Since mentioning that Marin restaurants are beginning to welcome outdoor diners as per specific state-mandated guidelines, tables have been set up at an acceptable distance on patios, decks, sidewalks and parking areas. While far from feeling completely normal, an unrealistic long-term business model and a personal progression that some diners are not yet willing to make, it certainly feels uplifting to see our local eateries populated again with social spirit.

Keep in mind that almost all listed restaurants are continuing to offer takeout and, in some cases, delivery. Check websites for the most current information. Find additional outdoor dining options in last week’s.Bread & Butter column. This list will be updated weekly.

Sausalito

• The decks are open daily for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch at the Trident at 558 Bridgeway. Call 415-331-3232 or to go thetrident.net.

• Joinery is open for patio dining from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily at 300 Turney St. Call 415-766-8999 or go to joineryca.com.

• The Spinnaker has patio seating on the bay from noon to 9 p.m. daily at 100 Spinnaker Drive. Call 415-332-1500 to make a reservation or go to spinnakersasausalito.us.

• View the bay from Angelino from 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays at 621 Bridgeway. Go to angelinorestaurant.com.

Mill Valley

• Flour Craft Bakery is open for outdoor dining from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays at 129 Miller Ave. Call 415-384-8244 or go to flourcraftbakery.com.

• Fire pits and tables are open from 5 to 8 p.m. daily at Bungalow 44 at 44 East Blithedale Ave. Call 415-381-2500 or go to bungalow44.com.

• The Cantina is serving lunch and dinner on its patio from 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. weekdays and until 9 p.m. weekends at 651 East Blithedale Ave. Call 415-381-1070 or go to thecantina.com.

• Gravity Tavern’s patio is open from noon to 8 p.m. daily at 38 Miller Ave. Call 415-888-2108 or go to gravitytavern.com.

• Seating is open on the patios and sidewalk tables at Piazza D’Angelo from 4 to 8 p.m. daily at 22 Miller Ave. Call 415-388-2000 or go to piazzadangelo.com.

• The oversized and remodeled patio is open from noon to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays at Playa at 41 Throckmorton Ave. Reservations are accepted for groups of six residing in the same household. Call 415-384-8871 or go to playamv.com.

• The patio and parking area are open for reservation and walk-in guests from noon to 8 p.m. daily at Buckeye Roadhouse at 15 Shoreline Highway. Call 415-331-2600 or go to buckeyeroadhouse.com.

• Tamalpie has reopened its terrace from 4 to 9 p.m. weekdays and noon to 9 p.m. weekends at 477 Miller Ave. Call 415 388-7437 or go to tamalpizza.com.

• The Whisk + Skillet is back for both takeout and outdoor dining from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily at 800 Redwood Highway, suite 125. Call 415-380-1900 or go to whiskandskillet.com.

Tiburon

• Servino’s waterfront patio is open for diners who have ordered takeout meals from the restaurant at 9 Main St. Call 415-435-2676 or go to servino.com.

• Luna Blu is offering seating at tables of one to five people on its waterfront patio at 35 Main St. Call 415-789-5844 or go to lunablurestaurant.com.

• Salt & Pepper is open for dine-in and takeout breakfast, lunch and dinner at 38 Main St. Call 415-435-3594 or go to saltandpeppertiburon.com.

• The deck at Sam’s Anchor Café is open for full-service lunch, dinner and weekend brunch on a walk-in basis at 27 Main St. Call 415-435-4527 or go to samscafe.com.

Corte Madera

• Il Fornaio is open for patio dining from 5 to 9 p.m. daily at 223 Corte Madera Town Center. Call 415-927-4400 or go to ilfornaio.com.

Larkspur

• Don Antonio Trattoria has seating on the patio and sidewalk from 4 to 9 p.m. Sundays and Mondays and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays at 455 Magnolia Ave. Call 415-924-3332.

• The patios are open at Roma Antica from noon to 8 p.m. daily at 286 Magnolia Ave. Call 415-891-3979 or go to romasf.com.

• The back patio is open for breakfast and lunch at Farm House Local from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily at 25 Ward St. Call 415-891-8577 or go to farmhouselocal.com.

• Get a glimpse of the new Hog Island Larkspur at the Marin Country Mart. Patio dining hours are 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays at 2401 Larkspur Landing Circle. Call 628-253-5905 or go to hogislandoysters.com.

• The covered corner patio at Left Bank is back in action at 507 Magnolia Ave. Call 415-927-3331 or go to leftbank.com.

Ross

• Reserve a table on the front terrace and place dinner orders (appetizer and entrée per person) in advance online for Marché aux Fleurs at 23 Ross Common by going to marcheauxfleursrestaurant.com.

• Find limited sidewalk seating at Tony Tutto Pizza at 16 Ross Common. Find out more at tonytuttopizza.com.

• Tables are set in front of Trattoria Fresco at 13 Ross Common. Go to frescomarin.com for details.

San Anselmo

• Bistro Viz is back after a two-year closure. Order takeout or dine on the patio from 5 p.m. to close Wednesdays though Sundays. “I’m thrilled to be working again with my team who are so talented and dedicated and who share a passion for fresh, flavor-forward, local and organic food,” says owner Soo Young. Wine to-go is being offered at a 45% to 55% discount. 115 San Anselmo Ave. Call 415-902-9084 or go to bistroviz-sananselmo.com.

• Madcap is now offering its three-course dinner at limited outdoor tables from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays at 198 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. To reserve, email info@madcapmarin.com. For more information, go to madcapmarin.com.

• The patio is open at Pizzalina from noon to 8:30 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and noon to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays at 914 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. Call 415-256-9780 or go to pizzalina.com.

• Taco Jane’s is open daily with an expanded seating area on the patio at 21 Tamalpais Ave. Call 415-454-6562 or go to tacojanes.com.

• Cucina SA has all new bridge seating adjacent to the restaurant open from 4 to 8 p.m. daily at 510 San Anselmo Ave. Call 415-454-2942 or go to cucina-sa.com.

• Outdoor dining is open at the Hub at 882 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. Call 415-785-4802 or go hubsananselmo.com.

• Flour Craft has reopened for takeout from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays at 702 San Anselmo Ave. Call 415-453-3100 or go to flourcraftbakery.com.

San Rafael

• The Kitchen Table is serving at sidewalk tables at 1574 Fourth St. Call 415-521-5568 or go to thekitchentablesr.com.

• Tam Commons Tap Room & Kitchen was closed for a quick remodel that unfortunately extended into the pandemic, but it has reopened with expanded seating on the elevated deck and the sidewalk. It’s also offering a big burger deal until Sunday. The restaurant is giving away 100 Tam Good Burgers with American cheese, grilled onions, pickles and house spread per day with the purchase of a beer, wine or other beverage. Hours are noon to 8 p.m. daily at 1300 Fourth St. Call 415-521-5770 or go to tamcommons.com.

• Whipper Snapper Restaurant and Sangria Bar has outdoor tables set up at 1613 Fourth St. Call 415-256-1818 or go to whipsnap.biz.

• Revel & Roost is serving dinner on its corner sidewalk from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays at 901 B St. Call 415-870-9946 or go to revelroostkitchen.com.

• A new parking lot patio has opened at Gaspare’s Pizzeria Ristorante & Bar at 200 Merrydale Road. Call 415-472-7101 or go to gasparespizzeria.com.

• Range Café Bar and Grill at Peacock Gap is open for limited patio dining from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily at 333 Biscayne Drive. Call 415-454-6450 or go to rangecafe.net.

Novato

• The patio at Creekside Bakery is open at 1719 Grant Ave. Find the hours and brunch, lunch and dinner menus at creeksidebakery.com.

• Boca Pizzeria is open for outdoor dining from noon to 9 p.m. daily at 454 Ignacio Blvd. Call 415-883-2302 or go to bocapizzeria.com.

• Beso Bistro and Wine Bar has opened its patio at 502 Palm Drive. Call 415-883-6700 or go to besobistro.com.

• Finnegan’s is open from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. for lunch and at 5 p.m. for dinner Wednesdays through Sundays at 877 Grant Ave. Call 415-899-1516 or go to finnegansmarin.com.

• The beer garden at Hopmonk Tavern is open for lunch and dinner daily at 224 Vintage Way. Call 415-892-6200 or go to hopmonk.com/novato.

Fairfax

• Split Rock Tap & Wheel has limited outdoor dining. Orders can be placed from 4 to 8 p.m. weekdays and noon to 8 p.m. weekends. As per mandated county regulations, tables may not be shared by non-household members. 2020 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. Call 415-721-7644 or go to splitrocktapandwheel.com.

• Way Station beer garden’s patio is open for food, craft beer growlers and bottles of wine from 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and noon to 9 p.m. weekends. 2001 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. Call 415-300-3099 or go to waystationmarin.com.

Stinson Beach

• The patio at Parkside has reopened at 43 Arenal Drive. Call 415-868-1272 or go to parksidecafe.com.

Point Reyes

• Saltwater in Inverness will offer dining on the patio Friday through Sunday this week at 12781 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. Call 415-669-1244 or go to saltwateroysterdepot.com.

• Side Street Kitchen in Point Reyes Station has the patio open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays at 60 4th St. Call 415-663-0303 or go to sidestreet-prs.com.

• The Boat Oyster Bar at Hog Island Oyster Co. in Marshall is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fridays through Sundays by reservation only with seating for a maximum of six in 2-hour blocks at 20215 Shoreline Highway. The Hog Shack retail window is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily for live unshucked oysters, clams, mussels, meal kits and more. Go to hogislandoysters.com.

• Hog Island’s Tony’s Seafood in Marshall is open for outdoor dining from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays and weekends at 18863 Shoreline Highway. Reserve a table or pre-order food at tonysseafoodrestaurant.com.

• William Tell House in Tomales is open for full-service outdoor dining on the weekends at 26955 Highway 1. Go to williamtellhouse.com.

• Rancho Nicasio is kicking off the summer with a new daily outdoor lunch and dinner menu at 1 Old Rancheria Road. Call 415-662-2219 or go to ranchonicasio.com.

Leanne Battelle is a freelance food writer. Please email her at ij.lbattelle@gmail.com or follow the Marin dining scene at instagram.com/therealdealmarin.

Father’s Day is this Sunday and many restaurants and purveyors are offering mostly hearty and predominately meaty meals for dads.

Consider the stovetop clam bake kit from Sam’s Anchor Café in Tiburon; build-your-own grill boxes at Hog Island Oyster Co.; surf and turf at Left Bank Brasserie in Larkspur; herb-crusted rack of lamb with sides and dessert from Mill Valley’s Gravity Tavern; porcini-rubbed marinated flat iron steak with sides from Insalata’s in San Anselmo; and from the Mill Valley Lumber Yard, a cookout kit for four from gluten-free Flour Craft Bakery or grilled Rancho Lllano Seco pork chop from Watershed. These are just a few options, so check your favorite restaurant and pre-order soon.

• Forrest Murray Jr., owner and pit master at Forrest Fire BBQ, has been serving his Southern soul, slow-wood-smoked barbecue “from my heart to your plate” from 2 to 7 p.m. weekends from his stand outside Marinwood Market in San Rafael. On Father’s Day, he’s extending his hours; stop by between noon and 7 p.m. and pickup beef tri tip, pork rib rack, half chicken and more. Pre-orders are welcome. Text 628-800-3473 or go to forrestfirebbq.com. Purchases are made inside the market at 155 Marinwood Ave.

• Visit the Marin family-owned Hanson of Sonoma tasting room at the Hanson Gallery of Fine Art in Sausalito for a guided tasting of organic grape-based, naturally flavored vodkas. Balance the experience with lunch or dinner from neighboring Copita Tequileria & Comida and build-your-own chicken, carnitas or vegetable street tacos ($2) available with weekend tastings only. Pre-book by searching for Hanson’s at exploretock.com. The gallery and tasting room are open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays through Sundays at 669 Bridgeway. To learn more, call 415-332-4858 or go to hansonofsonoma.com.

• Father-daughter butcher team Bryan and Katie Flannery, of San Rafael’s Flannery Beef, service top chefs across California but have been keeping home cooks well-stocked these past few months. For dad, they have a special dry-aged steak and seasoning gift set for sale and are donating half of the proceeds to benefit an emergency relief fund. Place an order for the gift or for their full range of premium meats at flannerybeef.com.

• Larkspur’s Left Bank Brasserie will offer dad-friendly surf and turf with a sidecar available for dine-in on the patios and to go. The Left Bank is at 507 Magnolia Ave.
Call 415-927-3331 or go to leftbank.com.

Let’s eat out!

Physically distant but socially inspired energy is in the air and Marin towns, restaurants and retailers have gotten creative about safely bringing residents together for dining and shopping outdoors.

Sausalito

The one-block stretch of Caledonia Street, often referred to as “restaurant row,” is becoming a weekly al fresco lunch and dinner destination this summer Thursdays through Sundays nights starting this week.

Eat your takeout from Arawan Thai Cuisine, Sandrino, Sartaj India Café, Fast Food Français (F3) or Osteria Divino at tables set out on the closed roadway between Pine and Johnson streets. Check individual restaurants for hours and menus and to make a reservation for limited seated. Restaurants close at 8 p.m. Per public health regulations, tables will be separated by at least 6 feet, and dining parties are limited to people who are at home together.

San Rafael

A new extension of overhead Tivoli lights will twinkle down on an extended section of Fourth Street, illuminating for the first time June 25. This coincides with the debut of Dining Under the Lights, scheduled from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursdays, when the stretch of Fourth Street from Lincoln Avenue to the West End Village will shut down to vehicle traffic.

Numerous restaurants and bars along this corridor will set up tables and serve on the street, socially distant style. Others are offering takeout only. Many retailers will also be open.

For more information and a listing of open restaurants and businesses, go to downtownsanrafael.org.

Novato

Old Town Novato restaurants and retailers are expanding onto the sidewalk and into the street from 1 p.m. Fridays to 7 a.m. Mondays when Grant Avenue between Reichert and Machin avenues becomes a pedestrian thoroughfare all summer. The street closure facilitates social distancing for visitors and businesses in accordance with the County of Marin guidelines.

For a list of open restaurants and shops, go to downtownnovato.com.

San Anselmo

The town of San Anselmo and its restaurants and merchants are welcoming pedestrian foot traffic for a socially responsible dining and shopping experience on summer evenings from 3 p.m. Fridays to midnight Sundays beginning this week. This encompasses San Anselmo Avenue between Tunstead and Tamalpais avenues and from the Pine Street parking lot to Woodland Avenue.

The new project, “On the Avenue,” allows businesses to spill out onto sidewalks, parking lots and other outdoor spaces, including a new plaza next to the creek (where L’Appart Resto once stood) that is outfitted with redwood picnic tables, sinks, bathrooms and sanitation stations.

For a list of participating restaurants and retailers, go to sananselmoeats.com.

Bake sale for social justice

Diane Cowdry of Marin’s Sweet Diane’s bakery is among more than 3,700 bakers, chefs and home cooks from 16 countries participating in a worldwide Bakers Against Racism event. Proceeds for the bake sale go to an organization that supports social justice causes. For Cowdry, that’s Play Marin, a Marin City organization that recognizes the need for stronger diversity and inclusion in Marin County and values play as an integral component for building friendships, developing skills and teaching life lessons, from organized sports to a simple playdate.

Cowdry’s lemon poppy seed muffins, coconut macaroons and sea salt chocolate cookies go on sale online this week for pickup between noon and 4 p.m. Saturday at Andy’s Local Market at 75 Loch Lomond Drive in San Rafael. Find out more and place orders at sweetdianes.com. For more about Play Marin, go to playmarin.org.

