Joseph "bearlaw1968" H.'s Profile

Beautiful young woman with blue eyes helped us decide what to get.  My lover Nate got the mushroom flavored ice cream cone and I got a decent "Caffeinator".  This is a bit off the beaten path.  All in all, they seemed attentive, the place looked very clean and friendly, and we got some unique tastes that we didn't expect when we almost walked by.  When it looked like the ice cream flavor that I wanted in my coffee was almost out, she immediately offered and went to the back to see (and found) more cookie dough chocolate chip.  I was very pleased that she was willing to do that instead of assume they were totally out.

There were a lot of pluses and minuses to this place, but I would say I'd go there again if I had a hankering for a decent burger, like we did.

The place is hard to find.  Googlemaps had it off by at least a block, and the sign was overhead.  We must have passed it four times before we realized that it is in the back lot of a few other establishments.

There was only one woman working the place.  I asked to have my burger on a sourdough roll instead and she said she would have to charge me more.  I hope she didn't because then she said she would "have to check with the chef".  What fucking chef?  She was the only one there.  I hope she wasn't baked or had to call someone to switch the damn bread.  She didn't anyway.

The burger was great.  I got a double with really authentic looking bacon, which looked fresh.  

I was very pleased that she warned me that they have a "house sauce" which is like mayonnaise and mustard or Thousand Island dressing or something.  I hate that West Coast restaurants usually assume and don't tell you when they put that crap on, and then I have to send it back because it wasn't listed.

The fries were steak fries (my least favorite) but I'm glad she warned us that the portions were large, so the bag we got we shared.  As with most places, unless you ask them to have the steak fries "well done", they are raw and uncooked in the middle, which I think is gross.

There is a decent outdoor seating area, but the picnic table almost flew up when I sat down on the edge, as I guess it is very lightweight.  There is an indoor eating area and the bathroom was pretty clean, although I don't know if I'd want to eat in the dining area right outside of the bathroom, as it's rather close and there is only a fan that goes on when the light is on.

We were very pleased with the food that was good enough to photograph and post to my web site.  I probably fretted too much about not getting there in time for our reservation for two, since we were coming all the way from the city and it is a very casual place, but the dining room did fill up soon after we arrived and we had zero wait.  

I was initially disappointed that the shades were down, but when dusk approached, the staff reached around us and we were able to see the glorious view of the bay (even if the hills behind us would be prettier).

Parking was no problem, although it was a little tricky getting out of the lot over the tiny bridge.  There is also a full view of a trailer park across the street, but that doesn't detract from much.

Nellie was out waitress and she was great.  As soon as she said "tempura scallops" I jumped on it.  Basically it was a very tasty version of fish and chips (much better than cod).  The fries were great, even though they were not spiced.  They were curly and we were provided with malt vinegar, which I liberally poured over everything in my basket.  

Nate had the clam chowder soup to start.

The live music was pretty damn good.  We were impressed with the guitar player's repertoire.

Everyone seemed happy and the bathrooms were clean.  We were very glad we came and we would love to go back, especially when we heard the words "crab ravioli".

Apparently there is some kind of issue with their being able to keep the restaurant at this location and they have some fliers about it in the bathroom and lobby areas.  I didn't want to delve too deeply into the lawsuit, but I do hope this place stays open somehow.

I wrote about the highly-regarded restaurant in another review.

Like in 1997, I stayed on the second floor where the spartan rooms have you share bathrooms.  These areas are economical and the bathrooms are very nice, although the "his-and-hers" bathroom (which is a his-and-his when I'm there) had the window latch stuck, so no matter how warm the heat lamp made it, you still were pretty much exposed with the open window (not fun when your feet are freezing and you have a finite number of towels to use for the wet floor).

Upon our arrival, it didn't even occur to me that there would be an issue connecting to the internet.  That was obviously not a concern back in 1997.  However, I was soon told that there was no wifi service because it had not been working.  Only after pushing for more information was I advised that apparently this was the case for at least TEN days!  So that means there was no remedy in sight.  Wifi was critically important to me upon my arrival because I was expecting calls from work and NO CELL CARRIER works in Gualala, unless perhaps you are right downtown, which Saint Orres most certainly is not.  So, we had to drive for MILES to inform my office and family (since the public phone on the second floor was completely non-operational) that I would not be in touch much when I was at this place.  So much for a productive evening or weekend.

To make matters worse (and this is no fault of St. Orres), none of my family or co-workers recognized the public phone number in the very stuffy telephone booth near the main entrance to the restaurant (making going in socks or barefoot unthinkable), so none of my attempts to call collect helped at all (I couldn't even leave a voicemail message).

Never again will I travel to a remote location without obtaining complete assurance that there is some kind of signal.  Even with wifi, I could have skyped from my iphone, but no communications were to be had, and none of the staff seemed that concerned with my dismay at this.  Indeed, i don' think some of the staff understood it until the husband of one of the staff members who was there to pick her up (nice guy named Chris) overhead my lover and I talking about it and suggested that we either drive into the town of Gualala proper, or about ten miles up Highway 1 (at night on a tortuous road) to obtain a signal.  Gualala proper was closer and we were able to steal just enough bandwidth from one of the businesses in town to get out an email.  Of course, that was only after my lover ended up charging his credit card for a few minutes of broadband.  I was almost ready to inquire as to whether I could log into one of their hard-wired computers.  We even contemplated for a moment taking off and going home, but we had paid for the entire weekend before we got to our room.

