By Katee Dyd
Tastes of Italy.
Novato, California, is located about 30 miles north of
San Francisco surrounded by parks and preserved land in Marin County. Visitors and outdoor enthusiasts will find no shortage of activity, with Point Reyes National Seashore to the east, San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge to the west, and many smaller areas in and around the city. The historic downtown hosts a number of shops and restaurants with a small town feel. If you crave Italian fare, you will be in for a welcome surprise.
Portelli Rossi
"Fresh Faire with an Italian Flare" is how Portelli Rossi describes its menu. Warm tones surround you featuring bold art on the walls in the dining area while the patio allows you to enjoy the fresh air in a casual stone setting. The menu features items like the veal piccata with the marsala wine sauce and garlic mashed potatoes or the Napolitano Stack of polenta and fresh vegetables from the vegetarian menu. The dessert and wine menus offer an array of affordable sweet treats and Italian and local wines to accompany your meal.
Portelli Rossi
868 Grant Ave.
Novato, CA 94945
(415) 892-6100
portellirossi.com
Pasta Pomodoro
This chain of restaurants originated in San Francisco in 1994, and the casual atmosphere and simple dishes are welcoming after an afternoon on the trails. Although each restaurant features its own affordable specialties, you can find traditional dishes such as the penne portobello with portobello mushrooms, Italian sausage and chicken served in a garlic cream sauce and lighter selections like the healthy fish, a dish of penne, asparagus and salmon in a tomato basil sauce that is significantly lower in butter and oil. Choosing a healthy meal is easy with the nutritional information posted online, and you can order out from the website.
Pasta Pomodoro
140 Vintage Way
Novato, CA 94945
(415) 899-1861
pastapomodoro.com
Grazie! Cafe Italiano
In the heart of downtown, you will find this neighborhood favorite dishing up local fish and organic produce with great prices. Cafe Italiano is open seven days a week with early hours Thursday through Sunday, which is perfect for a breakfast of farm fresh eggs or a stack of pancakes, seated outside and enjoying the sunshine. It may be difficult not to fill up on the fresh baked breads, but by choosing a panini like the BLiTaliano, an Italian twist on the classic BLT, you can have the best of both worlds. There is also an assortment of burgers and hearty dishes for dinner including filet mignon, grilled chicken and fish along with a list of specialty pastas--or you can create your own combination.
Grazie! Cafe Italiano
823 Grant Ave.
Novato, CA 94945
(415) 878-0202
graziecafeitaliano.com
Resources
About the Author:
Katee Dyd has had a life long passion for writing and transformed that enthusiasm into a professional career in early 2008. Dyd's work appears on eHow, Trails, Golflink, and Answerbag along with other clients.
Photo Credits:
italian salami image by Karin Lau from <a href='http://www.fotolia.com'>Fotolia.com</a>
