Pt. Reyes in mid-October

[steve h.]

October 19 is my wife's birthday. I've rented Walt's Cottage on Tomales Bay for four nights. I used to know this area pretty well but that was a few years ago (just before Manka's Lodge burned down).

We'll have a car so reservations at Ad Hoc seemed reasonable. French Laundry reservations weren't available through Opentable. I would appreciate thoughts/comments on places to eat and wineries to visit.

Thanks in advance.

--steve

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The French Laundry
6640 Washington Street, Yountville, CA 94599

Ad Hoc
6476 Washington St., Yountville, CA 94599

[steve h.]

Northern California is pretty special.

Deb and I touched down at SFO very early last Tuesday, rented an econo-box and headed north up 101 to Pt. Reyes Station. Once there, we pulled into a space near Pine Cone Diner and slowly exhaled, clearing both lungs and minds of the strip-zone travesty that makes up part of the Sir Francis Drake Highway. Enough said.

I'm pleased to report that the cheeseburgers at Pine Cone are still outstanding. The skin-on fries and the house-made potato salad are decent sides. OK wines/decent beers are a given in this tiny, unassuming joint. Cash only. Pine Cone is ground zero for comfort food. We were staying at a small cottage in Inverness so we provisioned at nearby Palace Market (Lagunitas beers and plenty of wine). Cowgirls (Cowgirl Creamery) are off on Tuesday. Bummer. Dinner was a few snacks, some beer and wine and looking out our backyard to Tomales Bay and the mountains on the far shore. We had a fire going on. Sweet.

Wednesday was sunny, almost Alpine in its beauty. Driving over the mountains to Yountville was a privilege. Lunch at Bouchon was my reward: lobster bisque to start and sweetbreads to finish. The bisque was both rich and creamy yet light on the tongue. Very impressive. The sweetbreads were over the top: seared crisp on the outside yet creamy in the center. The accompanying risotto was luxurious, the pearl onions well able to stand shoulder-high with the rest of the plate, the baby carrots actually had flavor. I liked this dish. Be advised that I've never encountered an entree-sized portion of sweetbreads before. It was an adult portion. Wines at Bouchon are quite good, espresso, too. Lots of global tourists pile in here. I think that's kind of cool.

Nick's Cove gets a lot of knocks on this board. I pulled in on a wet afternoon wearing a foul-weather jacket, cap and boat shoes. We were warmly greeted at the door and asked if we wanted to sit in the dining room (kind of formal) or the enclosed porch area where, as it turned out, boat folk hang out. It was a no-brainer for us yet it showed the Jekyll and Hyde nature of this shop. BBQ oysters and a vodka gimlet were pretty good. The Dungeness crab cake had no filler and was delicately (pan?) fried. The fried oysters (panko coated?) were noteworthy. Service was very good. Nick's, in my opinion, is an out-sized fish shack and should be treated as such. We will return.

One of life's great pleasures is asking smart people for advice and then listening to them. Yes, I cancelled my evening Ad Hoc reservation and made other plans. Those plans included a private tour at Keller Estate Winery. Deb called, got the reservation and I got to drive over the mountains again (cool). Keller winery concentrates on pinot noir. Their high-end offerings are very good. The architecture on the estate is superb. I urge wine buffs and architecture buffs to visit this extraordinary estate. A private tour is, well, pretty special. I recommend the 2006 precioso.

Before there was wine, there was beer. Lagunitas Brewery (in Petaluma, of course) makes beer. I don't know what it is about brewers and distillers. Seems they are the dark side when compared to wine makers. Whatever, the brewers at Lagunitas are all pirates and miscreants. Deb and I ran into Sammy Hagar there. Lagunitas has one fine brewery tour.

Stellina is a restaurant in Pt. Reyes Station. They have good pastas, a killer slow-cooked octopus and decent pizzas. Stellina has had a lot of press lately. It's a very decent shop for Pt. Reyes Station, nothing more. Go there if you hang out in the 'hood. I like it.

