Drakes Sonoma Coast

General Notes

Excellent restaurant in Bodega Bay. The first time, I came here mostly because it was convenient (I was staying at the Lodge at Bodega Bay, which is where this restaurant is located), but it was actually surprisingly very good for a hotel restaurant. Excellent vibes (rustic and great sunset vibes). Food is really good, especially their clams and bread. Their portions are surprisingly large for a bougie restaurant of this nature and the prices are actually quite reasonable considering what you get. Interestingly, they have a lot of Asian influences / flavors, similar to the Lodge at Bodega Bay ... which is odd considering that their clientele is overwhelmingly white.

Negatives

> Their cocktails aren't the best. I've tried three different cocktails and they've all been fairly mediocre. They did have a non-alcoholic beer that had a pretty nice rose flavor which was good, though.

Dishes Tasted

• ★★☆☆ buttermilk panna cotta -- black mission figs, honey, pistachio brittle, orange zest. The buttermilk gives it a slightly tart flavor, kind of similar to yogurt. Pretty good although not my preferred kind of dessert
• ★★★☆ chocolate lava cake -- special dessert (not listed on their menu), very very good. served with vanilla ice cream
• ★★★★ Creekstone Farms Grilled Ribeye -- duck fat potatoes, seared trumpet mushrooms, spinach puree, chimichurri. Cooked to perfection, super tender + juicy, the duck fat potatoes could have been a touch more crispy but flavor is excellent.
• ★★★☆ Berkshire Duroc Pork Chop -- peach butter, king oyster mushroom bread pudding, green beans, lardons. Surprisingly tender, the flavor is quite nice too. The bread pudding is meh, the green beans are decent, the lardons are a nice touch. This pork chop is a double cut and it is HUGE.
• ★★★☆ Heirloom Tomato Salad -- burrata cheese, black garlic vinaigrette, basil, della fattoria olive bread. This is delicious, and it's a LOT of burrata
• ★★☆☆ Little Gem Caesar -- parmesan, croutons, boquerones, caesar dressing. Overall pretty good, although not particularly noteworthy
• ★★☆☆ shrimp and artichoke dip -- cream cheese, peppers, parmesan, espellete, della fattoria bread. Pretty good although not my favorite type of appetizer.
• ★★★☆ chilled local oysters -- pretty solid oysters, nice and creamy with a clean flavor
• ★★★★ one pound tomales bay manila clams -- sonoma chardonnay, chorizo, herbs, butter, grilled sourdough. This is perhaps the most incredible dish on their menu. The clams are cooked perfectly, but more importantly the broth is incredible and the bread pairs SO WELL WITH IT. The next time I come here I'm just ordering this, and perhaps asking for a little more bread.
• ★★☆☆ black rice bowl -- pickled mushrooms, radish, avocado crema, pea sprouts, chile crunch. Decent, the flavor is a little odd but I do like the tartness.
• ★☆☆☆ mussel cacio e pepe -- bucatini, white wine, butter, black pepper, parmesan. pretty unremarkable, although the mussel tastes good and the portion is surprisingly large
• ★★★☆ della fattoria bread basket for two -- toasted sesame seed and seaweed butter. The butter is incredibly delicious; it's light and airy whipped.