Mellow and relaxing, a nice place to stop in the bustle. Champagne French Bakery and Cafe set in the middle of busy Corte Madera Town Center, was a great oasis to stop between dashes to The Container Store, REI and other such tempting places.

Dad and I split a spinach and goat cheese quiche with french fries. It was really perfect for sharing as a whole one would have been a bit daunting to eat, delicious as it was! There is also a Champagne location in Mill Valley. The Corte Madera location is open for breakfast everyday at 7:00 a.m.

Smooth experience. No wonder LoCoco's Italian Pizzeria has been around so long. This family-run restaurant has it down. From the moment you walk in the door, you are immersed in a friendly yet not too tightly cozy atmosphere with a menu that's been honed from experience to local favorites.

I enjoyed the inventiveness of their House Special Salad, which included romaine lettuce with bleu cheese, pecans and currants. Doesn't health, taste and good looks fairly scream out of that photo?

Then came the Fenicia pizza a bubbly and fresh toasty round with bumpy crust that is indicative of a brick oven. This was every bit as good as it looks, and very healthy with fresh tomatoes, spinach, black olive, feta cheese and a drizzle of olive oil. I won't forget to come back here!

Roxanne is back! I was excited to learn the other day that Roxanne is coming back with a line of her delicious products!

Naturally I picked up something at Whole Foods as soon as I saw her name... I paired this Nutmilk Cheeze with the blanched asparagus and fresh carrot sticks as a dip. It was creamy and wonderful, not to mention rich and filling. I'll be going back for more soon!

Happy Valentine's Day! Hope cupid finds you where ever you may dwell. I thought I'd post about Novato's well-loved Chinese restaurant, Ming Yen today. Dad & I visited it a few days ago. First off, the service was prompt and friendly throughout the meal.

We started with some walnut prawns which were great! Crisp/sweet without being cloying.

We also had vegetable egg foo young, which was heaping with fresh vegetables. Underneath was the egg, flour and shredded cabbage pancake.

And finally we tried the vegetable fried rice. All of the vegetables in this were fresh and wok-fried crisp. Not your boring fried rice! The atmosphere is casual and family friendly. The prices are very reasonable as well.

Happenings in the neighborhood. Well, very close to home I have to report that my arugula has well and truly 'bolted', in fact it's flowering. Since I have never seen an arugula flower, I thought it worth documenting. My house has also become a veritable viili factory. It's too easy to make, and thank goodness it's delicious so that it disappears just about as fast as I make it.

Further afield, it looks like Rafter's in San Rafael is having a temporary glitch in their operations. Must have served an underaged person or some such thing -- my speculation entirely as I have no idea why the State Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control would put such an ugly notice up. Hopefully they will be open again soon as it did have a happening bar for socializing. Closer to home in Sausalito, I noticed "For Rent" signs on Christophe's windows, and some big green posted on its door. I didn't have time to stop and read, and their website is silent on what is happening. That was a really warm and friendly place with a real French atmosphere which will be missed greatly if they are closing.

Pleasant lunch. Amici's East Coast Pizzeria was cheerful and welcoming. I was planning to come by at some point, but the smiling staff just beckoned me in.

I started with a broccoli half-salad. It was steamed crisp and chilled with some flavorful olive oil. With a squeeze of lemon, it was just the perfect crunchy and tender combo.

The veggie pizza was hot and bubbly crisp. I loved that they take the time to caramelize the onions to go with the green peppers, mushrooms and black olives. It was a satisfying vegetable combination. All-in-all a quick, flavorful happy lunch experience at a reasonable price.

Homegrown. Literally, but with the help of some nearly 100 year old Finnish milk culture. Viili is like yogurt in that the culture has friendly bacteria doing some work in converting the milk, but viili also has a mold and yeasts working in tandem with the bacteria to make this unique product.

I received my starter culture in the mail from Gem Cultures last week, and was eager to try what sounded like a simple procedure. And in fact, it was quite simple! After freshening it up and letting it renew itself when I received it, I was quite ready this weekend to test this interesting culture in the real world of my kitchen. All I had to do was swipe a couple teaspoons of this around in a clean bowl, around the bottom and up the edges, and pour in - directly from the refrigerator - one cup of fresh whole milk. Then all that was necessary was to cover it loosely to keep any stray matter out, put it in a place where it would be undisturbed, and let it sit for about 24-30 hours until it had thickened, then refrigerate. Yes, it was that simple. At 65-75F the culture will be ready in that time frame, and it can tolerate up to 80F but will have to be watched carefully at that temperature as it may be ready in as little as 12 hours.