Patio dining

Refer to last week’s Bread and Butter column for additional outdoor dining possibilities.

Sausalito

Sushi Ran’s patio is open from 4 to 9 p.m. daily at 107 Caledonia St. Call 415-332-3520 or go to sushiran.com.

Dine on the patio or in the garden at Sausalito Seahorse from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily at 305 Harbor Drive. Call 415-331-2899 or go to sausalitoseahorse.com.

Mill Valley

Have lunch or dinner on the deck at the Mountain Home Inn from 1 to 7 p.m. daily at 810 Panoramic Highway. Call 415-391-9000 or go to mtnhomeinn.com.

Lighthouse Bar & Grill at Harbor Point is open for limited outdoor dining at 475 East Strawberry Drive. Check hours and menus at lighthouse-restaurants.com.

Outdoor tables at Watershed at the Marin Lumber Yard are first-come, first-seated at 129 Miller Ave. Call 415-888-2406 or go to watershedmv.com.

Larkspur

The oversized patio at Jason’s Restaurant is open from 4 to 8:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays at 300 Drakes Landing Road. Call 415-925-0808 or go to jasonsrestaurant.com.

Marin Brewing Co. at Marin Country Mart has patio dining and food and beer to-go at 1809 Larkspur Landing. Find the hours and menu at marinbrewing.com.

San Rafael

The Tavern on Fourth is partnering with local chef Jim Modesitt of Big Jim’s BBQ who is serving from noon to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. Swish down with one of 10 bottled seasonal craft cocktails that are available for takeout or to enjoy at a newly established outdoor seating zone at 711 Fourth St. Go to thetavernonfourth.com.

The English-style Mayflower Pub is serving food and drinks on the sidewalk at 1533 Fourth St. Call 415-456-1011.

Comfort food, craft cocktails and beer at all set to-go at State Room Brewery. Curbside pickup and delivery is available from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays beginning Wednesday and the patio reopens on Friday at 1132 Fourth St. Call 415-295-7929 or view the limited menu and place your order for pickup or delivery at stateroombrewery.com or through Grubhub.

The patio is open at the Club Restaurant at McInnis Park from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily at 350 Smith Ranch Road. Call 415-491-5990 or go to mcinnisparkgolfcenter.com/restaurant.

Theresa and Johnny’s has outdoor dining from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily at 817 Fourth St. Call 415-259-0182 or go to theresajohnnys.com.

Novato

The sidewalk tables at Marvin’s Breakfast Club are open at 1112 Grant Ave. Call 415-892-4482.

Outdoor dining is poolside at Rickey’s from 3 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays at 250 Entrada Drive. Call 415-870-2990 or go to rickeysrestaurant.com.

Lotus Curry House is now open for takeout and delivery and for dining on the rear patio at 807 Grant Ave. Call 415-408-3911 or check hours and menu at lotuscurryhouse.com.

San Anselmo

Hilda’s Coffee Shop has reopened for takeout Fridays through Sundays and for outdoor dining until 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays in conjunction with the San Anselmo Avenue street closure. It’s at 639 San Anselmo Ave. Call 415-457-9266 or go to hildascoffeeshop.com.

Outdoor dining at Insalata’s begins Friday and will be open for reservations from 5 to 8:30 p.m. nightly at 120 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. Call 415-457-7700 or go to insalatas.com.

The covered outdoor patio at Sushi 69 is open from 3 to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays at 69 Center Blvd. Call 415-459-6969 or go to shallwego69.com.

Leanne Battelle is a freelance food writer. Please email her at ij.lbattelle@gmail.com or follow the Marin dining scene at instagram.com/therealdealmarin.

Times are about to turn in a big way for Marin restaurants. After three months of uncertainty prompting a spectrum of responses, restaurants have been given the green light to let the public dine inside beginning June 29. It’s another gradual step toward revised normalcy.

Those choosing to resume service must complete a COVID-19 Site Specific Plan detailing protocols for mitigating the spread of the coronavirus. That means at least 6 feet between tables, wearing a mask unless food and drink are being consumed, and other operating rules. For a comprehensive explanation of guidelines, go to marinrecovers.com/restaurants.

It remains to be seen whether the deeply challenging landscape a pandemic produces for food establishments will prove to be too much to recover from. But many continue to exhibit resilience and creativity.

Welcome Stillwater

David and Margaret Ruiz have enthusiastically chosen to enter the fray with the brand-new Stillwater restaurant in downtown Fairfax.

“It started out as ‘wouldn’t this be cool’ to entertaining the idea more seriously,” says David Ruiz, who has spent the last two decades in hospitality and owns Junior, a neighborhood cocktail bar in the Mission District of San Francisco.

Not surprisingly, opening a restaurant was a pre-pandemic decision. But the couple feels fortunate that they were able to resume construction after a brief pause and stay on track with their reveal earlier this month, while simultaneously welcoming their first baby.

Stillwater has replaced Tamal at 23 Broadway Blvd., which closed earlier this year. The location brings Margaret Ruiz on a full-circle return not only to the town where she grew up, but also to the spot that was once Café Amsterdam where she worked as a hostess back in the day. Her interior design talents are reflected in the stylish refresh that includes a freshly whitewashed exterior with oversized street-side windows that unveil natural plaster, custom-built wood furniture and soothing earth tones inside.

The couple have teamed up with chef Cameron Myers who is “bringing West Marin offerings a little closer and offering some good veggie options and health-conscious-driven stuff, too.” Until the space fully opens later this month, an abbreviated menu accommodates takeout, delivery and patio diners. It includes highlights like Hog Island oysters; toasted faro and golden beet salad with salty pistachios and baby kale; Alaskan cod fish tacos with cotija, charred corn salsa fresca and chipotle aioli; a fried chicken sandwich; and hand-cut Kennebec fries with dill aioli.

There’s an assortment of natural wines and craft beers on tap or in the can. Cocktails to-go are sealed in bottles of different sizes or are available with ice and garnishes to consume on the exterior patio with fire pit and living fence.

The Stillwater margarita combines blanco tequila, mescal, fresh lime and agave; the alpine sour has gin, rhubarb, amaro, lemon and grapefruit; and a tam 50-50 martini fuses gin and fennel-infused blanc vermouth and orange bitters.

Stillwater is open from 3 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays and noon to 8 p.m. weekends. Check the website at stillwaterfairfax.com for a closer look at the menu and updates on opening hours.

Luna Blu expands

Sicilian seafood restaurant Luna Blu in Tiburon has expanded its San Francisco-facing harbor side deck by opening the wall that adjoins the neighboring business. This adds 1,000-square-feet to the patio and triples the restaurant’s outdoor capacity.

“It gives us the chance to reopen with our full staff and not let anyone go,” says Crystal Azzarello who co-owns the 7-year-old restaurant with her husband and chef, Renzo. “We were able to pay everyone full wages with PPP loan money while we were closed and only offering takeout and delivery.”

If a foggy summer chill kicks up, the deck is outfitted with five gas heaters. Freshly cleaned blankets are available upon request.

Luna Blu is at 35 Main St. and is open from 5 to 8 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays through Sundays and noon to 3 p.m. weekends. Make a reservation at lunablurestaurant.com or call 415-789-5844.

What’s new

Sir and Star at the Olema has been fixing up something special and often thematic for Sunday supper each week. Most recently, it featured hyper-local ingredients in dishes like soup of silken cauliflower and coconut; kimchi fried rice with Dolcini Ranch egg, roasted garlic and spring peas; and shaking beef-style pork belly with barbecued ribs and pickled shishito peppers.

View the takeout menu at sirandstar.com or call 415-663-1034 to place an order in advance for pick up between 3 and 6 p.m. at 10000 Sir Francis Drake Blvd.

Below are a few additions to the June 9 and June 16 Bread & Butter listings of restaurants open for outdoor dining. Most also offer takeout and delivery.

Sausalito

The Farley Bar at Cavallo Point has reopened with expanded outdoor dining on both its upper and lower porches and with new brunch and dinner menus from chef Michael Garcia Thursdays through Sundays and prix-fixe family-style meals on Fridays and Saturdays at 601 Murray Circle. Reservations are required. Call 415-339-4751 or go to cavallopoint.com.

Mill Valley

Plaza seating fronting Pizza Antica is open for dining from 4 to 8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays through Sundays at 800 Redwood Highway. Call 415-383-0600 or go to pizzaantica.com.

Greenbrae

Jason’s Restaurant is open for outdoor dining from 4 to 8:30 p.m. daily at 300 Drakes Landing Road. Call 415-925-0808 or go to jasonsrestaurant.com.

Corte Madera

Pig in a Pickle has the outdoor patio open at 341 Corte Madera Town Center from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Call 415-891-3265 or go to piginapickle.com.

Pacific Catch is serving on its patio at 133 Corte Madera Town Center from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Reserve a table at pacificcatch.com or call 415-927-3474.

Larkspur

The patio under the redwoods at Perry’s is open for reservations and walk-ins from 3 to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and noon to 9 p.m. Fridays through Sundays. Call 415-927-1877 or go to perryssf.com.

Sushi Ko has the patio open from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays and 5 to 8:30 p.m. daily at 1819 Larkspur Landing Circle. Call 415-461-8400 to place a to-go order or go to sushi-ko.com.

Farmshop’s patio is open daily at 2233 Larkspur Landing Circle. Check the menu and hours at farmshopca.com.

The patio at DJ’s Chinese Cuisine at 435 Magnolia Ave. is open from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. View the menu at djchinesecuisine.com or call 415-924-0717.

San Rafael

The patio at Lotus Cuisine of India at 704 Fourth St. is open daily from 5 to 9 p.m. Reservations are recommended. Call 415-456-5808 or go to lotusrestaurant.com.

Le Chalet Basque at 405 North San Pedro Road is back and offering limited food and cocktail menus for contactless takeout and delivery (Dine-In Marin and DoorDash), as well as patio seating from 4 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. This includes its three-course meal with soup of the day, side salad and choice of entrée. Make a reservation to sit on the patio or place to-go orders by calling 415-479-1070 or go to chaletbasque.org.

Fairfax

Cafe Lotus has patio dining at 1912 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. Call 415-457-7836 or go to cafelotus.com.

Iron Springs Brewery is opening for outdoor dining from 4 to 9 p.m. Thursdays and Mondays and noon to 9 p.m. Fridays through Sundays beginning Thursday. Find out more or make a reservation at ironspringspub.com or call 415-485-1005.

COVID-19 closures

An anticipated and unfortunate reality of resuming business during a pandemic, regardless of careful attention to safety protocols, is the risk of employees testing positive for the virus.

Buckeye Roadhouse at 15 Shoreline Highway in Mill Valley has made the decision to cease operations until July 6. When the restaurant reopens, it will serve both indoors and on the patio. Find out further information about the closure at buckeyeroadhouse.com.

Comforts in San Anselmo is also closing temporarily with plans to reopen on June 30. Stay apprised of updates at comfortscafe.com.

Leanne Battelle is a freelance food writer. Please email her at ij.lbattelle@gmail.com or follow the Marin dining scene at instagram.com/therealdealmarin.

Who knew we’d be celebrating this year’s Independence Day by carefully tiptoeing back inside our local restaurants in face masks, absent of the holiday’s boisterous backdrop and scent and stickiness of cotton candy, turkey legs and funnel cakes?

On Monday, restaurants reached the final stage of a progression from takeout and delivery to outdoor dining and, as of this week, the opportunity to sit down and eat at tables set at a distance indoors. It presents trepidation for both diners and businesses as we experience a rising number of coronavirus cases in the county.

Don’t let caution fatigue get the best of you. Help keep the dining public eager to go out content and our challenged restaurants from getting slammed again by wearing a mask. It goes a long way. Check restaurant websites and Instagram for further information and follow the protocols outlined in marinrecovers.com/restaurants to help support a safe reopening.

If staying outside feels best, check the June 10, 17 and 24 Bread & Butter columns, as well as details on street closures covered on June 17. Most open restaurants continue to offer takeout and delivery.

Although it might seem like our national holiday festivities have been cancelled, and certainly public celebrations have been, there are plenty of local places for sweets and baked goods that are ready to provide consolation.

New bakery in Terra Linda

Maybe a jalapeno or herbs de provence biscuit or a chocolate crackle or orange mango bun? Terra Linda resident Lisa Block has uncovered her answer to high-caliber, organic baked goods free of nuts, gluten and dairy, and made with a conservative amount of added sugar at her new Biscuits & Buns.

Severe health issues necessitating a restrictive diet didn’t allay her desire for a fluffy, high-quality biscuit to “slather, smother, dunk or sandwich.” She’d always wanted to go to culinary school and has a knack for baking, so she toyed with developing her own gluten-free flour blend until she perfected the texture of her signature recipes.

Like many businesses operating in the unusual circumstances of a pandemic, her focus has had to shift from catering to a neighborhood retail outlet, where she also offers San Rafael’s Pink Owl Coffee.

Find the new bake shop at 641 Del Ganado Road. It’s open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and 8 to 11 a.m. Sundays. Pre-order and check for updates at biscuitsandbuns.com or call 415-634-5560.

Ethel’s Bagels

If there was ever a time for a culinary professional to bring a food business to fruition, it’s while furloughed and staying at home during a pandemic.

For chef and former Marin resident Nicolas Abrams of the 12-week-old, delivery-based (at least for now) Ethel’s Bagels based in Petaluma, being home-bound has provided him time to focus on developing and finessing the perfect bagel and resurrect food memories of his childhood.

Inspiration came by way of his grandmother Ethel, who would gather her extended family at her West Los Angeles home to feast on the homey Jewish comfort foods from her past days in Brooklyn.

“It all just made sense and this situation gave us the opportunity to really do this,” says his wife, Clare, of the family-born business. She brings her background in retail, while the couple’s son developed the website.

Chef Abrams lends his 30-year career in restaurants. It began in San Francisco at LuLu and Rubicon before he spent time abroad working with esteemed chefs in Europe, followed by Marin’s Buckeye Roadhouse, Hilltop 1892 and Rustic Bakery. Most recently, he was head of the commissary kitchen for the Chalet Restaurant Group that includes Gravity Tavern in Mill Valley.

The old-fashioned, small-batch technique that started at home but has since moved to a commissary kitchen, combines sourdough starter and local organic flour. The dough is hand-rolled, fermented for 24 to 30 hours, boiled in Lagunitas beer and water, and then baked the morning of delivery.

Plain, salt, sesame, poppy seed, onion, everything, cinnamon raisin, pumpernickel and black pepper Parmesan bagels come by the half or baker’s dozen. Or opt for a kit with organic additions such as smoked salmon, capers, prosciutto, tomatoes, shaved red onion and micro pea tendrils. Organic schmears come in plain; chive; pickled shallot and herbs; black garlic and sherry; and wild smoked lox. Whole coffee beans are from Petaluma-based Kuksa Coffee Roasters.

Place orders on the website at ethelsbagels.com or call 707-364-9926 by 6 p.m. Mondays for home delivery ($8) on Thursdays in Marin. Check the website for additional locations and expanded delivery options that are in the works, as well as updates on plans to open a booth at the Marin Country Mart’s Saturday farmers market.

