Lunch at the Ritz
The 18th green and the ocean--not a bad view for lunch.
If you have a beautiful day and no plans, what better than a ride out to Half Moon Bay and lunch at the Ritz-Carlton hotel? So that’s what we did today.
The ride isn’t all that exciting–over the San Mateo bridge, up the hill, traffic jam, lanes merging, then slow traffic all the way down the hill into the tiny city. Turn left down the coast, pull into the wrong street, ask the gate guard the question she gets 115 times a day, go one more block, turn on the correct street and eventually you pull up at the castle by the shore that is the Ritz. Good looking young guys in argyle sweaters and plus-fours will take your car and you can saunter in just like you could afford to stay there–which you probably can’t. Rooms start at $400/night and keep going up.
We weren’t the only ones to have this idea today, the joint was jammed. Still, they found us a table by a window, and we settled in for a nice lunch.
Trying to eat in a sane and healthy manner, I ordered the Asian Chicken Salad.
What a healthy meal looks like.
Napa cabbage, dressing, cashews, a bit of grilled chicken. I had them hold the mushrooms, of course. Light, tasty, low-cal. What am I doing in this picture?
So I ate a couple of the rolls they delivered–fresh and tasty, and too sweet for Gail. Shouldn’t you serve sourdough in this area? At least I dipped them in olive oil instead of butter, as many calories but no cholesterol.
Gail went for the Chicken Sandwich:
More of a man-sized lunch.
Grilled chicken on a too-large bun (too much bread is becoming a recurring theme on sandwiches these days). Really, really, good french fries.
Service was good, but strange. A waitress who thought the fish of the day was tap-a-lia, which is sort of like tilapia. Couldn’t pronounce the “challah” that the salmon comes on, and it isn’t a roll anyway. Like being in the Enid, Oklahoma Ritz-Carlton.
Soldiering on bravely, we enjoyed our lunch, paid the relatively large tab (including $10 for the parking, which is the discounted rate if you eat there. I’d be afraid to ask how much parking was otherwise.) and ambled out to see the grounds.
The hotel sits right on the shore, surrounded by its golf course. If you don’t chase little balls with big sticks, you can just sit in the comfortable chairs and enjoy the ocean air, have a drink, huddle near the large fire pit, watch the golfers and joggers and bikers who use the trail which, by law, is open to anyone.
Looking back from the shore to the chateau. Gail is back there somewhere.
It's a great place to just sit and relax, people-watching.
You can't see the flame in daylight, but that's a giant fire pit, the better to enjoy the ocean breezes.
We sat, we watched, we wandered a bit, then we ransomed the car back and motored home. Lunch at the Ritz is fun, if you just want a slow, easy afternoon and a good meal. I bet it would be fun in a storm, too, sitting inside and watching the weather crash against the shore and the windows. If we ever get another storm, we’ll have to try that.
Totally Unauthorized 
nice view for healthy lifestyle,,,