In my kitchen, it was ready in less than 24 hours -- I put it out about 3 p.m., and it was ready at 8 a.m. the next morning. The consistency is like a soft jelly, and it likes to hold together and makes rope-like strings from your spoon when you are ladling it out. I put a couple tablespoons away in a small jar for my next batch, and then mixed in a tablespoon of strawberry jam to sweeten and flavor it (see the leading photo). In Finland, viili is eaten at breakfast and afternoon break time with pastries and coffee.

Dad and I tried it for breakfast, over some fresh fruit I picked up at a fruit stand on the road from Delano, CA last week, some very ripe and juicy pineapple and those incredibly sweet Ecuadorian mini-bananas. I also made an extra bowl (assuming it would be good!) to bring over for dinner at my friends' home Sunday night. That version consisted of viili with rose petal jam which was spooned over fresh strawberries and blackberries. Do I hear a chorus of YUM?!

Marin Japanese Restaurant Scene. The Japanese restaurant scene has had quite a few changes in the last few months, so I thought it time to post an update, and expand it to some other Japanese restaurants visited.

I find it rather amazing that I've visited every Japanese restaurant in Marin save one. If I'm missing any, please let me know!

Japanese Restaurants and others serving "Japanese" food (and link to my review, if I wrote one, or other info)

Larkspur

Fukusuke
King of the Roll
Sushi-ko

Mill Valley

Amberjack
Ino Sushi
Robata Grill & Sushi
Samurai
Sushi Gourmet

Novato

Masa's Sushi & Appetizer Bar
Matsuyama
Sushiholic
Taki

San Anselmo

Sushi 69

San Rafael

Arigatou - Japanese Food to Go (haven't tried)
Oedo Grill
Fujiyama
Kamikaze
Mikado Sushi
Sushi Boat Restaurant
Sushi-to-Dai-For
Tenkyu
Umi Sushi & Grill

Sausalito

Sushi Ran
Sweet Ginger

Tiburon
Ginza Sushi

Non-Japanese Restaurants featuring sushi...

Mill Valley
May Lee's Chinese & Sushi Restaurant

San Rafael
Yu Shang Restaurant & Sushi Bar

Japanese Restaurants reviewed in other places...

San Francisco
Anzu
Cha-ya
Hime
Japanese Tea Garden (Not really a restaurant, but a nice place to enjoy Japanese Tea)
Kabuto
Oyaji

San Francisco's Japantown

Izumiya
Kuishinbo
Kushi Tsuru
On the Bridge
Sapporo-ya
Mifune
Mifune Udon
Suzu
Takara

Perkin' at Perko. Being in Delano, CA in the early morning Friday, my traveling companion suggested a quick breakfast at Perko's Cafe. It was a much more inspiring sight than the Denny's across the street or numerous fast food joints we passed earlier. I'm always game to try something new!

After a false start with a dirty coffee cum tea cup, replaced quickly, the Garden Omelet, although in need of some perking up on the plate styling side, was nonetheless genuine. Genuine and made to order were enough for this stretch of the road, although I might be a bit more strict on the place if it were in my neck of the woods or there were lots of other choices. A fine choice if you are in Delano and hungry!

Happy New Year, Chinese style. I met Sachiko for dinner tonight, and we tried a small restaurant favorite of hers on the edge of Chinatown, New Hong Kong Menu. I apologize for the blurry photos, the lighting and camera were just not in sync.

This seafood based soup had everything but the kitchen sink in it, and it tasted good!

Next came a special New Year's dish - "Jai", which is completely vegetarian and the ingredients symbolize good things for the new year. I was delighted by the copious amounts of ginko nuts in the dish. The plate was absolutely huge! Banquet style. Needless to say we each took a large to go box of this.

We also had a scallop, egg white and scallion fried rice which was a nice background for all the other flavors to stand out from. It was good in and of itself as well. A delightful dive with friendly native Chinese staff with good food in large portion without a large price.

Romantic ambiance. I'm often asked about romantic dining places in Marin, and with Valentine's Day coming up, I thought it would be good timing to update you on a place that would be my pick to spend a special romantic evening with that special someone. Dad & I visited Sushi 69 for dinner last night, and have nothing but good things to report.

We started with the Vegetables Miso Soup (Kenchin-jiru) which was beautifully served with a decorative, yet functional carved wooden spoon. It tasted as good as it looked and smelled and there were nice vegetable treasures underneath those floating tofu pieces.