Marin French Cheese Company was a bit of a let down. The tour consisted of a young woman whose language skills were even less than her cheese-making skills explaining that cheese was made from milk and an enzyme. We left after ten minutes.

I reluctantly left our little cottage in Inverness Saturday morning. We dropped off the car at our usual San Francisco hotel around 10 a.m. and browsed the ferry plaza market. Dim Sum at Yank Sing (Rincon Center) at 11 a.m.. We like the soup dumplings there and a whole bunch more. We've been many times and insist on stretching our meals there to nearly two hours. Time well spent.

Supper, especially after a wonderful lunch, is always difficult to gauge. We chose a return to Barbacco so we could dial-in as much or as little food as we wanted. Prosecco to start because it just seems right. Arancini are good here if that's your thing. I like the lardo bruschette and the duck pate bruschette. The fish crudo is pretty good. The fried Brussels sprouts are very good. So, too deserts. My only cavil is no grappa. What's up with that?

Thank you for all your thoughtful suggestions. I'll do better next time.

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Ad Hoc
6476 Washington St., Yountville, CA 94599

Pine Cone Diner
60 4th St, Point Reyes Station, CA 94956

Nick's Cove
23240 Hwy 1, Marshall, CA 95450

Marin French Cheese
7500 Red Hill Rd, Petaluma, CA 94952

Yank Sing
49 Stevenson St Ste Stlv, San Francisco, CA 94105

Keller Estate Winery
5875 Lakeville Hwy, Petaluma, CA

Palace Market
11300 Shoreline Hwy, Point Reyes Station, CA

Bouchon
6534 Washington Street, Yountville, CA 94599

Barbacco
230 California St, San Francisco, CA 94111

[c oliver]

What a fantastic report! Everything you ate I wanted to say "take me, take me." But the lobster bisque, sweetbreads and risotto would have sent me into a heavenly state. We're going to be back in Sonoma at Christmas. We'll have to check out some of these spots. Thanks for taking the time, steve.

[steve h.]

Northern California is pretty special. Keep us posted on your Christmas adventure. I'm hoping by then that i'll learn how to spell "dessert" (every man needs an editor).

Edited to add: The Giants/Phillies game was on the flat-panel screen over the bar near our seats at Barbacco. The place went wild when Wilson struck out Howard to end the game and propel the Giants into the World Series. High-fives all around. Nice.

[Ruth Lafler]

Great report. Next time you head out Sir Francis Drake, soothe your frazzled nerves by stopping at Fairfax Scoop. It's a whole reason to drive that road.

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Fairfax Scoop
63 Broadway Blvd, Fairfax, CA 94930

[steve h.]

Sounds like a plan. Thanks.

[Robert Lauriston]

If you're going to schlep all the way to Sonoma for lunch, Fremont Diner would be my first choice.

If you head up to the Sonoma Valley wine area, Vineyards Inn in Kenwood.

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Fremont Diner
2660 Fremont Dr, Sonoma, CA

Vineyards Inn
8445 Sonoma Hwy, Kenwood, CA 95452

[annabana]

Drive a few miles north to the tiny town of Marshall and stop at The Marshall Store for the best grilled oysters anywhere. Fresh out of Tomales Bay, opened to order and put on the grill for a few minutes with just a drop of garlic butter and q sauce. Really, the best I have ever had (way better and cheaper than Nick's Cove.) Their little deck sits right on Tomales Bay. Enjoy.

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Marshall Store
19225 Hwy 1, Marshall, CA 94940

Nick's Cove
23240 Hwy 1, Marshall, CA 95450

[Robert Lauriston]

Have they gotten their liquor license together for the deck yet?

[Shane Greenwood]

Not as of last month.

[watercolor]

One more endorsement of Stellina - we had dinner there a few weeks ago and the food is everything everybody says it is. I had a buttermilk blackberry ice cream for dessert that was (I don't use this word lightly) a revelation. Downside? Tables are crowded together, it was very warm inside and our server was oddly distracted and abrupt until I started asking her about the ice cream which she adored. Dress ranged from casual (we were in our hiking jeans) to fancy. They also do weekend brunch.

