The Casino Bar & Grill

Casino in Bodega blows any "casino" that I have every been to away. It's un-like any Casino you have ever been to.

You will not find slot machines, smoke filled rooms, or roulette tables.

Instead, you will find great food, good people, a pool table and good music.

It's roadhouse like no other.

Established in 1939 in Bodega, CA. the roadhouse played an important role in the filming of Alfred Hitchoke's "The Birds" .

No pomp. No circumstance.

A little grit. A little country. Ambiance that even Charlie Palmer can't buy.

True Sonoma.

Menu changes daily. Local Seasonal ingreidents. Cash only.

What we ate:

Smoked Salmon with Hash Browns, Mint, Peas and Creamy Green Garlic ....9

Warm Black Kale Salad with Bacon and Griddled Onions, Avocado and Point Reyes Blue....8

Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Biscuits, Peas, Carrots and Gravy....15

Goat Cheese Dumplings with Beets, Griddled Asparagus and Creamed Spinach....13

Grand Marnier Marinated Citrus....5

Came in on a Friday night.  The menu:

- A cheese plate with barhi dates, machego and a pistachio crema.
- A 'air-dried beef' salad with fromage blanc and butter lettuce.
- Hen confit with milk thistle, miners' lettuce and fried winter squash.
- Sweet and smoky ham with green beans, almonds and mustard vinagrette.
- Chocolate pots de creme.

I don't know if it's because we got there toward the end of the night (but still, it was only 8 pm), but our plates differed from the menu.  We did not get butter lettuce with our salads; (which were gorgeous!) we got some other kind of greens that I wasn't as crazy about.  Overall, the salad was pretty good, but the texture of the fromage blanc was a little off-putting for me.  I am not sure about putting whole coriander seeds into the salad either, but the air-dried beef was yummy - it had the texture of proscuitto and the flavor of pastrami.  

For mains, BF had the hen confit, which was supposed to come with fried winter squash.  He didn't get the squash; maybe because I'm on a no-carb diet.  Our waitress may not have understood which plate should be carb-free?  So Mark gave us brussel sprouts instead, which were pretty awesome.  Very garlicky.  BF was a little disappointed with the small portion size of the chicken.

I got the ham; which was very good.  The portion size was enormous.  BF ate a bunch and there were still leftovers.  I was sad that the greenbeans promised in the menu did not arrive with the ham.  I also got the yummy brussel sprouts, but I was sad about the green beans because I love green beans.  I didn't like the salad greens that came with my ham (the miner's thistle, I think).  Bleh.  Tasted kind of dirty/earthy to me.

The highlight of the meal was the cheese plate.  I have never really paid much attention to dates before.  What a mistake!  The dates themselves were great, but in combination with the cheese, what a revelation.  I could have eaten another of the cheese plates.  BF also liked the contrast of the slight bitterness of the pistachio crema against the dates and cheese.  I hope he will do more of these cheese plates in the future, because it was a perfect finisher, especially since I can't have sugar or flour, but I can have fruit.  Yum!

It's always a surprise and a pleasant one at that. I have so much fun going to this place and experiencing a new food combination.