Next we tried the Assorted Appetizer, which had tiny portions enough for two to have some nice flavor and texture contrasts to get the palate ready for the next courses. It included seven kinds of appetizers -- Goma tofu (sesame tofu), Gomaae (spinach with sesame sauce), Asparagus with miso vinegar sauce, Satoimo (taro potato), Agedashi ingen (Japanese beans), Nasu Nanban (marinated eggplant), and Kinpira gobo (burdock and carrot).

Moving on we tried the Hamachi Carpaccio. This thinly sliced yellow tail had a kick composed of jalapeno, horseradish with garlic-ponzu sauce. My eyes nearly watered, but it was a nice flavor burst, and had a clean taste.

This was followed by the Agedashi - deep fried shrimp, tofu, eggplants and ingen with seasoned soy sauce.

And we offset all these heightened flavors with the smooth freshness of a California roll. It was the perfect foil.

We made it a special occasion by sharing a dessert, the Mil-Crepe with green tea ice cream. The crepe consisted of layers of crepe filled with bananas and topped with strawberries and accompanied by green tea ice cream and soft towers of whipped cream. Luscious!

I noticed that there is an Omakase course available at the sushi bar as well. I can't wait to try this sometime as usually this style course is only offered at the best restaurants and you get a parade of eye and palate pleasing bites one after the other. Sushi 69 also offers a top class selection of sakes and the staff is well-versed in the subtle differences. I can envision an Omakase meal with the Premium Sake Tasting sometime in my future...

But what makes it so romantic? Well, first of all the food is beautiful, artful and sensual. The music is perfectly smooth and jazzy in the background with beautiful low light accents and intimate dining spaces. And the service is unobtrusive and impeccable. The dishes are whisked away at the right moment, not making you feel rushed, yet not giving you any feeling of waiting for your next course. The night was moderately busy and I could see this happening all around me with ease. Don't miss a special night here.

Last Reviewed:
January 18, 2007

Bright corner of San Rafael. Yesterday for lunch Dad & I stopped at Arrivederci Cafe in San Rafael. Housed in a brick building that looks like it has a delightful warm weather patio, the interior is light and bright and hosts a variety of art.

We opted to try some calamari fritti to start. Dad keeps forgetting that calamari is actually squid, and loves it until someone mentions the English translation, every time. Luckily, no one reminded him today and he liked Arrivederci's crisp version.

We both had a flavorful and hot 'cup' of minestrone soup, which was served with fresh Parmesan when we said yes to the friendly and funny server's query.

We then split a vegetable pizza. It was a good pizza although I prefer thin crusts to thicker versions. This crust was medium, so it was still pretty good on the toppings to crust ratio. There was a nice variety of vegetables, green peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, and black olives. It was a nice sharing size, particularly supplemented with the other foods we sampled. With friendly prompt service, good food, and nice ambiance it is easy to recommend this Italian restaurant.

Tiny and good. I've been driving by this "Little Mandarin" restaurant with curiosity for some time. Finally I took a chance to find parking and try it out yesterday for lunch.

You walk past some empty steam tables up front, but soon you see a busy and bustling section where you hope you will have a chance to sit after all. Where did all those people come from? As soon as I was seated a hot bowl of egg drop soup was placed in front of me, before I could even grab the menu!

This restaurant has a cash only policy, and no 'lunch combos', but they do have rice plates. I decided to try their spring rolls which are vegetables only with the main. These were fresh from the wok hot, crisp and delicious.

One always wonders what a description like "Tofu Vegetarian with Rice" actually means. But I took a chance and found it meant a generous portion of deep-fried tofu slices sauteed with fresh green peppers and mushrooms in a pleasing and light garlic sauce. This dish definitely gets a thumbs up as well. Little Mandarin specializes in North China Shan Dong Cooking, and is open every day for eat-in or take out. Be prepared for a very casual atmosphere, but quick service and clean surroundings. And not to mention very reasonable pricing. The "Tofu Vegetarian with Rice" was only $5.54! They've been in business for more than 20 years - it looks like they've hit upon the winning combination.

Neighborhood Italian. Dad & I stopped in Fairfax for lunch the other day, finding a sweet neighborhood place which was cozy, tasty and had attentive service. Fradelizio's Ristorante Italiano is in an old home which has been remodeled into a warm and inviting place, a little like a visit to your grandma's.

Dad had a generously portioned fresh chicken breast sandwich with a colorful side salad.

I had a half asparagus salad. It was thoughtfully arranged and I could taste all the bright colors.

It was followed by their Capellini Napolitano. I very much enjoyed the mild and fresh tomato based sauce which was mild, yet flavored such that it wasn't 'flat'. It was a very nicely prepared dish. If craving Italian again in Fairfax, I'd definitely go again.