Outerlands Cafe

»Rustic setting, friendly service, great food

Thoroughly enjoyed dinner on a Saturday night. Waited maybe 30 minutes, had halibut with roasted corn, and a side of their amazing house-made bread with Cow Girl Creamery Mt. Tam triple-cream cheese (outstanding). Yogurt-lime bavarian for dessert with blackberries was the perfect ending to a wonderful meal, and enjoyed watching them make the bread as we ate. Went back a few days later for lunch,...+READ Thoroughly enjoyed dinner on a Saturday night. Waited maybe 30 minutes, had halibut with roasted corn, and a side of their amazing house-made bread with Cow Girl Creamery Mt. Tam triple-cream cheese (outstanding). Yogurt-lime bavarian for dessert with blackberries was the perfect ending to a wonderful meal, and enjoyed watching them make the bread as we ate. Went back a few days later for lunch, had the grilled cheese with salad. The grilled cheese was sadly a little bland, but still good eatin', and I loved the salad: lightly dressed, nice umami from pumpkin seeds, loved that there was chard mixed in rather than just your standard "mix". Seems like the crowds have found this tiny spot out by the beach, but it's worth the trip regardless. Good biking destination.-COLLAPSE (by DeborahL, created August 29, 2011)

I love Outerlands. It is the most authentic, honest restaurant I have been to since eating barbecue in Central Market, Luling TX. After a 12 day eating, drinking holiday to West Marin, Mendo (and a kick-off dinner at Bar Jules, where the woman server almost ruined a great meal by her gestapo antics to make us eat and order faster)-- I can testify that Outerlands is a breath of fresh air in this...+READ I love Outerlands. It is the most authentic, honest restaurant I have been to since eating barbecue in Central Market, Luling TX. After a 12 day eating, drinking holiday to West Marin, Mendo (and a kick-off dinner at Bar Jules, where the woman server almost ruined a great meal by her gestapo antics to make us eat and order faster)-- I can testify that Outerlands is a breath of fresh air in this age of Corporate, Designed Restaurants so over-financed, that chefs either come and go, or subjugate their creativity to the plate price. Dave and his staff at Outerlands have pulled it off. They've created a place that serves the neighborhood, families, and anyone else wanting to eat some place that is a true place. The bread is divine. But the best testimony I can give you is from my husband, a classically trained chef who's spent his life working in 5-star hotels-- who said that our food was honest and tasty in true bistro-style. And when the chocolate tart arrived, my Chef Husband almost cried to see a patisserie tart, flat and rich, that was just good enough. No it's not perfect. It's small. The system is confusing. The portions are small. But everything on the tiny menu was something I wanted. This is the place I dreamed of the ten years I lived in San Diego-- and the place I hope to find in Austin or San Antonio, my new home. Take a bottle of wine, go when it opens or at about 7:30 when the first tables are finishing. Go expecting to wait and enjoy the eclectic crowd and the buzz (or bundle up to wait outside.) The NYT covered it because Outerlands is news. "Let's make good food for our friends," this generation says, just the way the Panisse pioneers did, and damn it, Dave pulled this baby off. How long will it last? Who knows, but thank God, I got to eat there.-COLLAPSE / REPLY (20 Replies) (by pickypicky, created April 27, 2010)

Link REPLY (20 Replies) (by Shane Greenwood, created November 26, 2009)