[aching]

I totally agree with Hilrock - we go to Pt. Reyes at least once a year and I think I've eaten my own weight in Cowgirl Creamery cheese there. I've also had a couple of very good meals at The Olema Inn - definitely not on par with the great restaurants of Napa, but much more convenient, and it's a lovely room.

Does anyone know the latest on Manka's? We were married there in 2008 but haven't been back since. The food is so so amazing - it would be a shame if the restaurant didn't reopen...

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Cowgirl Creamery
80 4th St, Point Reyes Station, CA 94956

Olema Inn
10000 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, Olema, CA 94946

[steve h.]

Alas, the Lodge has not yet been rebuilt. Breakfast is still available at the rooms. This is all second-hand. I'll know much more next month.

[pcdarnell]

There is a nice farmers market every Saturday morning in Point Reyes Station if you go with the picnic idea for a meal.

[steve h.]

I like picnics. The backyard of our tiny rental cottage overlooks wetlands, water and the golden hills where cattle graze across the bay. Deb and I have rented this place before. The difficulty is deciding where to picnic since the options are staggering (don't start me on the horse trails).

[c oliver]

How far is it from Pt. Reyes to Sonoma?

[Melanie Wong]

Google is your friend for questions like that. More important than "how far" would be "how many minutes" over the winding roads and mountain passes, if you care to check for driving times when you research your question.

[steve h.]

Hi Melanie,
The twisties are the best part.
Dark, however, can be an issue. I may move my reservation to lunch. We'll see.

[Melanie Wong]

No argument from me and my quattro. But unfortunately, my after-dinner drive experience back to home base is more often than not marred by the frightened, not quite sober, tourists plugging along after dark at 20 mph, white-knuckled and scared out of their minds by the curvy roads, slick roadway, and/or fog on unfamiliar routes. While you might not be that frightened driver, you will be stuck behind one and should factor that into your post-dinner plans.

[steve h.]

I'm not that frightened driver.

[c oliver]

Mea culpa. I was being lazy. Hour and a half. Definitely too far for a dinner but,steve, if your interested in lunch, I can recommend a couple of spots.

[steve h.]

Hi, c.
Lunch is good. Fire away.

[c oliver]

Here's my review of La Salette, a Portuguese (and other things) restaurant, on the square in Sonoma:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/715231?tag=search_results;results_list

I've been remiss in not writing up our visit to El Dorado Kitchen (life interfered right after this trip). Here's their link:

http://eldoradosonoma.com/el_dorado_k...

It's on the opposite/west side of the square from La Salette and I can't say enough good things about it. Before you even get to the food and wine, the ambiance is just lovely. They have several dining areas plus a lovely terrace. A really nice wine list and knowledgeable servers who also don't mind getting advice from others. I've attached pix of what we had. It was a crazy amount of food for two people but we forced ourselves.

We house exchange with a family who live near the square in Sonoma and we rarely leave the area because we get such good things there.

[c oliver]

Here's more. For divey and very good Mexican, Juanita Juanita

http://www.juanitajuanita.com/JuanitaJuanita_meny.pdf

We've only had breakfast at Schellville Grill but if their lunches are half as good....

http://www.schellvillegrill.com/

Also Fremont Diner:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7147...

It's breakfast time here in Rio and thinking about these meals has gotten me quite hungry.

PS: I haven't forgotten Rio food. Just waiting, I suppose.

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Juanita Juanita
19114 Arnold Dr, Sonoma, CA 95476

Fremont Diner
2660 Fremont Dr, Sonoma, CA

Schellville Grill
22900 Broadway, Sonoma, CA 95476

[steve h.]

Thanks, c.
Portuguese food is a favorite of mine.
Have a great time in Rio (as if you could have anything but).

[steve h.]

Old Timer, Melanie:

Thanks for your insight. A man who asks bright people for advice and doesn't take it is maybe not so bright.

There will be a change of plans.

