The Culinary Works

Tucked in the quaint little town of Pt. Reyes Station is a diner called, The Pine Cone Diner. The Pine Cone is a true throwback to diner food, hearty, homemade, fairly priced and hearty portions. The simple diner fare, done properly using quality ingredients with efficient service makes it a true treat.

The décor is, well, eclectic. There are some wacky art pieces paired with collections of coffee cups and old iced tea pitchers and vinyl...gotta love diner vinyl. The small interior means that it’s a cozy feel. When we arrived the first time, it was busy so we sat at the counter. I was pleased to see a couple take it upon themselves to move to a smaller table to allow a family to be seated. Isn’t it nice to see that kindness and courtesy still exist in some places?

For whatever reason, I was hungry for a burger and thought the diner was the perfect place to try. The menu had some salads and decidedly Marin County options, including those made with local, seasonal, organic product. You gotta know this got me seriously jazzed! A diner using organic, local and seasonal product!! RIGHT ON!! I decided on a patty melt, made with 100% grass fed beef from Marin Sun Farms! THIS is the kind of diner fare I'm talking about people! Mark opted for a fried oyster sandwich. The fried oyster sandwich was done very well, crispy, fresh oysters in a roll with a very flavorful cole slaw. I LOVED the patty melt. The burger was perfectly cooked and flavorful with cheese and toasted rye bread, heaven, it totally hit the home-cooked burger spot I need fixed. The fries seemed homemade, they were truly very good. The service was efficient, with one server dashing around keeping everyone happy. I read on Yelp that the service was ‘prickly’. While I didn’t find the server to be applying for forever friendship…I also didn’t find her prickly. I found her to be efficient and kind…we shared a couple jokes and she laughed right along with us. I’ll take efficient service over duncy airheads pretending to be my long lost sister any day.

On our way out of town we decided to stop by again for breakfast. Mark had the chorizo breakfast burrito…it was huge and still served with hash browns! I had a very basic scrambled eggs, hash browns and toast. It was fresh made, fluffy eggs, hot, crisp hash browns…very very good!! It was far more than I could eat and Mark loved his burrito. The spicy chorizo, beans, cheese and fluffy scrambled eggs were a big hit. I wish I had tried the homemade biscuits and gravy, man, I bet they are good.

I also happened to mention to my brother that we liked The Pine Cone and he agreed, stating that they had also eaten breakfast there a few days before and thought it was really good. The local favorite, the corned beef hash, was a huge win for him as well.

Here’s the thing, after a hike at the beach or a visit to the ocean, the cool air makes you hungry! If you want a good, solid, well cooked meal of homespun food, made from quality ingredients, this is the kind of place to try. It’s not fancy but the people are nice and the fresh is hot and tasty. They aren’t open for dinner…so try to swing by for breakfast or lunch.

Also, and this is important, they are a cash only establishment. Be sure you stop by an ATM before you arrive. Give them a try, you will be glad you did.

You can find out more about them, here:

http://www.pineconediner.com/