Chowder Day In Bodega Bay, One Taster's Experience

Hi everyone! I’m Kathlene’s daughter and I’ll be doing a guest post today. The opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not in any way represent the views of management (ie: my mom) but she DID raise me for 21 years so I suppose she can’t be free from ALL blame.

Last weekend my mom and I had the fun of taking part in Bodega Bay’s famous Chowder Day, where local restaurants give out free samples of their clam chowder, and we the public vote on who we think has the best. Let’s do a blow by blow of each one!

Map of participating restaurants

The Sandpiper
Most Bodega Bay residents are familiar with the tragic tale of the Sandpiper. After more than fifty years as one of the town’s most beloved restaurants, the Sandpiper’s corporate landlords forced them to pack up and move to a new location up the hill. The whole thing was very sad- you kind of expected Jimmy Stewart to show up and deliver an impassioned speech, melting the heart of a bitter old judge who didn’t believe in Santa Claus, and forcing him to overturn the eviction. Unfortunately, despite more than 6,000 signatures and an overwhelming amount of community support, the Sandpiper was still forced to move.



Their new location (which is actually the old location for Claudio’s Trattoria, another fantastic restaurant) seems to be working out pretty well, however. The place was hopping by the time we arrived. As mom and I walked up to the door, I smiled and waved at an elderly couple that were leaving. They scowled and let the door slam in my face. Thanks, elderly couple! Now the entire internet knows what you did.


My mood improved a lot by the time we made it inside. The employees were warm, friendly, and bearing cups of clam chowder! Yummy! The soup itself was herby and thick with vegetables. It wasn’t what I was expecting, but I thought it was fantastic!

The owner was nice enough to answer all of our questions about the chowder and the new restaurant location. I wished I had the guts to ask for another sample, but I chickened out. Overall, the service was lovely, and the chowder was great. I highly recommend it.

Terrapin Creek Café
By the time we made it to the Terrapin Creek Café, there was a line out into the parking lot. A handwritten sign told Chowder Day visitors to park along the street, probably as a courtesy to the nearby shops.



I was saving a place in line as mama parked the car, when all of a sudden an elderly couple (different one than before) wearing matching Costco parkas just shoved right in front of me, stealing my spot. I wanted to tap them on the shoulder and ask, “Excuse me, is this Chowder Day or Rude Old People Day? Because I’m here for some soup, not sass,” but by this point mom was walking up and I thought better of it.



The soup itself was, well, orange! Mom asked if it was New England or Manhattan, and the man who served it to us insisted that it was New England, despite the fact that it was reddish-orange. Now, I’m not usually a fan of spicy foods, but this chowder was fantastic. I found it EXTREMELY spicy, and many patrons were completely stumped while trying to figure out exactly what was in it. The general consensus was that it included garlic and wine. Honestly, I’d be more inclined to call it a gourmet stew than a soup. Even though the spice was almost too much for me, I’m definitely coming back on another night to try a whole bowl.



As we were leaving, a group of teenagers walked by holding some clam chowder ballots. I overheard one of them say, “Wouldn’t it be funny if we just wrote down that all of them suck?” Yeah, that’d be hilaaaarious! Wouldn’t it be even FUNNIER if I splashed piping hot spicy clam chowder right in your face? Teenagers these days!

Spud Point Crab Company
It’s really, really, really hard to compete with the Spud Point Crab Company. Their chowder is unlike any other kind in the world- it’s more of a garlic chowder than a clam chowder, honestly. After I had my first bowl, shortly after moving to Bodega Bay, it was a long time before I could order clam chowder anywhere else.


Mom and I parked up the street. I heard her say, “Uh oh, compact? This isn’t a compact car,” followed by a loud crash, which was more funny than scary. While walking to the restaurant, we heard an even louder crash as another car made the same mistake we did. Oops!

Spud Point is a family-run operation, and they all appeared to be there. An adorable and unforgettable addition to the usual crew was a little girl wearing a giant hat that looked like a cartoon crab. Fabulous!



