Tucked into the coast south of San Francisco is the sleepy,
fog-laced town of Half Moon Bay. Famed for its pumpkin festival,
the town offers quiet charm year-round with blocks of antique
stores, art galleries and small boutiques, peppered with
restaurants serving up anything but average fare.
Tucked into the coast south of San Francisco is the sleepy, fog-laced town of Half Moon Bay. Famed for its pumpkin festival, the town offers quiet charm year-round with blocks of antique stores, art galleries and small boutiques, peppered with restaurants serving up anything but average fare.
Day trippers will want to get an early start on their way to the town, because the best deals on a Saturday are to be had early.
The city’s farmer’s market takes place from 8am to noon in the rear parking lot of Cetrella’s, an Italian restaurant on the far end of Main Street, where locals like farmer Edward Dee of Pescadero are regulars.
Dee began farming organic produce about six years ago – as a side job to supplement his musical career.
A third-generation San Franciscan whose grandfather worked on the Golden Gate bridge, he can converse as fluently on the area’s history as on the tomato and herb plants he grows from seed.
And for non-foodies, there are also distractions at the market.
A Bolivian flute player keeps the mood mellow, and jewelry maker Pamela Martin Noyes, who specializes in creating lacquered wooden pendants with vintage fabric patterns, is there each week, too.
“All of the images I create are lacquered onto the wood, which I carve to match,” said Martin Noyes, owner of Her Sister’s Stuff, a line sold through the stores Paper Crane and Indo in town. “I carve and sand, lacquer and sand, lacquer and sand until I get them shiny like glass.”
Several blocks back along Main Street toward Highway 92, a riot of color interrupts the overcast morning near the historic San Benito Hotel.
The third Saturday of the month is home to a flower mart, and local growers peddle their wares for as little as $2 a bunch.
Buckets of sweet peas, dahlias, iris and cat’s tail languish in the morning cool, and potted hydrangeas dot each stand. In the middle of it all, Diane Costello and Rae Yamane sit knitting as visitors look over their selection of photographs and cards. The pair started Coastal Card Company with their friend Anita Forbes after meeting in a photo class at San Mateo College nearly a decade ago.
Their 4×6-inch prints, drawn from 35mm, slide and digital collections, are mounted to blank cards.
“We do a lot of trips together and go and photograph,” said Yamane. “If we like it, it goes on a card.”
Wander the shops or visit the beach, but when it’s time for lunch, visit It’s Italia. The restaurant, a casual sit-down place located in a small strip mall, has a surprisingly developed wine list with labels like Stag’s Leap, Clos du Val and Grgich Hills. They also have a tasty menu that includes gourmet pizzas named for local landmarks like the “flower market,” a concoction of peaches, pears, prosciutto and gorgonzola with caramelized onions, or “the links” a golf-course green blend of pesto, onions, spinach and feta.
“In 1997, we originally started out as a popular place for high-end pizza, but after a couple of years, we started to expand the menu,” said owner Betsy Del Fierro, who now serves panini, salads and daily specials. “We started to get into the produce that’s grown locally, so everything is super-fresh. Our fava beans and our fresh basil and herbs come from right down the road. You can see the tops of the trees from here.”
Locals also recommend sandwiches from the San Benito Hotel, where the bread is fresh-baked that day, or sit-down meals at Paper Moon, a bistro featuring home-made desserts and excellent service as well as a wine bar, but reservations are highly recommended.
As the afternoon wears on, savor Half Moon Bay’s artistic appeal. The third Saturday of the month also mark’s the town’s art walk, a celebration of the local art scene with musicians, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at five galleries on and around Main Street. The walk, which is in its first year, will continue through September and resume next April or May, according to Lillie Barrows, owner and director of Rubino Gallery on Main Street.
“The idea behind the art walk was to raise awareness that this is a really great area for art,” said Barrows, who lived in town 30 years ago with her parents and returned to open the gallery in September 2004. “We have 14 galleries in town, and all of them have something to offer. (Half Moon Bay) is a gem of the coast.”
Just up the block is Cetrella’s, the restaurant where our adventure began and a perfect place to end the day with a relaxing romantic dinner. At this home of Mediterranean fusion, the wine list is extensive and unusual. Consult the in-house sommelier, who is happy to help diners choose a wine to go with their meal. And, while the service is excruciatingly slow – we waited 20 minutes for water and 40 minutes more for the appetizer course – remember that the food, which includes entrées like stuffed baby quail and plank-smoked salmon, is worth the wait.
Should daytrippers decide to make a weekend of it, Rick and Kathy Ellis, owners of the Old Thyme Inn, are happy to take them in. The couple has run the seven-room Victorian bed and breakfast for the last seven and a half years, refurbishing the once-dilapidated surroundings with antique and custom furniture, French linens and romantic touches, not to mention a plentiful dose of paintings by Kathy. The themed rooms named for herbs found in the home’s extensive garden, with names such as Rosemary, Thyme and Chamomile.
“The day of the frou-frou B&B full of knick knacks is kind of past,” said Rick. “It’s elegant luxury … uncluttered. The thing that really counts – the beds are all five-star hotel beds, the breakfasts are home-cooked – are what bring people here to relax.”
Once they’ve explored Main Street, overnighters can consult the Ellises on everything from the best trails for hiking and the best driving tours of the area to the best wineries and small shops in the Santa Cruz mountains.
For overnight reservations, call (650) 726-1616 or visit www.OldThymeInn.com. To reach Half Moon Bay, follow US-101 north to SR-85, then I-280 north. Exit SR-92 toward Half Moon Bay and turn left on Main Street.
