The Marshall Store, Marshall, CA

 The Marshall Store

It's always been a pleasant way to spend a weekend day (or rare weekday off) driving out to Pt. Reyes and then, after spending some time poking around the bustling Pt. Reyes Station (really busy on Saturdays & Sundays-a plethora of cyclists, bikers, city cruisers, pedestrians and seemingly all with their kids and pets), either heading out to the beaches of Pt. Reyes Seashore for beach combing and/or kite flying, or heading north to the oyster 'outlets' up Hwy. 1. This past Sunday we opted for the latter, Tehra thinking along the lines of a meal at the Marshall Store, where we had eaten before and, located right 'next door' to Blue Water Kayaking, where we spent the evening of her birthday on a bioluminescence tour on Tomales Bay.

I was just happy she hadn't meant the Tomales Bay Oyster Co. as the cars there were parked quite precariously up and down both sides of 1 that afternoon because the parking lots on the property were completely full.

The Marshall Store has changed a bit since we first started stopping and sharing meals there. They have added more parking, tables, and bar seats on the deck outside, as well as expanding the menu and beverage selections. One of the first times we ate oysters here they had just gotten busted for some liquor license violation. They could sell us beer but we couldn't open it and drink it with our meal, not even brown bagging.

This day looked like the overflow from Tomales Bay Oyster and Hog Island too maybe as oowee were they busy...I know, Sunday afternoon on a mostly sunny day on Tomales Bay...go figure...

So while waiting in the line to order our plate of oysters we noticed they had Fish Tacos on the blackboard menu as well. OK, so a dozen BBQ oysters and a plate of Fish Tacos, along with a water for Tehra and a Racer 5 for me. As you can see by the pictures it was sunny, though slightly cool, with the Fog just starting to work its way in from the beaches, most likely to hit just as all of the big city daytrippers were packing up their economy or sports cars and heading back out to the 101 to make it home in time for Sunday night TV. What is interesting about the Fog around Tomales Bay is  that when it rolls in the bay becomes almost completely flat, which is what happened the night we went kayaking...it was so still and peaceful and surprisingly warm...
OK OK back to the food....

The oysters arrived first, a baker's dozen of them, along with soft warm buttery garlic bread to soak up the oyster juices...and those juices were most assuredly worth soaking up...mmm-mmm-mmmm...

The Fish Tacos, once they did arrive, were...OK. Delicious to look at, 3 to the plate, fresh lime and vegies, small double-layer corn tortillas and the avocado-tomatillo salsa, which was quite tastytangy. The fish though, was small and somewhat dry, maybe because it took a while for them to make their way to us. Long enough that I finished one beer and was part of the way through another when they showed up. The flavors all worked well though and we will most definitely give them another try on another trip to Marshall, though probably on a weekday when  they may not be quite so overwhelmed.
This particular day (and probably most days, come to think of it)..Oysters Rule!!!

To give you an idea of how big the formerly just fishing and ranching area of Marshall has gotten, there is now free valet parking on the weekends at Hog Island just up the road. Time was you could show up, order some oysters, take your tray glove and knife out to a picnic table and enjoy fun hour or so eating oysters. Hog Island is now pretty much booked solid for the rest of the summer and yes, Free Valet Parking...

Yellowfin Steak and Fish House, Edgewater, MD

Yellowfin Steak and Fish House

Ahhh Happy Hour, which, as we all know, can stretch over hours or the course of an afternoon/evening and then some....

And you sure don't get cheated on Happy Hour at Yellowfin. We (my Mom, my sister, Martha and myself) went for lunch and ventured into the middle of half-priced for both appetizers and bottles of wine...in other words...Happy Hour!!! Who needs a lunch menu when you have this extensive list to select from (Appetizer Menu)?  We ended up ordering the Hand-Cut Fries, Coconut Crunchy Shrimp, Crispy Calamari, the Seafood Flatbread Pizza, and Fish Tacos. Plus a bottle of Sonoma-Cutrer Russian River Chardonnay to add just the right touch of fruit and oakiness that Sonoma-Cutrer chars are known for.

So the Fish Tacos...most eclectic looking plate of them that I believe I have ever been served, How about you? 

