What do you do after a 5-mile wildflower hike down to the ocean and back? Well, you eat pie of course. Actually, a bacon cheeseburger, a Boont Amber and then pie. Hunting for wildflowers really works up an appetite. Or was it the mile practically straight UP, through bogs and marshes with squishy mud and wet socks? Ah, the natural beauty of Point Reyes is not to be compared. That fresh ocean air gets all the juices flowing, and meat and sugar is a well-deserved reward.
The Station House Cafe is along the main strip in Point Reyes Station, and, from the outside, looks like a regular small-town diner. But entering through the lush backyard, you see that this is not your typical restaurant. The menu is full of the normal lunch fare, hamburgers, sandwiches, and salads, but also includes a variety of oysters, steamed mussels, spanikopita and meatloaf. The menu actually made it hard to choose. Another plus for the Station House is that their beef, pork, and lamb is from Niman Ranch, their chicken are fresh Rocky or Rosie chickens, their bread is La Brea Bakery bread baked fresh every day, and they bake corn bread and popovers throughout the day. They also have an organic garden in the back. All these things meant I didn't want to leave until I had tried everything on the menu. Alas, I chose a bacon cheeseburger (I mean it had a whole wheat bun, how could I NOT choose that?) It came with country fries, which I'm not a huge fan of, so I got my usual, salad on the side with vinaigrette.
You know how every now and then you have one of those food moments, when the thing you are eating becomes the center of your sensual universe and all of your senses are focused on the wonder of this one thing? Yeah, it was like that. Perfect, thick bacon, perfect burger, and perfectly accompanied by pickles (a necessity). It's now in my top 5 best hamburgers ever.
And what is a delicious hamburger without pie? Triple Berry Pie with Straus Whipped Cream. I was in heaven, this flaky, dense, tart pie was a symphony of flavors, and I don't even really have a sweet tooth. You must order this when you go. Or the butterscotch pudding, I think I'll have to try that next time.
The Station House Café
11180 State Route One (Main Street)
Point Reyes Station, California 94956
415.663.1515
Molly,
I LOVE the new look!!!! Wonderful! And your photos are really nice too!
Posted by: alice | April 26, 2005 at 12:05 PM
Oh, Molly. Once again our tastes seem too parallel. If you ask my best friend what do you do after a hike, she'd answer without hesitation, PIE! We research the pie options around every trail before we hit the road. And who doesn't love a bacon cheeseburger as an appetizer to the pie? :)
Posted by: caryn | April 26, 2005 at 12:19 PM
Yay for Pt. Reyes, my old stomping ground. I remember forgetting to bring a grill to cook dinner on out at North Beach. I'd heard of Beer Butt chicken, so I figured I'd stuff the chicken pieces IN to a can full of beer and cook it that way. It didn't work as planned. So we filleted the beer cans and used the open aluminum cans as a griddle. But aluminum melts, so we had to continually drip cold beer on to the 'griddle' to keep it from turning in to a slag heap. The result was cooked, beery chicken with a hint of sand. The baked potatoes we gave up on, too much work, ya know?
Biggles
Posted by: Dr. Biggles | April 26, 2005 at 01:37 PM
Hey Alice - Welcome back and thanks!
Caryn - A girl after my own heart, exactly right. Maybe one day we'll have to hike and pie together.
Biggles - You nut. That visual is too crazy, I just can see a big man stuffing chicken into beer cans. And the potatoes were too much work???
Posted by: Molly | April 26, 2005 at 02:03 PM
I'm gigglin' as I read your response only because I remember being out there in the blustery wet winds as the sun went down. I forgot to mention that. We didn't show up when it was sunny and warm, but when it was cold, windy and wet. We were so hungry and knew it took 40 minutes in the best conditions to bake a potato. We had enough semi cooked chicken and cold beer to make through. We passed out on the sand dunes. Only to wake up at 2am in even worse conditions. Good thing the rangers didn't tow my van. And I have to say, just because sand is all pushy, doesn't mean it is comfortable to sleep on, in a soggy sleeping bag, in 30 mph winds. Just so you know.
Biggles
Posted by: Dr. Biggles | April 27, 2005 at 08:33 PM
Next time, try the bread pudding with vanilla caramel sauce ... o good lord, with more money & time I'd weigh seven hundred pounds.
Posted by: L. Markoff | May 04, 2005 at 05:01 PM