Point Reyes, California

I had the opportunity to get to Point Reyes a few weekends ago, and enjoyed some of the great food up there. We had some very good road food, and ate at one exceptional inn. In this post, I am going to review all the casual restaurants, but I'll leave the fine dinner we had at The Olema Inn for another post.

First up, we had a relaxing dinner at Cafe Reyes, a Mexican restaurant in Point Reyes Station. The cheeky bartenders chatted us up, and were friendly and helpful. They must see a lot of tourists, since they seemed to have a good sense of humor about everything. Portions were enormous (the soft taco plate was piled high), and even SM, who has a very healthy appetite, couldn't finish. I shied away from the Mexican fare, and had a sirloin burger, which was nicely done.

We had a typical breakfast at the Station House Cafe. Think barn dance meets hunting club decor. All of us had eggs, hash browns, and toast (nothing really out of the ordinary). I had the Mexican omelet with Jack Cheese, yellow chili salsa, sour cream, and avocado (a Cali fave). The food was well-prepared, but it is really hard to mess up breakfast food. One of the more unusual menu items was the "Hangtown Fry" - an omelet made with oysters and bacon. None of us indulged. The hostess at our inn told us that this place was overpriced for dinner, so I'm glad we got here for breakfast.

The Tomales Bay Food Company was a good find. We split a roast chicken at the Indian Peach Deli (moist and delicious), and ate a flourless chocolate brownie (not as chocolatey as I would have hoped), before we moved on to the cheese.

At the Cowgirl Creamery (the cheese is actually made on-site), we sampled the Red Hawk, the Mt. Tam, and the St. Pat's. I had never tried the St. Pat's (it's a seasonal cheese), and it was delicious. The St. Pat's is covered in washed, frozen nettles (to remove the sting), which imparts a rich, earthy flavor to the cheese at it ages. I'm not a big fan of the Mt. Tam (too light), so I bought some Red Hawk (sharp and tangy), and the St. Pat's. Of course, I also purchased a big container of their cottage cheese. Honestly, it is the best cottage cheese I have ever eaten. The curd to whey ratio is just perfect, in my humble opinion.

Sunday morning found us at the Pine Cone Diner. Out of all the places we frequented, this had the most local flavor. It was a true, old-school diner with a long counter, kitchy decorative plates, and vinyl booths. All the waitresses had multiple tattoos and big scowls. A gang of bikers occupied the tables outside. That being said, the food was excellent. I enjoyed an egg white omelet with jack cheese, onion, and salsa. Salsa seems to be big in this area. SM got wheat germ pancakes, which were served with organic maple syrup. Coffee was local organic and tasted great.

Rounding out our weekend was some excellent Double Rainbow ice cream at the Point Reyes Station Grey Whale Deli. Double Rainbow is a San Francisco favorite and is the "official" ice cream of SF (whatever that means). Rich and creamy, this stuff hit the spot after we sprinted up the 302 steps after viewing the Point Reyes Lighthouse. I liked It's A Goody, which was vanilla ice cream, chocolate chunks, and peanut butter, and Mint Chip (my favorite flavor). In the Mint Chip, the chips were big and chunky - more like Graeter's than Breyers.