Chez Shea in Half Moon Bay

Last summer, the owners of one of our favorite Bay Area restaurants - Cafe Gibraltar in El Granada - opened up this small, organic cafe on Main Street in downtown Half Moon Bay. As expected, the food is incredible. I took Jacob there for the first time yesterday, and he was duly impressed. We shared the Ugalde torta sandwich, which comes with their signature handmade potato chips, and the chile relleno (from the weekend brunch menu). It may have been the best chile relleno I've ever had, and I've made it a point to try them all over Mexico. No joke.

I haven't been for dinner yet, but the dinner menu looks tempting, with dishes from all over the world - Spanish, Thai, Greek, even Irish.

The prices are oh so reasonable at a little under $10 for a sandwich. It's a cafe, which means you go to the counter and order, and they bring the food to you. But since there's usually someone standing there to greet you, and they appear rather hostess-like, it's a little confusing at first. Don't be confused - and don't expect full service. They'll tell you where to get your glass for water and they'll bring the food to you. And really, that's all they need to do, because it's the food that you come for.

So next time you find yourself at the beach and looking for a great place to eat lunch, look no further. This is it. (A bit of trivia, by the way: Shea is the name of the owners' daughter.)

Chez Shea 408 Main Street

Half Moon Bay, CA 94019

(650) 560-9234