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Great balls of fire! For fireplace lovers, these restaurants are a great match...
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Freeway Fiction Contest
The Pacific Sun’s annual Freeway Fiction contest— short, pithy stories composed while commuting—is revving up again. In honor of Highway 101, these fictional nuggets must be exactly 101 words long. Although the story length is constrained, the subject matter is not—let your imagination soar as you conjure up situations, characters, action. Once you arrive at your home or office, put your road words down on paper (or Word doc as the case may be), slap on an appropriate title (titles don’t count as part of the 101 words) and send us your story. We’ll publish the best ones. All entries must be typed and include your name, address and phone number.
E-mail entries to letters@pacificsun.com Or Mail to: Freeway Fiction c/o Pacific Sun 835 Fourth St. Suite B San Rafael, CA 94901
Deadline for entries Friday, January 29
n u S c fi Paci .com
csun ›› pacifi
22 PACIFIC SUN JANUARY 15 – JANUARY 21, 2010
by Pat Fu sco
BABY, IT’S COLD OUTSIDE Reading a press release about the Fireside Jazz Club at Rickey’s Restaurant & Bar in Novato warmed me right up: live music on Friday and Saturday nights, 7 to 10pm, with a full bar and a bistro menu near an oldfashioned fireplace (415/883-9477). It got me to thinking of other Marin spots where it’s possible to enjoy the comfort of an open fire, very seductive at this time of year. Piazza D’Angelo in Mill Valley has seasonal appeal with fireside tables close enough to feel the warmth (415/388-2000), as does Left Bank in Larkspur with its brasserie menu—try hearty winter fare from the French countryside (415/927-3331). Perhaps the most atmospheric location is the Pelican Inn at Muir Beach with a huge fireplace in the dining room, timbers and furnishings imported from Britain. Diners can savor an authentic Sunday midday meal (11:30am to 3pm), when a typical “joint” is served (roast beef, ham or salmon) in its carvery. Buckshee Monday means small plates—fish and chips, bangers and mash— nothing over $8, a real bargain. Regular English specialties are available at lunch and dinner daily (415/383-6000). MOVIN’ ON UP West Marin continues to send food businesses to Petaluma. First Cowgirl Creamery met its need for more production space with a move to that city and now Straus Family Creamery will transfer warehouse and office operations there sometime early this year. This is not the end of local residence for the certified organic dairy: Marshall will remain the site for processing, pasteurization and bottling as well as production of ice cream and yogurt. The finished product will go to the Petaluma warehouse for storage and distribution. WIN-WIN SITUATION Here’s a chance to learn techniques from a celebrity cook, taste the results in a full meal and help a local service organization, all in one evening. Chef Joanne Weir, award-winning cookbook author and teacher featured in the PBS-TV series Joanne Weir’s Cooking Class, will be at Fresh Starts Cooking School in Novato Jan. 28 (6:30 to 9pm) for an interactive session creating a spicy winter menu. The school is a job-training center for culinary arts, operated by Homeward Bound of Marin, provider of residential and support services for homeless families and adults in the county. Cost is $49 per person. For details or reservations, visit www.hbofm.org and click on “Take a Cooking Class,” or call 415/382-3363, ext. 243.
The Pelican Inn’s blazing hearth is the next best thing to Guy Fawkes Day.
BRANCHING OUT Another learning opportunity: winter olive curing workshops in Sonoma. Free classes with expert Don Landis will be presented Jan. 17 and Feb. 7 (11am to 1:30pm) at B.R. Cohn Winery in Glen Ellen. Landis will discuss olive history with a thorough description of the Greek style of olive curing; afterward there will be a tasting of olives with cheese and crackers. Space is limited; reserve by calling 800/3304064, ext. 124. SLOW DOWN, YOU’RE COOKING TOO FAST Lucky cooks who received handsome clay pots as holiday gifts can feel superior about joining a growing population returning to simpler methods for preparing long-cooked dishes. Spanish cuisine relies on these vessels for its stews and soups. For high-quality imported ingredients to use in the home kitchen, take a trip to the Spanish Table in Strawberry Village, Mill Valley: Its inventory includes fine ham, smoked paprika, authentic Spanish chorizo and rice perfect for paella. The shop also carries a selection of top Spanish wines to complement those foods. SHAW CHEF REDEMPTION Piccolo Teatro in Sausalito has a new chef, Amey Shaw. She is introducing interesting new items, including piadine, sandwiches of pliable grilled flatbread folded around flavorful fillings. At lunch she offers a $10 special with a choice of piadina or panino, soup and salad. A January option is a familiar dish with an exotic touch: squash ravioli with ginger/chive butter sauce. The osteria/bar specializes in genuine Italian foods, breakfast through dinner, with an array of cicchetti—nibbles to be enjoyed with drinks, Venetian style. Open daily from 6:45am through the civilized late hour of 11:30pm (739 Bridgeway, 415/332-0739). ✹ Contact Pat at patfusco@sonic.net.
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