Cafe Gibraltar: Mediterranean jewel of Half Moon Bay

It's sort of funny how we discovered this place. My German friend and his family met a woman from Half Moon Bay while traveling in Arizona a couple of days ago. She spoke highly of Cafe Gibraltar which, as it turns out, has been serving delicious Mediterranean food since 1998. My friend, a former colleague whom I met during my executive briefing center days at Oracle, along with his wife and in-laws, agreed to meet us at that restaurant when they flew into town yesterday. Once you step inside this modest looking building, the warm hues, open kitchen and Moroccan-style seats in the back invite you to come in and relax. Everyone working there is friendly and laid back. Even during a power outage. It was especially gusty in the late afternoon, and when we arrived, the hostess informed us that they had just lost power. However, the chef didn't waver and we were told dinner service would proceed. And so it did, splendidly.

We were seated right away, and during conversation, we enjoyed beer and local wines from their esteemed list which earned Wine Enthusiast Magazine's Award of Distinction in 2007 and 2008. The 2005 Abundance Zinfandel from Mecarini Vineyards (Lodi) was especially nice; fruity, full-bodied and slightly spicy. We shared an appetizer and salad which were personal highlights. The Moussakaa Lubnani is a vegan, Lebanese dish comprised of eggplant, chickpeas, onions, tomatoes, chard, and a garlic melange that is slow-cooked in their wood oven. The Ahtapot Salatsi Salad is a well-spiced Turkish style dish made of octopus and calamari which is grilled then sauteed with garlic, chile flakes, lemon juice, green onions and tender herbs, and served warm on a watercress and red onion salad. We dove right in because it looked so good, so my apologies, there are no photos to share. I'll try to demonstrate more self-restraint next time. It proved to be as good as it looked, everyone had seconds and polished it off.

Somewhere along the line, power was restored, but I am not exactly sure when since service never skipped a beat. Our group sampled a variety of other dishes including a few specials. Both the creamed artichoke-corn soup and the ahi tuna entree filled with ingredients like tomatoes, beans, and olives were comforting. My husband's potato gnocchi with mixed mushrooms was tasty although several pieces of gnocchi that stuck to the sides of the tagine were overcooked and tasted a little burnt. From the main menu which is always changing, everything was well prepared and well executed. My friend had oysters, done chef-owner Jose Luis Ugalde's way: three wood-roasted, topped with pimenton aioli and champagne mignonette; and three raw, marinated in a Gazpacho coulis, topped with avocado and baby cilantro. My friend's wife ordered the Turkish housemade goat cheese baked in the wood oven with a slightly spicy tomato puree and pecan-sesame seed crust. There was also the vegan, Tunisian salad with orange segments, fennel, red onion, toasted cumin seed, mint, olives, avocado and a harissa-citrus vinaigrette. In addition, our table had the French-inspired Joue de Boeuf, Wagyu beef cheeks with beets, onions and a horseradish cream garnish. Today, in lieu of that, I see they are featuring Joue de Fletan, braised halibut cheeks with saffron tomato, preserved lemon, sea salt, olive oil and house cured olives which sounds just as lovely. My daughter opted for the familiar off the kids' menu: cheese pizza! Paired with sparkling apple cider, she was a happy camper. When she wasn't eating, she was dancing to the eclectic music playing in the background. Thankfully, none of our guests dining nearby seemed to mind, or at least they pretended as much.

By the way, many of the ingredients used here are organic, from meat and fowl, to vegetables and flour. I was too full to have dessert, but my friend and his wife shared a lemon tart with passion fruit sorbet which looked refreshing and good, if you like sour things. I sipped rosé with my friend's in-laws and my husband drank coffee, while we all chatted about visiting Germany one day, possibly during Octoberfest - but only in the small villages where it can be experienced authentically, not the big cities where the masses congregate by the millions. After dinner, I looked around and noticed that we were the only ones left. The waitstaff was seated at the bar eating their dinner. It was only 9:30 p.m. Just an hour earlier, the place had been bustling with customers. I guess folks turn in a little earlier in this coastal town. Regardless, this is such a great discovery, I will brave that winding, and sometimes sandy and windy road to get there and savor chef Ugalde's culinary magic again. So many dishes are calling my name! If the woman in Half Moon Bay is reading this, thank you, your recommendation was spot on! Others think favorably of this place, as well. Make sure to read some of their reviews.