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 used to come to Milano Ristorante quite often before I began my roving and sampling of all Marin has to offer. I missed it. So Dad and I decided to have dinner here one evening.

And as I recalled the server promptly served us some of their customary garlic and cheese bread - yum!

I thoroughly enjoyed the well dressed and fresh Caesar salad.

Dad and I went to Toast the other morning, ok late morning for a meal. I say a meal since I was in the mood for breakfast, and Dad for lunch. Luckily, Toast is easily able to allow for such meal splitting!

Of course we checked the signboard for specials before entering. And lucky for us, since this is a very popular Mill Valley place, we were cheerfully seated right away.

The last few times I've been in Fairfax, I've noticed a 'closed' sign on Cafe Amsterdam's door. Anyone have the scoop on this? I've heard this is temporary, but no timing nor why...

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.

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.

Bon voyage breakfast. My frequent dining partner, and friend for more than ten years, Paul, is moving to Portland (this morning) so yesterday we had a little bon voyage breakfast in the city at the Curbside Cafe near on California near Fillmore in San Francisco. It was definitely a case of braving the elements as you can see from the photo, the storm had come back with some heavy rain.

Now I have butterflies... in the stomach. Imagine catching up on your Marin IJ reading to find the restaurant you just reviewed (Cafe Papillon) had closed! The story is wrong in one respect -- it did not close in 2007 since I was there for breakfast a few days ago... but I did a drive-by at lunch yesterday, and found, indeed it is very closed. The story reported that a new place will open there in spring, World Coffee Cafe.

Butterflies. When I found out that Cafe Papillon serves breakfast every day, it immediately went on my must try list. Dad and I dropped by what was I believe the last sunny Sunday in Marin for some time. The staff was friendly and welcoming, and we were obviously earlier than most of their Sunday crowd since we were the only ones in the restaurant until the clock struck 10 a.m.

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.

Daniel and I went out for a late dinner the other evening, and made it even later by traveling to Fairfax, a very relaxing town with lots of options for the veggie lover. We smelled the wonderful aromas coming from Cafe Lotus and made it our destination.

Daniel was quite exuberant about the smoke arising off of the Seekh Kabab, minced natural lamb kabab with crushed onions, cilantro, and roasted cumin seed. From experience, I knew that it could be difficult to capture the moment of billowing smoke well, but I think it actually photographed pretty dramatically. He was quite loquacious about the flavorful lamb.

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!

Despite having a car run into the front of the building and breaking the glass, Corte Madera Cafe is still open and serving its great food with charm. Coincidentally, Dad & I had breakfast their just a few days before the unfortunate incident. The above is necessarily the 'before' photo.

I delayed this post a bit until I could go and check out the damage myself. As you can see, the window is boarded up and there was some damage to the side wall.

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.

A friend of mine had a taste for Greek food and all I could think of in Marin County was Fair Fix in Fairfax. So we went to find that it was not Greek, but Mediterranean. Close enough for me, but not for my friend, so I made a mental note to come back and try it. Fair Fix has been a fixture (pun intended) for a long time in the community, and locals feel comfortable hanging out here with an eclectic mix of suits, barefeet in sandals and dreadlocks.

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.

Friday was my six month dental exam. Like many who are reading this, I chose my dentist to be near my work so I could efficiently take care of teeth on the lunch hour. That worked for about 10 years, then I changed work locales, but I love my dentist! So I'm guaranteed a visit to San Francisco twice a year.

Sunny breakfast. Don't know how I missed this one. Dad & I had a leisurely breakfast at the West End Cafe Deli & Market after one of his appointments. Aside the deli area there is a large, narrow and very sunny dine-in room.

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.

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!

So my experience with the not quite right couscous the other day had the effect of making me crave the real thing. So I tried looking around the bay area, and came up with Tajine on Polk Street in San Francisco as a place to try not so far from Marin. (Chowhounders also recommended Aziza which I will have to try too). I wasted no time getting there.

First up was a large pot of mint tea. The server poured it with a flourish, which was the first good sign. Then I sipped it, and I KNEW I was in good hands. Slightly sweet with deep mint flavor, this took me back to another place and time.

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!

Cafe Tibet has always been my favorite Berkeley eatery. Yes, I have been to Chez Panisse too. Cafe Tibet is literally like entering another world, from the moment you walk in and see the prayer wheel spinning on the front table, hear the Buddhist chants in the background and if you get close, feel the mist from the small fountain. You can peruse the menu page 1, and page 2 which is maintained on line by the Tibetan Association of Northern California, and see for yourself the myriad of authentic choices. I celebrated here in 2004 upon passing Ground School in pursuit of a pilot's license, which was much fun (both the food and the flying)!

Don't judge a book. Hidden away in a strip mall in Larkspur near Fukuzuke is a new casual Italian eatery that opens early for breakfast every day! Cafe Lucano is so unassuming, but when you step inside the staff is friendly and the place is well cared for and you can just tell...

I was tempted by a watermelon Italian Soda. Each table had a clean, folded and squared up Examiner for your reading enjoyment. Everything was so orderly and inviting!

Max's Cafe in Corte Madera has recently rolled back breakfast time to an hour earlier, so you can enjoy a big Max's breakfast 7 days a week from 7 a.m.

There are encouragements to eat all around, so if you're dieting - beware!

Dad's fancy was the Ham and Four Cheese Omelet with Hash Browns. There was nothing skimpy about this huge fluffy omelet with chunky slices of ham tucked throughout the center.

Surfing's a theme. Wipeout Bar & Grill recently opened in Greenbrae, in the Bon Aire Shopping Center taking over the old Chevy's space. There are large screens everywhere with movies of surfers and BIG waves.

Day-After Brunch. After Thanksgiving that is. Paul suggested we have brunch and after numerous phone calls finding most of our favorite spots and new ones closed due to the holiday weekend, Paul suggested we try Comforts Cafe. Bingo! I reviewed Comforts for the first time October 2006 on a visit with Paul as well. It's easy to go back to the tried and true.