#1 Zagat Rated in Cali! :o

potato pancake FAIL

Continuing my warp-speed job transition weekend, I accompanied mi padre to Sonoma for some drive-by touring. We started out getting breakfast in Healdsburg. My dad kept telling me we were going to some creamery, but once we got there, he decided he'd rather go to the cafe next door. I was excited at first because they claimed to have potato pancakes... but as per usual, it ended up being a mush of crappy hash brown things. sigh sigh. The homemade peach coffee cake was kind of crappy too :(. Now I'm reading reviews and see the creamery place was on the Food Network for being amazing. Lame.

Onward we traveled all around Sonoma checking out wineries and all the scenery. It was gorgeous out and quite a fun trip. It was highly epic as I freaking tried some champagne at one of the stops!!! :O. I didn't actually like it that much, but still, wow. Crazy. We ended up driving to the ocean and playing around on the beach while wasting time before going to Bodega Bay for dinner. 

#1 rated??

This is beyond bizzare, and I'm not even sure if it's a kink in the system... but for some reason the 2011 #1 Zagat CA restaurant is Terrapin Creek Cafe in BB. This place ended up being very tasty, but still, with cities like LA & SF competing, it blows my mind that the top dining in the state is in some rural coastal town. 

cute bread dishes

We had the earliest reservations (4:30) so when we arrived, the place was still getting set up for dinner. It is very family owned & oriented with the (highly attractive) husband waiting and managing, and the wife busy as the lead chef. They even had their baby hanging out while the prepared everything. It is decorated rather simply but with a modern flair, and there is a tiny patio which has a view of the water.

I was super starving and highly appreciated the bottomless 3 bread basket (which cost $1.50 >: |). For appetizers, we split a roasted beet salad and grilled octopus. Both were delicious!! Along with the beets, there was goat cheese, almonds, and some vinagrette. It was extremely flavorful and so fresh tasting. The octopus was also amazing. It was cooked to the perfect consistency and didn't have any sort of fishy taste that you usually get with calamari. I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

grilled octopus

Next, for our entrees, I tried the meatballs and my dad got the sea bass. My dish was very different since I'm only used to getting meatballs with spaghetti, or at IKEA. I really liked it because instead of pasta or potatoes, they were served on a bed of tomato sauce covered pecorino cheese. I'd never had pecorino before, but it's a creamy, subtle tasting cheese similar to ricotta in consistency. The dish was super filling, but really unique and terrific. My dad's fish also tasted great, and he seemed to really enjoy it. 

Even though we were stuffed, we had to get dessert. I ordered the mini cheesecake and it was the star of the meal. I have never had such a perfectly prepared cheesecake. It was so incredibally smooth and creamy and was not obnoxiously cream cheese flavored. The graham crust was very buttery and crispy, and it came with a delicious raspberry dipping sauce which really highlighted the flavors. My dad's dessert was a little pot of choco-hazlenut with mini cookies to dip. It was a bit too rich for my tastes, and I think he was jealous of mine.

 

best cheesecake ever

It was a very incredible meal. I definitely think it should be highly rated; however, I'm not sure I agree it's the best in CA. I guess that's a very subjective rating. I have kind of ghetto tastes... haha I'd probably pick a fad place like Straw as my favorite :) that's why I don't work for Michelin