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.

A little French joie de vivre. My neighbor Jerrie and I took a drive to San Anselmo the other night to visit Bistro 330. It had a very bright atmosphere and busy owner?/waiter greeted us warmly and sat us.

Jerrie tried the spinach salad with goat cheese, which she said was very good.

It's been a long time since I visited Vasco so it was time for an update. The comfortable interior is still the same, and the service this time around was fabulous. There was a comfortable buzz rather than loud echoes this time around, which works better for my father with his hearing aids.

Dad and I started with some colorful vegetables which had been cornmeal battered and flash fried, accompanied by some smooth aoli. The crunch of the cornmeal was a welcome texture contrasted with the usual wheat based types, and I don't think it absorbs as much oil. It's a nice choice for an appetizer.

The rain was with me. Usually Marvin's Breakfast Club is so packed even the outside tables have a line waiting for them. Now that I've gone, I can see why. I didn't have breakfast, but the breakfast plate that whizzed past me were a sight to behold. Golden potatoes, perfectly shaped eggs... it smelled delicious also.

Last night was my night out, and I decided to try a place near home I've had my eye on for some time. Bungalow 44 seems to be ever popular and has a reputation for being a 'cougar' hang-out. Personally, I think it has a nice ambiance and good food which is good enough reason to go, and I did see a lot of well-dressed and coiffed creatures there.

I had the PERFECT salad to start, mixed organic greens with whole grain mustard dressing. It was so fresh and crisp, and the dressing was absolutely perfect.

I went with family (while ago now, time flies!) to have some lunch one weekend at the Pelican Inn, near Muir Beach. It was a gorgeous day, and we were all primed for some English pub fare, which is what this place excels at, besides beautiful surroundings of course.

I enjoyed their Fish & Chips, and always love the peas they serve with it.

And one of the men enjoyed Bangers & Mash, and offered up bits of bangers to others who all agreed it was great.

A favorite spot in Tiburon has been Guaymas, especially their deck, once the weather makes it not-too-hot and not-too-cold/windy. Last week there was such a day, and I was excited to get reacquainted with the deck.

Once you've placed your order, a fat stack of housemade corn tortillas arrive with three tasty sauces.

After tasting a couple, I settled in to enjoy the view.

Fun evening in San Francisco. Before Christmas, I met Dr. Kato & Sachiko again in the city for a wonderful dinner at a very romantic restaurant, Annie's Bistro. We were the only party in an increasingly full restaurant where all the couples were gazing longingly into each other eyes.

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.

and Citrus & Spice in San Rafael is still doing well! My friend Sachiko was in the mood for Thai, and I thought she'd like this inventive place. She was a little surprised that it was rather refined and stylized compared to most of the Thai places around.

We started with Fresh Spring Rolls which were bursting with lettuce and so fresh tasting.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Although I've been to Frantoio many a time, I have not blogged about it for one reason or another. Since it's between where I live and where I work it's too easy to think 'it's too easy', and then the visit gets put off. But I did make it there one evening - it's only open for dinner - and then it took me a bit to go back for a photo in the daytime as the ones I took of the outside that night didn't turn out. The most unique feature of this restaurant is that it has a operating olive press behind glass walls you can view from the inside. In fact, it is the only restaurant in the U.S. with an in-house state of the art Certified Organic olive oil production facility. Of course, pressing season is long since over, but the bottled olive oil is used in the restaurant, and it is flavorful!

I've heard about a place called Ming's in Tiburon over the years, but never had actually seen it. Thought it may have closed. But peering through a walkway in the Boardwalk Shopping Center finally scored it!

So Dad & I tried it one recent evening. It seemed to be filled with families with young children. Noisy but happy. We started with Prawns and Asparagus which delightfully included some colorful carrots and was stir fried with a black bean sauce. It was very 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.

You'll notice I finally was able to activate my 'title' line, I'm happy! Dad and I felt like a neighborhood Italian place, so decided to try out Riccardo's in San Anselmo. It surely fit the bill with checkered tablecloths, wine bottles hanging from the ceiling and friendly, but busy staff.

Dad's Dinner Salad was unexpectedly large, but he said it was great with fresh greens and a variety of toppings.

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.

One day I enjoyed a walk over to Fish for lunch. It seems that it matters not when I go, there is always a line outside.

On that sunny day, I tried clam linguine and discovered that not only were the clams abundant, fresh and delicious, but that the pasta is made on site fresh. It was some of the best fresh pasta I've ever eaten. And the big galvanized bucket for the shells was a off-beat touch that added another touch of fun.

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.

Arty breakfast. Caffe DiVino on Caledonia in Sausalito is a very colorful place where you are surrounded by color and light, and in the evening, every evening music, usually jazz.

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.

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.

Afternoon and Evening in Berkeley. Yesterday I met up with my friend Daniel in Berkeley where the talk was tech and we both came away learning new things and with a possible new business venture. We wandered over to Jupiter for some more talk and dinner. I could see why Daniel likes this place so much, casual yet warm, with inventive fresh salads and pizza, and a few small plates.

Actually Jonathon's 51st Birthday party. When I asked what I could bring he suggested the cake -- oh my! I don't think I'd baked a real cake in years... So I rifled through my old 3 x 5s that were in my mother's recipe box to come up with one. More about that later. Jonathon's birthday, celebrated with a casual barbecue with the usual suspects was the place to be yesterday afternoon.

There were quite a range of ages, from these green apple tossing kids, to my 87 year old Dad.

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?

I had the most cheerful lunch in a brightly colored mosiaced setting yesterday. It had been a few years since my last visit to Picante in San Rafael, but the greeting was just as pleasant, the service prompt and friendly and it just felt happy to be there.

I couldn't resist starting with the aguas frescas of strawberry and pineapple. As delicious as it is refreshing!