Even with Covid-19, new businesses are still opening, and it’s a better time then ever to support local. Here are some new openings, happenings and updates to check out (safely) around Marin County this November.
Eat & Drink
Kebabery by Meso at Left Bank Brasserie
While Larkspur’s Left Bank Brasserie is open and offering a complete menu, it is currently acting as host for virtual restaurants. Kebabery by Meso serves up a range of skewered options such as swordfish, Impossible kofta and sweet potato. Each can be ordered as is, wrapped in lavash or served atop greens or grains with sauces and sides in the same Mediterranean style. Takeout and delivery only.
507 Magnolia Avenue, Larkspur
415.927.3331
Lito’s Cocina Hispana at Left Bank Brasserie
Another concept operating as a virtual restaurant from Larkspur’s Left Bank is the work of Chef Amelito Ochoa, who started his career there 18 years ago as a dishwasher. He was soon promoted to sous chef, cooking the staff family meal each night. Lito’s food proved so popular, he developed a menu of meat and seafood paellas, el pastor tacos plus three-cheese nachos and salsa verde ribs around those meals at this new “place.” Takeout and delivery only.
507 Magnolia Avenue, Larkspur
Via Piccola Trattoria
The Cove at Tiburon welcomed this Italian restaurant from Pedro and Maria Ulloa (formerly of San Rafael’s Arrivederci) in September. Look for dishes like veal saltimbocca and handmade pappardelle alla Abruzzese (gluten-free pasta is available) at lunch and dinner with tiramisu or key lime pie for dessert.
1 Blackfield Drive #11, Tiburon
415.388.9100
Crown and Crumpet
British native Christopher Dean and his wife, Amy, opened their most recent outpost in Ross not far from their Greenbrae home and with the same signature look and feel as their tea salon in San Francisco’s Japantown. A tidy back patio shaded by roses and cascading pear trees is ideally suited for sipping a pot of loose leaf tea, cup of pour-over coffee or a hot chocolate. Savory croissants and crumpets are just part of the breakfast menu and a traditional sausage roll and chicken pot pie are highlights at lunch. A signature Afternoon Tea service is available on weekends.
22 Ross Common, Ross
415.772.4252
Sabor a Mexico
With recipes procured from relatives selling tacos in Mexico City, Milton Meza and Hagel Meza opened their restaurant in San Rafael’s West End this summer with a nod to their Mexican roots. While fresh margaritas know no border, their novel menu items include salmon fish tacos topped with chopped onion and cilantro a la Distrito Federal and a pambazo, a sandwich stuffed with chorizo and potato is done up with a Jaliscan style sauce. A six-table patio offers outdoor seating.
1559 Fourth Street, San Rafael
415.306.9404
Balboa Café
The famous Balboa Mary is just one of the highlights at the new brunch service at San Francisco’s long-running Cow Hollow café. Fluffy, Danish style ebelskivers, Mediterranean shakshuka, shrimp and grits, and heirloom tomato panzanella from chef Goran Basarov are all available weekend days at their new outdoor parklet.
3199 Fillmore Street
415.921.3944
Wit and Wisdom
The Lodge at Sonoma hosts the latest project from Marin-based chef Michael Mina. The name, a reference to Jack London’s collection of essays, similarly showcases the bounty of the region in Mina’s signature style. Pizzas, porchetta and King salmon benefit from a turn in the wood-fired oven while Dungeness crab Caesar and lobster pot pie reflect tavern-style cooking.
1325 Broadway, Sonoma
707.931.3405
SHOP
Mill Valley Pasta
What began as making pasta for neighbors when chef Tony Adams was laid off as the Director of the Cooking School at Cavallo Point Lodge turned into a high-demand fresh pasta business. All organic durum wheat pastas, dried for now, are handmade with brass dies and pressed into twisty gemelli and curly mafladine. His Sciue-Sciue pasta sauce is deceivingly complex — try it on scrambled eggs. Delivery is available within 10 miles of Mill Valley with a five bag minimum and plans are in the works for a more permanent location.
Caryl B
The Maker Markets at Mill Valley’s Lumberyard is where to find these handmade personal care products. Handcrafted soap with shea butter, exfoliating body wash made with ground walnuts and hydrating vegan lip balm are the heart of this brand. Run by Novato’s Caryl Brandes, the products’ packaging often depicts photography or art crafted by Brandes’ partner, Hal.
How to Help
For more ways to support local businesses, go here.
For more on Marin:
- Yosemite During Covid-19: Your Own Private Half Dome
- Ode to the Avocado
- Marin County’s 5 Must-See Kayaking Spots
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.
