Before fishermen discovered the edibility of fish, they used each catch as bait for larger species, hoping in the end to hook the biggest fish of all—friendship. Get acquainted with today’s Groupon: for $12, you get $25 worth of seafood and drinks at Sandpiper Seafood Restaurant in Bodega Bay.

The sea-savvy chefs at Sandpiper Seafood Restaurant craft hearty meals from fresh fish, crab meat, and other ocean-borne fare, filling breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus. Start off with a bowl of savory clam chowder, available in appetizer-appropriate cup ($4.99) and bowl ($7.59) sizes as well as a cavernous "Viking bowl" ($12.99) that conjures ancient Scandinavian warrior spirits to rattle their swords at entree-sized hunger pangs. The crab ravioli mails crab meat to waiting tongues in bite-size envelopes covered in sundried tomato pesto stamps ($16.95), and the buttery sautéed tiger prawns of the shrimp scampi surf mouthward on a wave of garlic-butter sauce and melted parmesan cheese ($8.99). In addition, Sandpiper’s wine list washes down nautical noshables with local vintages.