After successfully opening restaurants-slash-tasting rooms in San Francisco’s Ghirardelli Square and Marina neighborhoods, Cultivar Sausalito, the latest project from Jody Harris and Gingy Harris Gable, the second generation of the family behind Napa’s Cultivar Wine, opened their third location on February 17.
Of course there’s wine on the menu – the 2018 Cultivar Cabernet Sauvignon, Leak Lake Vineyard and 2021 Cultivar Rosé each won Gold in 2023’s San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, for example – but a full cocktail list with updated classics (Marinship Marg with honey dew and cucumber), non-alcoholic cocktails (Sail Safe Marg with pineapple and lime), and seasonal selections is available at the 20-seat bar, as well as Champagne, Sauternes, and wines from carefully chosen wineries.
Grab a seat – on one of the patio’s many lounges or tables or inside at a high top or a classic booth – and take a look at the menu, courtesy of co-chefs Matthew Curry (Waterbar, Boca Steak) and Justin Bruckert (Mijo). A Tuscan-crafted Valoriani wood-fired oven turns out firm-bottomed, leopard-print pizzas and whole animal entrees such as Game Hen with mashed potatoes, and Branzino with salsa verde and grilled Romanesco. Smaller appetites can share plates of Duck Poutine with brandy gravy, Pork Belly Tacos with chipotle slaw, and Cultivar House Rolls. Desserts –Gianduja Torte, Olive Oil Cake with honey parfait, and Butterscotch Pudding – are the handiwork of Pastry Chef Candace Rowan.
The restaurant will debut with dinner service, with plans to introduce lunch in the near future.
Part traditional cantina (the drinks!) and part taqueria (the birria!), El Tucan Tacos and Beer’s small street front hides its true size. Situated across from a cluster of warehouses on a quiet street off of Francisco Boulevard East in San Rafael, the Mexican restaurant’s back patio faces the San Rafael Yacht Harbor. No matter where you sit, music in the style of rancheras or corridos wafts over the tables, and a Tucan Mojito or Tropical Breeze cocktail is as sunny as the family-friendly vibes. Pacifico is just one of eight beers on draft and Guinness makes an appearance on the bottle list amidst Corona, Modelo Especial and 805.
We recommend starting with the tacos section of the menu ($4 each). Choose your protein – everything from chorizo and carnitas to veggie and pollo asado) and a plate of onion and cilantro-topped, 100% gluten-free goodness appears. Red Tacos ($6 each) come with pico de gallo and cole slaw mix, while Baja-style Tacos ($8 each) come with pickled onions. Ask for Chips & Salsa ($4) and a long platter arrives, Mexico City-style, with three salsas and an added bowl of escabeche vegetables.
Sit towards the front door on game days, where TVs will surround you, and out back on sunny Sundays, where picnic tables and string lights add to the festive feeling.
Someone from ‘the other side of the hill,’ (as eastside-dwelling Marinites may be called in West Marin) can be forgiven for thinking that this newly refurbished classic dive bar in Forest Knolls serves anything except classic cocktails and beer. “It’s the original bar from 1907,” says bar manager Jared Litwin, who says the same funky stuff is on the repainted walls, hanging under refreshed lighting.
This commitment to tradition extends to the cocktail menu, which does not, in fact, exist. Litwin jokes: “We spank no herbs,” but the crew knows all the classics, like Old Fashioned, perhaps? Yes, and Margarita, Cosmo, and Negroni, too. ($11 each) “We like to call it a HiDive,” Litwin clarifies. “A dive bar but not dirty or dangerous and where you can get well-made drinks.”
Perhaps best-known for their live music line-up, the saloon also offers 12 beers on tap, always with a selection from Lagunitas which got its start right across the street. (The selection typically includes Little Sumpin’, regular IPA, hazy IPA, a pilsner, a Mexican lager, and a regular non-alcoholic IPA), plus cider and more can and bottle options.
Twelve padded, red-backed barstools are often occupied when the place is thumping but no worries, there’s plenty of space on the dance floor and the refurbished outdoor patio tables seat at least 20 more. And the food? Litwin brings in food trucks, typically serving pizza and smashburgers, who set up right across from the bar.
While not exactly a new kid on the block, Sartaj is in a new location on the same block (39 Caledonia Street - the former F/3 space)!
An Indian-forward restaurant in downtown Sausalito that’s open for breakfast means the time is right for a hot cup of Masala Chai ($3.99), Coffee ($3.99) or even a Salty Lassi ($4.50). To pair with a joyous cup, there’s eggs in various forms – with chapati, with croissant, with vegetable stew, with potato pancakes.
The crossover menu shifts more traditionally Indian/North Indian/ Nepali at lunch and dinner. Well, except for the Thali ($21.99), a vegan feast of south Indian origin, featuring seven bowls of chana masala, vegetable pakora, dal, pickles, and more. (Nepali Thali is also available with naan and dessert.) A plate of ten chubby Chicken Momo ($7.99) arrive with a mild, tomato-based chutney. Veggie Chowmein ($16.99) reflects the flavors of the subcontinent’s neighbor while the origins of Veggie Tikka Burrito ($14.99) might just be pure Sausalito.
There’s Nepali (Baarasinghe Pilsner) and Indian (Kingfisher) beers as well as Japanese, Chinese, and American-brewed selections and teas from countries representing the Indian diaspora. The new space means plenty of rooms for groups and a long bar for those days when drinking a tall boy with a plate of pakora makes the perfect dinner.
From the same family that owns Taqueria & Pupusería El Torogoz in Larkspur comes this slim fast-casual offering on the edge of downtown Ross. Order at the counter then grab a bright yellow seat inside or robin’s egg blue chair at one of the tables outside to enjoy the all-day, family-friendly fare on offer. There’s a short breakfast menu – Breakfast Torta, Huevos Rancheros and Breakfast Burrito and Lentil Soup with potato.
From $9.25 for bean and cheese, Burritos – Super, Bowl and Classic – are at the heart of the menu where customizations are legion. Make it Fajita style with peppers and onions, Mojado for sauce, and California for fries wrapped inside. You get the idea…
There’s a similar variety of protein options for quesadillas (no meat, veg, chicken, carne asada, carnitas, shrimp) and Quesabirria with habanero sauce and consommé. There’s even a Mexican Cubana sandwich bringing together the traditional pork and ham with refried beans and pickles. (You gotta try it to believe in it.) Beer, cider and wine, by the glass or bottle, are locally sourced, as is the kombucha, tea and coffee. In the afternoons and evenings, fresh flowers and flickering candles add date night vibes.
The ‘slow food values’ burger joint dropped its third location into the former Annie’s space along Highway 101 in Corte Madera. It’s the 20th opening – and third in Marin after Mill Valley and Novato – for the San Francisco-based brand. The chain’s Brandt Beef Mini ($7.50) and Super-burgers ($10.50) with grilled onions, and French Fries ($4.75) with garlic and cheddar are here as is The Bird Sando ($10.50) with apple slaw, mayo, and pickles. The Bird collab continues at Corte Madera where the menu also includes Super Duper's version of The Bird salad ($8.50): Organic baby kale, arugula, and lettuce with apple vinaigrette slaw, and organic quinoa.
The available all-day Egg Sandwich ($5.25) remains a menu staple, as does the Veggie Burger with hummus, Brown Sugar Lemonade, and Grilled Cheese. Fans can sip an organic milkshake or lick an ice cream cone (made in partnership with Straus Creamery) while sitting on the expansive, shaded patio out back.
