San Francisco area coastal wedding destinations

Wedding Caterer – Sample This! Catering

Written by Terry Plank on . Posted in Dining - Half Moon Bay Coastside, Resources - Half Moon Bay Coastside

Let’s start with a this quote from the Rotary Club of Half Moon Bay “Casey Sample and Sample This! Fine Catering have been providing luncheons for the Rotary Club for many years. Casey consistently provides an excellent variety of healthy, delicious meals to satisfy the tastes of forty-five people! Her food and service are excellent.”

I’ve had the pleasure over the years to officiate at scores of weddings that Casey Sample has catered and I couldn’t agree more with the Rotary Club. Sample This! caters weddings, private parties, graduations, any of the celebrations of life. The most popular menu is buffet style and Casey works closely with the bride and groom to find a menu to fit the budget and theme, personalizing the menu to best suit their needs. She uses fresh produce and fruit from the Coastside when possible.

In addition to catering, Casey has a quaint restaurant in downtown Half Moon Bay, Casey’s Cafe. I asked Casey how she best describes her restaurant and her catering; her answer was “Fresh From The Coast”.  In fact she has received a listing in the San Mateo County As Fresh As It Gets awards for several years. Casey’s Cafe also serves gluten free soups and chowders as well as homemade salad dressings.

So for catering or just a good meal when visiting Half Moon Bay, Casey’s Cafe and Sample This! Catering are good choices for fine food and for finding a caterer you will enjoy working with.  She has a sharp wit and provides excellent customer service.

Learn more at their Half Moon Bay Chamber Sample This! Profile or at their Casey’s Cafe Profile. Visit the Cafe at 328 Main Street in Half Moon Bay or  phone them at (650) 726-2044.

terry Plank Authored by Terry Plank

Coastside Dining – Duarte’s Tavern

Written by Terry Plank on . Posted in Dining - Half Moon Bay Coastside

is one of the most historical restaurants on the Coastside. In 1894 Frank Duarte brought a barrel of whiskey from Santa Cruz and put it on the bar that still stands today in Pescadero.  Apart from  a short time closure during prohibition, Duarte’s Tavern has been serving customers ever since. The reopening was in 1934 with the added business of selling sandwiches, a “soda fountain, and a barbershop.

We just went there this week and had their calamari sandwich, my favorite.  My wife had the  cream of green chile soup, but it’s a toss up as to which is better, green chile or the cream of artichoke soup.  Of course, being situated in Pescadero makes the serving of artichokes in a variety of dishes a natural. You get to Pescadero, just 17 miles south of Half Moon Bay, driving along a beautiful coastal road that leads to old historic Pescadero, town surrounded by fields of artichokes, brussel sprouts, and strawberries.

Duarte’s has breakfast and lunch menus; their fine dining evening selections can include crab cioppino, Pacific snapper, baked oysters, lamb chops since their specials vary throughout the season.

As if that wasn’t enticement enough to spend some time in Pescadero, then think “pie”!  They bake them all right there using local recipies, the Olallieberry pie being one of my favorites. An Olallieberry is a cross between a loganberry and a youngberry;  “olalli” comes from the Northwestern Native American’s word for berry and you can even drive a few miles further and pick your own olallieberrys in the field to take home if you want to make your own pie or just add them to your cereal in the next morning.

Pescadero is a nice to visit if you’re on the Coastside for a wedding or just looking for a fun spot to spend the day on the Coastside.  There is Arcangeli Grocery/Norms Market where you can excellent artichoke garlic break,  Harley Farms Goat Dairy to tour, shops, bed and breakfast inns, all within a mile of Pescadero Marsh Natural Preserve and a couple of miles from Butano State Park.

Learn more at and check out their online store to buy some Olallieberry Jam.   Call for reservations at (650) 879-0464.

terry Plank Authored by Terry Plank

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