Hidden garden view. In Novato the other day, I stopped by China Palace and found it had a very pleasant upscale atmosphere without the upscale prices. The building was architecturally interested from the inside, and had windows in the end wall looking onto a pleasant woodsy garden scene. One wouldn't expect this next to a bustling car dealership! China Palace also has a sister restaurant, China Village also in Novato, but I haven't been there yet.

I tried a lunch special, which came with a delicious hot and sour soup (I usually don't like hot & sour), and a spring roll.

The snow white garlic chicken had a generous portion of thickly sliced and sauteed garlic (good, but the breath!), and sweet sauteed onions with the chicken. The fried rice was also nice, and they will provide brown rice for an extra $1. If you are up that way and have a craving for Chinese, it's worth a stop.

Marin Buzz: Saturday night, my Dad & I stopped in Akira's and found that it is closing at the end of the month, and the new owner of Umi Sushi will be rennovating before opening. Most of the current Akira staff will be going over to Sushi 69 in San Anselmo.