by Dyane Hendricks

Owner Stephanie Hare serves Jacques Bourdon coffee at the Seventh Street Bistro in Montara where she calls her customers friends. Photo: Dyane Hendricks.

There are no strangers at the   Seventh Street Bistro in Montara. “There are people whose names I don’t know, but I know them,” says Stephanie Hare, owner and operator. The small, cozy restaurant offers some good conversation in a homey atmosphere where music can be found on Friday nights.

Oh, yes, there is also a menu filled with recipes using ingredients that are truly fresh from the coast. “We serve fresh, local California cuisine with fresh ingredients from different farmers and spots along the coast,” Hare said. “We have an abundance  of fresh local produce, burgers, sandwiches, pastas and seafood.” Plans for her ever-evolving recipes include a garden at the restaurant so when an order is placed, she will literally walk outside and pick the ingredients for the ultimate fresh dish.

The bistro’s signature dish is a chicken Marsala, but other popular items include seafood pasta and, for breakfast, French toast served with potatoes and freshly squeezed orange juice that is known throughout the San Mateo Coast.

With 30 years of restaurant business under her belt, Hare believes in the importance of giving back to the community that gives to her. She encourages local organizations to hold fundraising events at the Seventh Street Bistro and she strictly enforces a dress code that ranges from evening attire to causal beachcombing.

Every Friday is Open Mike Night from 9 p.m. to midnight when she serves a light menu along with wine and beer. A monthly hip-hop night turns the bistro into a nightclub where local talent can perform.

The Seventh Street Bistro is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5-8 p.m. on weekdays, and 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends.

Chicken Marsala

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4 boneless chicken breasts, filleted, without skin

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 cup flour

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

4 tablespoons butter

16 sliced fresh mushrooms

3⁄4 cup finely chopped parsley, plus additional for garnish

3 tablespoons chopped garlic

2-3 cups Marsala wine

1⁄2 cup heavy whipped cream (approximately)

3⁄4 pound angel hair pasta

Parmesan cheese to taste

Mix the flour, salt and pepper. Lightly dredge the breast in the  flour mix.

Put the canola oil in a pan and heat the pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken breast and cook on both sides until dark brown. Add the butter, mushrooms, parsley and garlic; sauté for a couple of minutes. Add the Marsala wine. Add the whipped cream and  reduce the sauce until it thickens. If it gets too thick, add a little more Marsala wine.

Have a large pot of boiling water ready and add the angel hair pasta. Cook until tender. Remove the chicken from the sauce and add the pasta to the sauce; toss until most of the sauce is absorbed in the pasta. Put the pasta and sauce on a large serving plate and top with the chicken. Finish with parmesan cheese and parsley on top.