[Shane Greenwood]

Marin Sun Farms is serving food at their store in Pt. Reyes Station now. I haven't eaten there but have heard some good things and their meat is top notch. They turned the front of the store into a sit down cafe.

http://www.marinsunfarms.com/about/po...

[Shane Greenwood]

For a local winery around Pt. Reyes, check out the Pt. Reyes Vineyards. They have a little tasting room up on the hill just outside of town.

http://www.ptreyesvineyardinn.com/Win...

[Tripeler]

I would suggest a visit to the Marin French Cheese Company, primarily because it is said to be the oldest continously operating (since 1852) cheese factory in the U.S. It is roughly halfway between Pt. Reyes Station and Petaluma. I really like their Schloss cheese.

www.marinfrenchcheese.com

[Melanie Wong]

Yes, I like the Schloss cheese very much as well. The nice thing about going to the company store is that sometimes batches with different maturities are available, so you can dial in on the age your prefer. And a couple times I've been there, something's been marked down because it's getting very ripe . . . just the way I like 'em.

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Marin French Cheese
7500 Red Hill Rd, Petaluma, CA 94952

[steve h.]

Nice.

[Robert Lauriston]

My favorite part of the Marin French Cheese Company tour was finally learning the difference between their "Brie" and their "Camembert": the box.

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Marin French Cheese
7500 Red Hill Rd, Petaluma, CA 94952

[Tripeler]

The historic aspect of MFCC is the most notable, after their Schloss cheese. Also, I believe all their cheeses are made with pasteurized milk...

[Sharuf]

Last time I went there it was a weekend. I suggest you avoid weekends.

[wolfe]

Just had a brie with a date of Oct 3 which according to their chart is peak ripening. It was very well received at my work cheese tasting.

[vulber]

highly highly recommend osteria stellina

[steve h.]

A lot of folk on this thread agree with you. I've never been. What are the highlights?

[vulber]

as it's so seasonal, it could be hard to recommend a specific dish, but i believe the oyster pizza is on the menu year-round, and perhaps the braised octopus.

desserts are also fantastic.

in general, some of the best meats and produce come from the pt. reyes area, yet osteria stellina is really the first restaurant in the area to truly take advantage of it

[steve h.]

Thanks, vulber.
You/others have pushed Stellina to the top of the stack. Octopus is a huge family favorite.

[OldTimer]

Yountville to Pt Reyes in the evening (after a meal at Ad Hoc) can be tedious. You might consider staying in the Pt Reyes area.

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Ad Hoc
6476 Washington St., Yountville, CA 94599

[steve h.]

I like driving. It was fun driving from SFO to Monterey/Pebble Beach for the Concours last month. Driving up Rt. 7 in Connecticut to Lime Rock Park for the Fall Vintage Festival last week was a hoot, too.

We'll be staying in the Pt. Reyes area for four days. Any winery recommendations? Mid-October should be prime tourist time.

[SteveG]

West Marin is a tough growing area for grapes, there are really only one or two wineries. I think McEvoy olive oil is produced in one of the passes between Pt Reyes and Petaluma--you might see if they have tastings--it's some of the best olive oil produced in California, though the price reflects that :(

Better bet to go inland and north--Russian River valley for Pinot, or Carneros. If you're willing to go further, Dry Creek Valley and Anderson Valley are favorites too. You can search the board by these region names once you see them on a map and evaluate your appetite for driving. I could envision your Hog Island oysters day starting with a stop for bread and other groceries in the gourmet food court at Cowgirl in Pt Reyes Station, driving north on 1 to hog island where you'll load your cooler with a few dozen oysters, then continue up 1 and inland to Sebastopol to Merry Edwards winery. Call ahead and ask if you could picnic there before you wine taste. It's a pretty 1 hour drive, not including stops to assemble your picnic, so easy to get done in time for lunch and wine tasting in the afternoon in the area around Merry Edwards.

There's a good hardware and housewares store right in Pt Reyes Station where you can buy a cheap cooler and any picnic supplies you're missing, such as cork screws.

[steve h.]

