare. Add caviar ($65) for a fancy upgrade.
Fried Mushrooms ($12): An ode to Luedtke’s Wisconsin upbringing, these bar snacks are a must-try. Pickled maitake mushrooms get a fried cornmeal breading and are ridiculously dippable in charred onion buttermilk Ranch dressing (vegan/gluten-free).
Mexican Street Corn Salad ($14): Probably our favorite dish on the menu (along with the Mac Daddy), this salad is as pretty as it is delicious. Grilled kernels of sweet corn are dressed with creamy lime sauce, salty cotija cheese and ancho chile powder atop halved Romaine hearts — a sort of deconstructed salute to this popular Mexican street food.
The Mac Daddy ($18): Locally sourced grass-fed and grain-finished beef is the heart of this Big Mac upgrade. Served with lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions and special sauce on a squishy sesame milk bun. (Fries are $4 extra). A top-notch burger from a chef who knows her burgers and isn’t afraid to reinvent the McDonald’s classic.
Fish-n-Chips ($26): Fresh local cod is dredged in a sesame tempura beer batter and deep-fried for a super crispy crunch. The dish improved on a second visit, served with herby coleslaw, fries and tartar sauce.
Get Gnudi ($24): Adapted from Luedtke’s very Midwestern childhood favorite of noodles and tomato juice, this gluten-free pasta (ish) dish features soft pillows of gnudi (saying it is just fun) made with spinach and ricotta cheese. Tart tomato sauce with basil, Parmesan and a hint of lemon make this a very shareable dish for the table. We just wish it had some bread on the side to sop up all the saucy goodness.
Butterscotch Pudding ($12): This gussied-up version of a 1970s Jell-O favorite is sweet and slightly salty, with the recognizable dark caramel and butter flavor of those little yellow candies your grandma carried in her purse. Topped with fresh whipped cream and shards of chocolate shortbread.
Road Trip is at 16218 Main St., Guerneville, 707-604-6102, eatatroadtrip.com. Open 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday through Monday.