*Opentable.com Diner's Choice winner 2011

With all those kudos and five star ratings on yelp this place had high expectations to fill.




You can access Sam's from the street side or from the beach side.   Lots of people just ride along the bike path, and park their bikes below and take the stairs up to the restaurant. 





Ok, so here's what happened the day we visited Sam's.

The parking lot was packed and it was 2:30 in the afternoon! 

Inside the place was hoppin' but we got a table next to the window overlooking the ocean immediately.   

We ordered a virgin Bloody Mary and it was delicious.

A portion of sourdough bread and butter was brought to the table.
The bread was perfect the way sourdough should be.




Ham ordered the special of the day, which was fresh halibut served sushi style with a micro green salad with olives and blood oranges as an appetizer, and then a bowl of clam chowder for the entree.   They have red chowder and white chowder and you can even have half and half mixed if you like...  There's
no flour used to thicken the white chowder and 27 ingredients go into making the red.



For my appetizer, I had spicy popcorn shrimp and that was excellent.  Just the right amount of heat served with Sam's homemade cocktail sauce.

My entree was a pear and blue cheese chopped salad with a honey-thyme dressing.   So very good and fresh...




Sam's also has a very nice dessert menu that features delights all made right there at the restaurant.  Key Lime Pie is their specialty and it was delicious.  Not too sweet and not too tart but sits on some just squeezed lime juice which makes it so fresh.   They have something for the chocoholic, an apple crumble and sorbet and gelato.   There is also a good size dessert coffee menu. 



Lori was our server and she was friendly and brought our food faster than I expected.   While we ate inside, there is an extensive patio outside facing the ocean.  Your dog is welcome to join you for a meal there.

It ran about $50 for the both of us...two apps, two entrees, two drinks and a dessert plus
tip...  More than worth the price.    Tuesdays are $1 oyster days, so we're going back then.   They have live music Saturday and Sundays.


On top of everything else,  Sam's is Eco-Friendly...

*They save energy by using solar panels on the roof of the restaurant

*Use 100% biodegradable and compostable boxes made from sugarcane for their "to-go" meals. 

*They recycle all of their rice-based, trans fat-free vegetable oil from the fryers.  The oil (about 300 gallons a week) is picked up weekly by Dave Eck of Half Moon Bay Auto Repair. He filters and heats the oil, to produce “diesel” fuel for up to 10 of his vehicles.

*They have replaced all of our incandescent lights with fluorescent

*Whenever possible and practical, they source fish using the Seafood Watch recommendations published by the Monterey Bay Aquarium
(http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp).

Hours:
Monday – Thursday
11:30a–4:30p Lunch
4:30p–9:00p Dinner
Friday and Saturday
11:30a–4:30p Lunch
4:30p–9:30p Dinner
Sunday
11:00a–4:30p Lunch
4:30p–9:00p Dinner

They take reservations, but are not mandatory.

Directions:

Walking: From Pillar Point RV Park, take a right on the bike path and head toward the harbor.  Sam's will be on your right about 200 yards.  There is a gate with stairs that lead to the top.

Driving: From Pillar Point RV Park, take a left onto Hwy 1.  Put on your left blinker (or leave it on) as you get on the highway because you will come up to Sam's on the left before you can take a breath.