Gama — Restaurant in Point Arena

Wonderfully executed. Chef Hopps and his team knows what they are doing. I don’t write reviews often but Chef Hopps really impressed us with his skills. I wasn’t sure initially when looking for places to eat in the area while visiting from NYC but after dining here I am so so happy I did. I did not know his pedigree coming in but having grown up on Japanese meals, I could instantly taste that Chef Hopps understands Japanese sensibilities and taste profiles very very well. He executes relatively simple appearing dishes with great precision. His miso soup is truly miso soup and his egg custard chawanmushi is perfectly cooked. His sashimi does not require soy sauce as the ponzu is great on it’s own. Definitely NOT your standard random not authentic Japanese food that is so common in all cities. If you are worried that this place is one of those “dragon roll” or mayo drenched sushi roll places no worries no California rolls here! While he definitely adds a few twists here and there he is respectful of the traditional flavors and ingredients inherent to Japanese food. It’s not dumbed down, it’s enhanced by his choices. Also his karaage fried chicken is on the top of my list compared to even renditions I’ve had in Japan- light crispy and juicy. Even more impressive is that it was just him and his assistant in the kitchen pushing out the dishes! We ordered all items on the menu except for 3 and every single one of them was terrific. His front of the house staff were also just lovely, pleasant and helpful and really took care of their customers. Also it is a great sign that they steeped the tea orders properly as tea lovers would expect! I would not hesitate to come back here at all. Point Arena and the area in general is lucky to have such a great place and I hope his customers understand the top notch quality they are getting here! Kudos to the...

This was the most disappointing meal I've had in a long time, especially for the price.

The menu is very small, and not a good assortment of things. There were only 8 hot things on the menu, and they included rice and miso as line items. 3 things were fried, and there was one sashimi (no rolls or other sushi) and it was trout... there were even less cold items on the menu..one menu page for food and 2-3 for alcohol.

The cabbage salad was so salty it was like when you go swimming in the ocean and you accidentally drink too much salt water.

The potato salad tasted just like the stuff that comes in a tub at Costco, they put a runny yolk egg on it, which was also cold, I thought the egg would be warm when I saw it on top.

The karaage was acceptable, it was fried well, but tasted average...kind of like popcorn chicken from quickly.

And the Japanese curry with beef tasted just like the boxed cubed curry with msg, which I consider on par with instant ramen noodles, but it would have at least had some carrots or potatoes in it if I made it at home. The rice it came with was the best thing we got. The beef in it was good, but the curry sauce wasn't.

Plates are small, they suggest 2-3 plates per person and many of them are $25-$30

The service was good, which is why they got 2 stars instead of 1.

Also, the chairs are incredibly uncomfortable. Perhaps if you don't have hips they'd be a little better, but they're cold hard metal chairs without room for an average butt, with edges that push into the upper sides of your glutes, leaving you wishing for a...

I'm from Manhattan and my husband is originally from Chicago. We moved to Gualala (south Mendocino County) from West Hollywood a month ago. We were excited, though we struggled with our biggest concern -- where would we ever be able to find food! It didn't take us long to create a list of places to eat by seeking out fellow foodies in the area, and Gamma was one of them. And what a treat! The owners are both chefs, worked at Harbor House (Michelin star restaurant also not far away from us), and this is their first venture, which we are thrilled to patronize--we feel very fortunate. The food is sublime. Everything is sourced locally and you can immediately taste the earthiness. The grilled Akaushi wagyu beef barely required chewing as it literally melted in our mouths. The llano seco pork gyoza was delicate with a very refined Rayu dipping sauce, I begged my husband to order a second one, it was that good! The chicken kaarage was equally delectable. I had the Shishito peppers on a skewer as well that were still so fresh they were slightly crunchy, giving it that farm to table directness. We're thrilled to drive the 20 minutes from Gualala to Point Arena to support this lovely couple and their amazing restaurant. Kudos to them...