Pleasant lunch. Dad has a new physical therapist just upstairs of the building attached to Robata Grill & Sushi, so after the first visit, it seemed like an opportune time to revisit the closest Japanese restaurant to me which continues to have a wide variety of delicious dishes. I reviewed this in July 2006, and then again in October 2006. I was surprised it had been so long since I'd written about this place.

Hidden around a corner. Where Ming's used to be, Mikado Sushi has set up shop in the Northgate area of San Rafael. I stopped in a few days ago to try their offerings out.

The meal started with a very rich tasting miso soup. The soy sauce containers were so cute I had to get one in the photo too.

Addicting Lunch. No wonder they call it Sushiholic. With a beautiful and modern interior, and an extensive menu, Sushiholic certainly has made a splash on the Marin Japanese restaurant scene. Jo-Ann and I met for lunch there one rainy day recently.

Transplant. And it's taking. Fukusuke was an old favorite in Sausalito some time ago, and the restaurant disappeared from its long established neighborhood, reportedly, because of an unreasonable rent increase. (I think the space is still unoccupied after a couple years now?) It's reopened in Larkspur, in a tiny space, but the same family is there making all guests feel welcome. Dad and I arrived at 5:45, and there was already a wait to be seated!

Comfort in the rain. When it's raining, often one just feels like the tried and true. So it was Thursday when I seemed to be in Seattsalito. Kitti's Place is quite nearby my workplace and there was a parking spot right in front, so in I went. The staff were their usual warm and friendly selves.

I tried a special, Emperor's Noodles, but I asked for the pork to be changed to tofu. So these had a salty, soy, garlicky taste with prawns, tofu and thinly sliced vegetables, and were quickly wok-fried. A very satisfying, and a bit too filling lunch. Kitti's Place remains, on all counts a very recommendable place for a casual Thai-inspired treat.

Reviewed:

Been dying to try. I found a good opening to try Sushi to Dai For in its new space, it's LARGE new space. It's huge and echoing and I can imagine it hopping with fun at night. So what if the rolls aren't very authentic. They are inventive and artistic, and the menu is huge.

I decided to try the Niagra roll, a special. Albacore tuna paired with something green, I've already forgotten - either avocado or cucumber, with green tea soba noodles, daikon radish spouts and a drizzle of jalepeno (hot!) ponzu over the top. I had my doubts about this combination, but it worked! I'd order the same again if it were to appear on the menu.

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.

I grabbed a quick bite for lunch at Sushi Ran the other day. It can always be counted on for excellence. I tried their seafood soba and found it light and nutritious with lots of fresh seafood bits gently coddled in a light but flavorful broth. And we know how good soba is for you!

The spinach on top was freshly steeped in the broth and was both tender and colorful. This is a nice lunch I'll repeat again if it stays on the menu!

Previously reviewed:
July 2, 2007
May 10, 2007

Sushi on Sunday. I didn't have any this time, but I had found myself a week or two earlier looking for a Marin location that served sushi at lunch on Sundays. Pacific Catch in Corte Madera is the only place that I could come up with.

Dad and I stopped by here for Valentine's Day lunch after getting Dad's hair cut around the corner. This sweet little nibbling plate is still given you with your menus.

A cut above, tucked away. Mifune Udon is in the less frequented building of Japantown, near Ichiban Kan and the Kabuki Hotel. It's big and busy sister is in the main mall, and there are some menu and food differences.

New Chinese on the block. P.F. Chang's (yes, a chain) opened a new location in Corte Madera on Monday. Having enjoyed their food when in other parts of the country, I decided to stop in and see how this location measures up.

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!

And this post marks completion of dining and reviewing ALL of the Thai restaurants in Marin! At least those that I know of, please leave a comment if I've missed a place inadvertently. And it's an old favorite I had not been to in a long time, Bangkok Thai Express.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that this Thai place still serves Shrimp Chips as a treat. This used to be customary at many Thai restaurants, but has disappeared in the last few years. These were crisp and had a great savory dipping sauce.

Vietnamese veggie fare. I stopped by La Maison de la Reine for dinner with my friend Sachiko one evening, and we were both in the mood for light eating. The staff were friendly and inviting and we enjoyed sitting in the heated sun room.

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.

