Half Moon Bay got its sea legs during Prohibition as an inconspicuous port where, under a thick veil of fog, Canadian rumrunners offloaded booze (and pent-up sexual desires) to Bay Area speakeasies. Today, this coastal town tends more toward quiet dinners, fine art, and stellar surf than raucous brothels and hooch-peddling card sharks. And where traffic used to come in from the Pacific, it now comes in droves from “over the hill,” as coastsiders call the rest of the peninsula.

“Twenty years ago, when you mentioned Half Moon Bay to people over the hill, they thought you were talking about Mars,” says Debra Godshall, a 24-year resident and publisher of the town’s weekly newspaper, the Half Moon Bay Review. But since then, the tourist industry has steadily taken off. First there was the Art and Pumpkin Festival, which started in 1971 with the goal of raising money to spruce up Main Street, but today attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors. Then came Mavericks Surf Contest in 1999, followed in 2001 by the palatial Ritz-Carlton hotel and golf course. “Now everybody knows Half Moon Bay and has their favorite part of town,” says Godshall.

Be warned, though: the steady stream of weekenders makes 92 West a parking lot, so take Highway 1 instead and wend through the curves of Devil’s Slide, past the artichoke and brussels sprouts fields. You may feel a bit carsick on arrival, but at least you won’t enter this mellow town with a serious case of road rage.

THE GRUB
Formerly called Spanishtown, Half Moon Bay boasts taquerias with food that rivals the Mission’s celebrated fare. Topping the list is the appropriately named Spanish Town Restaurant. Even if you don’t have a Mexican abuela, the zippy service and fresh shrimp fajitas bursting with peppers, onions, and tomatoes will give you a delicious idea of the kind of comfort food she might make. 515 Church St.

For a sandwich and a beer, head to the tiny Garden Deli Café at historic San Benito House. The ingredients are standard but fresh, the bread is baked in-house, and the soups are concocted daily.
356 Main St.

With exquisite entrées like linguine with fresh Dungeness crab in chervil and fennel cream sauce, Pasta Moon Ristorante is a favorite of locals and visitors. 315 Main St., STE. C.

Hit the beach with a picnic from Cunha’s Country Grocery Store. Fresh local produce, the choicest meats in town, and hard-to-find spices have made Cunha’s a staple since 1923. 448 Main St.

HANGOUTs
Don’t worry about drinking too much locally brewed Mavericks Ale at Cameron’s: the pub doubles as what they call a “bed-and-beverage.” Since lighting up indoors became taboo, smoking at Cameron’s has gotten a lot cooler. The dimly lit double-decker London bus parked out back beckons smokers with retrofitted booths and small TVs. 1410 South Cabrillo Hwy.

Beat from ambling down Main Street? Kick back on one of the benches in Mac Dutra Park and let Half Moon Bay come to you. The park is smack in the middle of town at the corner of Kelly Avenue and Main Street.

THE TALK
“Waiting for eviction” read

WHAT IT COSTS
To buy… $899,000 for a four-bedroom, three-bathroom home with an observation deck affording ocean views.
To rent… $1,650 for a two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment two blocks from the beach.

ONLY HERE
Half Moon Bay is still bummin’ about the cancellation of the Mavericks Surf Contest. 2007 is the first year that Mavericks has been called off for lack of, well, waves—leaving surfers jonesing for “the world’s most dangerous wave.” Here’s to ’08.

SHOPFRONTS
While frog figurines and wind chimes bask in the cool coastal sun, the garden of Half to Have It is full of shards of decorative glass sold by the pound. Inside, shoppers shuffle through classic matchboxes and 1950s Playboy magazines to a fittingly antique soundtrack by Georgia Gibbs, Benny Goodman, and the like. 601 Main St.

On the western side of the side-by-side Borsini-Burr Galleries hang giclée depictions of Native American life by Howard Terpning, whose originals have sold for over $1 million. In the contemporary gallery to the right, you’ll find caricature-like renderings of jazz musicians and tuxedoed club rats by Clifford Bailey. 225/235 Main St. (at Hwy. 92).

From South American mahogany bed frames to hand-woven brooms from the jungles of Thailand to fine Italian china by Vietri, Abode fills two meticulously arranged floors with goods for the well-appointed domain. 330 Main St., STE. 102.

ON THIS SPOT
Miramar Beach Restaurant wasn’t always a classy place to take the family for mimosas and an ocean view. During Prohibition, the building was a notorious venue for getting liquored up, playing cards, and “paying for a date.” Though the space was recently remodeled, the menu still pays homage to the past, when “liquor was concealed from the prying eyes of the G-Men.” Magellan Ave. at the Pacific Ocean.