Thanks to Jane and Michael Stern of Roadfood, my friends and I learned about The Place, a special summer spot along Highway 1 since 1971.

A huge outdoor grill was surrounded by an array of red tables, with tree stumps for seats.

A huge red board lists the menu.

We got two orders of the special clam roast, each order offering a dozen clams grilled with cocktail sauce in the shell. They were delicious.

Mussels with wine and garlic sauce could have been better cleaned. The shells were filled with gritty grains of sand, which ruined the supple shellfish.

The roasted 1¼ lb. lobster was blackened on the grill, appearing seriously overcooked, but turned out to be tender and sweet. The cook split the tail in half and sliced open the claws, so it was easy to pluck the meat from the shell.

Fresh “roasted” corn was sweet. We finished off the meal with yet another order of special clam roast. Everything was very good, other than the beach-y mussels, and it was a fun spot. The experience was so satisfying that I even got a T-shirt sporting The Place motto: “Put your rump on a stump.”

Note: Open from late April through the end of the summer