Nice.
I'm not averse to driving (especially over the mountains) for good food and wine. I actually like it a lot.
Thanks for the insight.
I still have my corkscrew from Palace Market (mailed it home years ago) and my copy of Point Reyes Visions.
Pt. Reyes is mighty special.

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Palace Market
11300 Shoreline Hwy, Point Reyes Station, CA

[Melanie Wong]

Sure, but I bet you weren't sleeping in SFO and driving to and from Pebble every day. Driving back to Point Reyes after dinner in Yountville sounds grim to me, and I'm a very high mileage driver. For wine touring, driving back and forth from San Francisco would be faster than from Point Reyes. Since you're out here quite often, give some thought to what makes sense timewise from your unique lodgings vs. what can be saved for another visit. It would be a shame to not take advantage of what's nearby in West Marin and the Sonoma Coast once you've made the trek to those parts. Take the road less traveled on the byways west of Hwy 101 . . . it's a world apart.

I'd love to hear from anyone who has visited the new-ish wineries that are springing up in the Petaluma Gap area, such as Keller Estate Winery I keep meaning to tour, but haven't gotten around to it since they're far from my base. Here's a link to the association's website, http://www.petalumagap.com/

If you're still intent on driving a distance, make an appointment with Flowers Vineyard & Winery in Cazadero. http://www.flowerswinery.com/ This is a vineyard that I've been meaning to visit for 10+ years now, but because it's remote, I haven't made it yet. That would be a beautiful drive up Hwy 1 and then up the mountain, about 60 miles from Pt. Reyes. There's a sweet little bakery in town called Raymond's. Here's a recent thread that mentions Raymond's Bakery and wineries in the Sonoma Coast, http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/690974

Here's my post on the 1989 Cabernet Sauvignon from Point Reyes winery. I understand that nothing from that producer has come close to it since, unfortunately.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/4495...

Note that Anderson Valley that SteveG recommends below is about 4 hrs each way from Point Reyes. Yes, a lovely spot, but hardly a day trip from where you're staying. You'll find more info about Anderson Valley and Mendocino County on the California board, as it's considered outside the SF Bay Area.

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Raymond's Bakery
5400 Cazadero Hwy, Cazadero, CA

Keller Estate Winery
5875 Lakeville Hwy, Petaluma, CA

Flowers Vineyard
28500 Seaview Rd, Cazadero, CA 95421

[steve h.]

Thanks, Melanie.

[SteveG]

I second what you say about driving after dinner. It just isn't that interesting in the dark, and it is a long and involved drive from Yountville to Pt Reyes Station.

I had a pretty great meal at Farmhouse Inn in west Sonoma County, probably just under an hour from Pt Reyes Station. It was particularly memorable because the sommelier was able to recommend a low alcohol high acid Riesling to go with our meal, after we complained of zinfandel-induced palate fatigue from wine tasting all day. The excellent foie gras, pork medalions, and fantastically fresh soft-shell crab helped too! Logistically, it fits well with a day of wine tasting, as you would nearly pass it to get back home to Pt Reyes Station.

I've eaten at all of Thomas Keller's California restaurants, and while I think The French Laundry probably lives up to its reputation, I don't think Ad Hoc is worth a trip, or even a visit if I'm within a few miles. Bouchon is similar for me--even dining there with a master sommelier who knew the menu and several staff members, we couldn't scrape together a consistently good meal. Both fine restaurants, but you can have better meals in Sonoma county. For that matter, Cyrus is right up there with the French Laundry, easier to get into, and 1.5 hours away.

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The French Laundry
6640 Washington Street, Yountville, CA 94599

Ad Hoc
6476 Washington St., Yountville, CA 94599

Farmhouse Inn
7871 River Rd, Forestville, CA 95436

Bouchon
6534 Washington Street, Yountville, CA 94599

[steve h.]

Thanks, Steve.
I'm a fan of per se. I'll give ad hoc a shot. I'll report back, warts and all.
Farmhouse sounds interesting.

[originalfig]

Keller does a good job. Their 04 La Cruz Syrah is excellent.

