• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

By Root 744 0

changed with the late-2003 opening of elegant Poggio; the name is a loose Italian translation for “special hillside place.” Adjoining the Casa Madrona Hotel & Spa and across the street from the marina, everything is special here, from the floor-to-ceiling doors opening to the sidewalk; to its interior with arches and earthen colors, mahogany accents, well-directed light, and centerpiece wood-burning oven manned by a cadre of chefs; to the wine cellar, terra-cotta-tiled floors, comfy mohair banquettes, and white linen-draped tables. The daily changing menu features items like a superb salad of endive, Gorgonzola, walnuts, figs, and honey; pizzas; addictively excellent pastas (try the spinach ricotta gnocchi with beef ragout); and entrees such as whole local petrale sole deboned and served tableside, or grilled lamb chops with roasted fennel and gremolata. Special seasonal meals are offered throughout the year, including the highly anticipated white truffle dinner in November. With a full bar, well-priced wine list, and great desserts, this is Sausalito’s premier dining destination—excluding the more casual Sushi Ran (see below).

777 Bridgeway (at Bay St.). 415/332-7771. www.poggiotrattoria.com. Italian-style breakfast a la carte $2.50–$5.50; main courses lunch $8–$18, dinner $13–$25. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Daily 6:30–11am; Sun–Thurs 11:30am–10pm; Fri–Sat 11:30am–11pm. Free valet parking at Casa Madrona Hotel & Spa.

Sushi Ran ★★ SUSHI/JAPANESE San Francisco isn’t exactly stellar in its Japanese-food selection, but right across from the Golden Gate Bridge is a compact, but fashionable, destination for seriously delicious sushi and cooked dishes. All walks of sushi-loving life cram into the sushi bar, window seats, and more roomy back dining area for Nori Kusakabe’s nigiri sushi and standard and specialty rolls. You’ll also find a slew of creative dishes by executive chef Scott Whitman, such as generously sized and unbelievably moist and buttery miso-glazed black cod (a must-have), oysters on the half shell with ponzu sauce and tobiko (fish eggs), and a Hawaiian-style ahi poke (Hawaiian-style minced raw fish) salad with seaweed dressing that’s authentic enough to make you want to hula.

107 Caledonia St. 415/332-3620. www.sushiran.com. Reservations recommended. Sushi $5–$14; main courses $8.50–$16. AE, MC, V. Mon–Fri 11:45am–2:30pm; Mon–Sat 5:30–11pm; Sun 5–10:30pm. From U.S. 101 N., take the 1st right after the Golden Gate Bridge (Alexander exit); Alexander becomes Bridgeway in Sausalito. At Johnson St. turn left, and then right onto Caledonia.

INEXPENSIVE

Hamburgers CAFE Like the name says, the specialty at this tiny, narrow cafe is juicy flame-broiled hamburgers, arguably Marin County’s best. Look for the rotating grill in the window off Bridgeway, and then stand in line and salivate with everyone else. Chicken burgers are a slightly healthier option. Order a side of fries, grab a bunch of napkins, and head to the park across the street.

737 Bridgeway. 415/332-9471. Sandwiches $5.50–$6.50. No credit cards. Daily 11am–5pm. From U.S. 101 N., take the 1st right after the Golden Gate Bridge (Alexander exit); Alexander becomes Bridgeway in Sausalito.

MARIN, MUIR WOODS & MOUNT TAMALPAIS

N of the Golden Gate Bridge

Muir Woods

While the rest of Marin County’s redwood forests were being devoured to feed San Francisco’s turn-of-the-20th-century building spree, Muir Woods, in a remote ravine on the flanks of Mount Tamalpais, escaped destruction in favor of easier pickings.

Although the magnificent California redwoods have been successfully transplanted to five continents, their homeland is a 500-mile strip along the mountainous coast of southwestern Oregon and Northern California. The coast redwood, or Sequoia sempervirens, is one of the tallest living things known to man (!); the largest known specimen in the Redwood National Forest towers 368 feet. It has an even larger relative, the Sequoiadendron giganteum of the California Sierra Nevada, but the coastal variety is stunning enough. Soaring toward the sky like a wooden