Pop-up bakery

While Ponsford’s Place Bakery in San Rafael has been around for some time, owner Craig Ponsford stepped away from his small shop at 117 Shaver St. three years ago and has since been operating on a limited pop-up basis, usually on Saturday mornings. For the Fourth of July weekend, that shifts to Friday. Hanana Bread is there from 9 a.m. to noon with cheesecake with plum swirl, chocolate chunk cookies with olive oil, chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream, burger buns, pecan granola, scones, bread and more. Place orders by 8 p.m. Wednesday at ponsfordsplace.shopsettings.com. Find out more about Hanana Bread at hananabread.com and the latest about what’s happening at the bakery by following Ponsford’s Place on Facebook or subscribing to the email list at eepurl.com/buBNJX.

Frozen confections

The following ice cream shops are now serving in accordance with proper protocols. Many also deliver.

Lapperts Ice Cream in downtown Sausalito is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays at 689 Bridgeway. View the medley of flavors at lapperts.com.

Posie in Larkspur is serving its organic, inventive flavors, freshly pressed waffle cones and sweet pies at 250B Magnolia Ave. from 1 to 9 p.m. Fridays through Sundays. For more information, call 415-891-8395.

The line almost always goes out the door at 9-year-old Fairfax Scoop. With 6 feet between waiting customers, it may well wind around the corner for the organic, ultra-creamy scratch ice cream served in a house-made waffle cone or cup for which you’ll need to bring your own spoon. It’s open noon to 10 p.m. daily at 63 Broadway Blvd. For more information, call 415-453-3130.

Hand-churned frozen yogurt is made to order at Loving Cup at 298 Bon Air Center in Greenbrae from 1:30 to 6 pm. daily. Call 415-578-2541 or go to lovingcup.com.

Easy Breezy Town Center is open for organic, scratch-made frozen yogurt, custard and dairy-free soft serve and toppings at 119 Town Center Corte Madera. Hours are noon to 8 p.m. weekdays and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekends. Call 415-886-8925 or go to easy-breezy.com.

Double Rainbow in San Rafael has a full menu of savory sandwiches and coffee drinks in addition to its broad array of frozen desserts. It’s open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturdays at 860 Fourth St. in San Rafael. Call 415-457-0803 or go to doublerainbowcafe.com.

Old-fashioned, homemade Silbermann’s Ice Cream is open from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays at 196 Northgate One in San Rafael. Call 415-479-1657 or go to silbermanns.com.

La Michoacana Natural Ice Cream in Novato uses home-style recipes from Mexico, including fruit paletas, and is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursdays through Tuesdays and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesdays at 1219 Grant Ave. Find out more at shoplocalnovato.com/business/la-michoacana.

Tuttimelon at the Vintage Oaks Shopping Center in Novato has nonfat frozen yogurt and gourmet gelato and sorbets, and is open from 1 to 9 p.m. daily at 132 Vintage Way. Call 415-897-6900 or go to tuttimelonnovato.com.

The three-decades-old Gelato in San Anselmo is open from noon until sunset at 572 San Anselmo Ave. Call 415-455-8833 or go to sananselmogelato.com.

Froyo shop Swirl at Redhill Shopping Center is open from noon to 8 p.m. daily at 916 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. Call 415-457-7947 or go to swirlsa.com.

Leanne Battelle is a freelance food writer. Please email her at ij.lbattelle@gmail.com or follow the Marin dining scene at instagram.com/therealdealmarin.

Just when restaurants almost hit the one-week mark of welcoming diners indoors, Marin County officials retracted permission in response to the county’s recent rise in coronavirus cases.

But there are still plenty of alternatives to cooking at home. Outdoor spaces remain open. Or if takeout or delivery is preferred, a number of businesses have sprouted that — like restaurants — provide an eclectic menu of possibilities for lunch or dinner.

I had the pleasure of savoring the culinary talents of identical twin sisters and Marin residents Mary Barber and Sara Whiteford during their six years operating Thymes Two Catering back in the 1990s, and have made a few recipes from their many cookbooks. Now they’ve transformed their cooking to embrace our current climate.

The two have brought their Southern-style, California sensibilities and dietary know-how to their “quarantine project.” Each week, they create a full menu of dishes and post an order form online with pickup and delivery details. Their recent offerings included crispy carnitas, garlic-marinated grilled shrimp, and black bean and corn salad, along with gluten-free “cookie dough” cookies and recipes and tips for making guacamole with cilantro and salsa fresca with lime zest. A percentage of their profits goes to Eat REAL, a nonprofit that works with school district food service leaders to offer healthier food.

Find out more about Barber and Whiteford and their other endeavors at maryandsara.com. Or follow them at instagram.com/maryandsara.

Soul Kitchen Marin is a pandemic-born takeout business that pays close attention to offering comforting, organic meals at an affordable price. Trey and Angelica Mitchell have capitalized on his extensive restaurant experience, although both are doing the cooking since her work stopped in March.

“He’s the mastermind, but I do the business aspect and the aesthetics,” she says, while praising his skill in recipe development.

This week’s sold-out to-go package ($14 lunch, $18 dinner) contains organic, free-range stewed chicken in coconut curry sauce with potatoes, rainbow carrots, West Indian curry, sage and shallots with butter rice, honey habanero broccoli and yams. Party-size options for between four and 20 diners are also available and can be delivered. Otherwise, pickup is on Tiburon Boulevard in San Rafael until the couple moves to a commercial kitchen in Fairfax.

The menu is posted three to five days prior to the pickup date on instagram.com/soulkitchenmarin. Orders are taken by direct message or send a text to 415-448-6055. Email questions to soulkitchenmarin@gmail.com.

Organic catering company A Fork Full of Earth has reformatted operations and now has an online marketplace for ordering meals for individuals or “your next small gathering, family meal, road trip or late-night nosh.”

“The food we are creating continues to be focused on California’s wild abundance, though now we are designing items that people can enjoy at home,” says Jasmine Guyer, director of sales.

Menus change weekly and include one or two entrees with protein; a seasonal side dish; one or two seasonal vegetable preparations; a grain and a pickle. This week, take a tour of Asia with slow-roasted pork shoulder with shallots, garlic, soy sauce, ginger, lime, cilantro and brown sugar served on a bed of vermicelli noodles and tossed with cilantro, mint, Thai basil, pickled red onion and daikon. An array of dishes from Japan, Thailand, Korea and China come on the side, including savory chicken meatballs with Chinese five-spice and tom kha soup with kaffir lime, lemongrass, ginger and garlic in a coconut broth with mushrooms, carrots, Thai chilies, torpedo onion and cilantro.

The order window opens at noon Friday and closes at noon the following Tuesday. Pickup is noon to 1:30 p.m. Fridays and deliveries ($60 minimum) are from noon and 4 p.m. A loyalty program has been launched that incentivizes referrals from repeat customers. Sign up for the weekly email or place an order at forkfull.com located at 1605 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. in Fairfax.

Richard and Andrea Visconte, founders of Visconte Catering, continue to offer gourmet comfort food, frozen to-go for delivery in Marin, San Francisco and Napa.

Find the order form with a drop-down list of dishes like Indonesian beef short rib curry with red rice and bok chow mui; stuffed eggplant with ground lamb, pine nuts and crumbled feta; or pulled pork enchiladas with papilla sofrito, tomatillo sauce, cheese and corn tortillas at chefvisconte.com. Call 415-897-6543 with questions.

RH opens

RH Marin, the Gallery at the Village has arrived in Corte Madera. Over the past two years, the charcoal grey Venetian plaster and reflective glass structure, housing 60,000-square-feet of luxury furnishings and an elegant restaurant, has prominently risen to stately heights in the mall’s central parking zone.

For now, the lower two of its three levels are open to shoppers, but the Rooftop Restaurant and wine bar and adjacent park-like courtyards with 100-year-old heritage olive trees and sculptured evergreens temporarily closed Sunday night, along with all Marin indoor dining spaces.

RH Marin is at 1750 Redwood Highway in Corte Madera. Stay tuned for much more about the space and menus when the restaurant doors reopen.

Bastille Day

Left Bank Brasserie in Larkspur is getting in the spirit of Bastille Day, July 14, with additions to its regular French menu from Friday through Tuesday. This includes fried confit chicken with vinegar slaw, mustard potato salad and roasted corn; grilled sausage with heirloom tomato and cucumber salad, basil vinaigrette and French fries; steak au poivre with pepper-crusted prime sirloin steak, brandy green peppercorn sauce, truffle potato gratin and broccolini; and a fresh berry tartelette with Cointreau cream as well as French-inspired cocktails.

Take your meal to-go or dine on the corner patio at 507 Magnolia Ave. For more information or to make a reservation, go to LeftBank.com or call 415-927-3331.

Drive-by fair food

Missing giant corndogs, funnel cake, cotton candy, caramel apples, churros, kettle corn and strawberry lemonade? The festive Fourth of July spirit returns to the Marin County fairgrounds from July 10 through 12 and 17 through 19 with traditional fair food favorites available for drive-thru pickup from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the parking lot of the Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium in San Rafael. Drive-by fairgoers are asked to enter the car line on Avenue of the Flags where employees will take orders and collect payment. The menu will be available on the fair’s Instagram and Facebook pages @marincountyfair.

Leanne Battelle is a freelance food writer. Send her an email at ij.lbattelle@gmail.com with your comments, food news or restaurant recommendations. Or you can follow the Marin dining scene at instagram.com/therealdealmarin.

“Our county is not as affluent as it looks” is a statement that holds mounting validity, particularly for people like Judi Shils, founder and executive director of Sausalito-based Conscious Kitchen. The organization has provided hot, healthy, organic meals to underserved schoolchildren in Marin City and the East Bay since 2013. But when COVID-19 forced schools to close in March, the landscape of need escalated.

“We realized we can’t feed the kids without feeding their families,” Shils says. This includes a growing number of individuals out of work for the first time. “Because we had trained staff in place, an already operating kitchen and a strong organic supply chain, we were able to scale up.”

With funding from nationally mobilized World Central Kitchen and others, she’s been able to expand services to seniors as well as front-line workers.

Since the organization is not able to utilize school kitchens this fall, Conscious Kitchen is looking for a low- or no-rent space through at least the coming school year, giving them time to continue while figuring out the long-term bigger picture.

“We are looking at how to retool a kitchen in the county while utilizing the many resources we already have to catalyze a movement around healthy food for all people,” she says. “There are culinary professionals out of work and churches, restaurants and other spaces that are sitting empty.”

There are a few ways to help. If you have a suggestion for a kitchen space, email Shils at Judi@turninggreen.org. To donate, go to consciouskitchen.org/donate. Or participate in the Conscious Kitchen x Tomatero Farm buy one, give one farm box program by purchasing a bounty of organic produce for yourself and for a family or senior in need ($40 veggies, $49 with Nicasio Valley Cheese and $30 for a flat of strawberries). Email orders to info@consciouskitchen.org and instructions will be provided. Pickup is Tuesdays in Sausalito.

Making cooking easier

Meandering among the extra-virgin olive oils, balsamic vinegars and gourmet, chef-made grocery items in the Amphora Nueva tasting room in San Anselmo is sure to land you a few new options for the home pantry as well a handful of suggestions on how to use them.

While waiting for the shop to reopen, owner Claire Lo Coco shares recipes for a balsamic vodka bergamot cocktail and summer stone fruit salad. Call 415-459-8832 to place orders for curbside pickup from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily at 429 San Anselmo Ave. Find more cooking inspiration at instagram.com/amphoranuevasananselmo.

Tiburon’s Local Spicery is a home cook’s muse for creative, flavorful recipes using every conceivable small-batch spice, herb, salt or blend made in a state-of-the-art mill. Find the whole array at localspicery.com. Save on shipping by ordering online with the coupon code “Tiburon pickup” or call the store at 415-435-1100 and collect curbside Thursdays through Mondays at 80 Main St.

Head to the movies

Greenbrae’s Bon Air shopping center’s spacious oak tree on the west side of the parking lot becomes a free theater this summer with the monthly Drive-in to the Movies operated in partnership with the Lark Theater. The next feature films on the large inflatable screen are a sold-out showing of “Dirty Dancing” on Thursday and “Flashdance” on Aug. 20. Boxed dinner specials take the place of popcorn and are furnished by Roadrunner Burrito, Gott’s, Oyama Sushi, Patxi’s Pizza and Mollie Stone’s Markets.

Tickets are by advance purchase only at Larktheater.net and donations to the nonprofit theater are encouraged. Gates open at 7:30 p.m. Social distancing and masks are required when guests are outside personal vehicles. For more information, visit bonair.com or larkspurchamber.org or call 415-461-0200.

Getting hands-on

The Culinary Dude’s hands-on camps are back this summer following strict COVID-19 protocols. The first part of the day is spent making recipes oriented around a theme and the second half is for eating, with skills in food safety, kitchen etiquette and table manners built in. Lunch is included.

Three five-day sessions remain that feature recipes inspired by “Harry Potter” (July 20 through 24), “Jumanji” (July 27 through 31) and “Star Wars” (Aug. 3 through 6). Camps take place at St. Hilary School at 765 Hilary Drive in Tiburon ($475). Camps are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with early drop-off and late pickup options. Registration information can be found at TheCulinaryDude.com.

Leanne Battelle is a freelance food writer. Please email her at ij.lbattelle@gmail.com or follow the Marin dining scene at instagram.com/therealdealmarin.

RECIPES

Amphora Nueva’s balsamic vodka bergamot cocktail

1 cup lemon juice

3/4 cup super-fine sugar

4 cups cold water

2 to 3 tablespoons Amphora Nueva Sicilian Lemon White Balsamic Vinegar (more or less to taste)

1 cup vodka (substitute tonic water for a non-alcoholic option)

Combine lemon juice, sugar and water in a large pitcher and mix to combine. Add the vinegar to taste. Add vodka and stir. Garnish with bergamot twist or your favorite citrus and fresh mint.

Amphora Nueva’s summer stone fruit salad

2 to 4 peaches or nectarines, or a mix of the two

1/2 pint strawberries

1/4 cup Amphora Nueva Persian Lime Olive Oil

1/4 cup Amphora Nueva Honey-Ginger White Balsamic Vinegar

Mint to garnish

Sliced almonds (optional)

Slice fruit. Emulsify/shake oil and vinegar in a mason jar. Pour over fruit and mix thoroughly. Chill for 10 minutes prior to serving, mixing with a spoon just before plating. Add mint for garnish.

Restaurant chefs aren’t the only ones getting access to the finest culinary goods. As COVID-19 forces dining rooms to limit capacity, kitchens have reduced output, allowing home cooks to get access to the wholesale ingredient building blocks usually reserved for high-end restaurant menus.

The partners behind San Francisco-based Four Star Seafood & Provisions includes former fisherman and Mill Valley native Cain Monti and two former chefs, Adrian Hoffman and Ishmael Macias. They joined forces five years ago to open the wholesale supply company and showcase a deep commitment to sourcing high-quality fish straight from the sea. What they’ve become is a chef-curated grocery delivery service.

Four Star continues to sell top-notch seafood to Marin restaurants such as Buckeye Roadhouse, Bungalow 44, Madcap, Guesthouse, Picco and Poggio. But a significant part of the business has become selling directly to consumers.

“We’re open six days a week with a full crew putting out consistently better seafood than you can get anywhere else and without price gouging,” Monti says.

The team has put together a more simplified selection to appeal to a broad range of customers.

“Chefs are artists and sometimes want products that will provide them room to display their creativity, like sea cucumbers, gooseneck barnacles and sea robins,” Monti says.

While these might have a place on a sophisticated restaurant menu, this breadth of expression is not as desirable when being served up food in a to-go container.

The online menu includes local wild king salmon, petrale sole, halibut, black cod and shellfish, as well as Maine lobsters, abalone, Oregon Bay shrimp meat, periwinkles and much more. They also have a selection of meats, prepared foods, fresh produce, meal kits, pantry provisions and desserts as they display solidarity with other local businesses and farms trying to stay afloat.

