Hidden under the marine layer of far West Marin, Tomales Bay is an otherworldly sliver of water straddled by Point Reyes National Seashore and acres of grazing land that stretch to Petaluma. Best known for its oyster farms, fish shacks, beaches, cheese making and forest-bathing opportunities, it’s a locals’ getaway for much of the winter and a year-round destination for shuckers.
At the halfway point between Marshall and Point Reyes Station is Marconi State Historic Park, 62 acres of coastal forests and meadows once used as a telegraph relay station by Guglielmo Marconi in the early 1900s. From his outpost on a hill facing Tomales Bay, Marconi sent the first radio communications from California to Hawaii and Japan — a link that brought instant communication worldwide for the first time.
Amid the mossy cypress and eucalyptus groves is the historic Marconi Hotel and newly renovated Lodge at Marconi, a group of cabins, lofts and event spaces dotted around the property. The on-site restaurant, Mable’s, serves as a restaurant for guests, a catering hub for events and is open to the public for dinner Tuesday through Saturday.
Though the menu takes inspiration from the nearby waters, executive chef Les Goodman intentionally shied away from adding another seafood shack to the mix.

“The menus directly on the Bay, they’re just very classic fish houses, and that’s what people want. I wanted to bring something very different, especially for the locals,” said Goodman, whose resume includes Dry Creek Kitchen, several restaurants in Las Vegas, teaching at Sur La Table and owning a small catering company. His farmers market pop-up, Goodman’s Deli, featured favorite Jewish dishes and Middle Eastern classics.
At Mable’s, Goodman brings his fine dining technique to a menu that moves from Mediterranean to Japanese to French to Russian with as much fluidity as the morning fog.
“A lot of those flavors I love, so (I’m) trying to bring that into a very globally-inspired menu that’s focused on locality, using farms within a few hundred miles, within three or four counties,” said Goodman. Fish, of course, is mainly sourced from nearby fishing boats.
Mable’s menu is hyper-seasonal and Goodman likes to change it almost daily based on what’s come in from the farms, while using or reusing ingredients in a few dishes. So, if you love one night’s “Under a Fur Coat salad” (see explanation below), it may or may not be on the menu the next day.

Goodman’s daily specials, however, lift away any disappointment. On one of my visits just before Hanukkah, Goodman made potato latkes with smoked salmon and pomegranate seeds.
What you won’t want to miss is The Mable Experience. It consists of eight to 10 small plates that cover the table like a fog, according to Goodman, much like Korean banchan. The lineup typically includes fermented and pickled vegetables, seasonal salads like beet with horseradish crème fraîche and dill, tinned fish and kimchi.
“The experience is my play on the name Mable, which means ‘marine atmospheric boundary layer — MABL,'” said Goodman. (Much of Tomales Bay is influenced by an insulated layer near the ocean’s surface, bridging sea and sky and serving up plenty of fog, rain and cool temperatures.)
Mable’s isn’t much to see on the outside, boxy and utilitarian, but inside, the 100-seat restaurant is a warm, modern retreat where you’ll find a mix of the Patagonia set and locals. The 1,300-square-foot deck overlooking Tomales Bay has stunning views when the weather cooperates.
For me, Mable’s at the Lodge at Marconi is a restaurant that captures the enchanting flavors between land and sea unique to the Sonoma-Marin coast, magically.
Best Bets

Beet Salad, Sprouted Hummus and seasonal vegetables, Honeynut Squash/Nettle/Sunchoke Dips, Tinned Trout and a housemade Pickle Plate from Mable’s Restaurant and Patio at the newly renovated Lodge at Marconi Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Marshall. (John Burgess / The Press Democrat)

The Mables Experience, $45 per person: A sampling of chef Goodman’s seasonal bites from ocean to farm. Eight or nine small plates usually include pickled vegetables, hummus, salads and other nibbles — often from the menu, but sometimes not — a good introduction to the flavors and ethos of the restaurant.
Sourdough Focaccia, $10: Thick slabs of airy focaccia are best slathered with house-cultured butter with a float of buttermilk.
McFarland Springs Hot Smoked Trout, $18: McFarland Farms hot smoked trout is mixed with crème fraîche for a creamy spread served with fried saltines and pickled veggies. If you’re big on tinned fish, there’s an extensive artisan collection including sardines in yuzu kosho or coconut curry sauce, Jamaican jerk rockfish or lemon caper mackerel ($13 to $18).
Seasonal Dips: Chef Goodman is a whiz with flavor-punched sprouted hummus with za’atar and harissa; tart turmeric-infused labneh (cheese made from strained yogurt) with smoked olive oil; or pureed honeynut squash with toasted sesame and date syrup that’s sweet and earthy. Served with seasonal veggies.

Daily Fish Stew for Two, $62: The green Le Creuset-style Dutch oven is the only thing constant about this seafood pot-au-feu (“stew” seems too common a name). There will be seafood, mostly from nearby, that includes the daily catch, also maybe with mussels. Always with housemade focaccia to sop up the goodness. Goodman rotates the base broth with flavors from Spain, Italy, France, Indonesia and Japan.
Milk and Cookies, $10: Baked to order, it takes about 20 minutes for this must-have dessert. Hot chocolate chip cookies are paired with a firm block of buttermilk panna cotta for a grown-up version of this childhood favorite.
May or may not be on the menu
Shuba “Under a Fur Coat” Salad, $23: This classic Ukrainian seven-layer dip gets a Tomales makeover with diced potato, smoked trout, pickles, carrots, beet, aioli, egg and dill. It’s a complicated dish, said Goodman, so on busy nights, it isn’t always available — the best of Eastern Europe in a convenient, scoopable stack.
Grilled Kofta Meatballs, $19: The zing of Goodman’s shakshuka ragout — made with tomato and red pepper — pools around spiced Stemple Creek Ranch beef meatballs with Tomales Farm feta. Served in a piping hot clay ramekin, it’s a signature shareable dish cozier than a sheepskin rug by a roaring fire.
Mable’s at The Lodge at Marconi, 18500 CA Highway 1, 415-663-9020, mablesrestaurant.com. Reservations recommended.
You can reach Dining Editor Heather Irwin at heather.irwin@pressdemocrat.com. Follow Heather on Instagram @biteclubeats.