Fenix rocks Cal-Southern
Made for music
Upon entering Fenix, diners have a decision to make. Will they sit in the front bar, with its sleek marble, wood and a picture window overlooking downtown San Rafael’s Fourth Street? Or will they choose the main room, done in bright red walls, long rows of tables and a black-and-white marble floor?
Ultimately, it depends on how much one likes dining in a concert venue. The main room doubles as a nightclub, with intimate, lounge-style seating in front of a large stage that rocks with live acts like Zydeco Flames or the Unauthorized Rolling Stones tribute band. Music plays most nights and at Sunday brunch.
The red walls are actually layered panels of acoustic material; the marble floor was designed to resonate sound, which can hit 80-plus decibels.
Still, food is hardly a second thought at this ambitious project from Marin resident and marketing expert Laura Van Galen, who plunked more than $250,000 into the sound system for her supper club.
That’s clear as soon as I bit into a Leonard Cohen sandwich ($10). It’s a fancy Reuben of corned beef that’s been sousvide simmered 48 hours, topped with pineapple slaw, Swiss cheese and homemade Thousand Island, then grilled on marbled rye. The chef, Shawn Paul, has worked in Europe, New York and, more recently, at Chez Papa Bistrot and 1300 on Fillmore.
The menu takes a Cal-Southern approach, starting with barbecue shrimp over Anson Mills grits thickened with mascarpone ($11/$15), or an even better, very rich mascarpone
It felt like we were
backstage, surrounded
by the workings of
what later that night would be a full-on concert.
grits version smothered in wild chanterelles with Parmesan Reggiano and a hint of truffle oil ($11/$15).
At lunch, the Muddy Waters po’ boy ($10) is first rate, too. The baguette is stuffed with crisp cornmeal-crusted oysters, green tomatoes, pickled red onions and a tangy slather of crayfish remoulade sprinkled with chow chow, and served alongside garlicky skinny fries.
During showtime, many diners make meals of smaller plates to snack and share. That worked well for my party one evening, when our server checked back often enough that we could order more food and drinks without interrupting our enjoyment of the music too much. A bit of a scramble came during the short intermission, though, as staff rushed to take a full room of dessert requests.
Still, I prefer showing up earlier (most shows begin at 8 p.m.) to enjoy thoughtful plates like the baby octopus ($11), in nicely chewy curls prettily presented with celery root puree, spicy chorizo, colorful tiny pansies and herb salad in chorizo vinaigrette or a salty but good warm cabbage salad ($10) tossed with lardons, Pt. Reyes Blue, runny poached egg and lemon garlic vinaigrette.
When the music starts, it’s all the better to focus on the boutique cocktails, like a pomegranate-ginger Cosmo ($11), or the extensive wine list, which reads like a phone book.
There are off notes here and there: Deviled eggs ($6) get complicated with too much chow chow, harshly smoked bacon and paprika, while a Merry Prankster sandwich ($10) has no focus, given the vying, vinegary flavors of marinated tofu, roasted red pepper, Portabella, arugula, tomatoes, grilled squash, goat cheese and lots of balsamic on a rosemary cornmeal bun.
But duck is excellent, either as a Grateful Duck sandwich ($10) stuffed with confit and rillettes with a kicky-sweet flourish of mint, cilantro, pickled onion, aioli and honey glaze; or a main course of roast breast ($26) in a vibrant melange of braised fennel, black garlic, white carrot, vadouvan, chestnut puree and whisper of anise hyssop.
Nice lunch spot
No surprise, during shows, that the dining room is very loud, though not deafening for tables closer to the walls. Yet this is a particularly nice destination for lunch on non-show days, as the crowds seem to have not yet discovered the kitchen’s skill with simple spicy noodles ($12/ $19) tossed with ginger, garlic, scallions, pickled bok choy and house-made chile sauce; or a more intriguing Psy’s Gangnam Korean barbecue short rib baguette ($10) layered in jalapenos, cilantro, carrots, kimchi and a wash of aioli.
At one such quiet lunch, my friend and I had the entire room to ourselves, and it felt like we were backstage, surrounded by the workings of what later that night would be a full-on concert. Surely, roadies don’t eat this well, though, with desserts like puffy beignets ($8) paired with espresso soda and dark chocolate sauce; or frozen key lime pie ($9) sparked with yuzu gelee.
Rock on.