We decided at the last minute to have dinner at Fog’s, the very new restaurant at the Tomales Bay Resort, on a recent Friday night. Even though the restaurant wasn’t officially open, we were welcomed—and we were glad of it.
This particular location, with its beautiful bay views, has had more restaurant ups and downs than a carnival roller coaster, but why dreg up the past when, from our first impression, Fog’s is off to a fine start. The décor has been spiffed up, the menu is creative and varied, the prices are reasonable and the staffers were all smiles and eager to please.
The menu is quite varied, from small plates to a caviar service (!) to shared plates to a taco section and 10 main dishes. With these choices, it wasn’t easy to decide, but I can write with surety that the grilled Atlantic salmon ($22) was excellent, finely portioned and a good value. The plate itself was a bit small, but that kink will be ironed out very soon.
We started out with the clam chowder ($8) textured with bacon, potato and carrots and lots of clams. One of the better chowders around. Another dish we enjoyed was the BLT sliders. Nice variant; the tomato was green and fried and it featured crisp romaine lettuce. We were bit stuffed at the end, but we had to try one of the desserts—a rewarding apple galette with fresh whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce. I did not leave a crisp crumb on the plate. Other items of interest included chipotle crab cakes, pomegranate chicken and panko- crusted fish with chips.
The owners of Fog’s, Amber Driscoll and Roger Tschann, also own the Speakeasy at 125 Petaluma Blvd. North in Petaluma. Across the mini-plaza is the Petaluma Pie Company, which purveys extraordinarily delicious desserts. Meanwhile, enjoy Fog’s—it’s a great addition for us natives.
Ed Schwartz has written extensively on wine, food and travel for major national and regional publications. He lives in Inverness.