Go to fourstarseafood.com or call 415-379-0936 to place orders for same or next-day delivery Mondays through Saturdays to much of the San Francisco Bay Area, including most of Marin.

Glass half full

When Chris and Lindsey Wanner decided to open West Coast Wine • Cheese in downtown Mill Valley 15 months ago, they intended to provide a relaxed, neighborhood setting and intimate wine tasting experience similar to what they offer at their first location in San Francisco.

But a pandemic and a stay-home mandate run counter to hospitality, so in March, they faced an imminent threat to their livelihood and life’s dream. Without the option to expand service outdoors at either location, the couple decided to put their dynamic, extensive wine list on wheels and begin offering free delivery in Marin County.

“I believe delivery service is the catalyst we needed to become a true part of the community and to make it to the other side of this pandemic,” Chris Wanner says.

The virtual endeavor has also proven that high-caliber wine bars are as much about the wines as they are the socially pleasing, comradery-provoking setting. The Wanners offer a constantly rotating selection of more than 350 limited production West Coast wines that just garnered them Wine Spectator’s Best of Award of Excellence in the annual 2020 Restaurant Award issue that recently hit newsstands.

Their new online ordering website also offers a curated menu of cheeses from Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co., Cowgirl Creamery, Marin French Cheese and more, as well as charcuterie and pairings. Cheers to what the Wanners hope is providing a little respite in these uncertain times. Place orders at westcoastsf.com or call 415-376-9720.

Delivering hope

Redwood High School alum Gabriel Johnson, executive director of nonprofit Food for Hope, along with a team of more than 40 college students, have mobilized in response to both COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement.

“It has been incredibly inspiring and rewarding not only to know that we are helping others, but also to be part of this group of people who are motivated to do good,” Johnson writes in an email.

The student-run organization continues to deliver food to members of the community, volunteer at food banks across California and make masks (500 and counting).

But why stop there?

The team has furthered its efforts to bolster unity at a distance by hosting a free, three-hour concert fundraiser at 5 p.m. Aug. 1. The diverse group of participating musicians includes Tam District High School alumni and local and professional performers.

“A music festival allows us, along with our peers, teachers and friends to use our talents and passion to express our message,” he says.

They are working with Performing Stars of Marin to fundraise for the Arts+ Bayside MLK Jr. Foundation.

“Our goal is to promote educational opportunities for underrepresented youth by providing students with instruments and lessons, something particularly important during quarantined life when there are so few productive and enriching things to do,” Johnson says.

Find out more at food4hope.us, where a link to the upcoming concert will be posted.

Leanne Battelle is a freelance food writer. Please email her at ij.lbattelle@gmail.com or follow the Marin dining scene at instagram.com/therealdealmarin.

There’s uplifting news to report from Corte Madera. Organic, fast food and all-vegetarian restaurant Amy’s Drive Thru is set to open Aug. 4.

It’s been hard to miss the wood structure being erected off northbound Highway 101 on the site of the former Denny’s, the half-century-old all-American chain of diners that closed this location in 2014.

“We are thrilled to join the Corte Madera community and hope to bring joy and convenience to our neighbors and visitors during these challenging times and beyond,” says David Wolfgram, Amy’s Drive Thru strategic advisor, in a recent press release.

As for the timing of the opening during a pandemic, the 98-seat patio generously accommodates social distancing while takeout dining is facilitated by a single drive-thru lane.

“During these unusual times, I know many of us will appreciate being able to drive through for some wholesome and delicious comfort food,” says Corte Madera mayor Eli Beckman.

The interior of the retro-style space is illuminated by bold colors and expansive windows. It holds seating for 68 diners, but will remain off-limits until the public health mandate on indoor dining is lifted.

The sustainably focused café that emphasizes wholesomeness and efficiency presents a departure from conventional fast food. The menu highlights an assortment of made-to-order vegetarian meals made from organic, non-GMO ingredients. This includes classic American favorites such as burgers, macaroni and cheese, chili, grilled cheese sandwiches, salads and fries, in addition to smoothies, milkshakes, kombucha, cold brew coffee, ginger mint lemonade, root beer and more. Items can be tailored to a number of dietary preferences, including gluten-free, non-dairy and vegan.

The eco-friendly building is powered by 42 solar panels, has a native plant green roof and provides two electric car charging stations.

The family-owned Amy’s brand is an extension of Petaluma-based Amy’s Kitchen, an accessible natural foods pioneer started by the Berliner family in 1987. Its first standalone location debuted in Rohnert Park in 2015; another opened at the San Francisco International Airport in 2019.

Amy’s will be open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily at 5839 Paradise Drive. Find out more at amysdrivethru.com or call 415-737-0655.

Tastes of Mexico

Milton Meza and Hagel Meza, who are not related, say that the opening of Sabor a Mexico on Fourth Street in San Rafael in June was “not part of the plan.” But the business partners and friends were intent on addressing what they believed was lacking in local Mexican cuisine.

“We would go out to eat and feel like a lot of the food we would get didn’t taste like what we knew in Mexico but more like a fast-food concept, so we started gathering our family recipes,” Milton Meza says.

While the two owners do the cooking in the open kitchen, he says that all of the flavors come from their wives, who handle the daily preparations.

“Everything on menu is fresh and has something to do with the family and our traditions,” he says.

The co-owners considered delaying their June 25 opening date given the current pandemic restrictions on restaurants, but decided to time it with San Rafael’s first Dining Under the Lights event, when Fourth Street is closed to traffic. The street becomes an outdoor dining corridor between Lincoln Avenue and West End Village between 5 to 9 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays. This will continue through October.

As for the menu, “half of the plates are from Mexico City and the others are from all around Mexico,” Meza says. Favorites include appetizers like molotes, a corn-based, filled and fried pastry that originates in Oaxaca. He also mentions the original tortilla soup; street tacos; posole; and grandma’s enmoladas, or chicken enchiladas smothered with mole sauce.

“Everything is fresh every day,” he says.

The restaurant fills the space left vacant by Indian restaurant and grocery Lotus Chaat & Spices that closed in September. The family did a full remodel, establishing an open kitchen with a bar counter where beer, wine and margaritas made with agave wine are served.

“Before COVID, our idea was to create an open area where you can see who’s cooking your food,” Milton Meza says. That might not be happening at present, but for now, the restaurant has a street side patio that’s open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily at 1559 Fourth St. The restaurant does not have a website but can be contacted at 415-306-9404.

Special events

Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co., home of the coastal pastoral cows that produce an array of award-winning artisan cheeses, is inviting guests back to the farm for a Michelin-star culinary experience.

On two consecutive weekends in August, the Fork, the farm’s state-of-the-art kitchen and dining facility, will offer four-course alfresco lunches in partnership with San Francisco’s SPQR restaurant. Chef Matthew Accarrino has crafted an Italian-style meal that starts with a cheese board and house-made accompaniments. The menu includes an herb focaccia served with a whipped cultured butter made with Point Reyes Original Blue. The gelato is made with Point Reyes’ newest cheese, a soft-ripened, bloomy-rind cheese called Quinta.

Each week features a different guest vintner offering wine pairings for each course. These include Scribe Winery, Reeve Wines, West of Temperance Winery and Raft Wines.

Reservations are sold per table of two to eight guests ($115 or more per person, including tax and service fee) and are available on Aug. 14, 16, 22 and 23 at 11:30 a.m., noon, 2:30 and 3 p.m. at spatially distanced tables on the farm’s garden patio. Some table sizes and time slots are sold out.

Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. is also offering public and private Zoom tastings at 4 p.m. Friday and Aug. 7 led by a cheese concierge who will guide viewers through a selection of favorites and offer pairing suggestions, cooking tips and storage advice. Or check the website about scheduling a private, personalized virtual tasting.

The Fork is at Robert Giacomini Dairy at 14700 State Highway 1 in Point Reyes Station. For more details or to make reservations for the dining pop-up or virtual experiences, go to pointreyescheese.com.

Leanne Battelle is a freelance food writer. Please email her at ij.lbattelle@gmail.com or follow the Marin dining scene at instagram.com/therealdealmarin.

Looking for new COVID-compliant place to eat out? The Junction, an outdoor pizzeria and beer garden, has just opened in southern Mill Valley. A parking lot entry leads to an expansive, landscaped courtyard with fire pits, Adirondack chairs and picnic tables. Orders are taken and payment is made at the table by mobile device.

The fortuitously timed concept is a joint venture between Marin residents Jeff Krupman, of San Francisco’s Pizza Hacker, and former Loving Cup owners Liz and Dez Fiedler, who chose Krupman to handle the food side of the business while they operate the beverage component.

Krupman has been a devoted pizza maker since 1994 when he converted a Weber grill into what became his legendary, wood-burning, mobile pizza oven, the “Franken-Weber.”

“It was fun, but I don’t miss it,” he says. “My clothes no longer reek of smoke for one thing.”

His first brick-and-mortar location, PizzaHacker, opened in San Francisco’s Bernal Heights neighborhood in 2013.

These days, Krupman uses an electric Swedish PizzaMaster oven to make his 14-inch pies. The naturally leavened dough recipe is based on San Francisco’s Tartine Bakery’s renowned country bread sourdough method. The mozzarella is house-stretched and the tomatoes for the sauce are dry-farmed Early Girls.

There are nine pizza combinations on the menu such as the top-shelf margarita topped with bariana olive oil, Alderwood smoked salt, fresh basil and grana padano; the Yo Vinny with marinated onions, pickled goat horn peppers and hot Italian sausage; and the Romeo with house-made organic grass-fed meatballs and ricotta.

Supplement the meal with one of two salads — kale Caesar or the intermezzo with romaine, chicories, carrot, cucumber, chickpeas, farm egg, radish and poppy seed dressing.

The Fiedlers sold their 10-year-old, made-to-order frozen yogurt business to cafe and bakery chain La Boulangerie in 2018. Dez Fiedler, a former attorney with a self-proclaimed beer obsession, had set his sights on opening a beer garden to share his regional favorites that include small-batch, California microbrews with limited distribution. The list can be found at thejunc.com.

How did the team meet? “It was our mutual plumber, Peter Romeo (the namesake of the meatball pizza), who introduced us as I was moving from Oakland to Sausalito,” Krupman says. “I had actually been very interested in Tam Junction as a site for a pizzeria for many years, so I was onboard before I had even met the Fiedlers or seen the site.”

Stop in between 1 and 9 p.m. weekdays or 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekends (hours subject to change) at 226 Shoreline Highway. Pickup and delivery will start at a later date, and naturally leavened, handmade bagels under the moniker BagelMacher are coming soon.

Once our pandemic restrictions are lifted, 3,000-square-feet of indoor space allows for further expansion and gathering, and there’s additional room for live music.

Find up-to-date information at thejunc.com and thepizzahacker.com.

French-style bakery

If you haven’t strolled San Anselmo Avenue in San Anselmo recently or dined outside on weekends when the street closes to car traffic, you may not have noticed that French restaurant L’Appart Resto has been razed and is now a woodchip-covered expanse of public picnic tables.

Parisian executive chef Alexandre De Jesus, the former restaurant’s co-owner, has also undergone a reinvention with the recent opening of Petit Lulu, a French-style bakery that offers sweet and savory pies and tarts for delivery in Marin County or curbside pickup in Corte Madera.

The chef has a slew of visually enticing pies, tarts and cakes viewable at petitlulupatisserie.com. This includes a French tart filled with zucchini, caramelized onions, mushrooms, olives, anchovies and tomatoes; goat cheese and veggie quiche; strawberry mousse tart, pate sable and creme mousseline topped with fruits, chocolate shavings and mint leaves; in-season fruit pies; an assortment of fancy French cakes; and much more.

The patisserie is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 9 a.m. to noon Sundays. Call or text 415-271-0860 or email petitlulupatisserie@gmail.com to place delivery or pickup orders a minimum of 24 hours in advance. The address is provided after ordering.

Cooking with summer produce

Agricultural Institute of Marin is marking National Farmers Market Week (Aug. 2 through 8) by offering Market to Kitchen Virtual Cooking Classes with chef Tony Adams, director of Sausalito’s Cavallo Point Lodge Cooking School.

Choose from two recipes that showcase a bounty of summer produce, receive a list for shopping at one of the scheduled farmers market during the week of Aug. 10 and cook alongside chef Adams during a virtual class from 5 to 6 p.m. Aug. 15 (miso-glazed salmon with mushrooms and vegetable fried rice) or 16 (seared steaks with garlic bread and summertime vegetable panzanella salad).

Sign up at agriculturalinstitute.org/cooking-class/#reserve by Aug. 13. Tickets are $37, with proceeds going to the Farmers Market Assistance Fund to support AIM programs that help sustain the farmers markets and bring fresh produce to community members.

Chef Adams is the author of the recently published cookbook and YouTube channel, “Fill in the Food.” He teaches readers and viewers how to cook by method and technique rather than specific recipe ingredients and steps. He also offers private virtual cooking classes. Find more at fillinthefood.com.

Leanne Battelle is a freelance food writer. Please email her at ij.lbattelle@gmail.com or follow the Marin dining scene at instagram.com/therealdealmarin.

The perpetual line of patrons outside Puerto Rican favorite Sol Food in San Rafael just might let up a bit with the debut of its offshoot, Viqtor Food. The takeout restaurant is now open for online pickup directly across the street from the San Rafael original or for delivery through Caviar.

The menu features snacks, salads, sandwiches, soups, stews, casseroles, egg dishes and sides. Highlights includes fried green plantains with melted jack cheese and habanero lime; the Sol bowl with chopped greens, black beans, avocado, pickled pink onion, plain yogurt and lime, with the option to add shredded chicken, carrots and beets or pan-fried garlic and prawns; pork rib sandwich with pickled onion and pink mayo on tostones; spicy coconut stew; and the classic half rotisserie chicken plate served with black beans, avocado, red sauce, pickled onion and corn tortillas.

Match your meal with a selection of fresh juices, sodas, teas and organic espresso drinks. Co-owners Marisol “Sol” Hernandez and Victor Cielo’s latest venture also offers adult beverages, including Japanese beer and sake.

Viqtor Food is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays at 902 Lincoln Ave. in San Rafael. Go to viqtorfood.com or call 415-451-4765.

Flores is back

The fiesta at Flores resumed on Monday after its temporary closure in March following the stay-at-home order. The 18-month-old upscale Mexican restaurant that filled the oversized space once housed by P.F. Chang’s at the Corte Madera Town Center took the pause in service to revamp its outdoor dining space. The redesign introduces semi-private booths outfitted with partitions and heat lamps. Takeout and delivery (DoorDash and Caviar) are also available.

The slightly updated menu showcases traditional dishes and flavors, and draws on family recipes. This includes soups, small plates, tacos and roasted meat and fish plates with sides. Burritos and burrito bowls are new additions to the lunch menu. The full bar offers signature cocktails and an extensive selection of mezcals, tequilas, beer and wine.

Flores is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily with brunch service from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekends at 301 Corte Madera Town Center in Corte Madera. Walk-in service is available or make reservations at Opentable.com. For more information about the restaurant, go to floressf.com or call 415-500-5145.

Classic to-go

“If you can’t go big, go small” has been the motto of a number of Marin-based catering companies responding to the coronavirus pandemic. After 13 years leading the culinary component of large-scale events, Classic Culinaire in Novato is now offering its locally inspired and sourced meals to-go.

Entrees are designed to serve two diners and include comfort-centric dishes like grilled pork tenderloin with peach chutney; wild Pacific salmon cakes; Asian-style baby back ribs; chicken Parmesan; harvest mushroom pies; heirloom tomato and basil soup; chocolate lava cake and more.

