In the thriller, San Francisco socialite Melanie Daniels, played by Tippi Hedren, trails a potential boyfriend she met in a pet store up to his home in Bodega Bay only to be caught in a bizarre fever dream of menacing birds. In a key scene, residents of the Northern California town take shelter from the havoc-inducing birds in a local restaurant called the Tides. Still there today, it no longer looks or feels like it did in the 1960s. It has been remodeled and modernized a few times after becoming the town’s most famous restaurant.

(Nico Madrigal-Yankowski/SFGATE)
(Nico Madrigal-Yankowski/SFGATE)

Thankfully, not all of Bodega Bay and the surrounding area has been refashioned. Along with Dinucci’s, Catelli’s, the Union Hotel Restaurant in Occidental and a few others, there are still old-school roadside restaurants and bars in Sonoma County that offer as much history and charm as they do a good meal. Here are three of Sonoma County’s most classic eateries near Bodega Bay.

A Civil War history lesson, with a side of hamburger

On a country road that runs parallel to Highway 101, just north of Petaluma, a Civil War-era restaurant still stands at the intersection of Stony Point and Roblar roads. Washoe House, originally built in 1859 by Robert Ayres, was first a stagecoach station, a central point of convergence between Petaluma, Santa Rosa and Bodega.

But it has a story that might outlast the building — the Battle at Washoe House

In 1865, a near-clash occurred in Sonoma County between Northern supporters and Southern sympathizers after the Confederates conceded to the Union and President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. At the time, Petalumans mostly came from metropolitan areas of the country, like New York City, Philadelphia and Boston, whereas Santa Rosa settlers arrived mostly from Missouri, but also Kentucky and Tennessee. According to the Petaluma Argus-Courier, a militia of Petalumans planned to burn down the Santa Rosa Democrat newspaper after it suggested that President Lincoln’s assassination was a “good event.”

However, the horse ride up to Santa Rosa was “dusty and rough” so the group stopped at Washoe House for some beers and never even made it to Santa Rosa. Cooler heads, or beer-heads, seemed to prevail, and since no blood was spilled between the two factions, it might go down in history as the cleanest “battle” in Civil War history.

Over the years, it has also been a post office, a hotel, a community hall, a saloon and perhaps even a brothel where gold dust was a common form of payment. For the past few decades, it has been a full-time restaurant and bar where first-timers are as welcome as regulars.

When I first walked into the Washoe House, the first thing I noticed was the ceiling — or lack thereof. It was swathed with cash. Bills of money from all over the world were pinned up above the bar, along with business cards and “I owe you” notes. As the tradition goes, patrons would sign a dollar bill and pin it above their seat so that they would have enough for a drink the next time they came to Washoe House. There wasn’t any room on the ceiling for me to pin a dollar bill above the table where I sat, but I did the next best thing and ordered the burger with a side of steak fries.

Nico Madrigal-Yankowski/SFGATE
Nico Madrigal-Yankowski/SFGATE

The hunk of meat came out open-faced on the bottom bun with dark, charbroiled crisscross hash marks. The top bun was layered with lettuce, sliced tomato, slivered red onion and butter pickles punctured with a toothpick to keep everything in place. When I ordered, I noticed the waitress did not ask how I would like my burger cooked. Upon the first bite, I found out why. It tasted like how meat was potentially prepared during the Civil War — overcooked and unsalted.

But it was piping hot and nothing a bit of ketchup and extra pickles couldn’t fix. The side of steak fries, on the other hand, were exemplary. Thicker cuts of fried potato usually don’t crisp as well as thinner fries. However, these golden beauties will be remembered as some of the greatest wedges I’ve ever enjoyed.

This dive bar had my favorite meal of the year

If you continue down Roblar Road, cut onto Valley Ford Road and turn right onto Bodega Highway, you’ll pass through the town of Bodega, which is not Bodega Bay. The tiny enclave of a fire station, a church, a cemetery and about seven small shops also happens to boast one of the best dive bars in California.

Casino Bar & Grill stands out because of the neon sign above the storefront that lights up red at night and is built like an arrow pointing to go into the bar. Inside, two pool tables rule the main floor. To the left, the long bar wraps around the back side in the shape of an L; to the right, a back room acts as a log cabin-like dining area. Taxidermied buck heads and antlers surround the bar, and a jukebox plays blues records.

It’s not an actual casino, though there is a MegaTouch Maxx Emerald video game countertop console in the corner, which has digital card and strategy games. The bar’s name comes from owner Evelyn Casini’s last name. The 97-year-old buttress of Bodega bought the place from her brother-in-law in 1949 when she was only 21. She considered retiring a few times, but found herself bored without it in her life.

As I sat at the bar next to a trio of French tourists, the petite owner shuffled into the bar and headed straight to the back kitchen area. 

“Hey, Evelyn,” the bartender said.

Without a response, she kept chugging right past us.

“Catch you next time then,” the barkeep said jokingly. At the bar, we all laughed.

That’s kind of the vibe of Casino Bar & Grill. Friendly, yet straightforward. The beer selection is mostly classic domestic beers, like Hamm’s, and there is a small wine selection as well. The French tourists seemed pleased with the pour of red they had in front of them.

On the weekends, though, the bar transforms into the best eatery in the area thanks to chef Mark Malicki. The New Haven, Connecticutt, chef found himself in Sonoma after following his wife-to-be back to her hometown of Sebastopol. After working various industry jobs throughout Sonoma County, including opening Cafe St. Rose in Santa Rosa, he replied to a Craigslist ad for Casino Bar & Grill and has been there on weekends since 2015. The menu changes daily, and each item shines.

I was lucky enough to eat Malicki’s food back in December. It was the start of Dungeness crab season, so the menu was rife with options, like crab rangoon with rainbow-colored shrimp chips and buttery garlic noodles with crab and XO sauce. Fresh Bodega Bay oysters and Iberico ham fried rice is how I want to eat all fried rice going forward. It was the best meal I had eaten the entire year.

Malicki has plans to open his own restaurant via GoFundMe. The plan is to be open weekdays so he can stay at Casino Bar & Grill on weekends.

A shack with chowder magic

To end a day of eating and drinking in west Sonoma County, I drove through the town of Bodega Bay and made it to the last eatery along the westernmost side of the bay — Spud Point Crab Company.

Since 2004, the Anello family has served up some of the finest clam chowder in the Bay Area. Run out of a 360-square-foot shack. The power of the chowder, along with fresh seafood caught by Tony Anello from his boats parked across the street at the harbor, is what brings people to this tiny temple.

The first spoonful of Spud Point Crab Company’s chowder brought back memories of my favorite tarragon-laced chowder from Cliff House. There was no tarragon in this concoction, but there was still some magic in it that brought me back to the historic San Francisco restaurant. 

Spud Point Crab Company’s version was creamy with a hint of brine for balance, and chunks of clam in every mouthful. There was a unique seasoning that set it apart from other regional chowder hot spots, like Sam’s Chowder House in Half Moon Bay. It’s definitely worth trying.

Nico Madrigal-Yankowski/SFGATE
Nico Madrigal-Yankowski/SFGATE

I soaked in the sunshine on a picnic table while slurping spoonfuls of chowder and taking in the views across the harbor of boat masts lining the horizon and green hills melting into the deep blue water.

After a food-filled day, replete with beautiful views, I was ready to head back to San Francisco, knowing that it’s only a short drive back to Bodega Bay and these trip-worthy eateries. There was only one thing to do that night to bring my day full circle — watch “The Birds.”