A 2023 James Beard Award winner for Best International Cookbook, “Mi Cocina,” South Texas native Rick Martinez launched a Sonoran-style taqueria menu through the Local Kitchens hub in August. Known as Chef Rick’s Mexican and available at all Local Kitchens locations including Mill Valley and Novato, the menu is inspired by the Sonoran region of Mexico (directly south of Arizona), and includes small plates like Jalapeño Ranch Wedge Salad and Elote Con Chiltepín with larger plates of tacos, burritos and rice-based bowls.
These are not your run-of-the-mill, slap-dash tacos, however. Take the Carne Asada Taco; grilled and chopped into manageable-sized pieces, the char of the grill is evidenced in each bite. Martinez, author most recently of “Salsa Daddy,” ensures his toppings are top-notch. Reveling in a hit of smoke from pecan salsa macha and just enough tart sweetness from salsa verde cruda, the taco is more than the sum of its parts. Martinez adds a touch of local by sourcing flour tortillas from Los Angeles-based Mejorado Tortilleria.
The focus on flavor runs throughout the menu – we fell hard for the Salsa Tatemada Suave which tops Chicken Adobada Caramelo Taco and Vegetable Adobada Taco, its sweet-sour punch of flavor pulling through the guacamole and pickled red onions.
And if that’s not enough, all of Martinez’s salsas – pecan salsa macha, pecan tatemada suave, salsa verde cruda and salsa de chiltepín (a chile native to the US and Mexico and a ranking of 50,000 to 100,000 on the Scoville heat unit scale) – are available to order on the side. Gluten-free diners beware: Sonoran-style tacos are made with wheat flour – no corn tortillas are available.
The San Francisco Bay Area sushi chain (other locations include Palo Alto, Danville, Fremont, Foster City and Menlo Park), opened on Sausalito’s north side in July. Open Fridays and Saturdays until midnight (8:30, Sunday to Thursday), the team is, perhaps, banking on the late-night crowd looking to fuel up on Chicken Karaage, deep-fried Jalapeño Bombs stuffed with cream cheese and spicy tuna, and Fried Calamari.
Those looking for a more traditional sushi experience can find nearly a page of sushi nigiri, plus miso soup, seaweed salad, and a welter of rolls. Hand rolls like Salmon Skin, Unagi Avocado, and Shrimp Tempura; roll classics like Spider Roll and Rainbow Roll; and house special rolls like Honey Walnut Roll (shrimp tempura with honey walnut sauce) and Mango Tuna Roll (tuna, avocado, mango and mango sauce).
The large restaurant (it’s located where Italian steakhouse Gallo Rosso once held sway) does not feature a seated sushi bar but there are plentiful tables designed for hosting groups large and small.
Parked next to Corte Madera’s Piccolo Pavilion in Menke Park, a food truck focused on smashburgers opened earlier this summer, and judging by the long lines of hungry carnivores, it looks like they're here to stay.
The work of Mill Valley’s Umar Baporia, Humble Cheeseburgers' tight menu includes thin and crispy halal beef patties pressed onto your choice of regular or gluten-free bun with layers of house sauce, pickles and griddled onions. The burgers are quite skinny – it's suggested that you order two per bun – and all can be paired with golden fries and fizzy drinks from Alameda Soda Co. Though the classic burger comes with cheese (as the business name suggests), burgers can be customized to suit.
Make sure to save room for their chocolate sundae for dessert!
An upgrade to their alcohol license prompted a name shift and a menu shift at San Anselmo’s Bar Voyage. Formerly known as Voyage, the new moniker reflects their status as a proper cocktail bar. Wine and beer are still here, as are low and no-ABV cocktails, like the Cosmic Crush and Cucumber Cooler (both $13). New to the menu are cocktails ($16) like Headland Buck made with rye and amontillado sherry, or Steakhouse Martini with London dry gin, olive vermouth and house brine. “Our background is cocktails,” says partner and bar manager Dylan Jones. “Cocktails were the missing piece.”
The latest pivot does not include the food. Sam Neely is now “in residency,” serving up griddled Sonoran-style burritos stuffed with chile verde pork, chile Colorado beef or Hatch chile and potato. A Hatch Chile Cheeseburger, Nachos, and starters of Escabeche and Cucumber Avocado Salad round out the menu. “The Western-themed cocktails a perfect match for the food,” says Jones, and gives the space a more family-friendly vibe.
To keep the vibe energy going, DJs spin funk, hip-hop, soul, and disco every Saturday and a live music program on Thursdays is planned for fall.
It’s a full circle moment for Arizona-raised Jones. “It’s fun to have new, deep flavors of another culture in Marin,” he says.
Executive Chef Angelica Duarte took over the stoves of one of Marin's most iconic restaurants in September, bringing with her the warm spirit of her time at Insalata’s and a fresh look at the American menu. “The miso-glazed salmon and filet mignon with peppercorn-brandy demi-glace are already best sellers,” says General Manager Charlie Roberts.
The latest Paseo iteration honors its chophouse history with the filet and other meaty fare such as a Duroc pork chop with grainy mustard sauce and lamb chops with quinoa and feta but is more pescatarian-forward. Poke Tuna Bites, Pan-Seared Scallops with confited fennel, and Halibut Ceviche with jicama and cucumber hint of the menu’s shifting intentions. Look for more menu additions as the season’s change.
At the bar, situated across the alley from the kitchen, bartender Shelly Erber runs the show. With $10 Margaritas and Old Fashioneds, $6.50 plates of Paseo chicken wings and $8 plates of halibut ceviche, “Shelly’s Happy Hour” draws cheers from fans of dining early. A larger bar menu of Wagyu sliders, chicken salsa verde arepas, and air-fried artichokes is available no matter where in the restaurant you choose to sit.
Now that the weather is finally warming up, expect more chatter about Paseo’s patios. Small tables and chairs dot the numerous nooks and crannies of the serpentine space, perfect for a moment’s pause or an intimate canoodle, but the larger patio, warmed by fire pits and surrounded by couches, is a lovely place to enjoy the laid-back ambiance and a glass of wine, as well as live jazz in the courtyard on Thursdays.
