Dinner served

Woodlands Cafe in Kentfield hosted a dinner preview party the night before the official dinner opening, where happy guests sampled bites from the new dinner menu. Woodlands Cafe has been open for breakfast and lunch with counter service, and now it is full service for all three meals. Owner Don Santa was there and told me about his vision of an open airy space for the restaurant, accomplished in part by raising the ceilings and lowering the floors. He and his sisters Joanne Santa and Sue Santa are not only involved in the management of the cafe, but also the Woodlands Foundation which has donated over $2.5 million to local schools over the years. The party was a class act with cheerful live music, attentive staff roaming and keeping guests well fed, delicious samples of menu items, and even weather cooperation for a perfect evening on the patio.


You couldn't help but be wowed by the display of cheese, crackers and fruit and cured olives that greeted you just inside the door to start. And not far behind was one of the wandering staff, offering bruschetta with the most ruby red tomatoes.


This is the second table loaded with even more cheese, cured olives and beautiful presentations of cured meats. And I was quite amazed to find green olives that were wonderful. This woman has never met a green olive that she liked. I can't say that any more as the Sicilian Greens charmed me with their mellow flavor such that I returned a couple days later to the adjacent Woodlands Market just so I could pick up a carton of these! The tray of Silcilian Green olives is visible just behind the flowers on the table above. And what paired with all this local bounty? Wines from local vintners Pey Vineyards of Marin and Yorkshire Vineyards of Mendocino.


At yet another serving area there was chicken salad and peasant salad in little bamboo boats for the taking, as well as hot out of the oven pizza margherita, and soft polenta bites. If you are wondering what is in the peasant salad, it consists of mixed greens with endive, Fuji apples, red grapes, gorgonzola cheese, spiced candied pecans, and dried cranberries in an apple shallot vinaigrette. If all that wasn't enough there were samples of soft serve ice cream made using Straus Family Creamery products, and house made sorbets including a tangy buttermilk-Meyer lemon creation.

Dinner service is now in full swing at Woodlands Cafe, and evenings on the patio near the fountain are a perfect summertime retreat.

Credit for the photos in this post go to Stuart Lirette who generously sent a selection from his snaps during the evening. I also had a severe case of camera envy when I saw his!

Tasty Traditions

One day it was just time for the Pacific Cafe in Kentfield. At first I thought that it may be closed because the front sign I remember was gone. I found out later that a car had crashed into the front of the building some months ago, and the new sign was on order. However, there is a stained glass sign in the window which identifies the location.

I started with a cup of Pacific Chowder. The waiter said it is basically a clam chowder without the cream. It was quite tasty without.

For the main course, I had the Almond Crusted Halibut. Oh my but it was good! The potatoes were a little 'whipped' and shiny, however the overall plate was great.

I indulged in a dessert, the Lemon Meringue Pie. I was especially tempted when I heard that it was one of the waitstaff's own recipes that had been a favorite for years. The proprietors were very friendly, and the whole staff seemed to have settled into a good service and guest-thoughtful routine. I loved that my server left me a quaint index card with artistic handwriting about the specials. This is a time tested solid seafood place.

Restaurant Inspection Results

This location has not been inspected yet.

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

You'll come back just for him.

I nearly cruised by Taqueria Mexican Grill de Marin in Kentfield the other day around lunch time, then thought better of it. I'd been here before to have lunch, pre-blogging days, while attending a class at the College of Marin nearby. I remembered it had decent food. I thought it must still have decent food since there was a line out the door at nearly 1 p.m.

The man behind the counter taking orders had such a bright visage and cheerful attitude that no one could help but be infected. He is reason enough to go back, even if the food were less delicious than it was. I ordered the 'some' chips as he indicated there were two sizes, and also there was a variety of salsa he indicated I could choose from further down the counter. These were quite fine chips.

And here's what my Super Vegetarian Burrito looked like upon arrival.

The plastic knife looked a little iffy for actually cutting, so I took a few bites to open it up to show off the interior. I was happy that although not listed, there was freshly sauteed zucchini slices inside besides the usual rice, beans, lettuce, cheese and salsa. It was quite a pleasing burrito. There was also a "New Vegetarian Burrito" listed that appeared to be vegan. The prices are also very reasonable. I will definitely drop by here again.

Restaurant Inspection Results
Critical: 3
Noncritical: 6
Last inspected: 2/5/2009

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

Say goodbye

I was sad to and rather surprised to hear that Willie's Cafe has closed. It is right next to Woodlands Market in Kentfield, and across the street from the College of Marin. With a 5% increase in enrollment reported, I thought there would even be more mouths watering for some of the cafe's delicious offerings. Thanks for the good food and memories Willie's Cafe!

Still bright and busy

The Half Day Cafe in Kentfield is one of the consistently cheeriest and light filled breakfast places in Marin. And given that their food has been consistently good over time, it seems to never cease to have a crowd waiting for a seat!

Dad and I revisited one fine morning, and Dad wanted some specific things for breakfast, without being overwhelmed by the sheer amount of food. Well, the amount was still quite a bit, but he enjoyed having his choice, part of which were the scrambled eggs with fresh fruit and some toast (the toast just came with the meal, or he wouldn't have had it, considering what else he had with this breakfast.)

And he had a side order of one pancake with this. The orange butter impressed him so much he asked why I didn't buy this brand of butter... I took a little taste too and had to agree it was a sweet fruit finish to the smoothness.

