Terrapin Creek | Californian

Terrapin Creek is a California cuisine restaurant in Bodega Bay, Sonoma County.

Opened in 2008, owners husband-and-wife Liya Lin and Andrew Truong envisioned Terrapin Creek as a casual neighborhood spot where friends and neighbors can gather to enjoy great local and international cuisine. The married couple, who worked at Michael Mina and other high-end restaurants, left their jobs in San Francisco to open Terrapin Creek in Bodega Bay to start a family. Three years later, their restaurant earned a Michelin star, making them one of just three Sonoma county restaurants with that distinction.

Located in a strip mall, the interior has a bit of a 1980s time warp look, this Michelin one-star restaurant is visually different from many other Michelin-starred restaurants in the Bay Area.

The dining room is unpretentious yet feel welcoming and comfortable, along with the open kitchen and simple table settings create a homelike hospitable atmosphere.

Their menu is simple and varied. There are nine starters include oysters, scallops, crudo, soups and salads. The five main courses feature steak, pork chop, duck breast, housemade pasta with lamb sausage, and pan-roasted Corvina sea bass. The menu will change depends on season to showcasing the finest seasonal and locally sourced ingredients.

Our meal started with the raw Marin Miyagi oysters. These sweet tasting Miyagi oysters are grown on the north end of Tomales Bay, just 10-mile away from Bodega Bay.

Raw Marin Miyagi Oysters | Shallot and Fennel Mignonette

Following by the pan roasted Hokkaido scallops, with carrot & ginger purée, velvet pioppini mushrooms and seasonal greens. The scallops were perfectly seared for a crispy outer, juicy and tender inner.

Pan Roasted Hokkaido Scallops | Carrot & Ginger Purée, Pioppini Mushrooms

My entrée was Liberty Farms duck breast served with black forbidden rice, roasted baby carrots, spinach and duck jus. The duck breast was cooked to crispy-skinned perfection, with rosy-pink, juicy and tender interior. Simply perfect in flavor and texture!

Liberty Farms Duck Breast | Black Rice, Spinach, Baby Carrots, Duck Jus

And last we had the Panna cotta with fresh strawberries and peach bread pudding for desserts. For me, desserts were a bit of disappointment. They were good but not to Michelin star standard.

Buttermilk Panna Cotta | Highway 12 Strawberries, Basil

Sourdough Bread Pudding | Roasted Peaches, Peach Cream, Candied Pecans

To sum up, I like Terrapin Creek. The food was fantastic, and the prices were relatively modest!  Would I go back? Yes, definitely!

Visited: Dinner | Aug 12, 2017


Terrapin Creek Cafe & Restaurant
1580 Eastshore Rd., Bodega Bay, CA 94923
Phone: (707) 875-2700
Hours: Thu-Mon 4:30pm-9:00pm
http://www.terrapincreekcafe.com/

Price: $50 and over (as of Aug 2017)


Y.P.

A foodie, traveler, and hobbyist photographer.

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