D I N E W I S E WITH JASON WALSH
Drakes Sonoma Coast W hen the Lodge at Bodega Bay named its restaurant Drakes Sonoma Coast, they weren’t kidding. The seascape from the resort is a miles-long panorama spanning the edges of Bodega Head, a sensitive salt marsh, the lengthy Doran Beach and latitudes north—as impressive a look as one’s going to find in any seaside eatery within the 707. Large, west-facing bay windows line the wall in the Drakes main dining room, so pretty much every seat has a killer view. ( People.com named it one of the 10 most beautiful restaurant views in the U.S. in 2015, when the restaurant was still known as the Duck Club.) The resort has been a Bodega mainstay for more than 50 years—the Alden family, of Woodside, opened the then-named Bodega Bay Lodge in 1972—and draws guests from around the Bay Area and beyond, whether to stay in any of its 80- plus rooms or simply for dinner following an afternoon at the popular Doran Beach down the road. Our timing was right on a recent visit, and we landed a bright window seat during the June solstice, ideal for dinner and ocean gazing. The adjacent bar and outside deck also offer great views, the latter of which features comfy seats and electric fire pits—perfect for nibbles from the Fireside Lounge bar menu. Drakes’ extensive wine list includes dozens of options, with plenty of locals represented—Balletto, Gun Bun, Patz & Hall, Bricoleur, Banshee, Marimar and St. Francis, among others. The kitchen is led by chef Christopher Lemerand, who joined Drakes in January after honing his chops as executive sous chef at the celebrated Coi in San Francisco followed by executive chef tenures at Darioush Winery in Napa and, most recently, Chez TJ in Mountain View. Fittingly, his team seeks to utilize “the bounty of this spectacular coastal region” in its seasonally minded menu and ingredients, according to the restaurant website. We started with the Crab Louie ($21) and Little Gem Caesar ($15), lighter fare on a warm evening. The crab was topped by cuts of curly endive greens and dollops of egg yolk jam, which blended particularly well with the accompanying cherry tomatoes and bits of orange. The Caesar was large enough to
The main dining room looks out across a salt marsh toward Doran Beach. [Photo by Paul Dyer]
Little Gem Caesar
64 NorthBaybiz
July 2024
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