If there’s any one thing North Bay foodies can count on these days, it might just be Nick’s Cove.
Through prohibitions, recessions and fires, the iconic 93-year-old restaurant and cottages on Tomales Bay endures.
Nick’s made headlines last January when a fire ravaged the boathouse at the end of the lengthy pier adjacent to the restaurant that serves as a popular post-meal stroll for guests. (The restaurant built and maintained the boathouse, though the pier itself is for public access.) Nick’s, which like the boathouse dates back to the 1930s, vowed to rebuild the iconic structure and replace the vintage heirlooms that were lost in the blaze.
Seated near a window overlooking Tomales Bay and nearby Hog Island, we started with a small plate of halibut crudo ($17), light and delightful thanks to capers, lemon and red onion livening up the delicate flavor of the raw flounder. We also shared a bowl of New England clam chowder ($12); Nick’s creamy varietal is thickened with potatoes and leeks, while smoked bacon adds a salty bent. The bowl has earned Nick’s local awards in recent best-soup contests, our server reported.
Nick’s Cove dates back to the early 1930s when Croatian immigrants Nick and Frances Kojich purchased the bayside property, relocating (by barge) several structures to the parcel, including an old herring-curing building, which they renovated and reopened as a small food shack selling shrimp and crab cocktail to passing tourists on the newly paved State Route 1. When prohibition ended, Nick, who had also been a bootlegger, added a bar. Soon they began renting out some of their buildings as seaside cottages to West Marin’s burgeoning recreational fishing scene.
Eventually the Kojiches retired and the restaurant changed hands several times over the years before falling out of operation entirely for a spell in the 1990s. Restaurant developer Pat Kuleto acquired the property in the late ‘90s, spending a small fortune on an eight-year-long renovation, only to reopen at the onset of the Great Recession in 2007. (He lost his shirt, describing the situation to investors as “a complete disaster.”) Of course, throughout its history other fires and rebuilds shaped Nick’s—during renovation in the 2000s, an endangered frog was found to inhabit the site, requiring various (and costly) protections—only adding to the restaurant’s lore.
Current owner Highway 1 Hospitality acquired Nick’s in 2011. Executive Chef Matt Alfus helms a top-notch kitchen team which brings to life the menu created by consulting chef Chris Cosentino, a name foodies will recognize as a competitor on multiple Food Network shows (he even won Bravo’s Top Chef Masters). According to the restaurant’s website, Cosentino’s menus are also known for “utilization of the entire animal whenever possible,” which is certainly a conversation starter.
For our entrees, we stuck with animal portions of a familiar bend: New York steak and fish ‘n’ chips. The bone-in NY strip ($49) was a tender cut—cooked to order and less fatty than some New York strips—and livened by a super-savory salsa verde paste. Accompanying “smashed” potatoes featured crispy horseradish crumbles. The “Famous Cod Fish & Chips” ($24) is one of Nick’s staples—its salty, slightly citrusy batter perfect for pairing with malt vinegar. The chips are long and crispy, and don’t underestimate the side of cole slaw—a tangy recipe, one of the best we’ve tasted locally.
We finished the very fine meal with a stroll along the lengthy pier, ending shy of the fenced-off point where the scorched boathouse once stood. At its website, Nick’s says its accepting donations of vintage fishing and nautical items to replace all that was lost—which included antique fishing rods, glass buoys, wooden ship models, anchors, a giant tortoise shell and a 70-year-old piano for guests to play. In a thank you note for the community’s support, the restaurant vows, “We are doing everything we can to rebuild this iconic structure.”
Like we said, Nick’s endures.
Nick’s Cove
23240 Highway One,
Marshall, CA 94940
415.663.1033
Nickscove.com
Monday and Tuesday, noon to 8 p.m.
Wednesday and Thursday, 11a.m. to 8 p.m.
Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Jason Walsh is editor in chief of NorthBay biz magazine and northbaybiz.com. A North Bay native, he’s spent his career covering the news, lifestyles and people of Sonoma, Marin and Napa counties. When not up to his elbows in page proofs, you can find him and his family exploring all corners of the North Bay from their home base in Novato.
