Category Archives: Seafood

Staycation Time At West Marin’s Olema House

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The weeknight Blue Plate Special at Due West at the Olema House is a deal. This is Tuesday's special of fried chicken.
The weeknight Blue Plate Special at Due West at the Olema House is a deal. This is Tuesday’s special of fried chicken.

Sometimes you long to jet off to faraway lands.

Other times, you crave a less taxing getaway that’s more easily reachable by car.

For times like that, look no further than the Olema House, a perfect spot to act as home base as you explore the beauty of nearby Point Reyes National Seashore.

That’s exactly what my husband and I did last week when I was invited to be a guest of the inn for two nights.

The boutique inn, located just off Highway 1 in the town of Olema, has a recommendation from the Michelin Guide. It is part of the Mosaic Hotel Collection, which operates half a dozen hotels, including North Block in Yountville and The Madrona in Healdsburg.

The Olema House entrance.
The Olema House entrance.
The Olema House lobby.
The Olema House lobby.
Sitting area in the lobby.
Sitting area in the lobby.

It was originally built 150 years ago as a hotel and saloon on the old stagecoach route. Today, it retains that rustic charm yet with all the modern accoutrements one would desire with a total of 24 rooms and cottages set on four acres beside a creek.

It boasts a market, where one can pick up snacks, breakfast baked goods, and coffee, as well as its own restaurant, Due West. A lot of hotel restaurants in semi-remote areas may fall back on being just good enough. But the food at Due West surprised by exceeding expectations. So much so, that we ate there both nights rather than venturing elsewhere on the second one.

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Butter Up, Part I: Something Fishy — And Delicious

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Good-for-you roasted branzino gets a little indulgent when finished with a delicious green anchovy butter.
Good-for-you roasted branzino gets a little indulgent when finished with a delicious green anchovy butter.

Olive oil is a hallmark of Mediterranean cooking.

But creamy, decadent butter has its place, too, adding a disarming voluptuousness to anything it touches.

I’m sure Julia Child would agree.

I know that Daen Lia surely does. Her cookbook may be titled, “Garlic, Olive Oil + Everything Mediterranean” (Simon Element, 2025), but butter definitely plays a role. There’s even an entire chapter devoted to recipes that use butter, including one to make “Homemade Butter.”

That includes her “Whole Roasted Snapper with Green Anchovy Butter,” in which whole fish get roasted in the oven, then finished with a dazzlingly green and herbaceous compound butter.

Lia is an Australian home-cook and creator of the digital brand, Daen’s Kitchen, who counts more than 8 million followers across her social media platforms.

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Atelier Crenn Celebrates 15 Years In A Big Way

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Scallop, smoked mussel and caviar, a dazzling dish from the Atelier Crenn & Atomix collaboration dinner.
Scallop, smoked mussel and caviar, a dazzling dish from the Atelier Crenn & Atomix collaboration dinner.

When a Michelin three-starred restaurant reaches a milestone 15th anniversary, you know it will pull out all the stops.

Such is the case with San Francisco’s acclaimed Atelier Crenn, which marks that occasion this year by debuting Continuum, a new collaborative dining experience. It brings visionary chefs from around the world to cook at the Cow Hollow neighborhood restaurant with Chef-Owner Dominique Crenn and Pastry Chef Juan Contreras.

I was fortunate enough to be invited in as a guest for the inaugural dinner last week with Chef Junghyun Park of Atomix, the modern Korean restaurant in New York City that’s garnered two Michelin stars, and was named No. 1 on “North America’s 50 Best Restaurants” list. It also catapulted him to a James Beard “Best Chef New York” in 2023.

Not surprisingly, it took less than a day for the $596.55-per-person dinner to sell out.

Chef Dominique Crenn.
Chef Dominique Crenn.
The entrance to the Michelin three-starred restaurant.
The entrance to the Michelin three-starred restaurant.

Once seated, you’ll find a small packet at your place setting. Inside, you’ll find cards introducing Chef Park, along with information about some of his dishes to be served.

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An Indelible Visit to Aubergine, Carmel’s Only Michelin Two-Starred Restaurant

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Presentation of the smoked scallop at Aubergine.
Presentation of the smoked scallop at Aubergine.

It’s a good bet that if you see anyone dressed up in Carmel-by-the-Sea, a charming beach town and major laid-back tourist draw where shorts and sweatshirts are the norm, they are likely headed to dinner at Aubergine.

Located in the Relais & Chateaux luxury hotel, L’Auberge Carmel, it is the only Michelin two-starred restaurant in this tiny town of 3,000. In fact, since retaining its one Michelin star since 2019, it was awarded its second star last year.

A lot has changed since I last dined there a dozen years ago. Most notably, jewel box of a dining room always felt intimate but even more so since four tables have been removed, leaving all of five now situated around the perimeter. There are two seatings available, 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. If you choose the early seating as we did, you’ll catch the last light on a fall evening through the wall of draped windows.

Aubergine at L'Auberge Carmel.
Aubergine at L’Auberge Carmel.
Awarded a second Michelin star in 2024.
Awarded a second Michelin star in 2024.

Executive Chef Justin Cogley remains the constant, a former professional figure skater with “Disney on Ice,” who glides smoothly through the upper echelons of fine dining, having launched his career at none other than Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago.

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Gourmet Getaway to the Mendocino Region, Part I: Michelin Two-Starred Harbor House Inn

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The signature abalone course at Harbor House Inn, which will set the bar for any other abalone dish you enjoy in the future.
The signature abalone course at Harbor House Inn, which will set the bar for any other abalone dish you enjoy in the future.

From the first time I dined at Harbor House Inn in 2018 before it officially opened to the public to my most recent visit this month, it remains to me the restaurant that most thoroughly embodies a true sense of place.

Maybe it’s partly the secluded setting in tiny Elk, a three hours’ drive north out of congested San Francisco through peaceful winding roads of bucolic vineyards and towering redwoods, that somehow vanquishes any of life’s troubles, worries or stresses. Maybe it’s the view from the property of the rugged coastline overlooking Wharf Rock East Arch, the dramatic rock formation bored through by centuries of powerful, unrelenting Pacific waves. And maybe it’s the vision and execution by Executive Chef Matthew Kammerer and his team, who have gone to great lengths to spotlight ingredients, plateware, and decor that are distinctly of the land and sea there.

It all adds up to terroir personified, creating a truly immersive and transportive experience.

The Harbor House Inn.
The Harbor House Inn.

Of course, few Michelin two-starred experiences come at a modest price. Harbor House Inn’s tasting menu is $325 per person. If you elect to stay overnight in one of its 11 rooms or cottages, a wise choice given that there are few other accommodations close by, it will run you a minimum of $500 per night. Make the splurge, though, and you’re in for a most memorable occasion.

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