Yesterday, Grub Street brought you this feature, now an annual thing, for which we sought out destination restaurants and taco shacks and whathaveyou around the country, with one for every state and two for California. For those of you in the Bay Area looking for a less ambitious road trip that still feels like a journey deep into the countryside, we’d recommend checking out our NorCal pick, Terrapin Creek, the little restaurant in Bodega Bay, just off of Route 1, which snagged a Michelin star last year for their excellent food. Today, we bring you a closer look at the food as it looks on the menu right now.
The food is all skillfully prepared, fresh, and flavorful, and if you know the area you’ll know that there’s not a ton of great food on that stretch of Route 1. At Terrapin Creek you’ll find things like delicate, expertly seared scallops with parsnips and a bacon vinaigrette; a light, cream-free soup of celery and leek with lemon oil; and a tender and amazing veal osso bucco of a sort that a Michelin inspector would deem worthy of a stop.
Also, the town of Bodega Bay is where Alfred Hitchcock shot much of The Birds, so fans might want to consider stopping off first to take a picture, doing their best Tippi Hedron pose, outside the iconic Potter Schoolhouse.
Earlier: 50 State Dinners, 2012: Food Pilgrimages You Must Make This Summer
Regarding Terrapin Creek Café, This Year’s Michelin-Star Sleeper