From farm-to-porch produce to natural skincare, check out the best new places to explore around the Bay Area this month.
EAT & DRINK
Monk’s Kettle
The shopping center kitty-corner from the Terra Linda Pool in San Rafael welcomes a new tavern in early May. Like the original in San Francisco, Christian Albertson’s restaurant will serve quaffable beers (like Pliny the Elder on tap), burgers, and pub grub to match the suds. The Mission Fried Chicken has an ardent following but there will be plenty of veg-forward offerings, too. 655 Del Ganado Rd, San Rafael
Rozmary Kitchen
After the pandemic forced Nick Rappoport from his job as chef de cuisine at Pinterest, he and co-owner and life partner Melissa Johnson pursued a dream to open their own business. Named after each of their moms (Rose and Mary), the business serves sandwiches like warm pastrami and collard greens, sweet and spicy butternut squash, and Rozmary turkey at the Marin Civic Center Farmers’ Markets in San Rafael on Thursdays and Sundays.
The Caviar Co
After years of caviar deliveries to Tiburon and Belvedere from her San Francisco-based business, Strawberry resident Petra Bergstein and co-founder and sister, Saskia, opened a shop in Tiburon dedicated to the briny delicacy in late March. Caviar flights, along with Champagne by the glass or bottle and small plates of grilled cheese with truffles, are available to enjoy in their tasting room or to take home from the retail shop. 46A Main Street, Tiburon; 415.889.5168
SHOP
Real Good Greens
Helene Zahoudanis initially launched her farm-to-front-porch produce operation to support local farms impacted by Covid-19 by delivering just-picked organic produce and artisanal goods from Bay Area farms to Bay Area residents. Operating out of Mill Valley’s Boot Jack Wood Fired for now,
plans are in the works for a permanent base of operations. 17 Madrona Street, Mill Valley; 650.387.8919
Oleema Skincare
Inspired by and derived from nature as well as the relaxed lifestyle of West Marin, this skincare line grew during Covid times while owner Jenny Holden worked from home and schooled her kids. Look for her dry skin nectars and lip butters at Good Earth Natural Foods (Fairfax and Mill Valley), Imogen Skincare (Corte Madera), Sugar and Peach Skincare (Fairfax), and Fairfax Sugar Shack (Fairfax). 917.885.4179
BOOKS
Nick’s Cove & Cottages
Dena Grunt, proprietor of Marshall’s Nick’s Cove & Cottages, released her first cookbook in May, Table with a View. Learn the secrets of preparing the restaurant’s famous Oysters Nickerfeller, Croft-sourced salads, and hearty entrees, all served with a dollop of the locale’s storied history and a lot of love for the locally-sourced provisions that are at the heart of West Marin cooking. 23240 Highway One, Marshall; 415.663.1033
WELLNESS
Marin Conservatory of Dance
A move a few blocks up Miller and closer to downtown Mill Valley means an almost tripling in the size of indoor space and an outdoor stage in the rear of the parking lot until it is once again safe to hold dance classes inside. New classes in Zena Rommet Floor Barre and others taught by Charles Torres, the former Artistic Director at Stapleton Ballet, are available. 365/367 Miller Ave, Mill Valley; 415.326.5117
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Christina Mueller is a long-time Bay Area food writer. She hails from the East Coast and has spent way too much time in South America and Europe. She discovered her talent as a wordsmith in college and her love of all things epicurean in grad school. She has written for Condé Nast Contract Publishing, Sunset, and the Marin Independent Journal, among others. She volunteers with California State Parks and at her child’s school, and supports the Marin Audubon Society, PEN America, and Planned Parenthood. When she is not drinking wine by a fire, she is known to spend time with her extended family.
