We stayed a little longer in San Francisco than we usually do on our Thanksgiving trip. This gave us the opportunity to do more bopping around the countryside but it was well into preparation for Christmas when we returned to NYC so I didn’t have time to report on all of our good California eats. One of which was enjoyed in Point Reyes Station at Osteria Stellina. Point Reyes is situated in one of the most beautiful parts of the world – to get there from San Francisco we drove through misty redwood forests, over grey-brown hills serving as pasture land, along the beach, and around inlets and coves – all the while listening to our companion’s (son, daughter-in-law, good friend) tales of hiking the county’s strenuous trails and kayaking in the surrounding sea. We did absolutely none of these arduous things but hearing about them made us tired and hungry, so our planned lunch at Osteria Stellina was a most welcome reward.
I can’t begin to tell you about all of the marvelous dishes that were presented to us – being greedy we always want a bit of everything on the menu – but I can tell you that everything we ate was exquisite and so satisfying. Not only does the restaurant have its own farm whatever doesn’t come from the farm is plucked from local waters, farms, or ranches or foraged from the immediate area. I do vividly remember the stinging nettle soup that the chef-owner, Christian Caiazzo, welcomed us with – a lovely, rich green and so creamy and smooth that it took all we could do to keep from licking our bowls clean. We had great pizzas – one with local potatoes – bruscetta – a bountiful seafood stew – lusty beans and greens – hearty stews and polenta – salads – lots of great Italian wine – and an array of truly not-needed, but gobbled anyway desserts. As winter comes down on us in the East, I am secretly planning a trip back if only to sit in the comfortable dining room of Osteria Stellina, people watch onto Main Street through the expansive windows, sip a warming Italian wine, and let the chef delight me with his soulful dishes.
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