After years, Mill Valley’s Depot Cafe reopens
When I arrived in California for a work trip almost three decades ago and exited a Golden Gate Transit bus at the Mill Valley downtown plaza, it was lunch at the café anchoring the square that convinced me that Marin is where I’d like to land.
I had left a frigid East Coast January for a sunfilled patio and a melty grilled cheese sandwich with a side of pico del gallo. Sold.
Good news for fellow fans of the Depot Café & Bookstore. The former train and bus station and community landmark reopened Monday, coinciding with the lifting of California’s stay-at-home order that permits outdoor dining to resume on the umbrella-shaded plaza patio and at new tables in front.
Start out the day with pastries crafted by Cibo Bakery in Sausalito; San Anselmo’s Barton’s Bagels topped with smoked trout, cream cheese and pickled onion; potato frittata sandwich layered with Rancho Llano Seco sausage, Cabot cheddar, arugula and romesco aioli; Straus yogurt with seasonal fruit and granola; or smashed avocado, pumpkin seeds, pomegranate and togarashi on toast.
For lunch, the mezze plate includes hummus, beet za’atar, whipped feta cheese, carrot salad, marinated olives and pita. Sandwiches (muffuletta, banh mi or spiced carrot top pesto burrata) and seasonal winter salads round out the locally focused, organic-based menu. Chef and Mill Valley resident Mary Pult plans to expand her offerings given that food and drink can now be served onsite.
The California Culinary Academy graduate built her experience in the kitchens of Campton Place, Zuni Café and Caffe Museo, among others.
Matt Borello, a Mill Valley native who for the past decade has been managing the Peet’s Coffee across the street, is behind the barista bar. Coffee beans are from Linea Caffe and roastery in San Francisco.
Paul Lazzareschi, owner of neighboring restaurant Vasco, purchased the cafe and bookstore in 2016 from the family of longtime owner Mary Turnbull, who had owned the cafe since 1987. The prominent Mill Valley gathering place navigated hurdles on its way to completion.
It closed for renovations in March 2019 that officially got underway later that year, stopped at the start of the pandemic in March 2020 and then resumed in May.
But, the end result is a fully renovated and refreshed kitchen, dining area and bookstore.
There are also two new public restrooms on the side of the city-owned building.
The Depot café is open daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the bookstore is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 87 Throckmorton Ave. Find additional information and updates at depotcafeandbookstore.com.
China Live pop-up
Mill Valley’s Green
Jeans Garden Supply has focused on a couple of restaurant-related projects recently. The nursery donated the olive trees, camellias and a maple tree to the new garden beds surrounding the Depot.
“We look at it as a gift to the town as it is in the center of everything,” writes Green Jeans coowner Xander Wessells in a recent email.
“Landscapes, in my opinion, are something that evolve over time, so perhaps we will have an opportunity to add more and continue to beautify the area for the neighborhood.”
Green Jeans is also the pickup spot for China Live restaurant’s Thursday delivery from San Francisco to Marin. China Live founder and executive chef George Chen resides in the
county. The menu from the 3-year-old restaurant and marketplace consists of a weekly changing selection
of signature salads and entrees, Singaporestyle chicken wings, fried Brussels sprouts, dim sum,
barbecue, rice, noodles, soups, beer, wine, cocktails and desserts.
Pantry items, including China Live’s house sauces and gift sets, are also available to order at chinalivesf.com/marin for pickup from 5 to 6 p.m. Thursdays at 690 Redwood Highway. While there, take advantage of a 10% discount on Green Jeans flowers, plants, pottery and other garden supplies for China Live patrons.
Stinson pop-up
Fickle weather and shifting state mandates keep weekend planning up in the air. But a trip to Stinson Beach can now incorporate a visit to the Siren Canteen pop-up open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends.
The restaurant has settled in at 15 Calle del Mar next to the Stinson Beach Post Office while its beachside location undergoes an extensive renovation.
The menu is limited to burritos and quesadillas (vegetarian, carne asada, grilled chicken or shrimp, carnitas or spicy shrimp diablo).
To find out more, go to thesirencanteen.com.
Super eating
Food for Super Bowl viewing at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 7 should be no afterthought.
At Pig in a Pickle in Corte Madera, the Super Bowl field goal ($65 for three) and touchdown ($130 for seven) meal packages are available pre-order only from Feb. 1 through 6 for scheduled pickup between 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Feb. 7. These include a selection of meats such as brisket, pulled pork, baby back ribs, chicken or hot links; sauces (mild, spicy, Alabama white, mustard and more); and sides such as potato salad, slaw, beans, greens, rolls, cornbread and mac and cheese.
Additional one-day specials include pulled pork taquitos served with white cheddar chili cheese sauce, ranch-style pinquito bean dip and “cowboy caviar” made with black-eyed peas and black beans.
Place orders at piginapickle.com and email any questions to catering@piginapickle.com. The regular menu is also available for either preorder or at 341 Corte Madera Town Center on game day from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
F3 in Sausalito is featuring Super Bowl boxes ($40 small, $80 large) with spinach artichoke dip, crispy Vadouvan spicerubbed chicken wings, mustard barbecued St. Louis-style ribs and herbed potato salad. All items are cold but fully cooked, and ready to heat and serve.
Pickup at 39 Caledonia St. between noon and 5 p.m. Feb. 7. See the full menu and place orders at eatf3.com.