According to operations manager Marcus Wojtkowiak, these are prepared in accordance with COVID-19 safety standards and preserved to be refrigerated for up to five days.

“Oven heating instructions are included so our dishes come out perfectly fresh,” he says.

Order ahead from 2 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays at classicculinaire.com. Pickup is at 1555 South Novato Blvd. and delivery can be arranged through DoorDash.

Patagonia spices

Eager to add some fresh zing to what’s cooking on the grill? Sausalito-based Patagonia Provisions, the food division of the outdoor gear and apparel brand, is launching its first collection of organic spices. The idea was inspired by the complexly flavored aji molido, a mild red chili that’s grown at 8,200 feet in Argentina’s Salta region.

Patagonia’s founder Yvon Chouinard was introduced to the aji molido in 1968 when he was sidelined by weather on a climbing expedition. He waited it out among a group of Patagonian gauchos who boosted their campfire mutton with chimichurri, an Argentine pepper sauce. The authentic flavor made such an impression on him that now, 50 years later, he’s joined forces with the company’s partners in Argentina to source the impressionable chili in powdered form on its own or in two spice blends: chimichurri with dehydrated red bell pepper and taco seasoning with salt, cumin and dehydrated onion, garlic, paprika and oregano. More products are on the horizon.

Spices come in boxes made of recyclable paper from FSC-certified sustainable forestry operations. Find these and the full line of Patagonia Provision products at patagoniaprovisions.com.

Music in the Yard

Restaurants at the Mill Valley Lumber Yard are capitalizing on the expanse of outdoor space beneath the redwoods for socially distanced dining. The experience is energized by live music from noon to 2 p.m. Saturdays during Lunchtime Lumber Yard.

Hear live music over a nutritionally dense bowl from BŌL Superfood Café; gluten-free, plant-based tartines, salads, toasts, breads and baked goods from Flourcraft Bakery; or a seasonally inspired lunch or dinner from Watershed restaurant. The indie pop and soul voice of Rebecca Mimiaga, daughter of Victoria Mimiaga who has an art studio in the complex, is up next on Aug. 21.

Find the full list of shops, services and events at millvalleylumberyard.com.

Leanne Battelle is a freelance food writer. Please email her at ij.lbattelle@gmail.com or follow the Marin dining scene at instagram.com/therealdealmarin.

When it was clear that the pandemic would halt social gatherings for the foreseeable future, it was time for San Rafael chef Rozanna Ogneva to redefine her local catering business.

“I lost it all because of COVID,” she says.

But her long-standing desire to open a restaurant coupled with what she sees as a rising interest in plant-based menus propelled her to open pop-up restaurant VeeGees in San Rafael’s West End in July.

Her own transition to plant-based was inspired by her daughter, Anna Rios-Salas, a local registered dietitian and food blogger who posts her vegan recipes at Instagram.com/healthysimpleyum.

Ogneva says that moving to a restaurant format was a leap of faith.

“I didn’t want to put all my eggs in one a basket,” she says.

She’s been gradually testing her recipes, utilizing the Fourth Street space where she operated her catering kitchen.

“Plant-based is amazing,” she says. “There are so many things you can do.”

The menu continues to evolve as she figures out what people like.

“I get bored in the kitchen, so I always have to do something new, but I keep the favorites on there,” she says.

Most recently, the menu featured a Wine Country picnic platter with house-made artisan cultured nut cheese, hummus and seasonal house jam; roasted mushroom empanadas with salsa verde dipping sauce; “mermaid roll ups” made with seaweed mock ahi, carrots, roasted red peppers, green onion and soy dipping sauce; cauliflower wings with ranch sauce; and quinoa salad with kale, onions, pumpkin seeds, local peaches and maple Dijon dressing or Fairfax blackberry plum reduction. She makes her own brioche rolls for the Impossible burger, organic tortillas for the little amigo tacos and mozzarella for her pizzas.

Desserts?

“I make a super-moist, glazed carrot cake that tastes like a doughnut,” she says.

You might also find cherry and apricot hand pies, vegan chocolate chip cookies and gluten-free, vegan oatmeal cookies.

Ogneva has been running her catering business, Chef Rozanna (formerly Are You Being Served), since 1995. She lays claim to being the first caterer to offer exclusively organic food to her clients.

“I used to drive to farms in Petaluma to do my sourcing,” she says.

For now, VeeGees is open for curbside pickup and limited outdoor dining by advanced reservations only during San Rafael’s Dining Under the Lights from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays at 1537 Fourth St., next to the Mayflower Pub in San Rafael. She is closed this week, but reopens Aug. 27.

She plans to eventually move to strictly takeout in October when the weather shifts and she can’t serve outside, and is hoping to eventually establish something more permanent.

Go to veegeescuisine.com or facebook.com/veegeescuisine for additional information, including schedule and menu updates and catering information. To place reservations for outdoor dining or for to-go orders, call or text 415-328-0714.

Marinitas is back

After a more than four-month closure following stay-at-home orders in March, San Anselmo Latin restaurant Marinitas has reopened for takeout in compliance with established COVID-19 safety guidelines.

“It feels so great being back again among the community,” writes general manager Lauren Enos. “Chef Frank (Villa) couldn’t stop smiling — through his mask, of course — as he is in his element and for myself, seeing our regulars and the familiar faces has my heart full.”

Marinitas is open from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays for takeout, curbside pickup and, starting this Wednesday, outdoor dining.

The menu is slightly abbreviated, but has the usual tacos, enchiladas, salads, carnitas and tres leches cake. Bar offerings for takeout include four margaritas and half-off bottles of wine, with more cocktail offerings when dining in.

Find additional menu information at marinitas.com or call 415-454-8900 to place an order. Waitlist reservations for dining on-site are taken in person at 218 Sir Francis Drake Blvd.

Marinitas co-owners Heidi and Mark Krauling reopened the kitchen of their sister restaurant, Insalata’s, in April to provide meals for individuals in need through local nonprofit ExtraFood and added takeout, delivery and outdoor dining in early May.

Gumdrops pitched to moms

Handcrafted CBD-infused confections company, Molly Jones, is molding gumdrops made in small batches by a local chef. The business is based in Mill Valley and founded and run by town resident Shaina Kerrigan, who is intent on educating women about the benefits of CBD edibles.

Like most candy makers, Kerrigan emphasizes the sweet flavors (berry and limited, seasonal additions like lemon lavender and plum cardamom) and smart packaging. But she also highlights the company’s wellness expertise and its simple ingredients and chef-driven recipes.

To purchase or for more information, go to mollyjones.com.

HopMonk now caters

HopMonk Tavern in Novato, Sonoma and Sebastopol is expanding beyond its beer garden roadhouse menu, craft beer and live music with a new catering arm. The restaurant has developed a partnership with ezCater and deliverers four-course meals to homes and offices. Options include casual lunch items like caprese sandwiches and more-formal dinner dishes such as stout-braised short ribs.

Find more, including the catering menu specific to the Novato location, at hopmonk.com/group-events.

Market classes go online

It might no longer be around the table, but Sausalito’s Driver’s Market is continuing to offer its series of food-related roundtable topic discussions via YouTube stream.

Like its face-to-face gatherings, innovative chefs, entrepreneurs and community leaders share ideas and insights about food policy, nutrition and cooking.

Currently on the feed are cooking classes by food pioneer and author Shanta Nimbark Sacharoff, who highlights the importance of cooking and sharing food with friends and family. She prepares summer recipes from her cookbook, “Cooking Together: A Vegetarian Co-op Cookbook,” like mint chutney and cashew chutney. To find classes, search for Sacharoff at youtube.com.

Leanne Battelle is a freelance food writer. Please email her at ij.lbattelle@gmail.com with local food and restaurant news or follow the Marin dining scene at instagram.com/therealdealmarin.

Finding yourself overwhelmed by abundance in your vegetable garden this season? If you have extra home-grown produce, local nonprofit organizations are accepting donations at multiple drop-off locations in San Rafael and Novato, as a broader effort to address the growing number of county residents struggling to buy healthy food.

Food insecurity in Marin is an issue that Lauren Klein, community garden program coordinator at the University of California Agricultural and Natural Resources Cooperative Extension in Novato, has been highlighting for years.

“Demand is being shown but not filled, and now with the pandemic, the problem is being underscored,” says Klein, referring to a press release by the County of Marin on May 20 that indicates a 343% rise in CalFresh (formerly food stamps) applications in the past year.

“We want families to know that Health and Human Services is ready to help them access essential nutrition supports,” says Kari Beuerman, Marin HSS social services director.

To connect to HHS staff or fill out an application, go to GetCalFresh.org or call 877-410-8817. For general information on local food assistance, go to cemarin.ucanr.edu/Resources/COVID-19_Resources.

Klein is advocating not only for teaching residents to “grow an extra row” for those in need, but also for increasing yield by getting gardens up and running in the broader community. She says there are about 11 established neighborhood community gardens and all have long waitlists, some of up to four years. There are also a number of faith-based, institutional, school and residential gardens, many of which have been accelerating their efforts. If you’re interested in helping develop more, email Klein at lltklein@ucanr.edu.

For an interactive map of Marin’s community gardens, go to marinmg.ucanr.edu/Our_Projects/Marin_Community_Gardens/Community_Gardens_Map_839.

Would-be growers with a plot of outdoor space or even a few spare containers, or gardeners faced with pests or other challenges, can contact Marin Master Gardeners, which has significantly ramped up support and resources since the start of the pandemic. Go to marinmg.org for information on what, when and how to plant a wide range of edibles. For more on urban agriculture, including small-scale farming, backyard chickens and beekeeping, go to ucanr.edu/sites/UrbanAg.

Extra home-grown produce donations can be dropped off in San Rafael at Whistlestop, Community Action Marin, Ceres Community Project, Sanzuma and, for whole fruit only, St. Vincent de Paul Society. In Novato, go to North Bay Children’s Center or Homeward Bound of Marin. For location details, go to marinmg.ucanr.edu/Food_Gardening/Food_Gardening_and_the_Broader_Community.

If you have more fruit on your trees than on the ground and need some help harvesting, email Share the Bounty at sharethebountymarin@gmail.com and ask to have it picked up and taken to donor organizations.

Get cooking with Duskie Estes

Like all group gathering hosts, Homeward Bound’s Fresh Starts Chef Events have shifted gears and gone virtual.

Next up is an interactive online happy hour with chef Duskie Estes. From 5 to 6 p.m. Sept. 10, participants will prepare watermelon and prosciutto salad with feta cheese; pasta alla Norma with eggplant, tomatoes and ricotta salata; and goat cheese gnocchi, while sipping 2013 Black Pig Slaughterhouse Syrah made by Davis Family Vineyards. The wine will be delivered to attendees prior to the event.

Estes is known for her two competitions on the Food Network’s “Next Iron Chef” and is a regular judge on “Guy’s Grocery Games.” She’s the executive director of Farm to Pantry, a nonprofit that fights food waste and alleviates hunger in Sonoma County, and achieved accolades for the restaurant she co-owned with her husband, John Stewart — Zazu Kitchen & Farm in Sebastopol. After a 20-year run, it closed last year after major damage from the 2019 floods.

The couple also owns Black Pig Meat Co. Stewart is an avid salumist and is responsible for its line of meats, bacon and salumi made from pasture-raised, heritage breed, and antibiotic- and hormone-free pork.

Tickets are $75, with proceeds supporting Farm to Pantry and shelter, housing and training programs at Homeward Bound of Marin. Go to bit.ly/FSchefevents for reservations or call 415-382-3363, extension 243. To guarantee delivery of wine by Sept. 10, reserve a spot by Sept. 3.

Baking challah

Since the start of the pandemic, Mill Valley author and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Tiffany Shlain, along with featured guests, has brought together people from all over the world to bake challah. She’s documented the experience in a four-minute video, sharing highlights from the weekly Zoom classes and joys of virtual, communal bread baking during life’s “collective timeout.”

Bakers from around the globe touch upon personal and collective issues — racial justice, pending elections and, more wholesomely, managing yeast.

“During the pandemic, when it feels like everything is blurring together, ritual — and having something to look forward to and ground us each week — is more important than ever,” Shlain writes. “These bakes have become a platform that bring together everyone — Jewish, not Jewish, expert bakers, people who have never made challah — to have deep conversation, laugh and connect with others, all while kneading dough on Zoom with hundreds of others.”

Join in on Friday for challah baking and a discussion on the power of ritual outside of religion. Paul Golin from the Society for Humanistic Judaism and Rabbi Denise Handlarski from Secular Synagogue are guests, along with Jake Cohen, author of the forthcoming cookbook, “Jew-ish: Reinvented Recipes from a Modern Mensch,” who will demonstrate how to braid round challah for the High Holidays.

Find the challah baking highlight video and sign up for the Zoom class at 24sixlife.com/baking-zoom-room.

Leanne Battelle is a freelance food writer. Please email her at ij.lbattelle@gmail.com with local food and restaurant news or follow the Marin dining scene at instagram.com/therealdealmarin.

The team behind the trio of Amélie wine bars in San Francisco and New York’s West Village and Upper West Side have chosen Fairfax to debut their fourth location. With their soft August opening out of the way, the curbside patio is now open for all-day dining.

“We wanted to work closer to home in an area where we can have a real community,” says co-owner and Marin resident Romain Martinez.

This time around, he and business partners Germain Michel, who also lives in Marin, and New York-based Samie Didda have expanded their Michelin Bib Gourmand-awarded formula that combines small French plates, stellar wines and attentive service. Their latest concept also includes daytime service.

Amélie Fairfax has a full espresso bar featuring Moschetti coffee beans, fresh blended juices and a host of pastries — croissants, pain au chocolate, fruit tarts, bread pudding, cookies, brownies and more. The Parisian pastry chef is Yannick Dumonceau, who was formerly at Quince and remains at ONE65 in Union Square, both in San Francisco. He is working alongside Mehdi Boudiab, co-founder of wholesale bakery Petits Pains in Burlingame.

Chef Brian Starky (Michel Bistro, Bardo Lounge & Supper Club) handles lunch and dinner. His organic farm-curated menu includes sandwiches made on house-made bread, fresh salad bowls and a daily quiche. French tapas like pickled summer squash with onion dip and crostini; salt spring mussels, pastis, tomatoes and summer herbs; and gem lettuce salad with fennel, marinated grapes, fines herbs and champagne vinaigrette are meant for sharing. There are also heartier dishes such as slow-baked steelhead, persillade, lentil vinaigrette and radish salad, and a house burger with whole grain aioli, aged cheddar, pickles, red onion and roasted potatoes.

Michel, a certified sommelier and winemaker, directs the predominately French wine program, although he champions small, local, organic and independent wineries in Marin, including Easkoot Cellars.

Fellow Frenchman Dominique Maxime Genauzeau, of DMG Design SF, is behind the aesthetic of the Amélie restaurants. He’s incorporated marble counters and tabletops, natural wood elements and creative lighting in the renovations of the former Taste Kitchen & Table space.

Amélie is open from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays; 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. weekends and 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays at 71 Broadway Blvd. Make a reservation or order takeout at ameliefairfax.com or call 628-253-5161.

Hello, barbecue

Jerry’s Delicatessen & BBQ, a restaurant and beer garden with outdoor seating and a stage showcasing live music four days a week, opened Tuesday in Novato.

