By Mary SwiftSwan

Looking for a place to take Mom in May? Consider sitting over the water, off the shore of Sausalito at a very fine restaurant. Scoma’s of Sausalito is one of the best restaurants on the Bay. The fish is so fresh one might think the fishermen outside are contributing to the larder. For more than 30 years, Scoma’s has offered fine dining in a family friendly, yet romantic setting.

Scoma’s original Victorian building was built on a pier over the Bay nearly 100 years ago, first as a tug and ferry landing, before becoming a place for fishermen to buy bait and bring their fresh catch-of-the-day. In the late 1960s, the building was purchased by Al Scoma, of the internationally famous and award- winning Scoma’s at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco; and Victor and Roland Gotti, former owners of the eminent Ernie’s Restaurant in San Francisco and inland favorite, Lark Creek Inn in Larkspur. Scoma’s is still the place to find the fresh catch-of-the-day.

Scoma’s serves simple, wonderfully prepared fresh fish. The Italian seafood pastas and interesting fusion of styles in sumptuous dishes like Lobster Thermidor reflect the culinary tastes of the owners. Chef Sam chose Lobster Thermidor for Bay Crossings home cook readers. Though some consider it difficult to prepare, he is certain that by following his particular techniques, it is quick and easy to make this elegant meal.

Executive Chef Sam of Scoma’s often chooses Florida spinney lobster for Lobster Thermidor. Spinney lobster come from all over the world. The legs and pinchers are very small but the large tail is delicious. They are usually sold already cleaned, cooked, and flash frozen in fine fish markets and better super markets. Lobster from Florida, Brazil, and the Caribbean are called warm tails. Those found in South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia are called cold tails. Just set the lobster out to thaw while making the sauces (see sidebars) and begin Scoma’s of Sausalito’s Lobster Thermidor.

Remove the edible meat from the tail and body of the lobster. (If working with a Maine lobster, the tail is small, so include the large claw meat.) Dice lobster meat in 1.5-inch succulent bite-size pieces.

At high flame, heat the olive oil in a sauté pan. When hot, add sliced mushrooms and garlic and toss until lightly browned on the edges, moving the pan to keep from burning. Next, add the green and white onions. Continue to toss frequently to keep from over cooking. Lastly, add the lobster meat. Toss the lobster chunks with the other ingredients until warmed through. All of these steps only take a 3-5 few minutes.

Reduce to simmer and ladle the Scoma’s Sausalito Thermidor cream sauce over the Lobster Thermidor ingredients, mixing fully. Simmer for 3-5 minutes to reduce by one fourth.

Place the cooked ingredients evenly into one of the empty lobster halves per serving. Sprinkle with chives. Ladle Hollandaise sauce over the filled shells and place in a 450 oven for 4 minutes or until the top lightly brown. Serve with simple sides, e.g., steamed vegetable medley and white rice.

Scoma’s of Sausalito serves lunch and dinner seven days a week with continuous service from 11:30a.m. until evening closing, spring through fall. At this popular restaurant, reservations may not always be absolutely necessary, but they are always a good idea. Scoma’s of Sausalito is located at 588 Bridgeway, Sausalito, CA 94965. (415) 332-9551 or visit www.scomassausalito.com.

Soft-spoken Executive Chef Sam Samana (above) was born and raised in Leone, American Samoa. He moved to Hawaii after completing high school at age 16, joining his extended family. An easy job to find was making sandwiches and hamburgers. What gave him inspiration and direction was working with world-class chefs at the Sheridan and Hilton hotels in Hawaii. “Many of the chefs in the big hotels are European, French and German chefs. Learning from those chefs is really what got me started.”

Sam moved to the mainland in 1980. He first joined the Caprice in Tiburon, then the Lark Creek Inn, before moving on to Ernie’s and MacArthur Park. He finally accepted the position at Scoma’s in Sausalito where he has been the Executive Chef for 12 years. With a soft laugh and big smile, Chef Sam said, “Chefs often move a lot in the beginning of their careers to learn. I was fortunate to learn from some of the best. With my cooking, I like to add classic French flare and influence. At Scoma’s, I do that by making the food very flavorful and presented well while keeping the dishes basically simple and portions large.”

When he’s not at the restaurant, Chef Sam enjoys spending time with his family. His wife, Aimee, runs the kitchen at home. Sam laughed when he said he gets in the kitchen only once in a while at home. They have six children, three sons and three daughters between the ages of 10 and 32; none of them are in the food industry, yet. As the restaurant filled, Chef Sam kindly excused himself to get back into the kitchen to ensure that the meals being served that day were delivered quickly and featured his trademark flare.