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 Crab for Sale in Bodega Bay

Bright orange, hand-painted signs throughout Bodega Bay advertise “Fresh Crab from Fisherman.” If you follow these signs, they’ll lead you up Highway 1, left on Eastshore, right on Bay Flat, and eventually to Dock C down at the Spud Point Marina on West Shore Rd. This is where Cathy and Steve Anello sell fresh, live crabs onboard their fishing boat, the Robert Croll (named after famous sea captain).
Note: Photos show other employees onboard. Steve Anello not pictured.


Steve has been a local fisherman for 37 years. Cathy’s been at it for 7 years and has come to love the life of a fisherwoman and in fact is becoming something of an advocate for the local commercial fishing industry.

Today they had a tank filled with dozens of large, active crabs. These guys were lively, moving around faster than any crustaceans I’ve ever seen in restaurant or fish market tanks.

I’m a total novice so Cathy gave me a complete rundown on how to prepare them. First and foremost, she recommends boiling them in sea water from the ocean if possible. “It’s the ultimate, the salinity of their own natural environment gives optimal taste. The crab meat will be incredibly sweet, not at all salty” she insists.

“If you don’t have sea water, add enough salt to your pot to achieve the same salinity, anywhere from ¼ cup to 1 cup, depending on the amount of water.”

Boil the water, add the crab, then cook for 20 minutes after the second boil. They’re full of meat this year and require the full 20 minutes. The backs will lift slightly when they’re done.

Next, chill them in sink bath of ice water. This makes it easier to get them out of the shell. Lift the back off and rinse off the crab butter (although some people like to use it--in cioppino for example). Remove the gray area on each side, those are the gills. The rest is 100% delicious dungeness crab meat.

When I still looked squeamish, she said she can also do much of the advance work for us and all we’d have to do was steam them.

Cathy was a delight and loves her life as a fisherwoman. She and her husband are related to Carol and Tony Anello who own Spud Point Crab Company across the street (with the award-winning clam chowder). Steve and Tony are brothers.


Crab season runs November-June. Cathy says she’s there most days until about 6 p.m., but recommends we call first to check availability. Prices are higher than she’d like this year, $5.99-$6.99 per lb., but it’s due to the limited availability. She expects there will be more crab next year and hopes for a banner season in 2011.

Contact: Cathy & Steve Anello, C&S Fish, 707-494-7612.

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…