In early June we had a great customer service dining experience while visiting
family in McKinleyville, California. This community is near Eureka and Arcata,
not far from the Eureka-Arcata airport. One of the other small towns nearby is
Trinidad, California. We had a fabulous meal at the Trinidad Bay Eatery.
What was especially notable was the fact that we had arrived in the town for a
family reunion and after most of our family members flew in or drove in it was
about 8 p.m. and we discovered we had eight hungry people who were not in the
mood for the fast-food type fair nearer the airport. The drive to Trinidad was
scenic with forested roadways and great views of the bay and we found ourselves
at the Trinidad Bay Eatery just at 8:30 p.m. the usual closing time for the
restaurant. This is clearly a sleepy, roll-up the sidewalks community not used
to two carloads of visitors arriving at closing time.
However, the restaurant staff welcomed us, hanging out the "CLOSED" sign after
ushering us into a friendly dining area furnished with inviting wood tables and
booths, a modestly stocked bar and a gift shop style gallery. With the location
on the bay, the menu featured primarily local seafood. The homemade clam
chowder was a big hit, but the burgers and salads also had several takers.
There were items for the desert-dwellers who hadn't developed a palate for
seafood, as well as a delicious vegetarian Thai salad. I'm not sure the Thai
salad was completely authentic, but the ingredients were fresh and delicious.
Service was friendly, accommodating, and not at all rushed. This was very nice
considering that we arrived at closing time. The staff could have told us we
were too late, could have shown that they were in a rush to clean up and head
home for the evening, but they did not. Our drive back to our hotel near the
airport was just as scenic, but we appreciated it all the more with our
appetites quenched and twilight lingering just enough to filter through the
trees.
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