Tyler Florence in Bolinas

Bolinas Businesses

When I visited the Coast Cafe in Bolinas, I checked around town to see what else was interesting. Just across the street is Smiley's Schooner Saloon which is one of the fourteen bars in California which have been in continuous existence for over 100 years. It serves 'light' meals, and also has a window for take out orders.

Then I saw the Bolinas People's Store which is a local favorite grocer. There were a lot of people hanging about in small groups and talking outside this place.

Then there is the Blue Heron Inn/Restaurant. From what I understand here and here, the restaurant portion is no longer running. A call to the phone was just answered by an voice mail system, and the recording did not mention anything about the restaurant. Their website is down as well. Bolinas is quite a relaxed town so it will be fun to do some further investigation!

Shhh... it's in Bolinas

My father so enjoys drives over to and around West Marin. We woke up on Halloween morning to such fog that it was hard to see very far ahead over the deck. Ah! Perfect! No one will be going to the coast on such a foggy morning, I'll take Dad to Bolinas for a late breakfast at the Coast Cafe! It will be great to see the scenery in another 'mood', and with a very Halloween-y misty vibe.

Bolinas is having a very severe water shortage, so you are requested to ask for water if you desire it. It comes served in a very eco-friendly cup made of corn. If you haven't already heard, Bolinas likes its quiet nature and would prefer most visitors stay away. There are no signs pointing the way, and my GPS would only take me to the town, not being able to find "Wharf Street". Once I was in Bolinas however, the map clearly showed I was traveling on Wharf Road. Did the town strike a deal to keep its streets off searches?

Bolinas has a long time reputation for being artsy and off beat. Since it was Halloween, I was frequently unsure of weather the people I saw were in costume or not. The staff at the Coast Cafe were in costume, and very welcoming. It was nice to come in from the fog and sit by a cheery fire. The place had both a nautical and Halloween theme with lots of skeletons hanging about. They also obviously adored their local children as there was children's artwork on white placemats adorning the walls. There was a mix of older folk, aging hippy types, young eco-tourists from Washington's San Juan islands, and a cute child in a devil's costume. It is VERY laid back. The man in the cat-in-the-hat red and white striped hat was chatting away to the little girl on the other side of the restaurant, sitting and enjoying the moment. It took quite some time to get our breakfasts, and we noticed that things didn't really move in the kitchen until he went back in!

And the wait was well worth it as it was evident that attention and care went in to our breakfasts. I had the Blackstone Benedict with out the Bacon. It was obvious that they use the fresh local quality ingredients that they say they do. It tasted so. The potatoes were perfectly cooked as well as the benedict.

Dad had the Chicken Apple Sausage Scramble. He liked it, but said 'this is a FULL meal', which translates to 'too much food for me'. However he put a big dent in it and said it was very tasty. If you don't mind a laid back service when you know great food is coming you can't go wrong here.

I took some photos going to Bolinas, and back with some other photos of the town. I'll repost the link here when I write up the trip and other sites.

Restaurant Inspection Results

Critical: 6

Noncritical: 5

Last inspected: 7/16/2009

Find address/phone number/directions on Anna's Map.

Picnic at Agate Beach

Jonathon, Toran and I struck out for Duxbury Reef at Agate Beach near Bolinas today, while Jo-Ann took Aurelia to a birthday party, and my Dad relaxed then had his exercise appointment. We packed a very impromtu picnic, and found some seating at the beach where we spread out the food and enjoyed an expansive view of the ocean.

Just sitting and listening to the waves and watching the surfers was quite relaxing. There must have been some Halloween revelry nearby as there were quite a few smashed pumpkin remains.

There were also a lot of dogs on the beach, so Bobby the dog fit right in. Duxbury Reef had a lot of tidal pools, and Toran had some amusement leaning over to see clams and being squirted in the eye! It was a lovely day