Vacations

Bodega Head

The past few weeks we have been fortunate enough to take in a couple little vacations, one to Bodega Bay/ West Sonoma/ San Francisco and the other to the Oregon Central Coast . When we have been home I have been making really healthy, easy dishes to try and counterbalance all the extra indulgences and imbibing we have been doing on our travels. With no new recipes to post, I thought I might share some of the places/treats/drinks we enjoyed during our getaways. I have to confess that by doing this post I am also satisfying my own desire to rehash my vacation food memories. Hopefully these memories will stay in my head a long while, because my only regret is that I didn't take more pictures of the food. The thing is, if I am truly enjoying my food, the last thing on my mind is to stop stuffing my face and whip out the camera.  When I am tempted to do this in a restaurant there is also the thought lingering in my mind that I don't ever want to be THAT girl. You know the type, the girl who whips out her camera and starts snapping away before she has even tasted the food, all with blogging, tweeting, facebooking, or  yelping in mind? In my book, nothing is more mood killing then when you are sitting there enjoying yourself and the flash of a Nikon goes off in your face. Some places food picture taking is acceptable, outdoor markets, most brewpubs are so noisy nobody really cares, and your own home. However there are some places where it is not acceptable behavior, for example, the Casino Bar in Bodega where we had one of our best meals; I would have been 86'd immediately had I whipped out my camera to document it. So although I can't leave you with a lot of "food porn" pictures,  I can post scenery ones, in hopes that this will entice you to try some of these places for your next getaway .....

Sonoma Coast:

Occidental, Ca

St. Theresa of Avila Church , Bodega, Ca

Ferry Plaza Market Building, San Francisco, Ca

Russian River Brewing Company, Santa Rosa, Ca- Our first stop on our way west to Bodega Bay. Don't go here for the food or atmosphere, go here for beer. A 16 beer taster? Sure, why not? "The River" has so many interesting and tasty beers on tap it is hard to choose a favorite, but mine was the Belgian brewed "Damnation", and the hubby's was the Sour Belgian "Redemption".

Spud Point Crab Company, Spud Point Marina, Bodega Bay, Ca- Two words: crab sandwich. This sandwich might actually be the best thing I ever ate. I even moaned out loud, and my table manners are better than that. Tons of pure crab, no fillers, lightly dressed in red pepper mayo, stuffed in between in two thin pieces of toasted french bread.....so perfect I had one two days in a row!

Gourmet Au Bay, Highway 1, Bodega Bay, Ca- This wine shop gets a mention, not for the excellence of their wines, (they were hit or miss) but for the location, cool "wine surfing" concept, and friendly owners. They have a lovely back deck where you can sit out over the bay and enjoy your wine.

Casino Bar & Grill, Highway 12, Bodega, Ca- Funky old saloon right next to the St. Theresa of Avila Church from Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. On certain nights, talented chef Mark Malicki comes to the bar and cooks a set menu of his own creation. What you get is gourmet food at pauper's prices. On the night we visited, we ordered the Crab Cobb Salad, Fishermen's Clam Chowder (with clams in shell, and short ribs with potatoes and creamed spinach. Grand total? 30 bucks! The food draws in an ecclectic group, to our left were locals and bikers, to the right were ladies who lunch. Coors Light and white wine spritzers all mixed together! The bar owners are super welcoming, but be aware that this is a beer, wine, or straight up liquor establishment, don't go in expecting or wanting to order a specialty drink, there are no cocktail shakers or glasses in sight. The poor guy next to us made the mistake of ordering a gin martini and he got a shot glass with ice, gin poured over, and a martini olive on top! When in Rome........

Hog Island Oyster Company, Ferry Plaza Building, Embarcadero, San Francisco, Ca- The original Hog Island Oyster Farm is located in along Highway One in Tomales Bay, Ca. Picnicing outside eating oysters along the Pacific sounded wonderful, but I get easily carsick. Not wanting to upchuck the schucks so to speak, we decided it was best to visit their space in the Ferry Plaza building in San Francisco. There are an overwhelming array of food establishments in the Ferry Market, but I was extremely pleased with our meal at Hog Island Oyster Company. Sipping Pinot Grigio and slurping up fresh oysters while looking out over the bay was the perfect way to end our vacation.

Oregon Central Coast

Gleneden Beach, Oregon

I got a chance to spend Mother's Day weekend at the Oregon Coast with both my mom and grandma. Since my family lives in California, the last time I got to see them for Mother's Day was over ten years ago!  We prepared most of our meals at the beach house, prefering to lounge with a glass of wine and eat at our leisure, rather then rushing around trying to get everybody up and out the door before breakfast hours were over. This didn't mean that the food we ate wasn't special or restaurant worthy though, it was just simple. Breakfasts of fried eggs and thick cut Pendelton bacon, dinners of fettucine pesto, butter lettuce salad,  barbecued oysters, tri-tip, and shrimp cocktail, and bay shrimp melts with beer-steamed clams , we really took advanatage of Oregon's bounty and our time together. However, we did eat out a few times, and had a noteworthy lunch at these two places:

Tidal Raves Seafood Grill, Highway 101, Depoe Bay, Oregon- Tidal Raves holds a special place in my heart for a number of reasons, a major one being that I have had the chance to break bread here with many people I love. The food is always fresh, delicious, and reasonably priced. I also think this restaurant has the most spectacular dining view on the Oregon Coast, and I would even venture to say the entire state. I reccomend the calamari, pan fried oysters, and Seahawk Bread for appetizers, all of their outstanding soups (personal favorite: Smoked Salmon chowder), cioppino, and pan fried snapper topped with shrimp salsa over a potato/smoked salmon cake. For dessert, try their bread pudding with bourbon sauce, it is so so good!

J's Fish and Chips, Highway 101, Lincoln City, Oregon- A little hole in the wall in a rundown shopping center, it's not much to look at, but the place serves up great fish and homemade chips. The Fish is fresh, and the panko breading is crisp and not too thick, no soggy breading here! Try the combo basket or the super fresh halibut!

Random Food Finds
If there are two things that really get me excited it's good beer and cheese. Here are some from our trips that made me happy!

Beer:

Damnation, Russian River Brewing Company
Cappucino Stout, Lagunitas Brewing Company
Racer IPA , Bear Republic Brewing Company
Boont Amber Ale , Andersonville Brewing Company
Tsunami Stout, Pelican Brewery

Cheese:

Mt. Tam Triple Creme Brie, Cowgirl Creamery
Pt Reyes Blue, Point Reyes Cheese Company

Vintage Extra Sharp White Cheddar, Tillamook Cheese Company