Fortunately we were on the road a lot during our stay, so in many of the other Mendocino and Sonoma towns surrounding us, we were able to get bits and pieces of signal.  In 2009, I would have put a neon sign saying "no internet" before I'd let anyone settle in.

Parking is no problem and the staff is pretty professional.  We were glad to see the floor was not too crowded so there was never an issue with over-occupied bathrooms or sharing the continuous balcony with our neighbors.  We did get a lot of relaxation in, even if I was hoping to hear more of the waves than the cars going by, but the location and premises is still gorgeous and convenient for getting to those other remote parts of the coast.

I did not mind the dogs in dining room, although some jurisdictions have strict codes about such things.  We also did have a bit of a wait one morning for the brunch, but the quality and friendliness of Rosemary, the apparent chef/owner made up for any shortcomings.

I went once in 1997 when I stayed upstairs and I went again last week.  The place is very charming and the food is presented very beautifully.  Rosemary, who I understand is the owner and chef, is a gem, and a warm-hearted, genuine person.  She reminds me of so many of my friends back East, where she is from apparently.  The food was great (I posted some pictures on my web site of the brunches and the dinner entrees we had, as well as an appetizer).  We are not big wine drinkers so we don't know what to say about that, but I'm sure it's superb based on where this is.  The wait staff is very professional and is required to do a lot of memorization.  The only problem is that as patrons, it is hard to remember all the details, so despite the impressions it makes to memorize all of the specials and sides, which change so frequently, it may serve people well to not to have to ask for things to be repeated if it was written down in some fashion, although this place is far too classy for a chalk board.  

My lover and I did feel comfortable dressed pretty casually in nice jeans with decent nice collared shirts, as this would be highly appropriate to wear semi-formal wear to (for dinner).

My only complaint was that, especially given our advance reservations for only two people, and with a dining room that appeared to be 3/4 empty when we arrived on time from where we were staying one flight up (at 8pm, no less), we still had to wait half an hour to be seated!  I got a little miffed and asked the hostess to be sure that our reservation, for which I had email confirmation, was actually tabulated.  I almost went into town for pizza before it got too late.

The irony of the email confirmation is that there was no wifi service apparently for TEN days with no remedy in sight, it seemed, but that's more of a complaint that I have for the accommodations portion.  Wifi was critically important to me upon my arrival because I was expecting calls from work and NO CELL CARRIER works in Gualala, unless perhaps you are right downtown, which Saint Orres is not.

I love restaurants that stay open 24-hours.  They have a huge variety of food and often times there are very friendly (but probably straight waiters).  There was this one guy with a strong Queens accent named Michael, who is very handsome  and used to remember my friends and me when we went there every week and had small talk with us.  

I think every major city has a "gay cafeteria" and this one would qualify for New York.

Weather-permitting there is also outdoor seating, which is always a plus.

I love this place and used to get the 'chicken fried chicken'!  The corn dog appetizers are great, and they have strawberry lemonade.

The bear club in NYC used to have all-you-can-eat brunches sometimes in the back room.

Some of the booths are a little tight to squeeze into if you have a gut.  One time I went with friends and there were a group of women screaming like banshees, which really turned us off because they were laughing to loud the entire restaurant became a hackle-fest.  Some gay guys I know have complained that it became too 'family-oriented" but I loved bring my daughter there and I am not one of those kid-hating homos.  

The staff is always great and the male waiters are cute, which is a plus in the Village.  I used to love to sit outside and people watch when weather permitted, but there are also large windows by some of the tables year-round.

I miss this place.  They have such large portions I've not once had the space to have some of their famous pie.  Avoid going Sunday mornings because it's ridiculously crowded, although the space is quite expansive.  It's a great place to go after a long day at the beach.  I also liked going there after law school class on the other side of Fulton Street Mall.

I don't like alcohol but rarely I'll have some red wine.  However, I go to this place when I'm in the area because I love the deli with fresh baked bread and the ultimate pesto I've ever had - OLIVE CAPER PESTO!  Who was the genius who combined these flavors?  I stock up every time I go.

They let you sample all of their concoctions and most of the pestos are to die for.  I'm not crazy for the sweet things, but you can still sample until you're full.  Everything I've had from the deli was made with artisan expertise and the staff is extremely polite and helpful.

I love their Western Burgers and curly fries.  I usually get it to go, but there is out door seating which is generally shielded from any winds, but unfortunately it's also shielding you from most of the sun most of the day.  It has a cool view of the Transamerica Pyramid from certain angles, though.

The only complaint I have is that the pigeons and other flying rodents seem to make their home ALL OVER the outdoor seating areas, which includes the table.  Accordingly, if you drop so much as a fry on the table, consider it tainted and don't rest your hands on the table at all, no matter how sterile they look.  I'm sure it's hard for them to keep up with the barrage of birds crawling all over them, and there are probably a lot of hippie-types who encourage the animals to come right up to them by sharing their food.  It's just not hygienic, so I recommend placing a bunch of napkins (perhaps two layers) under all of your food or wherever you rest your arms.