I on the other hand ordered the Tofu Scramble out of the 'egg' section. I was thus surprised when it didn't include eggs, however, it was delicious just as it was with fresh tomatoes, crisp-fresh corn and lightly sauteed spinach mixed in with the firm tofu. The home fries were good too, soft yet with some brownness on the outside of most of the pieces.

You can upscale to a fresh bakery item for a small amount so I went for the freshly baked biscuit. After tasting a smidgen of my Dad's orange butter I was sorry that I hadn't taken the server's advice about having it instead of plain. Next time I'll know better! We had a delightful breakfast with prompt and friendly service, and despite the crowd we were able to get a seat relatively quickly.

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

Previously reviewed:
December 12, 2006

Worth a stop

Yesterday I enjoyed lunch at Kin Wah Restaurant in Kentfield. It definitely has a run down look, both inside and out, however there is a nice surprise inside. It was the height of lunch, and the place was bustling between two big parties, an assortment of trades people and students, and several coming in and out to pick up some take-out. The two women managing the dining room were friendly, yet quick and efficient.

One clue as to their hurry was that my place mat was upside down. That was easy to fix, and I was surprised by a cup of hot and sour soup. I didn't see that the lunch specials included it, and it was a welcome surprise on a cold December day. The soup was about average for hot and sour, and it was just fine.

I ordered off the wall, literally. There was a sign front and center when you walked in the door that offered a Walnut Shrimp lunch special, $1 extra for fried rice. (The entire meal was $8.40 plus tip). The rice was great, and the Walnut Shrimp were excellent. I would compare this Walnut Shrimp favorably to the same dist at most upscale Chinese places. It was a winner. Some of the gentlemen from a large party next to me were asking the names of the various dishes coming out of the kitchen and being served to others as they were so impressed by the delicious stream of food. I could hear the sounds of wok stirring from the kitchen, someone was really at work there! You could easily pass this place by in the rush to get through the Sir Francis Drake traffic, however if you would like great food in a casual setting or some wonderful take out, it's worth a stop.

Bringing more sun in. I stopped by Willie's Cafe the other day for lunch, and found them in the midst of a reconstruction project. They are remodeling their deck area to be more enclosed, with sliding windows which will open up in the sunny weather, and can be closed and the spaced warmed more effectively for those colder days. That's the area I chose to eat in, and it was light and bright and I'm sure this place will be even more packed on weekends for a sunny breakfast. Willie's serves breakfast every day.

And I was here for lunch, and started with the beef and barley soup, which sounded irresistable from the description that the waitress gave. It was good, and it was a big 'cup'!

Next I enjoyed one of their daily specials, the Salmon BLT. This was a really well-put together sandwich., The bacon was extra flavorful, and the salmon tasted fresh and made a nice contrast with the bacon. There are also a lot of Mexican choices on the menu. This is definitely a good place to keep in mind for a casual lunch, or generous breakfast.

Enjoying home time. Today we started out with a new taste treat, the Greenmax 100 with Pal Ku Grain cereal. Another Greenmax Product- Yam & Multigrains was reviewed earlier on this blog, and comparing the two this one is sweet while the other was savory. This one has a smoother consistency while the other had distinguishable bits of grain. Dad enjoyed this one a lot. I liked it, but actually prefer the savory flavor to wake up to. It has an impressive ingredient list:

"Rye, purple yam, pumpkin seed, red unpolished rice, Pasture, grape seed, ginseng, pear barley, snow lotus, pearl, green unpolished rice, spinach, blueberry, wheat green, red flat bean, rape seed, wild rice, burdock, green lily flower, oat, black bean, pearl rice, osmanthus, black sesame, lotus root, astragalus henryl, red berry, seaweed, bitter melon, lily bulb, green tea, red pearl barley, black fungus, ginkgo nut, cranberry, chrysanthemum, laver, apple chip, red berry, buckwheat, and glucose. Additives: Soy lecithin, vita yeast powder, Chinese caterpillar fungus, calcium lactate, etc"

I personally like the 'etc' as it seems like anything that anyone ever considered healthy is ground up in this mix. It states on the package it's for keeping "energetic and healthy" - who could argue with that?

Dinner from Woodlands Market: Romaine with Blue Cheese Dressing and Spicy Walnuts, followed by Chicken Spinach Cannelloni. This made a nice meal shared between myself and Dad. Woodlands Market has a variety of fresh well-made foods that you can take home and enjoy. I like stopping in Kentfield to shop here when I'm passing through. And we were passing through on the way back from my Dad's meeting with doctors about the conclusions from a month of tests: Alzheimer's. Luckily, there is a great new drug for this - Aricept. But whatever the treatment, it is a hard diagnosis to hear. But at least we have a conclusion, and we enjoyed our dinner at home thoroughly.

Light, bright and delicious. Dad and I visited the Half Day Cafe in Kentfield for breakfast over the weekend, and although busy, our name came up on the list in good time. The space has large windows and high ceilings which can make it a bit noisy, but it is very bright and cheerful.

Dad enjoyed the basic two eggs over easy with hash browns and whole wheat toast.

I was a little more adventurous and went for the Tortilla Scramble with home fries and a bagel. The tortilla scramble had fresh tomatoes, green chilies, green onions and tortilla strips scrambled in it, topped with a dap of sour cream. It also had a scoop of cream cheese for the bagel and a nice slice of sweet orange and kiwi as a garish. It was hot, well executed and good. The menu had quite a few inventive offerings, plus there was a fresh sheet. The parking in the back is also very convenient. To sum it up, the Half Day Cafe is highly recommendable for breakfast.