Bar Bites

TERRAPIN CROSSROADS
100 Yacht Club Drive, San Rafael, terrapincrossroads.net

Top Seller Wood-Fired Oven-Roasted Shrimp with spring garlic, Calabrian chiles and sun-dried tomato, $15

Why “This item has been on the menu since Terrapin opened and has evolved over the last three years. The dish has the aromatic flavors of green garlic, chiles, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh herbs that release into the air while cooking in our 900-plus-degree wood oven. The oak wood used in our pizza oven, along with the extremely high heat, creates an instant olive oil infusion that is smoky, spicy, a little sweet and very herbaceous. It is served with a toasted country bread so you can soak up all that deliciously infused olive oil. Once the aromas fill the air, the dish sells itself.” Chef Matthew Carrerow

Sold 200 a week

PICCO
320 Magnolia Ave, Larkspur, restaurantpicco.com

Top Seller Line-caught ahi tuna tartare with Asian pear, shiso, sesame, soy and sticky rice cakes, $15.95

Why “Bruce Hill invented this dish when he was the chef of Oritalia in 1994. It was inspired by chef Hill’s desire to create a signature tuna tartare appetizer, with the flavors of classic Hawaiian poke. You can’t beat the combination of flavors, textures and temperatures. Plus, everyone likes tuna tartare, even the kids. When you eat it, you get layers of flavors including soy, chilled tuna, scallion, wasabi, followed by the flavors of the hot rice cake, Asian pear, sesame, garlic and shiso.” Chef Jared Rogers

Sold Average of 225 orders a week, close to 11,700 orders this year

BUNGALOW 44
44 E. Blithedale Ave, Mill Valley, bungalow44.com

Top Seller Wood Grilled Flatbread with crispy kale, Calabrian chiles, burrata and basil pesto, $14.50

Why “You just can’t resist a crispy flatbread with fresh local produce, the flavor of the almond-woodfired grill and the thin crispy dough. Our dough is made fresh daily and the toppings change with the season as well as what is available at the farmers’ market. For instance, in the winter we offer fennel sausage and caramelized onions, Calabrian chiles and arugula. In the summer it could be heirloom tomatoes, burrata, manchego, basil and garlic chips.” Chef Michael Pihl

Sold About 200 a week

123 BOLINAS
123 Bolinas Road, Fairfax, 123bolinas.com

Top Seller Combo Cheese and Charcuterie Board, currently with Seascape (goat), Matos St. Jorge (cow) and Nicasio Foggy Morning (cow) cheeses and Olympia Provisions coppa, house chicken liver mousse, confit chicken and pork trotter terrine charcuterie, $25

Why “I think our Combo Board is so popular because of the variety of tastes and textures, which change with the seasons. Most of it is made in house and the charcuterie is often something you won’t find anywhere else — testa de puerco, for example, from SucherNova Farm pigs. And the accompaniments are sweet and savory and include spicy mustard, spiced nuts and pickled vegetables.” Chef Tony Weston

Sold 50–60 a week

BRICK AND BOTTLE
21 Tamal Vista Blvd, Corte Madera, brickandbottle.com

Top Seller Country Style Rustic French Pâté with ginger-quince compote, pickled vegetables, whole-grain Dijon and crostinis, $12

Why “This dish was inspired by me. I’m a huge fan of charcuterie and I love making it and I hope people realize the passion when they eat it. It’s my own recipe and it brings people to the table to share. It’s a classic. It’s traditional. It’s a dish that transcends time and is so damn tasty. It’s a chorus of flavors. You have a lot of depth with this pâté and then you add the garnish — a pickling of seasonal vegetables, and a little mustard — and you take a bite of everything at once. It’s so special.” Chef/Owner Bob Simontacchi

Sold About 30 a week


TASTEMAKERS’ FAVORITES

Matthew’s Go-To Wood oven goat cheese at Piatti in Mill Valley

Jared’s Go-To Salt cod fritters at Bar Bocce

Bob’s Go-To Sausage bites at HopMonk in Novato

Michael’s Go-To Smoked chicken wings at the Buckeye in Mill Valley

Tony’s Go-To Any sushi at Sushi Ran in Sausalito


Honorable Mentions

Bar Bocce, Sausalito; Fast Food Francais, Sausalito; Piatti, Mill Valley; Finnegan’s, Novato; Whipper Snapper, San Rafael; HopMonk Tavern, Novato