The brewpub that opened in the 165-seat Fairfax space where HenHouse briefly reigned comes from partners Alex and Lisa Stricker, well-known among Marinites for State Room Brewery and Flatiron sports bar in San Rafael. Their aim here? To cater equally to families and beer afficionados, at lunch and dinner, with a game room, live music, dog-friendly parklet, a bar and an active brewery.
Larry Berlin, the original brewer for both Ross Valley Brewing Company and Iron Springs Brewery (which spent 20 years in the same space), is back in Fairfax, crafting Repack Red and Tamalpais Tripel along with seasonal stouts, porters and sours. Executive Chef Dan McGarry (Duke’s, Huntington Beach and Sonoma’s Guy Fieri Signature Restaurants) returned to Fairfax to build a menu of craveable favorites. That means Caesar salad, ahi tacos, fish and chips, and skirt steak with chimichurri as well as global pub fare such as pork lumpia, japchae noodles, and a Korean fried chicken sandwich.
On Larkspur’s main drag, in the space where Roma Antica and Locanda once served Roman/Italian cuisine, comes Mediterranean-inflected The Rustic. The second location (the first is in San Francisco) from owner-manager Zoti Ali Turap opened in August. The menu features handmade pastas like pappardelle with oxtail ragu and ricotta-lemon filled ravioli with pesto, as well as Spanish octopus with piquillo peppers and bluefin crudo with citrus vinaigrette. “In Marin, branzino [whole seabass] is already a best seller,” Turap says, “served deboned and ready to eat with grilled lemon and mixed salad.”
Turap’s years as wine director for Chez Panisse are visible in the well-considered by-the-glass and bottle list. An extensive Spritz menu is balanced by European aperitifs (vermouth, sherry), daytime tipples designed for sipping with brunch fare like breakfast pizza with wild mushrooms or The Rustic poutine. Available Friday through Sunday, brunch transitions to all-day service and dinner, which can be enjoyed inside or on the back patio.
Have you heard Tony Adams’s laugh? If you frequent the Marin County Farmers’ Markets on Sunday or Thursday in San Rafael, Adams’s laugh is as unmissable as his pastas, a calling card of happiness derived from durum wheat and an extruder. At Adams’s latest venture, a retail shop in downtown Mill Valley which opened in early September, his pasta dreams take full form. The shop boasts an entire wall of dried pasta, divided into “plain” and “flavored,” including the duck egg pasta that recently won a Good Food award. A fridge holds fresh pastas and sauces, including gluten-free options. Other tables and shelves feature wood-roasted coffee from Maine, imported Italian tomato sauces, local cheeses and meats, and other products that complement Adams’s pastas, sugos and ragus.
Until wine and beer is stocked next year, look for Italian-ish non-alcoholic spirits like Wilderton, a stand-in for Campari. Though Adams lives in town, you are still most likely to see (and hear) him at the farmers’ markets or at the San Rafael production facility where most of his product line is produced.
Although known for his work at the Tiburon Peninsula Club and Sonoma’s Park Avenue Catering, Head Chef Jameson Miller missed working in restaurant kitchens. Digging the vibe of Chef Sylvain Montassier’s French-inflected cuisine as much as Paseo’s iconic space, he signed on as Sous Chef in 2023, absorbing the energy of the restaurant’s petite kitchen and unique, only-in-Mill-Valley energy. When a relative’s ill health forced Montassier’s return to France, Miller stepped up, into the role of Head Chef. The promotion empowered him to move the cuisine into a more seasonal, local direction. “It’s a little less French,” Miller says, “more contemporary American – elegant but approachable.”
On the Happy Hour menu, BBQ Oysters and Corn-jalapeño Hushpuppies served with pimento cheese dip and caramelized Walla Walla onion dip with waffle fries are pure Americana, delicious with a signature Paseo Old Fashioned or Basil Berry Crush cocktail in the cozy bar or in the open-air courtyard.
At dinner, Mussels Mariniere are fragrant with saffron cream and fennel, and Duck Breast is still served with sweet potato hash and blackberry gastrique. Newer dishes, such as Miller’s Diver Scallops with succotash and sorrel sauce, hint of the menu’s shifting intentions. “It’s vibrant and fresh, a dish you are not going to get anywhere else,” Miller says. Look for more menu additions as the season’s change.
Set amidst 62 acres of Marconi State Historic Park, Tomales Bay’s Lodge at Marconi opened a restaurant on September 9. Executive Chef Les Goodman (Chef Instructor at Santa Rosa Junior College, former Executive Chef and CEO of Santa Rosa’s Goodman’s Jewish Delicatessen) designed a menu inspired as much by the Mediterranean as the array of Marin and Sonoma-sourced ingredients.
The opening menus include fresh oysters with agua chile and pimentón oil, Shuba salad with smoked trout and beets, Catalonian fish stew, and miso-marinated Picanha brochettes. Cocktails like The Bishops Pine – a gin and tonic inspired by the Park’s many pine trees – riff on classics while the wine list is designed to match the local and seasonal fare. Enjoy it all on the massive wrap-around porch with views over Tomales Bay.
