A Marin dad drops a restaurant in San Francisco’s Cow Hollow neighborhood; the Madrona reopens for overnight guests and events; and Fort Point Beer Co. reopens its outpost in the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco, among other newness in Marin and beyond.
Featured: Little Saint
Chef Kyle and Katina Connaughton and the team behind three-Michelin star Single Thread in Healdsburg are opening a plant-centric venture in the former SHED space in town in mid-April. The menu will highlight the produce coming from the team’s new 24-acre farm in dishes as varied as cultured cashew ricotta with tomato tapenade, grilled center-cut squash with vadouvan, coconut yogurt and sumac, and Dry Creek peaches with cucumbers and wild fennel. “We envision Little Saint as another way to express our culinary creativity in a more accessible manner and as another avenue to expand our agricultural footprint and biodiversity presence in Sonoma County,” chef Connaughton says. In addition to the full-service restaurant, the 10,000 square-foot building will host a café, marketplace and wine store and will act as a community gathering space with plans to host film screenings, live music and more. We strive to be a ‘saintly’ destination by offering conscientious and cruelty-free goods and showcasing works and performances by diverse artists who are also committed to doing good while having fun,” says programming director Jenny Hess.
25 North St, Healdsburg; 707.395.0031
Eat & Drink
Camino Alto
Larkspur resident and former banker Josh Copeland wanted a place that would give him the opportunity to create something meaningful and found it in San Francisco’s Cow Hollow neighborhood in the former Pan e Vino space. His neighborhood restaurant serves a menu free from processed oils, low in dairy and sugar, and entirely gluten-free, and the tight wine list focuses on natural wines. Breakfast, lunch and dinner service began in November.
1715 Union St, San Francisco; 415.441.2111
Fort Point Beer Co.
Though Mill Valley Beerworks is no more, the team behind Fort Point Beer Co. is sallying forth, brewing beer in San Francisco’s Presidio and reopening some pandemic-shuttered locations. Open for six months in San Francisco’s Mission District before Covid-19 closed the doors, the Valencia Street location once again welcomed guests in February. The taps are evenly split between Fort Point’s pilsners, IPAs and session beers and guest taps like Double Guava Boat from Temescal Brewing, perfect for pairing with a plate of devlied eggs or a pork chop sandwich that a Swiss citizen would swoon over.
742 Valencia St, San Francisco; 415.361.7001
Starbird Chicken
Corte Madera Town Center welcomed the 10th Bay Area location of this chicken-centric fast-casual eatery known for its crispy tenders and wings (the Classic and Nashville Hot are gluten-free), hand-chopped salads and sandwiches. The brand’s chicken is never raised with antibiotics, and nine homemade sauces, like honey-chipotle barbecue and wasabi aioli, are available. There are plant-based tenders, too, but don’t miss the chicken and churros combo — it’s served with a side of maple syrup.
205 Corte Madera Town Center, Corte Madera; 415.758.4118
Hotels
The Madrona
San Francisco designer Jay Jeffers revamped the gabled former private residence first built in 1881 in Healdsburg with historic showpieces to modernize the interiors while preserving the building’s distinctive ceilings, bay windows, original fireplaces and large balconies. The onsite restaurant, helmed by chef Jesse Mallgren who earned 13 consecutive Michlin stars for his work here before the reconstruction, will feature dishes sourced from the onsite garden and local purveyors, including chicken paillard infused with Southeast Asian flavors; steak tartare with goma dare, quail egg and fresh wasabi; and local anchovies cured in lemon and fennel pollen.
1001 Westside Rd, Healdsburg; 707.395.6700
Shop
Conifer
Long-time Marin resident and Apparel Arts graduate Amy Mautz sought an outlet where her love for design, textiles, art and craft could find a home, opening a shop in Fairfax with designer Marion McKee in the spring of 2021. One part collective showcase for their designs, the shop also supports other emerging designers and makers in its collection of women’s loungewear and dresses, as well as bags, shoes, skincare and more.
31 Bolinas Rd, Fairfax; 415.524.8630
Avocado Green Experience Center
A certified B Corporation with organic products produced in their facilities in Los Angeles, Avocado opened a lifestyle experience center at The Village at Corte Madera in February. Mattresses are at the heart of this business that includes bedding, furniture, bath essentials, clean beauty, apparel and more. The space will also feature an organic café, yoga classes, meditation, a guest speaker program, and other unique opportunities to connect with the Marin community.
1530 Redwood Hwy at The Village at Corte Madera; 657.385.8849
For more on Marin:
- Where to Play Golf in the Bay Area: The Top Courses
- Cities & Towns: West Marin
- 7 Ways to Get Out on the Water in Marin
Christina Mueller is a long-time Bay Area food writer. She hails from the East Coast and has spent way too much time in South America and Europe. She discovered her talent as a wordsmith in college and her love of all things epicurean in grad school. She has written for Condé Nast Contract Publishing, Sunset, and the Marin Independent Journal, among others. She volunteers with California State Parks and at her child’s school, and supports the Marin Audubon Society, PEN America, and Planned Parenthood. When she is not drinking wine by a fire, she is known to spend time with her extended family.
