By Gene Mahoney
(with much-needed assistance from Kimberlye Gold)

This Month:

Cameron’s Restaurant and Inn
1410 S. Cabrillo Highway
Half Moon Bay
(650) 726-5705

I could go on and on with my many warm thoughts about Cameron’s Restaurant and Inn, an English-style pub and lodge off the beautiful California coast. I could, but why bother when I can plagiarize their menu which features everything you’d ever want to know about the place? The menu’s probably better written than anything I could come up with. Let’s see what we’ve got here...

The Inn was built about 100 years ago and has quite a history. At least three times since the turn of the century it has been a house of ill repute or a house of fun, depending where you grew up and what you learned to call those places where the ladies of the night live, sort of. During the “Roaring Twenties”, Al Capone’s sister allegedly became involved in the Inn and reportedly owned the slot machines in play there.

Bootleggers used to make their brew far back in the coastal canyons and then take it to the Inn, where it was shipped to San Francisco. There are still people who recall bullets flying across Highway One, as hijackers fought it out with the bootleggers over who would get the booze. Three murders took place in the Inn in the ‘30’s. Two of them occurred when three escaped convicts from San Quentin ended up at the Inn and had an argument. One of the convicts shot and killed the other two. Not much could be learned about the third murder, except that it involved a woman.

During World War II the Army took over the Inn. They used it as a mess hall and converted the upstairs portion into officer’s quarters. The Army also added the back part that is now used as a bar and game area. In the late ‘40’s some residents recall drinking in the back part of the Inn while drunken bartenders took turns shooting pistols at targets set up on the wall opposite the bar. In the ‘50’s several people reported having their first beer at the Inn several years before they turned 21. It was that kind of place. In the ‘60’s the Hell’s Angels motorcycle gang allegedly stopped at the Inn for a drink. They reportedly were in a hurry and therefore rode their cycles into the bar itself.

Then it goes on to say that Cameron Palmer owns the building and recently opened up the restaurant part of it, hoping to “establish new traditions”. Here’s a tidbit from the menu about Cameron’s extensive beer can collection...

How does a collection begin? Especially one that grows to contain over 2,000. Cameron Palmer moved to Cincinnati at the age of 10 and his first new friends were “into beer cans”. Drinking the contents was out of the question. They merely stalked for empties.

The friends dropped their interest, but Cameron pursued the quest. His parents traveled as did many of their friends, all with one request: bring back beer cans. Within six months the collection had grown to about 200, enough to form a pyramid against his bedroom wall. The parents gained new respect for the pursuit after perusing the Beer Can Collector’s bible. Those old cans apparently had some stated value after all, besides bringing a smile to their son’s face.

With marriage came the collection to the newlywed’s first apartment. The bride stood firm against lining the living room wall with beer cans. Cameron bargained, pleading for at least two bedroom walls. The family backed the bride and the cans got boxed, but never forgotten. Even in exile the collection grew.

We had a great time here on a recent Sunday night. Despite all the “Pub Snacks” like Spicy Chicken Wings, Cheesy Garlic Bread, French Fries, Mozzarella Sticks, Tower Onion Rings, and Jalapeno Poppers -- you can actually eat healthy here. A Starter Salad is only $2.95, a Garden Salad is only $5.95, and we had an 8” Vegetarian “Pub Pizza” for a reasonable $10.45. It was very tasty, too, I must say. Oh, and our waitress, Jami, was the best. What a doll! If you’re depressed just go in here and have her wait on you. She informed us that Cameron started his own beer label a few years ago (Cameron Pub Beer), which he says is similar to Sierra Nevada. Then he came over to our table and gave us a bottle of Cameron Pub Cabernet. Yes, he’s in the wine business now, too (Cameron Pub Wine). I quit drinking wine, but Kimberlye went on to rave about it.

Cameron showed us the three rooms he has available for visitors (note how I didn’t write travelers -- this is an English Pub). This ain’t no Motel 6. They look like the rooms I stayed at traveling around England after college, except Cameron’s are better kept. The bathrooms have a sign that Cameron’s kid made that reads something like “If this bathroom isn’t clean please tell my daddy”. Cute!

I could go on, but I’d like to keep this article pithy and interesting. Besides, I got to plagiarize half of it. I hope to see you soon at Cameron’s, and that red English phone booth they have in the parking lot really does work. Cheerio.

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