Half Moon Bay, North Live Cam

Enjoy breathtaking ocean views from every seat. Stay cozy inside while watching the crashing surf, or inhale the crisp, salty ocean air from the outdoor patio. Relax under a cozy blanket in adirondack chairs next to a fire pit overlooking the ocean while you nibble on the freshest seafood around. Or perch at the Oyster bar inside while noshing on clams on the half shell or delicious fried shrimp. It’s all good!

Enjoy a daily selection of fresh fish - grilled or sautéed to perfection, delicious seafood dishes, live Maine lobster, fresh local crab, fried calamari, and a variety of local specialties. Savor some oysters, fish and chips, chowders, or authentic lobster rolls from the Bar. What could be better?

Eat here, or take it home – your choice. Sam’s Seafood Market includes fresh seafood and prepared to-go items such as clam chowder, cioppino sauce, cole slaw, and potato salad, and more. Be sure to try our signature crab cakes and fried shrimp! Take your ready-to-go dinner home, each out on the beach, or get a take-out snack to watch the sunset on our back patio.

Sam's serves sustainable seafood, chosen carefully, and caught the right way. Because we know that this earth is for our children, and their children. And it’s time to do a better job protecting it. With deep remembrances of what a true family-friendly “fish house” experience was like along the Atlantic seaboard, founder Paul Shenkman, consulting Executive Chef Lewis Rossman bring their east-coast sensibilities to the West Coast. Sam’s is dedicated to making sure you enjoy yourself, with a fun, casual, family-friendly atmosphere.

Get everything you need to make dinner, or pick up an entire meal ready to heat and serve. Complete clambakes-in-a-pot and picnic baskets will also be available for takeout during the summer season, for the beach, boating, or other outings.

San Francisco, CA - Proprietor Paul Shenkman is pleased to announce that his newest venture, Sam's Chowder House, will open to the public on October 20, 2006. Set on the magnificent California coastline in Half Moon Bay, with sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean, this 150-seat restaurant will fast become a favorite for locals and visitors alike. Offering a casual and authentic New England-style seafood experience, Sam's Chowder House will feature a daily selection of fresh fish- grilled, broiled or sautéed to perfection, an array of delicious seafood dishes such as lobster rolls, live lobsters and crabs, a raw bar, and a variety of local specialties, all priced to coincide with the relaxed atmosphere of the restaurant.

Ross Browne, an award-winning chef who headed up the kitchen at San Francisco's acclaimed Absinthe restaurant for the past eight years, will be directing the kitchen as Executive Chef. Browne is a New Zealand native who has a real passion for straight-forward and honest seafood as well as a strong desire to return to his native roots in this relaxed and casual atmosphere by the sea. His background and genuine zeal for everything "coastal", are in perfect harmony with the overall vision at Sam's Chowder House.

In addition to the main dining room, Sam's Chowder House also boasts a well-appointed Oyster Bar which seats 25, and serves to further enhance this authentic New England experience with counter top steam kettles allowing the chefs to cook delicious chowders right on the bar. There is also outdoor seating with heat lamps along the entire western oceanside wall of the restaurant, and an outdoor Ocean View Room that is protected from the wind but treats guests to an open air feeling. Further down the walkway, the Outdoor Terrace seats 34 more guests, overlooks the beach and ocean and will serve a variety of dishes from both the satellite and main kitchens. In the main dining room, a state of the art exhibition kitchen allows diners to watch the highly skilled culinary team orchestrating meals from start to finish.

Consulting Corporate Chef Lewis Rossman, who earned three stars as executive chef at Cetrella from Michael Bauer of The San Francisco Chronicle, assisted in the development of the menus and signature dishes at the restaurant. Having worked in Half Moon Bay for more than five years, Rossman has integrated himself into the local community and has fast become a friend of all of the local farmers and fishermen. He is assisting Browne with the proper introductions so he can become just as familiar with these individuals and the products they produce on a local level. The two chefs realized upon meeting that they have a natural synergy and natural connection -both being avid surfers and having a strong calling to live and work near the water.

Seasoned restaurant veteran Shelley Kusch has also joined the team as General Manager to manage operations at Sam's. Known for her tremendous customer-friendly management style, Kusch has extensive experience in orchestrating large-scale operations having spent more than ten years with the Kimpton Group, as General Manager of Kuleto's Trattoria, and General Manager of Piatti in Stanford.

Sam's will also have a Seafood Market on-site, which will sell a variety of locally-caught fresh fish and specialty seafood items and side dishes perfect for enjoying at home, on the road or on the beach which is just steps away. The market will offer "picnics-to-go" - either put together by the friendly staff or individually for those who want to hand-select items from the market. The market will also offer "clambakes", which can be phoned in a day in advance and need only to be heated on the grill-perfect for summertime parties and events.

Shenkman, a Half Moon Bay resident, and his chefs have strong connections to the community and the surrounding area and as a result are continuing their commitments to both the environment and ecological system from where Sam's food is sourced and grown. Sustainable planning recognizes the interconnections between the environment, economy, and society, and the team at Sam's has made a firm commitment to serving sustainably-fished seafood whenever possible and practical. Keeping the environmental factors in mind, a portion of the restaurant's energy is also solar-generated.