Re local wines, there are only a few Marin tasting rooms, though a fair amount of stunning wine being produced.

Keller Estate has a tasting room (near Petaluma) open Thurs-Sundays. There are two other tasting rooms I know of (Pt. Reyes Vineyard and Ross Valley Winery) though no one I know has been there are their wines are not on my radar so I can't comment as to quality.

However, I can say that there are many excellent wines from west Marin and many local restaurants supporting them. Look for Marin County bottlings from Pey-Marin (they have a relationship with the Olema Inn so that you can taste them in flights, look for their 07 Riesling in particular), Sean Thackrey, Peay Vineyards, Kendric Vineyards and Dutton-Goldfield (they make a super Pinot from Marin's Devil's Gulch Ranch).

Farther north and west, the world is your oyster when it comes to wine. Lots on the boards about Sonoma and Napa options obviously....Feel free to ask if you have specific questions, I'm happy to comment on what I know....

Have fun!

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Olema Inn
10000 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, Olema, CA 94946

[Ptowner]

and a car gut too, maybe you should come to our house for dinner! I was in monterey also. But seriously, hit Pine Cone and make sure you get the Red Hawk cheese with a baguette from Brick maiden bakery, outstanding. If you wanna drive up the coast a bit and will be there on a friday night, hit the Occidental Farmers market and get in line for Gerard's paella (even if he is our competition in the paella world).

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Pine Cone
162 N Main St, Sebastopol, CA 95472

[Ptowner]

and being a car guy i forgot one place. If you are in Petaluma, make a trip to Keller winery on Lakeville hwy. Arturo Keller has what is believed to be the largest collection on Mercedes in the US. But the best part is the sculpture of Juan Fangio driving a 196 (?) mercedes on the patio of the tasting room.

[Melanie Wong]

How are Keller's wines?

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Keller Estate Winery
5875 Lakeville Hwy, Petaluma, CA

[Ptowner]

Keller's wines are very good, as you'd hope when your paying $40-50 a bottle. It's worth a visit, they have done a nice job there. Very spread out in the rolling hills.

[steve h.]

Thanks, Ptowner.
Always looking to expand the horizons.
Already made hotel reservations for next year's concours. I suspect we'll be spending serious time at Laguna Seca.

[steve h.]

It will be fun being back. I'm sure a breakfast or two at Pine Cone is in our future. Oysters from Hog Island go without saying.
Thanks.

[hilrock]

A piece of Red Hawk from Cowgirl, some bread from Bovine,a few local tomatoes, a bottle of
good wine on Limantour beach. It doesn't get much better.

[steve h.]

Totally agree.
Deb and I used to be sailors. Life at 5 knots is very cool. Pt. Reyes gives us that "life at 5 knots" stuff without the hard work. You folk who live out there are mighty fortunate. we're envious.

[jks71]

ditto re Stellina. And last time we were there, BJ Novak sat at the next table. Although I imagine it is very gauche of me to mention that...

[j mather]

Pt. Reyes is a great place for eating. I'll second Pinecone Diner. Station House Cafe is very good. You'll be very near Hog Island Oyster. Bovine Bakery has good breads, pizza slices, and baked goods (a favorite for bicyclists). You can make your own picnic from the Tomales Bay Foods and Cowgirl Creamery. The Palace Market makes big sandwiches to go. Osteria Stellina is great.

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Palace Market
11300 Shoreline Hwy, Point Reyes Station, CA

Bovine Bakery
11315 Shoreline Hwy, Point Reyes Station, CA

The Station House Cafe
11180 State Route One, Point Reyes Station, CA 94956

Osteria Stellina
11285 Highway 1, Point Reyes Station, CA

[achefsbest]

I liked Stellina over in Point Reyes Station.

[chefj]

Cafe Reyes has very good pizzas ,salads and is real cozy.
Pinecone diner also has good food in general especially breakfast.( I have not been for a couple of years though)

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Cafe Reyes
Point Reyes Station CA, Point Reyes Station, CA