But we couldn't just drive so far north and leave without eating something local so I insisted we find a restaurant, eat quickly and drive like mad back to the city.
Cafe Reyes looked like the best restaurant in town. Big, quaint and cosy, it had a coffee grinder as big as a chimney on one side and a wood-fired oven on the other. Very promising, but I didn't go to Pt Reyes for pizzas. I wanted something local. I saw a lady closing her store and asked her where I could get some oysters (what else, we didn't have much time) and she said "That'll be Station House Cafe." We went there, and we knew we were at the right place. There were no customers at Cafe Reyes (maybe it was too early, about 5 pm) but Station House Cafe was bustling and noisy, tables were mostly taken and people looked like they were enjoying their food.
BBQ oysters, USD12.25 for half dozen. Oysters are best eaten au natural, period.
1/2 pound sweet yummy clams in wine, USD9.95, so good I wanted more but was shot down by my companions.
Popovers. What ARE popovers? They looked like Yorkshire pudding, tasted like Yorkshire pudding but without the drippings and these were simply awesome. So good we asked for another serving, and I would have asked for more but didn't want to look cheap because the popovers (and terrific bread) came free.
These were the best Yorkshire pudding/popovers I've ever eaten. Crusty outside, soft and light inside and very tasty, even without butter. I think they were for mopping up the clam juices. Simple but this was one of the best things I ate in SF.
Chicken veg soup with orzo (ric-shaped pasta), USD3.95. Loved it.
Not giving up on the bad clam chowders that I had eaten in SF, I ordered Station House Cafe's clam chowder (USD4.95) and surprise, it was good, better than any I had eaten thus far except it was strangely slightly acidic.
This is two orders of mushrooms, USD0.75 each. This was seriously good. Seriously.
I would go back to Station House Cafe if I go to Point Reyes again. In fact, I would drive there and eat oysters at Station House Cafe and forget about going to oysters farms or shucking them myself. The Cafe's oysters were from Drakes Oyster Farm, where we were earlier, and they cost less at USD1.80 each, raw. Now you know.
Like a paparazzi-weary celebrity, this pensive pooch ignored me after a while. He was sitting alone in a car near the cafe.
We passed through many small towns where you can have fresh oysters.
Quality grass-fed meat too.
There were some redwood trees (related to the sequoias) on the way but these were puny compared to the giants further up north in the Muir Woods National Park which we brought our kids to on our previous trip.
Yi doggie-bagged Vietnamese-style beef and tomatoes from The Other Slanted Door, which she said was way better than The Slanted Door. This was good, like home-cooked beef and tomatoes, but the surprise flavor was cloves, which made the ordinary dish more interesting and aromatic.
Cafe Reyes looked like the best restaurant in town. Big, quaint and cosy, it had a coffee grinder as big as a chimney on one side and a wood-fired oven on the other. Very promising, but I didn't go to Pt Reyes for pizzas. I wanted something local. I saw a lady closing her store and asked her where I could get some oysters (what else, we didn't have much time) and she said "That'll be Station House Cafe." We went there, and we knew we were at the right place. There were no customers at Cafe Reyes (maybe it was too early, about 5 pm) but Station House Cafe was bustling and noisy, tables were mostly taken and people looked like they were enjoying their food.
BBQ oysters, USD12.25 for half dozen. Oysters are best eaten au natural, period.
1/2 pound sweet yummy clams in wine, USD9.95, so good I wanted more but was shot down by my companions.
Popovers. What ARE popovers? They looked like Yorkshire pudding, tasted like Yorkshire pudding but without the drippings and these were simply awesome. So good we asked for another serving, and I would have asked for more but didn't want to look cheap because the popovers (and terrific bread) came free.
These were the best Yorkshire pudding/popovers I've ever eaten. Crusty outside, soft and light inside and very tasty, even without butter. I think they were for mopping up the clam juices. Simple but this was one of the best things I ate in SF.
Chicken veg soup with orzo (ric-shaped pasta), USD3.95. Loved it.
Not giving up on the bad clam chowders that I had eaten in SF, I ordered Station House Cafe's clam chowder (USD4.95) and surprise, it was good, better than any I had eaten thus far except it was strangely slightly acidic.
This is two orders of mushrooms, USD0.75 each. This was seriously good. Seriously.
I would go back to Station House Cafe if I go to Point Reyes again. In fact, I would drive there and eat oysters at Station House Cafe and forget about going to oysters farms or shucking them myself. The Cafe's oysters were from Drakes Oyster Farm, where we were earlier, and they cost less at USD1.80 each, raw. Now you know.
Like a paparazzi-weary celebrity, this pensive pooch ignored me after a while. He was sitting alone in a car near the cafe.
We passed through many small towns where you can have fresh oysters.
Quality grass-fed meat too.
There were some redwood trees (related to the sequoias) on the way but these were puny compared to the giants further up north in the Muir Woods National Park which we brought our kids to on our previous trip.
Yi doggie-bagged Vietnamese-style beef and tomatoes from The Other Slanted Door, which she said was way better than The Slanted Door. This was good, like home-cooked beef and tomatoes, but the surprise flavor was cloves, which made the ordinary dish more interesting and aromatic.
2 comments:
You made me want to have oyster now. I cant believe the mushroom was only USD 0.75 each, that's so cheap. The best clam chowder I ate was from Hog Island in Ferry Building. It was not the usual thick and creamy clam chowder. The chowder broth was light, loaded with manila clams in their shells, potato and bacon. It was so good! Here is a photo of Hog Island Clam Chowder
http://www.flickr.com/photos/meryddian/4049301652/
linda: omgosh! tt looks SOOOO good!!! i didn't know about hog island until i came back. what a GREAT pity i missed it! tt's an unusual chowder though. i wouldn't call it a chowder it it's so thin. it's a modern chowder and i think it's a great spin on the regular chowder which can be too thick. thnks for the info!
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