The flour tortillas were soft, hot and puffy; the cusabi(?) was a surprising mix of mild wasabi heat balanced by the cool of the cucumbers; the vegies were fresh and not intrusive; the fish blackened on the outside and tender and moist on the inside; didn't even bother with the red squiggle thingy. The limes, though looking fresh, didn't yield much in the way of juice, but it wasn't missed all that much with the other flavors blending well and the Chardonnay providing plenty of fruit. The wine went so well with everything that it was hard to not order another bottle, but one of us had to drive, and it was my car so I will have to wait until next time on that particular notion...

Oh yes...happy hours, indeed....it would have been so easy to while away an hour or three, talking with Martha and Mom, running up a sizable but equitably worthwhile tab, and watching the sun go down in the west over the South River...

Papas & Pollo Southwest Mesquite Grill, Sebastopol, CA

 Papas And Pollo

Let me say at the outset that I really wanted to like this one, I really did...a sunny day, Giants baseball and Fish Tacos on the chalkboard sign out on 116...my kind of place to sit, have a cold beer (all Lagunitas beers on tap!), eat some tacos and watch Matt Cain pitch on a Thursday afternoon.
When I stepped to the counter to order I was told that they were out of fish so no fish tacos today, sorry...Damn!...OK, Jumbo Prawn, then (shooting this posting all to hell at that point) and an IPA. I sat down, ate my chips and salsa, watched the pregame warmup and looked around at the surroundings...Had just the right amount of Sonoma County/Sebastopol funkiness...surfboards hanging in the rafters, couple of small rasta flags, tables held pseudo-level with small bundles of folded paper napkins....you could almost picture this place on a beach somewhere with sand on the floor and a well-tanned clientele taking a break from the ocean for a quick meal and a brew or two, (though I don't know how many beaches you picture when you hear the words 'Southwest Mesquite Grill') but the surf/skate crowd looked to be the demographic they were aiming for in their choice of decor...
Just then a white van pulled into the parking lot, Tide's Wharf Fish...hmmm...maybe...Yes! Fish Tacos are back on the menu, she said, would I like to change my order? Well...OK...But it must have been a small order or they were just delivering for my tacos as the van was out of the parking lot pretty doggone quick.
It took a little while after that but she finally brought my order over just as Matt was getting knocked around for a couple of runs in the first. And unfortunately my tacos seemed to match the velocity of his pitches that half inning...just not all there...
I mean everything was present.....but the pieces of fish...well, they were there but well-hidden under the greenery, and that concealment was managed quite easily given the size (or lack thereof) of the snapper chunks. The salsa verde was good for both the chips and the tacos, the salad was fresh, with hearty portions of reddened white rice and black beans on the plate, but it still didn't make up for the amount of fish that wasn't there....
If I knew that this were just a 'fluke' then I would consider visiting again, but...
(and the Giants came back to win 7-5 in what, for them, was a veritable offensive onslaught)

McNear's Saloon & Dining House, Petaluma, CA

 We were on our way to see Yo La Tengo do their 'Freewheeling' show at the Mystic Theatre in Petaluma and on the drive there Tehra & I were discussing various places we could eat before the show. Petaluma has some pleasant places to eat all within walking distance of the theatre. Normally what we do is wait in line at the theatre for the doors to open, put a place holder on the seats and then go and eat. We usually finish in plenty of time to be back before the show starts. When we got there 20 min before doors opening there was no line, which to me, was quite surprising as it was listed as Sold Out. They are a fairly renowned group that has been playing together for quite a while and not through town very often (or in Petaluma's case, not at all, I believe). I looked at their eatery next door to the theatre, McNears Saloon & Dining House and, on a whim, said 'let's go see if they have any fish tacos..'
In the name alone, Saloon & Dining House, you will automatically get an idea of the fare offered, the Saloon BEFORE the Dining House is a dead giveaway. Images of 'fried to perfection' spring to mind in my case. Meals that scream out for beer (at least) accompaniment, and fish tacos is definitely on that list. Sure enough, right there, smack dab in the middle of the menu. who'd a thunk it, to quote Greg Brown, another great show that we caught at the Mystic.
I went with the full order panko-crusted over the grilled for no particular reason and to go along with my meal I ordered a Russian River Brewing 'Pliny the Elder', a great Sonoma County Double IPA.
The tacos were quite good! The fish was tender and juicy, the pineapple salsa added a sharp fruitiness and the sauce added a nice creaminess to it all. Maybe just a tad more chipotle-ality to the cream would be more to my liking, but there were no trace of tacos left on my plate when we were finished. I was not able to make it all the way through the rice and beans though, and maybe that was a good thing in the long run...
Yo La Tengo was a very entertaining show. If The Freewheeling Yo La Tengo should happen into your town (or even just the plain old Yo's for that matter), get your tickets and get them early. They listed the show as acoustic though they stated on their website that 'copious use of electricity would be involved'. You couldn't have asked for better performer/audience interaction as they sat on stage and answered questions and played music. One question involved the first record that they had bought with their own money and The Monkees was brought up, which led to two Monkees songs being played, one being 'Gonna Buy Me A Dog', done YLT style. They love to make jokes and make others as well as themselves laugh, and mix in a song or two here and there...It was a very fun evening start to finish - good company, fine food and drink, and a delightful show...