Fresh leftovers. The day after I made the fresh tofu and tatsoi treat, I woke up and made small iron skillets of less than 24 hr old tofu with mushrooms and tatsoi saute with egg. I enjoy making these individual egg treats and putting the hot fry pan on a wooden trivet for a nice breakfast presentation. I just started the leftovers frying then poured two beaten eggs on top. I finished these in the oven.

A noodle kind of day. Paul and I enjoyed a quick lunch at Tha Siam in Larkspur the other day, a place I reviewed first last February.

Great Thai place in my backyard. I've been here so many times, and thought I'd blogged somewhere about it, but it looks like this may be the first official post! Thep Lela is in Mill Valley's Strawberry Village, tucked into a peaceful back corner.

Pretty salad which is as fresh and delicious as it looks.

Staying power with good food fresh and fast. My friend Jo-Ann introduced me a year or so ago to a good Chinese place in San Rafael, Ping's Mandarin Restaurant which as been around since 1993. Since we were in the neighborhood, Dad and I stopped in for lunch the other day.

Anna does the drive-thru. It was a very rainy afternoon, the kind that makes you just want to curl up in a blanket in front of a fire and not go out. But out I was, at an afternoon class on the CPI (California Psychological Inventory) related to my graduate studies. So it seemed just the time to grab & go.

Having experienced Panda Express as unusually good for 'fast food', I took the drive through option in this nasty weather. I ordered two of the same "Panda Bowls" for Dad & I. Half & half fried rice/chow mein with a topping of stir fried eggplant and tofu.

Sunny soup. It had been quite some time since I'd dropped in at Thai Terrace, and it beckoned one sunny day. The staff was friendly and welcoming and had me seated in no time short by a sunny window.

Venturing where most do not, I took a chance on a soup that had a 'foreign' sound to it - Fish Ball Soup. It was a wonderful discovery. A light soup base with lots of rice noodles, some cilantro and some pleasantly light balls of fish. Think surimi, but moistened and enriched by a good broth. Light and nourishing, I'll seek this dish out again.

Previously reviewed:

New style. The old Sushi Lin place has been overhauled and a new cuisine on the scene has opened up here since October, Hawaiian style BBQ. With as pleasant as staff can be, Mauna Loa Hawaiian Barbeque serves typical Hawaiian dishes, even Spam musubi.

Wise Chinese. I stopped in at Confucius Restaurant in San Rafael the other day when it was blustery but not raining. It's exterior may be drab, but it's clean and cheery inside.

I discovered a nice variety for a reasonable price in their lunch special. A small green salad and hot and sour soup start you off. Yes, these are not 'wow' items, but they are fresh and just fine.

Behind these pink walls lies some great food. Another foray into Fairfax, and I notice Siam Lotus is open for lunch. Friendly people and a well-cared for place greets me. A menu with a wide variety of choices soon lands in my hands.

Still being rather cold and rainy, I was attracted by the soups. The Tom-Ka Noodle soup looks particularly attractive, described as "rice noodle with tofu and seasonal vegetables in galanga coconut milk broth." I asked about the 'galanga', and was told that it is an herb in the ginger family. Whatever family it is, it works. this vegetable laden soup has a smooth and refreshing taste with loads of bright vegetables. I highly recommend it and this Thai oasis just across from Fairfax's main parking lot.

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!

Chain yes, and consistently good food and value too. I have liked California Pizza Kitchen for a long time. In fact since it came to my neighborhood when I lived in Northern Virginia. And that was in the 80s.

Dad and I had 'linner' there a few days ago. Starting with their ever-tasty Dakota Smashed Pea and Barley Soup.

I'd noticed Juban for sometime at the street level of the Kinokuniya Building in San Francisco's Japantown. And on that shopping day, it seemed like the time to visit. I had some trepidations, having been newly reminded to eat simply and vegetarian by my Ayurvedic doctor...

However, there was something called a Tofu Sukiyaki Bento on the menu, and it looked pretty good! Slabs of fresh tofu with vegetables simmered in sukiyaki sauce smelled SO good and so it tasted. The clear soup with spinach and bean sprouts was also tasty, and I ate a little bit of the kim chee. Honestly this yakiniku house, ostensibly Japanese, had a decided Korean tinge. But I enjoy Korean too. It's clean, pleasant and the service is prompt as well.