Tony Anello, co-owner, was there overseeing the operation. We went up with our little cups of soup and told him what big fans we were- he was very gracious and kind.


The Boathouse
I’m sorry to admit that I had never been to The Boathouse before. They definitely came in first place for presentation- each sample of clam chowder came garnished with paprika in a little dish along with some crackers, bright red napkins and a real spoon. A lot of care and planning seemed to go into their setup; there was even a big gazebo-style tent outside.




The clam chowder itself wasn’t the best. It really bums me out to have to say that, but it’s true. However, The Boathouse isn’t known for its clam chowder. What it IS known for, however, are its fish & chips.

Mama let it slip in the car that she hadn’t had fish & chips since she was a little kid. After sampling the chowder, she and I went inside and ordered some up to share. I took one bite and…OH MY GOD! It was SO good. Like, soooo good! Hands-down the best fish and chips I’d ever had in my life. And their FRIES were fantastic too.



So, I highly recommend going to The Boathouse for lunch or dinner or the next time you get a chance. You may not be particularly enthused by the clam chowder, but boy oh boy you will just LOVE the fish & chips.


Island Style Deli
A few months ago, my mom made an offhand remark in reply to one of the comments on this site expressing her concern that the Island Style Deli seemed, well, out of style for Bodega Bay. Hawaiian food is very tropical, and this is a cool coastal fishing town. It just seemed kind of out of place. Well, she has since received a number of letters totally ragging on the post, defending the Island Style Deli with the fire of a thousand suns.



Let me just say this. Bodega Bay has a lot of awesome restaurants, but they essentially serve the same sorts of food. Seafood, burgers, and chicken/steak/generic restaurant fare. That’s fine though, as they all do it differently and with a particular flare unique to the restaurant itself.

I think it’s nice to have some variety, and that’s all I will say on THAT topic before we get flooded with another 50,000 e-mails about it.


The Island Style Deli’s clam chowder was pretty herby, although in a completely different way than the Sandpiper’s. It was almost sort of exotic. I liked it a lot, and they included a coupon for two FREE cups of chowder with purchase of two lunches or dinners for future visits which I thought was very nice!

The Tides

I saw a guy who looked just like Truman Capote at The Tides while waiting for my sample. As much as I love The Tides, it’s totally depressing to stare at a tank full of live crabs, staring back at you with tiny, sad eyes as you order food. Kind of put a damper on my chowder experience!





Tides’ chowder is super rich and creamy. Unfortunately, I dropped my cup on the pavement shortly after leaving the building. This was a total bummer since I was really enjoying it! I didn’t remember The Tides having such good chowder- maybe they have a new recipe now? Mom insists it’s the same and she loves it, hmm . . . Either way, it was awesome while it lasted, and I apologize to the janitor who had to clean up my spilled soup.



Bluewater Bistro
We just love the Bluewater Bistro. Their chowder was especially unique in that it had salmon as well as clams and the usual clam chowder fare like potatoes, celery etc. It may even be tied with Spud Point Crab Co. as my favorite for this year!



The Bluewater Bistro has a whole new menu that I encourage you to check out. The brand new pizza oven that never seemed to get used (only available upstairs in the bar and only on some nights? Whaaaat?) finally gets to shine on the regular menu! You can order the pizzas to go now, too, so I expect to gain 5-10 lbs in the coming weeks. Yay!

The votes are in, and the official winners are as follows: For the 6th year in a row, Spud Point came in first, with the Tides a very close second, and Bluewater Bistro not far behind. The other four restaurants came within a few votes of each other.

All in all, mom and I had a blast at Chowder Day! Good job everyone!

Live Music in Bodega Bay!

You can now hear live music three days a week in Bodega Bay. Yes sir, this is a happenin’ place! Bluewater Bistro just expanded their live music to two nights a week, and Gourmet Au Bay offers live music on Sunday afternoons.

