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| Duarte's Tavern in Pescadero, CA as seen on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on Food Network |
My review and photos of Duarte's Tavern in Pescadero, CA as seen on
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on Food Network. Artichoke soup, crab cioppino,
Olallieberry pie, and great service! Full review and pictures after the break...
What a great day my wife and I had yesterday making the drive over for lunch at Duarte's Tavern in Pescadero on the Northern California coast (just south of Half Moon Bay).
Pescadero is a small town with just one block of country stores and shops. Duarte's Tavern seems like it is the biggest and most popular establishment in all of Pescadero. We visited the country store before walking over to Duarte's.
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| Dining room at Duarte's Tavern in Pescadero |
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| Happy Holidays at Duarte's Tavern |
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| The counter at Duarte's Tavern in Pescadero |
Duarte's Tavern has been around since 1894. It's got a full bar, a counter, and several dining rooms. It's got a friendly, family-run atmosphere. A lot of the other diners seemed to be locals, with plenty of out-of-towners such as myself as well.
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| Artichoke soup at Duarte's Tavern in Pescadero |
The
artichoke soup is one of Duarte's signature dishes, and not a soup you see too often. (I wonder if it ever turns up on the menu at
Soup Nation in Eugene, Oregon?) Extremely rich and creamy, and of course loaded with artichoke flavor. It was hot and delicious, with just a hint of garlic. You can get a bowl that is half artichoke and half green chile soup.
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| Clam chowder at Duarte's Tavern in Pescadero |
My wife ordered the clam chowder, and thought it the one of the best she's ever tasted (and she orders a lot of clam chowder). The clams were fresh, plentiful, and sweet. Potatoes and carrots filled it out.
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| Green chile soup from Duarte's Tavern in Pescadero |
The
green chile soup was the best of the soups we tried. As it turned out, we ordered it to go at the end of our lunch and had it with dinner. My wife sprinkled parsley to dress it up. Creamy and delicious.
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| What's left of the fried calamari at Duarte's Tavern in Pescadero |
Have no fear -- Duarte's serves you a full plate of the fried calamari; my picture is what's left before I remembered to take a picture :) These fried calamari are probably the best I've ever had. Notice there is no bed of lettuce under them? That's because they were not oily or greasy at all, and didn't need anything under them to sop up the grease. And notice the pieces were flattened out. I've never had fried calamari flattened out like this, and usually they are twisted and curled. And these were tender -- you could cut them with the side of your fork. We didn't need a third appetizer but I'm glad we got this one anyway!
By the way, the friend calamari is served with an interesting cocktail sauce. It's a lot thinner than the typical cocktail sauce, and less sweet. I liked it lot. Tartar sauce is also served along with the fried calamari.
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| Cracked crab at Duarte's Tavern in Pescadero |
Finally it was time for the main dishes. My wife had the cracked Dungeness crab. You could taste that it was fresh off the boat this morning, and the pieces were some of the largest I've ever seen for a Dungeness. She loved it.
Duarte's gives you a real bib to wear during the crab cracking. No plastic bibs here! Real bibs. And hot wet towels afterwards to wipe your hands.
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| Crab cioppino at Duarte's Tavern |
I had the signature Duarte's Tavern dish of crab cioppino. This is served differently than other cioppinos I've had, which were usually more of a fish stew or soup. The crab cioppino at Duarte's is more like a plate of the cracked crab, with a couple of clams and prawns tossed in, and shallow layer of broth at the bottom. Which isn't to say that it isn't delicious, but probably getting the cracked crab by itself is just as good (and a lot cheaper).
Fresh, warm, and delicious sourdough french bread is served with your meal.
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| Olallaberry pie at Duarte's Tavern in Pescadero |
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| Strawberry rhubarb pie at Duarte's Tavern |
We were completely stuffed by the time it came to dessert, but how could we not try out a couple of the pies. My wife had the strawberry rhubarb pie, and I had the olallaberry pie. (An Olallieberry is a berry produced in the last century from blackberry and dewberry.) Both pies arrives at the perfect temperature (warm, but not too hot), and both were extremely fresh. The crust was flaky and not greasy. These were both wonderful.
A note about the service at Duarte's: it's simply excellent. Always a full glass of water, the food is always delivered fresh from the kitchen, and all the staff was friendly. We really enjoyed our visit.
You can also get breakfast Duarte's Tavern. We arrived about 10:45 which was good because by 11 it was really getting busy, and by noon it was completely packed. So get there early if you can.
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| Christmas tree at Duarte's Tavern in Pescadero |
Duarte's Tavern was all decked out inside and out with Christmas holiday lights and decorations. It's great when a restaurant gets into the holiday spirit!
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| Schnitzel at Pescadero Beach near Duarte's Tavern |
Afterwards we visited the beach and watched the waves.
I never tasted either artichoke soup or green chile soup before yesterday. What's the most interesting soup you ever tasted? Let me know in the comments below.
I found Duarte's Tavern in Guy Fieri's DDD book --
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| Steve's Been There |
Duarte's is a great restaurant. The quaint town and shops of Pescadero are great, but Duarte's is my preferred destination. I love the green chili soup, the clam chowder is also amazing. Have the cracked crab if your budget allows or a tasty sandwich if you're on a budget or have a light appetite. As mentioned in the review, service is always stellar.
ReplyDeleteI loved the green chili soup, too! Next time I want to try the "50 / 50" which is half green chili soup and half artichoke soup.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your comment! I appreciate you taking the time to read my food blog.
Steve