Chez Shea--Half Moon Bay, CA

Today's escape from the mid-90s heat took us to Half Moon Bay. After spending the morning and early afternoon at the beach we went downtown and ate at Chez Shea for lunch. The restaurant features influences from around the world, but perhaps none more than Mexico.

As a rule, I go with mole whenever it's on the menu. So, for lunch today I had pork "Tamales Autenticos" with mole. The sauce was adequate, although I would have liked the chocolate flavor to stand out more. The mole at the Mexicali Grill in Santa Clara is superior to this one and I ate lunch today missing it. The bigger issue, though, is the pork was severely lacking. The tamale was dominated by the corn flour and really made me wanting more meat. At $10 for two of these (including black beans and rice), the plate was overpriced.

My wife enjoyed the East-West Fish Taco for its flavor (truly representative of near and far, including an Asian influence), the tenderness of the fish and the shell, which reminded both of us of naan.

At $3 each, the kids' dishes were a good value. One of our boys had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich 0n toasted wheat and the other a grilled cheese sandwich. All four of enjoyed the fruit side dishes, which had diced mango, pineapple and strawberry.

To summarize, Chez Shea offers good food overall with a distinctive menu. However, there are misfires mixed in with the gems.

Chez Shea

408 Main Street
Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
(650) 560-9234

www.chez-shea.com