Terrapin Creek

Eastside Road, September 21, 2012—

APOLOGIES TO THOSE VEGETARIANS among you: yes; that's beefsteak. More specifically, "Creekstone Farms Angus Beef Rib Eye," with whipped potatoes, sautéed broccolini and mushrooms, with a tiny bit of soy sauce blended into the reduction. (Why is reduction so often called "jus" on American menus? Another irritant…)

Before that, a Caesar salad manqué: as the menu promised, "Eggless Dressing, Romaine Lettuce, Parmesan Cheese, Croutons." No raw egg. No anchovy. Almost no garlic. Yet somehow perfectly refreshing, well-balanced, and rich with very good Parmesan.

This was really a nice restaurant, a nice discovery. It's been here, in this remote coastal town, for a few years now. Eight or ten people on the staff, lunch and dinner Thursday through Sunday, mostly local and mostly correctly raised ingredients — though this beefsteak was grain-finished in Colorado, not grass-fed within forty miles, as would have been perfectly possible.

Still: if not the very best and most ethical ingredients, still intelligent and knowledgable technique, an enterprising menu, friendly and competent service. Twenty-five for food in Zagat; one Michelin star. We'll likely be back.

"Yulupa Cuvée Brut," Kenwood, NV (crisp, friendly); Rhone-style Syrah blend, California, details missing (powdery, young, stemmy)

• Terrapin Creek, 1580 Eastshore Road, Bodega Bay, California; (707) 875-2700