At Home, Sonoma, CA

Thought that it would be a good idea to try our own concoctions, as there are SO many possible variations of this dish.
For fish I chose what was labelled as "True Cod" at our local fish counter at Sonoma Market. Don't know what makes this Cod 'True' but What the Hell I say, Gimme a pound (or so)...I cut it into chunks and marinated it in 'Casa Sanchez Mild Salsa Roja'. While the fish was 'soaking' I looked for and found a great recipe for Chipotle Aioli. All the other recipes I came across called for starting with a cup or so of mayonnaise. This recipe used an egg and egg yolks and olive and canola oils for starters in the Cuisinart (or blender as the case may be) and then adding the other ingredients including a whole can of Chipotles in Adobo Sauce! I was a little leery of using the whole can, but I figured 'WTF, you only live once...' so in it went. My Goodness is this delicious...and it makes a lot, too! This recipe is now in the 'To Be Made on a Regular Basis' file, though...Yummy!
To round out the plate I made guacamole with a smooshed-up ripe avocado mixed with some more of the Casa Sanchez Salsa, a pot of Trader Joe's Basmati Rice Medley, and a salad of fresh Spinach, Arugula, and Cilantro. For my Tacos I used the La Tortilla Factory Chipotle tortillas (though Tehra and her Mom used the Jalisco Flour Tortillas from the tortilla factory just down the street from here). The beverage of choice was the 2010 GlenLyon Blush O' The Boar Estate Syrah Rosé (Thank You Squire and Suzy!).

Big 3, Sonoma, CA ---- Closed

The Big 3

In discussing local dining establishments it came to Tehra's and my attention that we had never shared a meal alone together at the Big 3 Cafe in the 'Heart' of lovely downtown Boyes Hot Springs. So on a blustery Wednesday evening we decided that it would be an ideal time to pay the Big 3 a visit.
In looking over the menu one of the first things we saw was their offering of Blackened Fish Tacos. Sounded good so I ordered a plate along with a bottle of Racer 5 IPA from Bear Republic Brewing in Healdsburg. I was pleasantly surprised when they brought out the 22oz. bottle that Tehra & I shared...good start, I thought.
What I didn't catch quickly enough was the sour cream in the description on the menu. Personally, I feel they could have benefitted from a tad less sour cream or maybe distributed a bit more appealingly. Anyway I scraped most of it to the side and very much enjoyed the flavor of the fish with the salsa. Now were I preparing this one I would have made a roasted tomato salsa as a side to go with the blackened fish, and I also would have mashed that avocado with some of that roasted salsa and served it in place of the slices of not-quite-ripe avocado. Next time we serve Blackened Fish Tacos (yeah, right) here at the house I will make sure that the kitchen staff heed my suggestions...
We did enjoy the friendliness of the staff and also, picked up two of their macaroons, one chocolate and the other mango-coconut, for dessert at home....now those were quite tasty!