Bluewater Bistro is the restaurant located in the Bodega Harbour neighborhood. Open to the public and affiliated with the popular New Links at Bodega Harbour golf course, they have gorgeous ocean views from the restaurant on the main floor. The Fireside Lounge upstairs offers even more spectacular views of Bodega Bay, Doran beach, the golf course, and sunsets over Bodega Head. They also have a deck that overlooks the pool and views south to Tomales and Pt. Reyes.

Unfortunately our camera battery died, so we had to shoot some of these images with a camera phone. Apologies for the poor quality.

The food is excellent, they call it “seaside and wine country cuisine.” On a recent visit, my husband had the Wild Coho Salmon with dried mushroom and panko crust, with garlic mashed potatoes, grilled zucchini, arugula cream sauce and grape and cucumber relish; I had the Grilled Vegetable Platter with grilled artichoke, zucchini, eggplant, red pepper and asparagus with rainbow chard, curried quinoa, balsamic syrup and caper, tomato and roasted garlic salsa; and our daughter had her favorite, the Grilled Filet Mignon with roasted fingerling potatoes, rainbow chard, grilled asparagus and artichoke bottom with red wine demi glace and sauce béarnaise. They also offer simpler fare and I often order their burger (outstanding!) or the Chicken Caesar Salad.

But back to the music. The Bluewater Bistro now offers live music on Thursday and Friday evenings. Set up in the Fireside Lounge, you can also hear it down in the restaurant. Thursday night music is 5:00-8:00 p.m. and includes martini specials. “Fireside Fridays” feature complimentary wine tasting 5:00-6:00 p.m. and music 6:00-8:00 p.m.
 Admission is free and all ages are welcome.


We recently enjoyed the lovely acoustic guitar and vocals of Ali Weiss.
She performed cover songs as well as original music.


We also had fun tasting wine selections from Firestone Vineyard
and Curtis Winery. Free wine tastings will be offered by different wineries each week.

Bluewater Bistro and Fireside Lounge
The Links at Bodega Harbour 21301 Heron Dr., Bodega Bay
Ph: (707) 875-3538

Bodega Bay News

Castles & Kites Festival
We have a fantastic family event coming up next weekend! The annual Castles & Kites Festival will be held Sat. April 25, 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. at Doran Beach Regional Park in Bodega Bay. Admission is free but there is a $6 day use permit to enter the park. They say park representatives will be on hand to provide tools and molds for the castles, and local kite shops will supply some incredible kites and offer kite-making workshops. You can fly your own kite, design a new one, or watch stunt kite demonstrations. I’m really excited. We’ve never been to this before, but we love the annual sand sculpture contest at Drake’s Beach. I hope this will draw similar entries. And of course, who doesn’t love colorful kites soaring in the air? I plan to take lots of photos to share.

Free Live Music in Bodega Bay
Each Thursday evening 5:00-8:00 p.m., Bluewater Bistro presents live music in their lounge with stunning views of Bodega Bay, Doran Beach, and sunsets behind Bodega Head. You can also hear the music in the dining room down below.

On most Sunday afternoons 3:00-5:00 p.m., Gourmet Au Bay offers live music on the deck of their wine bar overlooking the beautiful Bodega Harbor. Check their website for details.

Ren Brown Collection
On Saturday, we dropped by this local art gallery to check out an exhibit by Bruce Johnson--a fabulous sculptor who lives above Timber Cove. Ren Brown Collection is very well-known for their contemporary Japanese art, California artists & sculpture, and antique Japanese furniture, and clients travel from all over the country to visit. You can see continuing and upcoming exhibits at their website.

Earthquake Drill
Bodega Bay is located along the San Andreas fault so we know it’s not a matter of if, but when the next big quake is coming. Fortunately our community has a dedicated Emergency Preparedness Committee that meets year-round, planning and training for The Big One as well as other emergencies.