Sam's Chowder House is located at 4210 North Cabrillo Highway and is accessible from Highway One, from the harbor, or directly from the beach. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Thursday from 11:30am - 9:00pm; Friday and Saturday from 11:00am - 10:00pm, and Sunday from 11:00am - 9:30pm.

If your idea of the ultimate beach vacation includes tranquility, natural beauty, abundant aquatic life, water adventures, and easy access, pack your sunscreen and a towel and head to Half Moon Bay. Our sandy shores hugging the Pacific Ocean have everything going for them - except crowds. Plus, with more than two dozen beaches in the vicinity, activities are endless.

o tide pooling at the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve or vast state beach during low tide to get up close and personal with the region's diverse sea creatures. Embark on a three-mile beach hike or stroll. Horseback ride. Spot harbor seals. Catch a few rays after the morning fog retreates. Explore the world's largest mainland breeding colony for the northern elephant seal. Watch pro surfers brave death-defying waves at Mavericks, home to one of the globe's largest and most perfect walls of water. And did we mention you can simply recline with a good book at peaceful local spots?

What? You didn’t' know you can sip, swirl, and sniff outstanding California wine in a romantic, intimate, coastal setting? Well, consider this: You can meander into Half Moon Bay's Obester Winery to sample delicious selections made from high-quality grapes from Northern California's coveted regions (think Napa Valley and Monterey) or take a scenic inland drive to Thomas Fogarty Winery.

Feeling lazy? Take your palate on tour by pulling up a chair at local tasting rooms. At Half Moon Bay Wine & Cheese a half-dozen wine-tasting options are continually changing and specialties by the bottle include California Pinot Noirs and selections from the nearby Santa Cruz Mountains. The Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay's Wine Room is a super-luxe spot for savoring an extensive selection of rare wines and flights.

Not the type to sit on the sidelines? If your vision of R&R includes leaving landlubbers behind to paddle into the distance, catch tonight's dinner, ride some waves, embark on an underwater adventure, or assume the alias "Captain," you're in luck. Half Moon Bay's aquatic surroundings aren't merely playgrounds for seals and otters. In fact, there are enough water activities offered here to keep your skin wrinkled like a prune year-round. You can kayak, windsurf, surf, or dive or stay above water with boating or sport fishing expeditions - just take your pick. Or better yet, plan to spend enough time here to do them all!

One of the best ways to get to know a coastal area is to become marine mobile. And there's no better way to get up close and personal with Half Moon Bay's aquatic wonderland - which teems with harbor seals, otters, marine birds, migrating whales. Whether you want to rent a sea kayak and seek your own seafaring adventures around Pillar Point Harbor, take a lesson, or join a group tour - including magical moonlight excursions, the choice is yours.

Whether you'd like to leave the steering to local seafarers or take a rental kayak or canoe out for a spin yourself, Half Moon Bay's boating companies make the Pacific Ocean your oyster. Options are as plentiful as the feather boa kelp stringing the shorelines. Catch close-up views of migrating gray whales every December through May aboard a whale watching cruise. (Humpback whales are also known to cruise these parts.) Go for a group kayak at sunset. Or reel in some of California's exceptional seafood during a fishing excursion. To get an idea of what the conditions are like right now, check out the local boating forecast.

Though Half Moon Bay's rural and relaxed seaside surroundings seem worlds away from cosmopolitan San Francisco, it's actually very nearby and easily accessible. From San Francisco you need only step on the gas and head south for 30 miles - or about 30 minutes - along stunning coastal Highway 1. It'll take you only 25 minutes from San Francisco International Airport by taking Highway 101 south to Highway 92 west.

Half Moon Bay's weather is temperate year-round. Its ocean breezes and romantic fog, which tends to drift in from the ocean and blanket the shoreline especially during late summer, make it neither too hot, nor too cold, but just right for outdoor pursuits. Each year the coastline is blessed with approximately 160 clear days, 100 partly cloudy days, 105 cloudy days, and 23 inches of annual rainfall. When visiting the area, be sure to bring and wear layers of clothing so you'll be snuggly when the fog rolls in and can peel off your over layer as the sun breaks through and warms up the region.

Half Moon Bay hotels offer all of today's expected perks plus a dash of small town hopitality - and they're centrally located near downtown shopping and dining and the beach. From family-friendly properties with extra beds, a kitchen, swimming pool, and gyms to the lap of lavishness complete with golf courses, a spa, conference facilities, restaurants, and every other amenity you can think of, these properties go the distance.

These coastal drive-up digs are centrally located, affordable, family-oriented, and welcoming - in most cases even to your four-legged friends. Tack on fresh, clean, safe, and surprisingly well-appointed rooms, friendly and professional staff, small-town hospitality, and often a plethora of free perks like continental breakfast, phone calls, and conference facilities, and wherever you stay you can't go wrong.

Get an exceptionally intimate and romantic Half Moon Bay experience by checking into one of Half Moon Bay's B&Bs. Not only will you have access to cozy, beautifully furnished accommodations and get up close and personal with friendly innkeepers and other visitors, but also you'll be treated to historic architecture, lavish full breakfasts, sinfully comfortable beds, opulent gardens, and the essence and tranquility of relaxed coastal living.