Owner and chef Aaron Hothem is behind the combination barrel and smoker box with a Santa Maria-style grill. His all-day breakfast menu highlights smoked meats, including a pulled pork and egg biscuit and Jerry’s brisket sandwich on a torpedo roll with three scrambled eggs, sharp cheddar and aioli topped with crunchy tater tots and sweet barbecue sauce. But you’ll also find sweet stuff like cinnamon crunch French toast with seared bananas and candied walnuts and Swedish pancakes.

The lunch and dinner menus offer a variety of salads, hot and cold sandwiches, burgers, barbecued meats served with sauces, a garlic butter biscuit and a selection of sides. Temper the heat with eight local beers on tap in addition to wine and bottled beverages.

Jerry’s is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays; 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturdays; and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays at 7380 Redwood Blvd. Find additional details at jerrys-delicatessen-bbq.website.spoton.com/home or call 415-897-5595.

Marin food news

Reservations at Hog Island Oyster Co’s Oyster Boat Bar open at 1 p.m. Wednesday for bookings from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fridays through Sundays through September. Tables are designated for parties of two to six people, including children. The menu features raw and barbecued oysters, fresh seafood specials and salads. No outside food or beverages are permitted. Reserve a table at hogislandoysters.com or call 415-663-9218. The oyster bar is at 20215 Shoreline Highway in Marshall.

Sausalito’s Fast Food Francais is channeling summer in New England with fresh Maine lobsters. Take the 1½-pounders home live or pre-cooked with drawn butter and a lobster sheller and bib. For groups, there’s a hot lobster bake in a box. It includes 1¼-pounds per person with accoutrements, littleneck clams, andouille sausage, red potatoes and corn on the cob. Or keep it simple with ready-to-assemble lobster roll dinner kits with fresh and seasoned lobster salad, brioche rolls, herbed potato salad and corn.

Prefer meat? Raw and ready-to-cook boxes containing baby back ribs with spice rub; grass-fed burgers with fixings and brioche buns; and chimichurri-marinated whole chicken.

Arrange for delivery or pick up at 39 Caledonia St. Find more at eatf3.com or call 415-887-9047.

Pick up a basket of French-inspired picnic noshes at Le Garage at 85 Liberty Ship Way in Sausalito. The Labor Day basket has anchoïade dip with veggies; house-made waffle fries; pate; black peppered seared ahi tuna sliders; quiche Lorraine; butter lettuce salad; rustic batard bread; and chocolate cake with salted caramel. Optional add-ons include grill-ready marinated rosemary garlic prime rib and roasted lobster gratiné. Find more information at legaragesausalito.com.

Boudin SF at the Village at Corte Madera has a Dungeness crab feast to-go. Naturally, it includes a full pound loaf of sourdough bread made from the original “Mother Dough” starter born in 1849. This accompanies steamed and cracked Dungeness crab, linguini with marinara sauce, Caesar salad and all the essentials. Place orders by 5 p.m. Thursday at boudinbakery.com and pickup between noon and 6 p.m. Saturday or Sunday.

Harvest dinner

The Marin Art and Garden Center offers its annual harvest dinner fundraiser virtually this year. Congregate online from 6 to 7 p.m. Sept. 9 over dinner and to honor longtime board president Diane Doodah.

Insalata’s in San Anselmo has created a special harvest menu that includes fattoush salad; grilled salmon with heirloom tomato olive caper relish or eggplant tofu napoleon; quinoa tabbouleh; mixed bean, fennel, corn, dill and preserved lemon mélange; and chocolate-dipped coconut macaroons ($50). Order in advance for pickup at the restaurant at 120 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. in San Anselmo. Or purchase an MAGC wine basket ($60) that contains a bottle of red or white wine and snacks that will be delivered in Marin prior to the event.

The virtual gathering is free and open to the public, although registration is required at maringarden.org/harvest to receive a YouTube link. All donations will support the gardens, grounds and programs of the 11-acre historic Ross property that is open daily to the public.

Leanne Battelle is a freelance food writer. Please email her at ij.lbattelle@gmail.com with local food and restaurant news or follow the Marin dining scene at instagram.com/therealdealmarin.

Two more new eateries have forged forward with opening plans, undeterred by COVID-19 operating restrictions and heartily welcomed by diners smarting from the number of pandemic-prompted closures.

For Boca Tavern in Novato, the March stay-at-home mandate coincided with an intended shutdown for a shift in concept. On Thursday, the restaurant will reopen as Crave.

“I wanted to move away from the chop house theme and introduce healthy, organic, locally sourced dishes,” says managing partner Shah Bahreyni, a 30-year hospitality veteran who is behind Marin’s two Boca Pizzerias (Corte Madera and Novato) and Cielito Cocina Mexicana in Danville.

Co-partner Christian Pulido (Pebble Beach Resort, Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak in Santa Clara, Hurleys in Yountville) is the executive chef working alongside sous chef Jackie Contreras-Sanchez (Thomas Keller’s La Calenda and Michael Chiarello’s Bottega in Yountville) to execute a menu featuring fresh seafood and wood-fired meats and poultry.

Grilled Manila clams are served with homemade focaccia for dipping in a sauce of lemongrass, coconut, green curry and lime; house saffron pappardelle is tossed with corn, tomatoes, artichoke, Madeira and grana padano; bok choy, eggplant and blue lake beans accompany beef short ribs; and free-range chicken comes with a potato cake, caramelized onions, baby carrots and basil.

Juices for cocktails are freshly squeezed on a beverage menu that includes craft beers and California wines.

With 80 seats on the redesigned patio, there’s plenty of room to spread out at tables and on benches below plant woven pergolas and two-century-old oak trees. String lights and a towering fireplace enhance the garden atmosphere and heat lamps and tenting are available when needed.

When indoor dining restrictions lift, the 6,000-square-foot interior is renovated and ready.

“I completely changed the Old World, masculine steakhouse décor,” says Bahreyni of the new pastel-washed walls, ceiling full of skylights, ocean blue tiles and half-moon leather booths. “As you walk in, you’re not looking at visual barriers but a beautiful open and timeless space.”

Crave will be serving dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 5 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays at 340 Ignacio Blvd. Lunch and weekend brunch will follow in October. Touchless pickup and delivery through third-party apps is available. Stay up to date at cravemarin.com or call 415-883-0901.

Tiburon welcomed Via Piccola Trattoria last week at the Cove Shopping Center in the space formerly occupied by Milano’s. It will remain in a soft-opening phase until the end of the month, with additional hiring occurring after a strong response over Labor Day weekend.

Owner Pedro Ulloa left his 25-year tenure as partner and manager of San Rafael’s traditional neighborhood Italian restaurant Café Arrivederci last November. That restaurant is still operating at 11 G St. in San Rafael.

The menu includes northern Italian-inspired dishes with starters such as carpaccio with baby arugula, capers and Parmesan cheese; deep-fried calamari with spicy marinara sauce; and spinach salad with sauteed pancetta and mushroom. Main dishes cover the classics, from fettucine bolognaise; homemade gnocchi with a choice of sauces; and chicken scallopini, piccata, Marsala and parmigiana to lamb chops with red wine and herbs; poached salmon with white wine, lemon, butter and capers; and pizzas with a variety of toppings prepared on sourdough crust. Cocktails from the full bar can be taken to-go.

Via Piccola has seating for up to 32 patrons on the sidewalk fronting 1 Blackfield Drive. Takeout and delivery are also available. Hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. View the full menu or make reservations at viapiccola.com or call 415-388-9100.

Cute Coffee

Mill Valley retail shop Poet and/the Bench is grounded in its mission to support small-batch jewelry, art, home goods and apothecary makers with limited edition, one-of-a-kind items.

Co-founders and husband-and-wife team, goldsmith Jeffrey Levin and curator Bonnie Powers, are now adding an ethical pantry line to their product offerings.

“We love finding meaning in every artist we carry, and that includes how we nourish ourselves with culinary selections that are good for us, for the greater community and the planet,” Powers writes.

Their first pantry offering is from Oakland-based Cute Coffee, where farm-to-cup, single origin whole and ground beans are roasted by Bianka Alloyn and Sabreen Naimah. They source directly from women-led or -owned farms in Central America, and make a point to credit all hands involved in the production process — the farmers, farm managers, pickers and mill managers in an effort to promote fair wages and treatment.

Once the beans have gone through their rigorous selection criteria and arrive from the producer, the beans are roasted in small batches. Place orders for Monday’s roast by Sunday night. Arrange for shipping or pickup at the store on Thursdays.

In addition to coffee beans, Levin and Powers also carry new and vintage cooking tools and accessories like handcrafted knives, artisan grill tools, utensils and aprons.

The store at 11 Throckmorton Ave. in downtown Mill Valley is open from 10:30 to 5 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays through Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays as well as online at poetandthebench.com.

Leanne Battelle is a freelance food writer. Please email her at ij.lbattelle@gmail.com with local food and restaurant news or follow the Marin dining scene at instagram.com/therealdealmarin.

I’m sure I’m not the only one with indelible memories of the fresh-baked breads and pastries that pleasingly permeated the air around Bay Village Bakery in Mill Valley back in 2001. Jump forward two decades, and the comfort and joy return to 17 Madrona St. with this week’s opening of Bootjack Bakery.

Ged Robertson and chef and partner Kyle Swain brought us California-style pizza and savory cast-iron dishes when they introduced Bootjack Wood Fired in the space last summer. But since the onset of the socially restrictive pandemic, they closed the restaurant and have been focusing their energy on Watershed at the Mill Valley Lumber Yard and Robertson’s Shoreline Coffee Shop in Tam Valley. Both establishments are serving meals outside and to-go, as well as through the nonprofit, Feed the Front Lines.

But as Robertson says, the “little house on the hill” always seemed to want to be a bakery again. “It just feels like one and the pandemic gave us the time to commit to converting it for proper baking.”

With a few interior revisions complete and essential materials procured, the wood-fired brick oven that has characterized the property for 16 years is back at it. It was built by blacksmith Alan Scott for Roberston’s Small Shed Flatbreads (2004 through 2014) and has been central to the menus that followed (Todd Shoberg’s Molina until 2016 and Moana Restaurant Group’s Pizza Molina until 2018).

Cam Esaryk, who was previously at Green Gulch Farm, has been baking at Bootjack for the past month to provide Watershed and Shoreline Coffee Shop with desserts, breads, hamburger buns and pastries. The bakery menu consists of morning toasts, breads, pastries and a breakfast sandwich. Eventual additions include focaccia, square and round pizzas, sandwiches, salads and small pantry items like pestos, jams and bags of flour.

Robertson is resurrecting what famed baker Chad Roberston (no relation) and pastry chef Elisabeth Prueitt started here in 1999 with the aforementioned Bay Village Bakery. When it closed in early 2002, the husband-and-wife team went on to notable acclaim with Tartine bakery  in the Bay Area, Los Angeles and Seoul.

Bootjack Bakery at 17 Madrona St. is open from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. The menu will be limited at first, but gradually growing.

Find updates on Instagram at instagram.com/bootjackwoodfired.

Time for tea

The charming, English-style, pink and white tearoom in Ross that has been quietly standing by for months has at last made its debut. Crown & Crumpet Cafe is now open for takeout and dine-in service.

Afternoon tea comes complete with finger sandwiches, warm fruit scones with jam, clotted cream or lemon curd, and other treats. The bakery menu also features morning pastries, hot buttered crumpets, cake slices, cookies and bars.

Savory offerings at breakfast include boiled egg on a toasted crumpet and assorted breakfast wraps. And at lunch, chicken pot pie with vegetables in a creamy sauce topped with a puff pastry cap; chicken apple sausage rolls; and a variety of sandwiches.

Sip on black, green, herbal and fruit teas as well as espresso drinks made with beans from Marin-based Equator Coffees.

Although the fancy tea parties the original San Francisco location is known for aren’t happening in Ross quite yet, groups of up to six people are able to congregate at one of five tables on the shared patio or soon-to-be parklet in front. Alternatively, the full space is available to rent for late afternoon or evening small-scale gatherings.

Co-owners Amy and Christopher Dean opened their San Francisco tea shop in 2008 in Ghirardelli Square and moved to Japantown in 2013. The city location is temporarily closed, but operations will resume when in-house dining is permitted.

Crown & Crumpet is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays at 23 Ross Common. Hours are subject to change based on demand. Specific details about the Ross location are being added to the website at crownandcrumpet.com or call 415-771-4252.

Outdoor adventure

Smoke-free air is sure to bring a strong desire for outdoor anything. If the coast is clear this weekend, start out with a strenuous push up Hill 88 or a slower-paced stroll around the lagoon at the Marin Headlands in Sausalito. Then, find a spot on the beach, parade ground or battery overlooking the Pacific for a boxed picnic prepared by Headlands Center for the Arts chef Damon Little ($15).

These vegan, vegetarian, gluten- and nut-free lunches contain a seasonal rice bowl with fresh, pickled and roasted veggies; coconut milk tapioca pudding; and a can of sparkling water.

Picnic boxes are available on select Sundays beginning this Sunday, when the advanced pre-order deadline is 5 p.m. Wednesday. Go to donate.headlands.org/event/pop-up-picnic/e300307 to purchase and arrange for a noon or 12:30 time slot for pickup at the side door of the Mess Hall on the east corner of Building 944. These are not sold on-site.

Let’s brunch

Chef Alexander Alioto of the Kitchen Table in San Rafael has turned his culinary creativity toward brunch to further utilize his alfresco sidewalk space on the sunny corner of Fourth and F streets in San Rafael’s West End neighborhood.

From 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sundays, dig into a menu of sweet and savory dishes such as farmers market frittata with greens, broccoli, tomato, onion and arugula; avocado-smeared grilled batard topped with portobello mushroom, arugula, poached egg and leeks; Louisiana Creole-style eggs Sardou-layering poached egg, crab meat, artichoke hearts, creamed spinach and hollandaise; fried chicken and waffles with spicy butter and honey; or grilled peach and corn salad with olives, feta cheese, cucumber and sherry vinaigrette.

Start with an orange, peach, mango, papaya or guava juice mimosa; the house bloody Mary made with Han Soju vodka, or other sparkling wine cocktails.

The Kitchen Table is at 1574 Fourth St. Make reservations at thekitchentablesr.com or call 415-521-5568.

Leanne Battelle is a freelance food writer. Please email her at ij.lbattelle@gmail.com with local food and restaurant news or follow the Marin dining scene at instagram.com/therealdealmarin.

Is it time to innovate and diversify your dinner menu? Award-winning chefs from Bay Area restaurants will teach home cooks an array of dishes from around the world during We Dine Together, a collaborative online cooking series that supports Marin County nonprofit Beyond Differences.

For the past decade, the student-led organization has held an annual fundraiser at Bay Area restaurants for its program No One Eats Alone, which addresses social isolation and encourages new connections at more than 6,500 participating schools nationwide.

This year, the event is being held virtually, with chefs bringing cooking enthusiasts into their restaurant kitchens for cooking classes. These are sold individually and held weekly on Wednesdays from this Wednesday through Nov. 18.

“Master chefs are cooking with us and sharing their passion for getting people together, a good parallel to the programming of No One Eats Alone,” says Beyond Differences executive director and co-founder Laura Talmus.

Classes start this Wednesday with San Francisco chef Antelmo Faria, owner of Uma Casa and founding chef of Tacolicious, who will make Portuguese caldo verde soup and arroz de marisco, a seafood rice dish.

On Sept. 30, chef Francis Ang, of Filipino pop-up Pinoy Heritage, will prepare pork lumpia with mango ketchup and Dungeness crab pancit (homemade noodles) with late summer vegetables.

A team of Waterbar chefs, including Marin resident Parke Ulrich, have a seafood extravaganza planned for Oct. 7.