We’re planning a “mock disaster” drill for Wed., May 13, and encouraging the entire community to participate. The drill will help us become comfortable with what to do first, second, third, etc. and to effectively counter the emotional and situational turmoil of the moment.

Our family has also signed up for CERT training (Community Emergency Response Team). This is a free program through FEMA that trains you to help others in the event of a disaster. Not quite as much fun as castles & kites, but I'm looking forward to it too. :-)

Clam Chowder Contest Winners

Spud Point Crab Company won first place in the Bodega Bay Clam Chowder Contest for the fourth year in a row!

The 6th annual free event took place on Sat., Feb. 7, and we had a blast. Our friends Karen and Jim came from Petaluma, and Robin and Jeffrey from Oakland, and together we visited each of the seven participating restaurants to sample their special clam chowder recipes. Jeffrey developed an elaborate rating system that judged by creaminess, texture, "spiciness," number of clams, and overall flavor, but I preferred the Forrest Gump method, "I like it a lot."

Participating Restaurants:

• Spud Point Crab Company

• Bluewater Bistro

• Sandpiper Restaurant

• Claudio’s Trattoria

• Brisas del Mar

• The Boat House

• The Tides

It’s no surprise that Spud Point won first place, we all agreed their bold, creamy, garlicky recipe was our #1 favorite. Opened in 2004 by locals Carol and Tony Anello, their distinctive clam chowder quickly became famous and garnered tons of publicity from near and far. (Coastal Living Magazine recently said they serve the “world’s best clam chowder.”) Tony has been commercial fishing for 35 years and he provides all the fresh fish from his own boat and that of his son and brother. Carol and daughter Lisa run the mostly-outdoor restaurant. (A granddaughter and employee are pictured.) Our family loves this place and we often bring out-of-town guests here. Once I brought a huge batch home for some lunch guests and Carol explained how to carefully reheat it without ruining it. No, I didn't try to take credit for it, I admitted to my guests that it was from the famous Spud Point!

The Visitor’s Center said all six of the other restaurants tied for second place (what?), so allow me to share our second and third place favorites.


Several of us felt that Bluewater Bistro in Bodega Harbour and the Sandpiper Restaurant tied for second place. In fact, in last year’s contest they tied for second along with The Tides Wharf. Bluewater Bistro’s chowder was very gourmet, perfectly seasoned, and had generous chunks of salmon in addition to clams. It was refreshingly light, not as thick and creamy as some of the others.


The Sandpiper’s chowder was deliciously traditional, creamy, and had the perfect blend of herbs. I wanted seconds of this one! The Sandpiper has been getting a lot of press lately due to a dispute with their landlord—apparently he’s been threatening to evict them. They have a big “Save the Sandpiper” banner across the roof, and many locals wear buttons sporting the same slogan.


Karen and Jeffrey really liked the only Manhattan-style chowder on the list, served at Claudio's Trattoria. Maybe because their restaurant is Italian, their chowder had vegetables making it almost like a minestrone. Karen said whenever she craves a perfect bowl of soup, this is exactly what she pictures.

All of the other chowders were tasty too, and it was especially nice to meet and greet the local restaurateurs and thank them for participating in this wonderful annual event. (At The Boat House, the owner’s delightful school-age daughter helped check in tasters who were waiting patiently in long lines, while her mother brought out endless trays of chowder and crackers.) Just imagine how many pots of clam chowder they all served so generously for free that day.

Fortunately we got an early start, the Visitor’s Center said they were overwhelmed with people who came out for this event. They were expecting around 300 people but by noon 400 had shown up and by 2:00 p.m. they had to shut down because they ran out of maps and clam chowder. They ended up counting nearly 800 ballots!

The weather couldn’t have been more inviting. It was a gorgeous, sunny day with no wind. And talk about lucky, the very next day was overcast, chilly and windy, and of course it seems like it has been raining ever since. In fact, I sure could go for some more clam chowder about now. Decisions, decisions…