HALF MOON BAY, CA - Although a coastal city - located around 35 minutes south of San Francisco - this feels more like a small harbour town with its romantic inns and luxurious resorts, on stretches of stunning sandy beaches where one can dine in or out on farm-fresh produce and freshly caught seafood.

My boyfriend and I were staying for only one night so we indulged ourselves at the elegant Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay. The hotel is San Francisco Bay area’s only oceanfront resort, perched atop a rugged bluff overlooking 80 kilometres of California coastline. You can spend an entire day strolling around the property, playing bocce ball, biking the seaside trail, wine tasting in the hotel’s wine bar, and finishing up with a drink cuddled up at the outdoor fire pits, taking in the view.

Above: Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay offers guests some amazing views.

---

We dined at Navio, the hotel’s fine-dining seafood restaurant with its cozy California vibe. Chef de Cuisine Kevin Tanaka highlights flavours that reference the best of coastal dining from around the world. He grew up in Hawaii, a melting pot of cultures, and describes his cooking style as French meets Pacific Rim with a California farmer’s market influence.

Throughout the dinner, this was apparent in all of Tanaka’s dishes. A perfect example, and the most standout dish, was the Hawaiian tuna tartare with foie gras torchon, served with black truffle vinaigrette, dried cherry and ginger compote and lava salt. (Or as I so elegantly described it "peanut butter and jelly on steroids.”) I would never think to pair tuna tartare with foie gras, but with Tanaka’s magic, it is a trip to heaven and back with a stopover in Hawaii and Paris.

The influence of the farmers’ markets shone in one particular egg-based dish that was like eating bacon and eggs on a whole new level. The sous vide cooked egg made for a flawless runny yolk - the perfect sauce for the accompanying morel mushrooms, applewood smoked bacon, locally-farmed English peas, asparagus, baby zucchini and sunburst squash.

 

Left: A piper in kilt makes you feel like you have arrived in Scotland. Right: There is plenty of activities at Half Moon Bay.

---

Thanks to our waiter and sommelier, dinner was perfectly paired with a 2013 Chardonnay from Beauregard Ranch, a family run vineyard located in the heart of the Ben Lomond Mountain. The Monterey Bay marine influences combined with sandy loam soil gives this wine great minerality and acidity. While some oaked Chardonnays can be a little overpowering, this was light enough to work well with every dish from the tuna tartare to the halibut.

After our delicious evening at Navio, we spent the morning exploring the local Farmers Market where Tanaka goes for inspiration. It’s a sight to behold. Farmers display their produce in overflowing buckets of locally grown vegetables, strawberries, peaches, and nectarines as sweet as honey. Beside each bucket is a sampling bowl.

 

Left: Chef de Cuisine Kevin Tanaka uses his Hawaii background to bring flare to the hotel dining room. Right: The food is picked and caught fresh every day.

---

After filling my belly with samples, we made one last stop in Half Moon Bay for some local fare at the Flying Fish Bar and Grill. This funky little spot has a casual tiki-bar feel and great food. It’s a great place to dig into fish tacos or crabby cheese bread accompanied with a funky mojito or margarita. I went for the salmon tostada salad and was not disappointed. Hidden under the perfectly cooked salmon, feta and pickled red onion, lay layers of corn tortillas and black beans. Served with creamy cilantro dressing, this salad was basically tacos in salad form, which made me very, very happy.

I left Half Moon Bay feeling relaxed and inspired. It’s an idyllic spot to feed body and soul, and slowly unwind and relax before returning to one's frenetic daily life.