This wine bar and lounge in downtown San Anselmo serves wine like Lambrusco from Emilia-Romagna, Sauvignon Blanc from Mendocino, and Tempranillo from Spain. Low- and no-ABV cocktails, like the Tomales with manzanilla sherry and white vermouth or a Phony Negroni, also capture the drinking spirit of the moment.
The mostly small bites menu from Chef Cameron Myers has familiar-to-the-format meaty and cheesy offerings but expands into playful territory with charred cabbage with salsa macha or confit pork belly with pickled grapes and celeriac. The bar fills up with the after-work crowd. The hum spills over to the tables lining the sun-splashed windows in the late afternoon/early evening.
Stepping into the space adjacent to Inn Marin where Rickey’s held sway for years is a steakhouse from serial Novato chef and restaurateur, Munther Massarweh. Step into the bar – ahem! saloon – and await a Barrel Manhattan, California Paloma or Querencia, a margarita gussied up for a night on the town. The dark-walled dining room is brightened with rounded chandeliers, up-tempo music, and a lively murmur from families and couples out for date night.
You can’t go wrong with Bang Bang shrimp or crab and mozzarella hush puppies appetizers or a Caesar salad, but you’re here for the meat, right? Bourbon-glazed BBQ baby back ribs feature Dolly Parton cole slaw, a mayo-based concoction enlivened with pickle juice. Black Steer Butter Steak arrives
as sliced tenderloin, sauced with black garlic butter. The butter works well with the accompanying mashed potatoes. Take the steakhouse experience to eleven by adding Jack Daniel’s demi glaze or a grilled lobster tail. There’s even butter cake for dessert.
Chef Christopher and Martina Kostow combined their families’ culinary heritage to bring this "Jew-ish" deli to Larkspur’s Marin Country Mart. That translates to house made bagels with chive and fermented onion spread or matzo ball soup with lemongrass, Thai herbs and chile. There’s matzoh brei at breakfast and a smoked whitefish bagel sandwich on the all-day menu.
The Tradition – corned beef or pastrami on rye with deli mustard – features house made meat and everything else, while kimchee is an able foil to the spicy Russian dressing on a Reuben. A small pantry has to-go versions of house smoked salmon, pickles, spreads and other goodies, but why not hang out a while in the cheery space and have a cup of coffee or a mimosa? Both drinks work with every dish on the menu.
Though the Santa Rosa brand’s Incredible Pale is typically in regular rotation, the tap list is updated daily for optimal fresh beer selection. That attracts the crowds, who come as much for the outdoor beer garden and cool wall art as for the tunes spilling out of the turntable (neé record player) behind the bar.
Ask your friendly bartender for a Synth Life blonde ale or Matinee Idol
Mexican-style lager and have a seat. Though there are daily food trucks in the back parking lot where you can snag a Philly cheesesteak sandwich from South Street Grill or a burrito from Tommy’s Salsa, the vibe is more bar than restaurant.
An ode to his grandmother, chef Tommy’s place on Corte Madera Avenue serves up quesadillas, tacos and salads in the style of the Yucatan. Fans trek to town for the fish tacos dressed with lime crema and house made roasted red salsa, loaded baked potatoes with two kinds of cheese and sour cream, and the California burrito (stuffed with French fries, of course).
Specials are posted on a chalkboard out front (a recent visit yielded clam chowder with sourdough and salmon tacos with pineapple-papaya salsa). Make time to sit and enjoy the snug spot; Bright yellow walls adorned with likenesses of Emiliano Zapata, Frida Kahlo and “Gramma Kito” sit comfortably
next to prayer candles adorned with saints, books, and Talavera pottery. Enjoy a meal in a place that feels like home.
