We were unfortunately stranded in Half Moon Bay on our way home from Santa Cruz which in itself was great because we love Half Moon Bay so we decided to stay over night and persuse the local food scene. We wandered down to Pasta Moon, a local bay area fav and decided to have dinner. What we were in store for was simply fabulous. Being a professional chef I always love new jaunts so we decided to have apps and then dinner. We had the proscuitto dumplings and beets salad. Wonderfully crafted and very delicious. We then had the Muscovy duck with huckleberry demi glace and the papperdelle pasta with proscuitto and sliced black truffles. Very good and very consistent. The Meyer lemon parfait and tiramisu were great as well as the pinot noir. The service was very polished and precise and we never felt rushed. We then crawled back to our hotel room very full and very satisfied. I would recommend this establishment to anyone who enjoys great Italian food!
The Scene
This vast, warehouse-sized space was used for processing and shipping artichokes and Brussels sprouts, but all that really remains of the original structure (besides the veggies on the menu) are the rustic wood trusses and some industrial-looking ventilators on the roof. The rest is natural stone, rich wood and warm colors, plus a big fireplace and a luscious exhibition kitchen.
The Food
With more than 16 years of culinary experience from the East Coast to the West, Robert Holt serves as Executive Chef where he prides himself in using local seasonal ingredients in his Mediterranean-influenced, daily-changing menu. From artichoke and chanterelle fritto misto and Catalonian shellfish ""zarzuela"" to a hearth-braised vegetable stew with chickpea socca, it's all good. Pay special attention to the whole fish of the day--order it with a buddy, along with sides of crispy Brussels sprouts and perfect fries.
We thought this was a delightful place. Now a horrible memory never to be visited again! We drove well over 120 miles for a Sunday afternoon meal only to find them closed mid afternoon - our mistake. Planning ahead the next time we spent the night and went for Sunday lunch. Our quest for more of the fantastic food and great service slowly turned into huge disappointment. Once seated, we had to wait quite a while before we could order. Our salad arrived, we waited, our drinks were not refreshed, we waited and finally our dinner arrived. We then waited and waited for our bill. My husband and I always joke about the diminishing tip when the bill does not come in a timely manner. Due to our frustration we left a 10% tip. As my husband's hand touched the door to leave, our waitress came running after us carrying on as though we did not pay for our meal. This being a very crowded area, we felt like we were on public display! Our waitress shamed us and demanded to know why her tip was only 10%. My husband handed her more tip money to hush her up. We were so embarrassed we agreed that it was not a place to visit in the future. Our time was valuable to us as well as the expense of the trip which meant nothing to our waitress. Did she think everyone lives in the neighborhood and has money bulging from their pockets? What a disappointment!
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