Cook Indian cuisine with chef Heena Patel, of Besharam, on Oct. 14; pizza with famed chef Tony Gemignani, of Tony’s Pizza Napoletana, on Oct. 21; Iranian dishes with chef Hoss Zaré, of Bon Appetit Management Co., on Oct. 28; modern soul food with Brown Sugar Kitchen owner and executive chef Tanya Holland on Nov. 11; and last, but certainly not least, a to-be-announced menu with highly decorated culinary achiever, chef Dominique Crenn.

A shopping list of ingredients and suggested wine pairings are provided to participants prior to the class date.

Tickets start at $99 per digital device, with discounts for multiple class signups. Proceeds go toward National No One Eats Alone Day on Feb. 12, 2021, an annual school lunchtime event that encourages student engagement through the use of an original curriculum and materials provided at no charge to teachers.

Find out more and sign up for cooking classes at beyonddifferences.org.

Plenty of pasta

A quarantine project creating artisanal pasta with a vintage, late 1970s La Prestigiosa brand extruder became popular enough with surrounding neighbors to become a more permanent endeavor for chef Tony Adams. The furloughed director of the cooking school at Cavallo Point in Sausalito has launched Mill Valley Pasta Co. He sells his unique shapes and sciue-sciue sauce (pronounced “schway, schway” and meaning quick, quick or hurry, hurry, because it is typically a quick-cooking sauce) for local delivery or nationwide shipping.

Chef Adams hopes to bring his products to the Bay Area farmers markets, where he sources his organic ingredients, and to have a permanent retail space that would allow him to ramp up production.

Read his story, donate to his fundraising efforts and buy everything from pasta dies to virtual cooking and spirit tasting classes to jams and preserves to, of course, lots of pasta at millvalleypasta.com.

Local pies soar

San Rafael resident and Mamie’s Pies founder Kara Romanik had a mission to see how far she could go with her mother’s prized pie recipe long before home baking became a popular pandemic pastime.

What’s next for her mini fruit hand pies? They’ve landed a spot on the pitching desk at Walmart’s seventh annual open call event held virtually on Oct. 1. If all goes well, her wholesomely inspired, handheld desserts will be chosen by Walmart merchants to tempt its more than 265 million customers in stores and online.

The story of Romanik and her pies began in 2013 when she debuted 120 of her 9-inch, unbaked, frozen originals to sell at her daughter’s school fundraiser. With the help of her three teenagers, the single mother managed the influx of local grocery store orders that followed, eventually growing out of her home kitchen and then commercial spaces in San Rafael and Larkspur.

In 2016, Romanik put all of her financial resources into setting the pies on a serious path to success by creating a single-serving, pocket-size version to ease scalability and please consumers wanting just a slice.

When Mamie’s Pies made it to Oprah’s favorites list in 2017, she moved production to New England, where Romanik was raised and the pie’s fruits are sourced.

The preservative-free, individually packaged and still frozen and unbaked pies come in six flavors — blueberry, apple, strawberry, cherry, peach and pumpkin — in a four-ingredient flaky crust.

Before Walmart makes its selections, find your single-serving pocket pie at more than 1,000 retailers locally, nationwide and online. Find locations or order directly at mamiespies.com.

Farm tours

In need of a bucolic culinary adventure? Take a customized Food & Farm tour through West Marin for a back-end glimpse of our agriculturally diverse local food shed.

COVID-19 compliant safety guidelines are in place for customized tours for private groups of two to 10 guests ($780 for up to four and $195 per additional person). If a restaurant or oyster farm is apart of the itinerary, groups are limited to two to six people; that goes up to 10 for private ranch lunch and dinner chef events. Kid-friendly options are available.

Highlights of your chosen route might include a stop at Bivalve Dairy, Brickmaiden Breads, Hog Island Oyster Co., Tomales Bay Oyster Co., Stemple Creek Ranch, Heidrun Meadery, Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co., Bovine Bakery and more. Guides provide an in-depth look at local history, artisan food production and sustainable farming practices.

For more details about the tours, go to foodandfarmtours.com or call 415-599-9222. To make a booking, send an email to info@foodandfarmtours.com.

Leanne Battelle is a freelance food writer. Please email her at ij.lbattelle@gmail.com with local food and restaurant news or follow the Marin dining scene at instagram.com/therealdealmarin.

A drive to Tomales is a far distance from many points in the county, but during a pandemic, an outing is often a welcomed diversion, particularly when it’s to a town that boasts so many culinary rewards.

The excursion is once again complete with the return of a destination-worthy bakery housed in the 100-year-old Piezzi Building in the center of town. Route One Bakery & Kitchen opened earlier this year in the corner space where former tenant Tomales Bakery was a longtime fixture and mid-ride incentive for weekend bicyclists and motorcyclists.

Tamara Hicks and David Jablons, co-owners of the Tomales farm, dairy and creamery Toluma Farms, purchased the building last year. Its new operator is Shannon Gregory, who owns the Marshall Store seven miles south on Highway 1 in Marshall.

After a significant remodel that brought the building up to code, enhanced the kitchen with a new Swedish oven and other baking equipment, and graced the exterior with a crisp blue paint job, the bakery opened earlier this year, before the pandemic lockdown in March, and then reopened in May.

While the physical establishment has been spruced up, the original recipes of beloved Tomales Bakery pastry chef Alison Cavallaro remain, as does its team of bakers.

The list of homey, scratch-baked goods includes croissants, muffins, scones, Danishes, crumb cake, layer cake, brownies, cheesecake, spanakopita and fruit pies.

In addition, Gregory worked with a bread consultant to get his loaves just right, and now offers French baguettes, oat wheat pan loaves, seeded sourdough rounds and more. He also supplies the Marshall Store, the Bodega Store and neighboring K & A Take Away sandwich shop, another must-stop in town.

Further down the menu, a few sandwiches and salads change with the seasons. The list recently featured roasted chicken salad, bacon, red onion, tomato, herbs and mustard vinaigrette on fresh bread; salad with baby romaine hearts, radishes, cucumber, spiced pumpkin seeds and avocado green goddess dressing; and a submarine sandwich filled with Double 8 Dairy veal, pork and beef meatballs, fresh ricotta, provolone, herbs and garlic.

Gregory also decided to get into the pizza game with Roman-style pies in quarter half and whole sizes topped with local cheeses, meats and vegetables.

A short but curated list of wine and beer is available in the evenings.

Visit the bakery at 7:30 a.m. and until the shelves are empty Thursdays through Sundays; pickup pizza from noon and 7 p.m. Fridays through Sundays; and gather bread from 11 a.m. until it’s gone Thursdays through Sundays at 27000 Highway 1. Find further details at routeonebakery.com or call 707-879-2022.

Across the street, the recently refurbished William Tell House is open for lunch and dinner on an expansive patio. Socially distanced picnic tables are shaded by red umbrellas, Adirondack chairs circle fire pits and the chef showcases the region’s agricultural and coastal bounty.

Founder and San Francisco food entrepreneur Ted Wilson (Oakland’s Alice Collective and Metal + Match catering company) purchased the Tell in mid-2018 and is living up to his commitment to “bring a reinvigorated experience to the town, its community and those passing through the area,” a goal he shared with me just prior to the start of the pandemic.

Most recently, he’s put that into play with Thursday drive-in movie nights at the old high school baseball field. Family films are projected onto a 40-foot outdoor screen viewable from parked cars or a blanket spread on marked spaces on the field.

Fill an order form, shine a light overhead, and gourmet concessions and meals that change weekly come straight to your spot. Most recently, the menu included a Stemple Creek smash burger, veggie burger, hot dog, house-made cotton candy, caramel corn, popcorn, candy, wine, beer, seltzer and soda.

Gates open at 7 p.m. and the movie reels run at 8:15 p.m. A portion of all ticket sales ($40 per car, $5 per walk-in) goes to the Shoreline Unified School District to help start the Farm to Fork program.

Go to williamtellhouse.com for the full lineup of films that continue weekly through October.

The Tell is celebrating Oktoberfest on the patio from 1 to 8 p.m. Oct. 8 with live music, grilled bratwurst and all-you-can-drink local and German-style beer. Purchase a ticket ($25) for a large glass boot stein and admission for dancing, singing, drinking and eating.

The William Tell House is at 26955 Highway 1 in Tomales.

Four miles outside of town at the coast, Dillon Beach Coastal Kitchen is open for takeout from noon to 7 p.m. Fridays through Sundays. Chef Matt Elias is in the kitchen preparing a locally inspired menu, including fish and chips, a Stemple Creek burger, rustic clam chowder and seasonal salads. On Thursdays, fried chicken dinner with biscuits, mashed potatoes, gravy and other sides is available for pre-order.

The outdoor patio is open for takeout dining from the restaurant.

South of Tomales at Nick’s Cove, socially distanced tables have been added to the property along the 300-foot pier leading to the Boat Shack and across the street in the onsite garden that supplies produce for the restaurant. Order takeout from the counter and eat onsite from 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. daily at 23240 Highway 1 in Marshall.

Pizza time

San Francisco’s Pizzeria Delfina has been making a weekly stop in Mill Valley. Pre-order from its limited menu of frozen par-baked pizzas, salads and bake-at-home meal kits such as pork, beef and veal meatballs and ricotta, chard lasagna with nettle pasta, escarole, béchamel and parmigiano. Quantities are limited, so plan ahead.

Place orders online by Wednesdays to pick up from 10 a.m. to noon Saturdays from the white Pizzeria Delfina van parked at 707 Redwood Highway between the Travelodge and the Shelter Bay office complex.

Hoping the truck will pass through your town? Go to pizzeriadelfina.getbento.com/marin to make the request, place orders and find additional Bay Area delivery stops.

Dinner on a Pacific Plate

The Point Reyes National Seashore Association is gathering online this year at 6 p.m. Oct. 10 for its 11th annual Dinner on the Pacific Plate. The first virtual event will celebrate resilience as the park begins its recovery efforts following last month’s Woodward Fire that spread over almost 5,000 acres.

The one-hour event will feature Bay Area science experts, who will cover lessons learned, the impact of the fire and how it will affect the park in the near and long term, and conservation and education efforts.

In contrast to past 10 fundraising celebrations featuring local restaurants and food purveyor partners at a reception and dinner, adaptations have been made to continue to involve the community.

A Fork Full of Earth catering is providing a menu that can be prepared from home using fresh, seasonal and locally grown ingredients. This will be emailed to attendees prior to the event. Hog Island Oyster Co. will include an oyster recipe and will be featured in videos within the live “show” with Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese.

Prizes have been donated by Heidrun Meadery, Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese, Sol Food and more to present to game and contest winners. And higher level donors will have the opportunity to go on small, COVID-safe, naturalist-led hikes throughout the park with picnic items supplied by Cowgirl Creamery, Brickmaiden Breads and Good Earth Natural Foods.

At the virtual after-party, choose from several hosted Zoom rooms with PRNSA and park staff, including one led by Molli Milner of Small Blue Planet Events, who will discuss the food menu and demonstrate the making of a special cocktail.

To find out more about the PRNSA, register for the event or make a donation, go to ptreyes.org/support-seashore/dinner-pacific-plate.

Community gives back

Arti Natural Organic India Café in Lagunitas is getting back on its feet following a random act of vandalism early Friday morning. The neighboring community that commends owner Noel Fernandes for his giving nature and the 10-year-old restaurant as a cornerstone of the community started a GoFundMe campaign to help repair the damage.

Fernandes is using the funds to rebuild the interior and patio and purchase his first security system, although it didn’t take long for him to get back into the kitchen and start serving again.

“My crew is strong, and we managed to get it back up and running for the weekend,” he says. “We are overwhelmed by the generosity and support of the local community. For you all to give so generously during these tough times is heartwarming.”

Stop in for takeout or outdoor dining between noon and 8:45 p.m. daily. Check articafe.com or call 415-488- 4700 for updates.

Leanne Battelle is a freelance food writer. Please email her at ij.lbattelle@gmail.com with local food and restaurant news or follow the Marin dining scene at instagram.com/therealdealmarin.

After weathering a roller coaster of pandemic-related restrictions over the past six months, the elegant RH Rooftop Restaurant is now open at the dramatic, new RH Marin design gallery at the Village at Corte Madera.

A top floor landscaped park with century-old olive trees? Massive glass prism chandeliers over marble tabletops? Fresh peach puree bellini cocktails? It’s all there at the new outpost of RH, once Restoration Hardware, that has been maturing to grand heights before our eyes in the parking lot near the mall’s main entrance. It’s part of the burgeoning brand’s empire headquartered in Corte Madera and envisioned by Tiburon resident and chief executive officer Gary Friedman.

Whether you’re in the market for luxurious home furnishings or not, an expansive and extravagant setting awaits diners on the third floor of the 60,000-square-foot structure.

Settle in for a meal while relishing a striking view of Mount Tamalpais visible through retractable glass walls. A soaring glass atrium roof bares the open sky overhead.

Adjacent courtyards on either side of the interior are outfitted with handsome cushioned couches and chairs amid sculptured evergreens and stately olive trees.

Under non-pandemic conditions, the restaurant seats 172 guests, but for now, a limited number of diners are distanced around a central stone fountain.

The brunch, lunch and dinner menus feature refined California classics such as avocado toast on charred sourdough with roasted tomato and farmed egg; thick, maple-glazed, black pepper-seasoned pork belly bacon; gem lettuce with radish, feta cheese, avocado and buttermilk herb dressing; roasted half chicken with garlic confit and potato puree; and black truffle fries with parmigiano-reggiano, parsley and truffle aioli.

The down-to-earth RH burger is layered with two flat beef patties, sharp American cheese, pickles, onion and dijonnaise.

Sharable boards display ingredients like artisanal prosciutto, Delice de Bourgogne cheese, crispy artichokes and seasonal fruit.

A striking climate-controlled wine bar contains a curated global list and limited-production options from small Napa Valley vintners.

Experience the grandeur from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily at 1750 Redwood Highway in Corte Madera. Find additional information or make a reservations at rh.com/content/category.jsp?context=Restaurant_MR.

Hidden gem

Up for an adventure just beyond county lines? Consider a drive over the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge to Black Star Pirate BBQ in Richmond to savor award-winning smoked meats and home-baked sides and desserts in a casual setting by the water.

Owner and pit boss Tony Carrachi officially opened his first brick-and-mortar restaurant last weekend, setting down on Point San Pablo Harbor after spending two years making the rounds in his now retired food truck, Black Star Pig.

The vehicle made stops at Forest Knolls, the Fairfax farmers market and the small community of Point Molate, where Carrachi was approached by the harbor master about taking over the recently closed diner, Nobilis.

It’s easy to see why he was drawn in.

“I said to my partner (Suzie Vasko), you do the outside and I’ll do the inside,” Carrachi says.

All the colorful garden beds and container plants are her doing, while he got the kitchen into shape, including adding a rotisserie and an espresso machine.

Although Carrachi clearly has a way with meats, the sides are no afterthought.

“I’ve always liked slow cooking on fire and have a passion for making sauces,” says Carrachi about the menu’s brisket, tri tip, spareribs, pulled pork and rotisserie chicken with original, spicy, jerk, blueberry or mustard sauce. “But, I also take a lot of pride in my sides, as I think they are as important, if not more so, than the meat, which can speak for itself.”

These include mac and cheese, cowboy beans, braised cabbage, harbor greens salad, candied sweet potatoes, potato salad and coleslaw.

Carrachi shops for his organic ingredients at the weekly San Rafael and Richmond farmers markets and also has a large community garden to harvest from.

“Everything on my menu that’s not meat is vegetarian, which I did on purpose because I want to feed everybody,” he says.

