Civilized outdoor eating. A few nights ago Dad and I traveled to Novato to try a new place that I'd been curious about, California Grill & Rotisserie. It is a very casual place, you walk in and order from large white boards, then are given a beeper to notify you when to come pick up your order from the kitchen window. The menu is amazingly extensive, and it takes a few minutes for a first timer to get oriented. Everything we saw looked like good wholesome food in generous portion.

Dad had a hard time reading the menu on the white board as it was a bit shiny, and it was busy, so slightly too noisy for him to hear, so I guessed his preference and ordered for him. I chose the quarter rotisserie chicken, breast and wing. He enjoyed sides of garlic mashed potatoes and garden salad. He said it was good, but too much food.

I tried the tri-tip. It looks a bit overdone in the photo, but I requested it medium-well, and it was about right. I also had the garden salad and instead of potatoes, the grilled vegetables. The grilled onions were soft and sweet and paired well with the meat. The grilled vegetables had a nice grilled flavor and were cooked to the right degree, except for the carrots which were slightly overdone. I couldn't finish my meal either because of the size. The eating area was a section of patio surrounded by built in wooden benches, filled with plastic deck furniture and covered by a tenting material, no roof. This is truly casual dining. If you like a hearty American grill with plenty of quality meat selections, this would be a good bet.

On a personal note, I was worried my zeal in having dim sum might show up in weight gain, but this morning's weigh in revealed more loss -- 10.8 pounds down and counting!