Breakaway Cafe, Sonoma, CA --- Closed

The Breakaway Cafe

At this time in my life I have come to enjoy having a pleasant comfortable neighborhood establishment a casual walk from home. A place where you are on a first name basis with those working there, and when you say 'The Usual' it is recognized with a simultaneous nod of the head, a welcome glance and a smile.
Friday Happy Hour at the Breakaway Cafe has become such a place for us, 'us' being our good friend, Gail, Tehra and myself. Two short blocks from the house, an almost enjoyable amble, made only mildly unpleasant by having to cross the 4-lane Hwy 12 at some point along the walk. We have become quasi-regular at Fish Taco Fridays. Those $5 Friday margaritas are a perfect accompaniment to the tropical flavors of the tacos. Or if a great beer is what you would rather have they serve the chewy Anderson Valley Oatmeal Stout on tap. You can't go wrong with either beverage selection (and I am told that water goes just fine with the meal too...)
We also visit during the week, upon occasion, where the plate is 3 tacos at just a little more cost.
One night, right around this last Christmas we watched the police DUI checkpoint set up shop right outside the restaurant and start pulling over unfortunate motorists on their way by....the benefit of living within walking distance....

Olympic Cafe Kapa'a, Kauai, Hawaii

Olympic Cafe

The last place we went for tacos, the day before we had to leave.
Up the stairs mid-way through Kapa'a, just off Kuhio Hwy., on your way north or south.
The second floor is open along both long walls parallel to the street.
You sit one story up and enjoy the food and watch cars, trucks, cyclists, tourists and locals, go about their respective business.
Birds flit in and out looking to get a nibble here or there before being chased back out by the staff to the power and phone lines that hang outside the windows a few feet away.
Warm breeze blowing out to the ocean a block or so away.
They give you a plate of fixin's so you can put it together any way you like. Black beans lettuce cheese rice and a yummy tropical salsa. The fish was done just right in delicious little cubes, and the grilled banana is a nice touch.
The local beer was ice cold and a great accompaniment to the tacos.

Common Ground Kilauea, Kauai, Hawaii ---- Closed

You turn off the main road, Kuhio Highway or Rte 56, near Kilauea, and amble down a one-lane road to get to the Common Ground grounds. Not only is there the restaurant, with one of the most appetizingly healthy plates of foods, but also the gardens where quite a few of the ingredients are grown and a small event center. 
I mean, look at that plate of food, will you? You can barely see the fish for the greens that are covering it. Trust me, the fish is there and the greens aren't there to hide some half-assed chunks of fish either, no sirree, big ol' hunks of ocean fresh fish cooked to a juicy doneness. And you can forget eating these tacos with your hands unless you don't plan on putting it down at all. Pleasing to look at, delicious to eat, and healthy as well...what a concept...
There was also live music on and off a small stage in the café the afternoon we visited.
After you have finished, or even while you are waiting for your order, you gotta go for a walk in the gardens. The vegetables and flowers are so pleasurable to walk among all the while inhaling the warm trade winds coming down the hills and across the landscape before heading back out to sea. 
There sure wasn't snorkeling right after this lunch, uh-unh...This was a more 'go back and get acquainted with the chaise lounge on the beach at the hotel' kind of meal.... But Hell yeah we'll go back again!

Tropical Taco Hanalei, Kauai, Hawaii

Tropical Taco
At first glance you look at the plate and say Hmm canned mooshy refritos, sprinkle of cheddar, iceberg lettuce, plain white tortillas, bag chips and you pause...then you look around and you realize that this place started out as a truck, moved indoors, and just didn't feel the need to change the menu...keeping it simple...you then take a big deep breath of oh so beautiful, oozing-tropical 'downtown' Hanalei...you look out at the cars driving by on the two-lane blacktop (Kauai's answer to 'Highway'), on their way to beaches east or west, or to a hike in the hills somewhere, dogs and surfboards on at least 3 out of every 4 vehicles and both attached (or not) in so many novel and creative ways, and all legal I guess, but you gotta wonder sometimes...and then it dawns on you that, as soon as you finish this combo plate with a big cup of lemonade, you are heading back to another glorious afternoon of snorkeling at Tunnels Beach, watching fish and drying off saltysticky on the warm sand in the afternoon sun....
and those tacos just got that much tastier....