Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Barnaby's

More of Sunday's outing to West Marin. So yesterday we left off with a couple of hungry kids, and a closed Drake's Beach Cafe. It seemed apropos to stop at the first restaurant we came across on our way back, which luckily happened to be open!

view

Barnaby's in Inverness is right on the bay (Tomales), and its windows maximize the advantage of the view. The staff was quite friendly and welcoming.

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And some warm chips arrived immediately. We were also, for quite some time, the only guests. And then, only one other group showed up.

Clam Chowder

I started with some delicious clam chowder which was served promptly. It had lots of fresh, tender clams, and the soup was thin, yet very creamy.

Toran w/straw

Then the first glitch started. It took forever to serve the next course. Toran decided that he'd found a better way for scientists to study bubbles, by looking through a straw into Sierra Mist.

Aurelia w/straw

Aurelia soon imitated and they amused themselves spinning tales of scientific discovery. Thank goodness they had active minds and were patient as it was an unbelievably long wait to the next course.

Child's Hamburger

Then Aurelia's well-done child's burger came. It was so well done it was BLACK all over. After the initial positive vibes from a well-rounded children's menu, this really threw cold water on the positive regard.

Child's spaghetti

Toran's order of children's spaghetti was quite good, and he enjoyed every drop! It was also a very large portion, which fit neatly into his hollow leg ;-).

Schnitzelburger

Dad's schnitzelburger was another disappointment. Rather than schnitzel between a bun, it was more like very tough chicken fried pork steak with a greasy slick. Dad had a hard time biting it.

Hawaiian Toast

I was also disappointed with my Toast Hawaii. It consisted of deli slices of ham topped with canned pineapple slices and with a melted processed Swiss cheese with a shiny surface. The toast was cold and dry (not 'Golden'). I think Barnaby's would be an awesome locale for drinks, but this experience leads me to believe a little menu and cooking tune-up is needed. This place has lots of potential, and it was my first and only visit. Hopefully next time round things will be different.

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