Light and innovative

Jennie Low's left Mill Valley a couple years ago, however, the location in Novato remained. And it was just far enough to keep me from enjoying her light, innovative cooking since the closure. We decided to visit since we were in the neighborhood at Macy's Furniture the other day. (I was ordering a reclining chair for my father's 89th birthday, coming up on Monday.)

Dad and I decided to try the Vegetable Potstickers to start. I asked a question of the waiter, I'd always wondered about, "Why do some restaurants serve potstickers with thick wrappings, while others thin and delicate ones"; "Is it a regional difference?" The waiter simply said, it's just the preference of the chef! Mystery solved.

The Hong Kong Walnut Prawns sounded like a winner, and it was. The plump, fresh prawns were coated in a sweet glaze with crunchy sugar-coated walnuts on top. The half circles of orange slices gave it a festive air.

Jennie's Cantonese Noodles in original sauce were light and interesting with the curly ramen noodles as the main ingredient. The noodles made a great foil for the sweet prawns. We enjoyed the meal and the friendly service. The prices are reasonable, and there is a whole section of light and healthy choices besides the usual. It is definitely a place that once you try, you'll find yourself going back. There is a location in Petaluma as well.

Restaurant Inspection Results
Critical: 0
Noncritical: 0
Last inspected: 5/29/2009

Find address/phone number/directions on Anna's Map.

Conserva the fresh taste

I had the gift of being at loose ends one recent Saturday at lunchtime, and thought I'd revisit Pizza Antica in Mill Valley's Strawberry Village. It was a nice day and everyone inside and out seemed to be in a mellow mood.

What I was in the mood for was light and simple. Knowing that the portions of salads here were quite large, although it was not an option listed on the menu, I asked the waitstaff if I could have a half-order of the salad. "Sure", she said with a smile. And out came the most perfectly dressed, fresh and crisp half Caesar salad!

For the main event, I ordered the Spaghettini with Tomato Conserva, Garlic and Basil. Wow! I was a little leery since there was a bit of mental connection between something called 'conserva' and 'canned'. If that sauce was canned, I hope they have a patent on the methodology because the sauce was concentrated without tasting acidic, rather tasting like there were very fresh tomatoes in it. I was happy with my lunch!

Restaurant Inspection Results
Critical: 1
Noncritical: 0
Last inspected: 2/9/2009

Previously reviewed:
February 19, 2009
November 6, 2008
July 12, 2007

Find address/phone number/directions on Anna's Map.

Will it thrive?

My friend Jo-Ann picked up this container loving tomato plant for me from one of the local Farmer's Markets back in May. Then I promptly got the H1N1 and it was left languishing in its little container until just a couple weeks ago. I noticed it was valiantly trying to grow a tiny tomato, so although very late, I potted it in a big container on my front desk. The tomato has at least doubled in size in the last two weeks, and another small one is generating itself on a leaf below.

I picked up a Plant Nanny as an experiment to see if a more even watering as the plant wants would help it. We'll keep a watch on it!

I'm afraid I was so caught up in getting to the latest of the Harry Potter series last night that I skipped a post. I will report that Harry Potter fans will love the Half-Blood Prince!

Vertical Integration

It isn't often that the service is so slow that I resort to reading the ketchup bottle, but the other night, it was. And I saw a little phrase on the back label that was new to me "*TOMATOES GROWN FROM HEINZ SEEDS". And wouldn't you know? HeinzSeed has 57 varieties of tomato seed!

And according to their site, they have been working with tomato varieties for a long time:

"The H.J. HEINZ Company began a tomato breeding program in 1936 at Bowling Green, Ohio, to improve yield and disease resistance. The program has been continuous since that time and has focused mainly on processing tomatoes adapted to the many countries where Heinz processes tomatoes."

It's one way to control quality. If only they'd go back to using real sugar...

New Bakery Cooperative

There is a new cooperative owned bakery coming to San Rafael - Arizmendi Bakery. It will be in the building in San Rafael that briefly housed the Taste of Rome. The "Tidbits" section of the Marin IJ ran an informative story about it this week. I've been to their Cheeseboard Pizza in Berkeley before but not to the bakery. The pizza was great!

Fresh water chestnuts are so enticing!

I had a craving for Tommy's Wok's fresh water chestnuts as part of dinner, so Dad and I headed off for Sausalito. Now if exiting on the Marin City/Sausalito Exit, if you wait to see the front entrance (above photo) on Bridgeway, you'll pass the entry to the parking lot by.

If you look for the back corner of the restaurant (above photo) you'll know that you need to turn into the entrance nearby. This short-circuits the u-turn route.

We started our meal with the Vegetarian Potstickers. These soft and yet crispy bites were accompanied by a sauce that has fresh grated ginger in it that complemented the vegetable flavors.

We had a lovely splurge on Lobster Tails with Garlic Noodles. This was light, flavorful and a wonderful bit to share between two.

And then the dish that I was craving came, that contains the fresh water chestnuts. The dish name is descriptive of its ingredients: Sautéed Fresh Water Chestnuts, Snow Peas, Shiitake Mushrooms & Abalone Mushrooms. Tommy's Wok introduced me to the delight of fresh water chestnuts and now I order dishes with them as often as I can. And I've not found them anywhere but Tommy's Wok so far...

We were going for variety that evening so also ordered Vegetables Fried Rice, and knew we'd be taking some home. The wok fried chunky fresh vegetables were a great change from what seems to be standard fried rice at other places.

Restaurant Inspection Results

Critical: 0

Noncritical: 0

Last inspected: 1/13/2009

Previously reviewed:
June 7, 2007
September 30, 2006

Find address/phone number/directions on Anna's Map.

Happy Eating

Joe's Taco Lounge in Mill Valley has always had a happy and bright vibe where nearly everyone feels comfortable, and moods automatically brighten once you step in the door. On this summer evening, Dad and I met friend Catrina for a dinner and catch up.

Catrina had these fabuolous Chicken Flautas. She said these were really good, and asked for another order as a take out for her husband who she was sure would love them too.

I had the Vegetarian Platter, which was colorful and delicious with a variety of items. A grilled pasilla chile, vegetable enchilada, salad, refried beans and rice all came artfully arranged. I added a side of sour cream. The pasilla was particularly interesting, stuffed with cornbread, chipolte, cheese and red pepper. I liked it.

Dad decided to go 'American' with a simple Grilled Chicken Sandwich and fries. He said that the spices sprinkled over the fries 'gives it a flavor', in a positive way! Joe's Taco Lounge is popular with bicyclists on weekends and families anytime.

Restaurant Inspection Results

Critical: 0

Noncritical: 0

Last inspected: 1/12/2009

Previously reviewed:
May 26, 2007

Find address/phone number/directions on Anna's Map.