Fill out an order form for takeout or table delivery, and select a meat, sauce and two sides. Or have your barbecue sandwiched in a ciabatta roll. There are also a few appetizers, such as Cajun shrimp, skillet corn fritters, chicken wings and house-made onion rings. And fried chicken and waffles, biscuits and gravy, a daily frittata and more for brunch on Sundays.

The beverage list includes 10 local brews on tap, a limited list of mostly European wines, Louisiana’s Abita Root Beer and house lemonade.

Carrachi grew up in San Francisco but has deep family roots in New Orleans. He credits his mother for inspiring homey desserts like pecan pie, seasonal fruit torte, a double chocolate brownie and a gluten-free option.

Trust your GPS as you wind, climb and descend Stenmark Road, hugging the bay’s perimeter. Just when you think you’ve lost your way, solid black stars appear on the trees and lead down to the marina and harbor.

Reggae tunes beckon visitors down a wooden plank to a covered deck festooned with cheerful aluminum chairs and live-edge slab benches that line refinished wood tables. The diner-esque interior has red vinyl stools fixed at an S-shaped Formica counter providing a glimpse of classic diner nostalgia that, vaccine-willing, can take us in someday.

The restaurant is also accessible from the back side through a patio with a number of umbrella-shaded picnic tables.

Why Black Star Pirate BBQ?

“I was sitting around thinking about my business and what I should call it,” Carrachi says. “It so happened that David Bowie had just come out with his “Blackstar” album. And now that I’m out on the harbor, I added that element, too.”

Leave the day-to-day behind for a little while at 1900 Stenmark Drive in Richmond. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays and weekends. Find out more at blackstarpig.com or call 415-517-8080.

Servino moves

Servino Ristorante in Tiburon has plans in place for a spring return to its original location at 114 Main St. The current location at 9 Main St. will remain open until the move.

Owners Kathryn and Angelo Servino opened their intimate Ark Row restaurant in 1978 shortly after arriving in the seaside town from Italy. More than two decades later, they were ready to expand and relocated to their present location, where they offer two levels of dining, an event space and seaside deck.

“We have been fortunate to enjoy the amazing Tiburon waterfront for 21 years, and we now look forward to returning to our roots,” says co-owner Natale Servino, who along with her brother, Vittorio, have taken over operations from their parents. “The town of Tiburon is always evolving, and we look forward to welcoming the new businesses on Main Street that will be contributing to our community”.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Natale says the team has been committed to being in “change mode as life and the world changes.” They opened a neighborhood Italian market inside the restaurant for a few months, and continue to offer take-and-bake items and family-style meals to-go. The family also continues to operate Caffe Acri at 1 Main St., expanding service in the near future to include favorite Servino dinners.

On Oct. 28, Servino is hosting a virtual murder-mystery dinner party that includes a curated dinner to-go and a live interactive whodunit, where each participating household plays a character from San Francisco’s storied past.

The dinner menu includes an arugula, apple, pomegranate, goat cheese and aged balsamic salad; delicata squash ravioli with butter and sage; slow-cooked beef short ribs with cippolini onions and carrots; and sugar baby pumpkin pie with whipped cream ($95).

Find out the details and make reservations at servino.com or call 415-435-2676.

Leanne Battelle is a freelance food writer. Please email her at ij.lbattelle@gmail.com with local food and restaurant news or follow the Marin dining scene at instagram.com/therealdealmarin.

Like restaurant owners everywhere, Veronica Salazar of El Huarache Loco in Larkspur is navigating the impact of the pandemic on a daily basis. The entrepreneur chef opened her restaurant in 2012 with the guidance and resources provided by 15-year-old Bay Area kitchen incubator La Cocina.

Along with the food entrepreneurs it launched, the majority of which have lost most, if not all, of their revenue and are working diligently to stay afloat, La Cocina has had to bear the duress of a mandated lockdown that curtailed the fundraising efforts (events, catering and retail) that support the program.

During a year that operates best on fluidity, the nonprofit organization is pivoting its 10th storytelling fundraising event Voices from the Kitchen, a typically sold-out San Francisco stage production, to be a virtual format that’s open to all for free. It will broadcast on La Cocina’s YouTube channel from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Oct. 29.

Set yourself with up with a showtime snack or appetizer box, or a Malaysian, Algerian or fried chicken meal kit designed and prepared by La Cocina chefs ($75 to $150). Delivery, a beverage and fun swag are included with food purchases. The boxes and kits must be ordered by Oct. 23 if within the Bay Area or Oct. 21 if outside the region or state.

The La Cocina’s online production features immersive, inspiring personal narratives expressed through multisensory mediums showcasing the cooks and kitchens that are often less heard. Eight storytellers and two short films focus on “choices,” the event’s theme and a predominant, but sometimes conflicting, 2020 reality.

Storytellers include New Yorker staff writer Jia Tolentino; Fernay McPherson of Minnie Bell’s Soul Movement; esteemed writer Mayukh Sen; illustrator Rinee Shah; filmmaker Desire Lacap; and other writers, activists, artists and La Cocina entrepreneurs.

“Our shared experiences and the stories we tell about them will be an important part of what defines this time when we look back on it,” says Leticia Landa, La Cocina’s deputy director. “And as an organization, we feel prouder than ever to provide this platform for the voices of our industry to be heard.”

Go to lacocinasf.org/voicesfromthekitchen to secure free tickets, make donations (suggested viewing fee is $10) and order meal kits.

“We’ve made choices as an organization to take the action we want to see nationally, such as securing rent abatement, creating a long-term emergency relief fund and finding revenue opportunities that not only benefit our entrepreneurs but support food insecurity efforts locally,” says Landa in a recent press release. Proceeds from the event will support all active and eligible participants of La Cocina.

To date, La Cocina has incubated more than 125 businesses; graduated over 55 entrepreneurs; and supported the launch of 33 brick-and-mortar locations in the Bay Area, a feat that has landed its executive director Caleb Zigas with a 2020 James Beard Leadership Award.

Zigas has been recognized for his efforts to create a more equitable food system by softening the barriers to opening an independent food business faced by women, immigrants and people of color.

Back to Salazar, one of La Cocina’s earliest success stories; she is a testament to what the organization has be able to accomplish by helping struggling food entrepreneurs broker the distance between vision and reality.

Little would the El Huarache Loco chef and owner have known that her two-decade journey that began with informally selling the traditional specialties from her Mexico City childhood out of a small apartment in San Francisco would not only lead to leaping a language barrier, building a viable business plan and helming a restaurant, but put her in front of a national audience as part of a James Beard Award broadcast.

Zigas and five other national recipients received the foundation’s accolade via live Twitter broadcast on Sept. 25 from Chicago (now available on YouTube), and Salazar is one of the La Cocina entrepreneurs who participated in the organization’s video piece.

“More equitable investments across our communities will ultimately result in a more vibrant food economy, less homogenous restaurant industry and a more delicious cityscape for all of us,” Zigas says in the video. “You come out of La Cocina with a sense that there’s a better world possible and that it’s going to be led by the people who run these restaurants.”

Get a taste of Salazar’s Mexican street food at El Huarache Loco by ordering online or calling in for huevos rancheros, chilaquiles, tacos, gorditas, enchiladas, alambres and much more. Takeout, outside and limited indoor dining is available from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays; and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekends at 1803 Larkspur Landing Circle in Larkspur. For more information or to place an order, go to huaracheloco.com.

Lavash party

Take a virtual visit to Armenia and explore its unique culinary flavors over refreshing tea-based cocktails at Homeward Bound’s next Fresh Starts Chef Event from 5 to 6 p.m. Oct. 22.

Kate Leahy and Ara Zada, co-authors of “Lavash: the Bread that Launched 1,000 Meals,” will show viewing participants how to make jingalov hats (herb-stuffed flatbread) and Urfa kebabs (skewers with eggplant and beef).

Their book highlights the versatile Armenian-heritage flatbread, including how to make it and recipes for soups, stews, meats, vegetables and desserts that it enhances. It’s also a photographic exploration of Armenia in the 21st century and a celebration of breaking bread with friends and family.

“I want ‘Lavash’ to raise the bar on Armenian cookbooks, giving cooks a window into the real, and really Old World, of Armenian food,” says Zada on the book’s website at lavashthebook.com.

Leahy reflects after a year’s worth of research on Armenian-American cookbooks. “I always was amazed at how every Armenian I knew seemed to talk about food twice as much as anyone else, and this was well before the days when taking pictures and sharing what you cooked was socially acceptable.”

The cookbook and three versatile teas from premier event sponsor, Marin’s Republic of Tea, will be delivered to attendees prior to the event. These will serve as the base for two cocktails — blackberry sage sweet tea with lemon vodka, Meyer lemon and honey, and ginger peach sweet tea with whiskey, muddled peach and candied ginger — that IJ columnist Jeff Burkhart, aka Barfly, will shake up with viewers.

To guarantee delivery of the cookbook and tea by Oct. 22, reserve a spot by Wednesday ($65) at bit.ly/FSchefevents or call 415-382-3363, extension 243. Registrants will receive an email with the event’s Zoom link and the downloadable recipes. Proceeds go to supporting shelter, housing and training programs at Homeward Bound of Marin. Find out more and see a schedule of upcoming events at bit.ly/FSchefevents.

Leanne Battelle is a freelance food writer. Please email her at ij.lbattelle@gmail.com with local food and restaurant news or follow the Marin dining scene at instagram.com/therealdealmarin.

Halloween and Dia de los Muertos are just about here, marking the start of a particularly unusual holiday season. If you’re finding a lack of creative energy and novel ideas for keeping the fun sufficiently safe yet adequately convivial, here are a few sources for inspired treats and stops for traditional foods and festivities.

Baker Stephanie Rach, founder of Corte Madera-based SuperLove Cookies, is driven by a mission to foster connection with her wholesomely crafted cookie gifts.

For Halloween, that means delighting friends, family, remote employees or, of course, yourself with a batch of freshly baked cookies delivered to the door.

The list includes buttery, bite-sized sugar cookies swirled with light and dark chocolate and stacked in a clear tube; individually wrapped pumpkin face or boo bat sugar cookies; a mixed box with mini ghosts and spiders; cinnamon crisps; double chocolate chunk and more. Single wrapped cookies can be personally labeled with a name and message.

Rach launched SuperLove Cookies in 2016, transitioning from a career in marketing and communications to the business of spreading cookie love, an idea born out of her childhood passion for baking and commitment to community service.

“My biggest goal was to create a company with a love it forward mission,” Rach shares. “I suppose the cookies help me to deliver my message of pausing, connecting and sharing a simple moment or gesture to let those around you know you care.”

Although Rach’s corporate event calendar was wiped out at the start of the pandemic, she set off on a nimble course to offer a “sweet solution” to physical distancing by bridging the gap among remote teams with cookie gifts.

“We sent campaigns like, ‘Tough cookies, don’t crumble,’ and utilized fresh lemons in the summer to shift our Little Dot sugar cookies to lemon bursts with the tagline, ‘Let’s make lemonade out of lemons.’”

Order themed or personalized cookies for holidays, special occasions, care packages, corporate gifts and party favors. “Every order supports a care package for our patriots and heroes serving in our military and front lines, and our favorite rescue organizations,” she says.

Go to superlovecookies.com for inspiration and to place Halloween orders by Oct. 23 for on-time delivery. Enter BOO and receive free shipping.

Smashing pumpkins

Certainly, a single sweet can’t take the place of a superabundant trick-or-treating run in a dense neighborhood, but if there was ever a case of quality of quantity, this is it.

Gourmet chocolate creator Pooneh Yamini, owner of Mon Rêve Chocolate Art Studio in the Mill Valley Lumber Yard, has handcrafted Chocolate Smash Jack-o’-lanterns that are available for purchase on her website.

The 4-inch creations begin with molded milk or dark Valrhona chocolate fancied up with hand-painted cocoa butter colors and decorations, and then filled with wrapped candy that spills out when the sweet shell is smashed.

Yamini, who teaches the craft of chocolate arts at her hands-on workshops that are on hold due to the pandemic, is also making election-themed artisan bonbons. Place orders by clicking on the contact form at monrevechoc.com or call 415-569-0057.

Halloween fun

Dress in costume and hop in the car for a spin through the Halloween Fair Food Drive-Thru Spooktacular at the Marin Center from 4 to 9 p.m. weekdays and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekends from Oct. 23 through Nov. 1 at 10 Avenue of the Flags in San Rafael.

Visit a series of Spooktacular “lands” featuring animatronic dinosaurs, skeletons, Halloween characters and much more to celebrate Halloween and Dia de los Muertos within the safe confines of your vehicle.

Enjoy family-friendly surprises and activities and Halloween-themed fair foods, including pumpkin and ghost candy apples, black-and-orange cotton candy, giant corndogs, turkey legs, gyros, tri-tip sandwiches, ribs, deep-fried Oreos, funnel cake, churros, kettle and caramel corn, strawberry lemonade, adult beverages and more.

Attendees can download the Spooktacular playlist on Spotify, or listen to live entertainment by the Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District Non-Marching Band, aka the Sewer Band, from 3 to 6 p.m. Oct. 31. The Marin County Free Library will give out mini activity books, bookmarks, stickers and pencils from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.

The event is presented by the Marin County Department of Cultural Services and endorsed as a fun holiday alternative by doctors from the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services. Admission is $10 per car.

Day of the Dead eats

San Rafael’s Latin restaurants are gearing up for the town’s 32nd Day of the Dead celebration by offering a medley of traditional foods at a reduced price throughout October.

Select the special events tab at dayofthedeadsr.org for discounts at Sol Food (903 Lincoln Ave.); Luna de Xelajú (180 Bellam Blvd.); Puentez Taquería (243 Third St.); and Los Palillos (3060 Kerner Blvd.).

There are also cooking tutorials by chef Ana Garcia, of La Villa Bonita Culinary Vacation, who will teach how to make pan de muerto at 3 p.m. Oct. 22, and by chef Pastora Tugulinago, of La Cuchara Orgánica, who will teach how to make colada morada, a traditional drink for Day of the Dead in Ecuador, at 5 p.m. Oct. 27.

Barbecue and pumpkins

Chef and award-winning barbeque guru Jim Modesitt of San Rafael’s Big Jim’s BBQ is dishing out smoked brisket, pulled pork sandwiches, chicken salads, giant hot dogs and barbecued oysters from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends at the Nicasio Valley Pumpkin Patch at 5300 Nicasio Valley Road in Nicasio.

The 12-acre field is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekends. Distanced tables are available for the barbecue or family picnics.

For more, go to nicasiovalleypumpkinpatch.net or call 415-662-9100.

Carving by the sea

Head over to Nick’s Cove in Marshall for the first Pumpkins on Pikes event from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 25. Free pumpkins are provided for carving Jack-o’-lanterns at a spacious station set up on the beach.

Carving utensils will be provided (or bring your own). Guests can either take creations home or display them on the pikes along the water for a collective illumination when the sun goes down.

The restaurant at Nick’s Cove is open for counter service from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Food and drink specials available during the family and dog-friendly Halloween event and all weekend.

Nick’s Cove is at 23240 Highway 1. For more information, go to nickscove.com or call 415-663-1033.

Candy at Amy’s

Swing by Amy’s Drive Thru in Corte Madera where Amy’s Crispy and Chewy candy bites and limited edition Halloween stickers will be handed out to visitors from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Oct. 31. Go to amysdrivethru.com/menu/corte-madera.

Leanne Battelle is a freelance food writer. Please email her at ij.lbattelle@gmail.com with local food and restaurant news or follow the Marin dining scene at instagram.com/therealdealmarin.