Locals night at Tony's Seafood Restaurant in Marshall is the place to be on as the sun goes down on a summer's Friday. Seated at a window table, watching the last of the fishing boats glide in on a perfectly still, picturesque Tomales Bay, a crisp glass of Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc and a plate of $1 a piece fresh oysters from those same waters were my rewards at the tail end of one of the most remote and curviest route from my house to the coastal west.
My prompt to head out west was in part to catch my good friend Pamela and her fellow D'Bunchovus band members rockin' out Tony's Seafood bay-side house with their upbeat brand of acoustic, folk, Americana. Much to the delight of coastal West Marin ranchers, artists, musicians and urban escapees, these talented, long-time musician friends have such a blast making music together — a super-welcoming private-party vibe makes everyone feel at home.
I had an ulterior motive and one involving talking the Italian husband into driving so that I might pay better attention to the twists and turns of our chosen route. Marshall/Petaluma Road is one of the least traveled of beautiful backroads from Sonoma County out to coastal west Marin.
On-going research for my second book, a sequel for Fog Valley Crush, calls for more extensive wandering around the region and this happy outing enabled me to take notes as we traversed exquisite, peaceful scenery of rolling hills and cattle ranches, dropping down directly into Marshall about 16 miles from home.
This refreshingly down-to-earth, no-frills, authentic family restaurant is operated by the original Tony's grandsons John and Anton Konatich, fishermen themselves.
Anton (Tony) Konatich was an immigrant fisherman from Croatia who opened the largely unchanged eaterie in 1948 as an outlet for selling local catches of salmon, crab, herring and perch.
Today's craze for Tomales Bay-grown oysters attracts city folk on weekends, packing the place out during the day.
Barbecued and fresh oysters have long-since been a staple of the local diet. Drop in on a Friday evening to dine with the neighbors. Your best bet for a more affordable oyster supper. Classic Fog Valley.
Closed Monday and Tuesday, as are most eating establishments in the Marshall/Tomales area.
For Tony's Seafood website, click here.
Oh, and the only other vehicle we saw on the way home, was this one:
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