Plate Shop, 39 Caledonia (at Johnson), Sausalito, 415-887-9047 Plate Shop is just what Sausalito (and Marin) needed: a city-savvy restaurant with proper cocktails and imaginative dish preparation. Not to say all is idyllic at this new hotspot. In early opening weeks, service is attentive but the clientele isn’t always so. I watched an overly-suntanned, blonde woman bark at her sweet… Read more →
Weaver’s Coffee: if you aren’t drinking it, you should be. Based in San Rafael, Weaver’s has a chill, little shop serving and selling their coffee and teas. The shop fronts their roasting facility and offices, which I had the privilege of touring recently. John Weaver, master roaster and founder, was Peet’s master roaster for over 20 years, working directly with… Read more →
BRICK & BOTTLE55 Tamal Vista BoulevardCorte Madera, CA 94925415-924-3366www.brickandbottle.com I’ve followed chef Scott Howard’s various restaurants over the years, from his stint in San Francisco at self-named Scott Howard restaurant, to Five in Berkeley. He recently returned to his home county where he started it all (at Fork) with Brick & Bottle. It’s essentially in a shopping mall in Corte… Read more →
Top Tastes, rather than a list of all-time favorites (another thing altogether), is highlights of the best things I’ve been eating since my last newsletter, often from new openings. Many don’t make the cut, being a revisit previously written about or simply not as stand-out as dishes mentioned. MID-RANGE RESTAURANTS • has a new chef de cuisine, Sophiane Benaouda, from… Read more →
Top Tastes is my usual run-down of favorites. Rather than a list of all-time favorites (another thing altogether), it’s highlights since my last newsletter, often from new openings. Many don’t make the cut, being a revisit written about before or simply not as stand-out as dishes mentioned. MID-RANGE RESTAURANTS At the start of a new year, I visited some… Read more →