AMAZING!! The food is delicious, but the service and atmosphere are unmatched!!!…read more The 4 of us ordered- Shrimp Louie, calamari, eggplant parmigiana, salmon picatta, and ciopina.

What a little slice of heaven! "Frad's" is the quintessential neighborhood restaurant- worthy of…read morewandering out of your own neighborhood to check out. Small and quaint, with throwback, comfortable styling. The food is fantastic (the salmon over homemade Meyer lemon pasta is to die for). The service is outstanding and friendly, and the prices are more than fair! Paul, the owner (as opposed to Paul the waiter) makes his own wine, which is very affordable but much more importantly, very good (try a carafe of the Red Blend). The staff- from Paul, to Bart, Nate, Cindy and Tanya have been here for years. Eating here feels more like going to a friend's house than going out to a restaurant (in the best sense of the concept). Think "Cheers" of Marin! You will often find the owners, Paul and Janine, holding court outside. What a true gem!

Walt from Walt's Adventures adventuring in Fairfax, California at the Sorella Caffe…read more This restaurant appears small but it will deceive you. The eatery has inside and outside dining with the inner dining smaller than the outside area. The extended dining area has both heat and covers available. Street parking is available so be warned but the this task is worth your effort. We chose to dine outside for the inner area was at capacity... a good sign. The customer service was outstanding beyond measure. We never saw our cups empty and at the end of our meal when we were selecting desserts, they packaged our leftovers. This gesture had never been performed in all of my experiences... bravo. The food was not simply made and put on our dishes but was created with the upmost heart. Our meals were outstanding and the desserts... the literally best we ever had to consume. If you want a great Family Italian meal, then go to Fairfax, California and seek out the Sorella Caffe. A master chef and a team of professionals await you.

When going, please know that Fairfax means parking is a challenge and Sorella is doubling down on…read morethat! Also, it's in the heart of traffic craziness. It offers outside seating. indoor dining, and take out. Everyone has to enter through the same narrow entrance and jam up by the cash register. Take out, which should be the least labor intensive meal for them, is treated as the bane of their existence. Those waiting for pickup have to jump out of the way of wait staff. When I presented my credit card to pay for the sack of food, the woman who was running the register told me I made a mistake when I had done nothing. She presented the wrong screen and I paid the bill and tried to add a tip. She gave me a look! She reset the screen and asked me to do it again "correctly". I still added the tip but I was not satisfied with anything. I'll go back because the food is good. But, not on Fridays, even if very early. And always with a person to watch the car when I double park, like so many others do. It's a testament to how delicious the food is that I and hoards of others put up with the front desk staff to get great takeout.

What a sweet perk! Huge variety of topping from candies to cereal and everything in between…read more There's something for everyone. With so many flavors and toppings, who doesn't have an occasional craving for froyo. DIY froyo is simply the best. There's also vegan ice cream. Thank you to our NB CM Mary V. + Swirl for having this perk. It brought hubby and I out to San Anselmo on a date night. We used to pass this shopping center every time our kids played sports at the nearby field. So many great stores around here. I love this area of Marin, it's always sunny. Thanks for bringing back great memories. Will have to come out here more often, there's plenty of parking in the lot. 'Til next time ~ cheers & see you on Yelp (SYOY)!

Was happy for a chance to make it back to Swirl in San Anselmo! Thank you to Swirl and Mary V. for…read morethe opportunity! We haven't visited here in several years, as it's a few miles from home. Funny how easy it is to forget what lies a few short miles from our door! One employee was manning the store when we came in this Sunday, shortly after noon and found everything tidy. There were at least eight flavors to choose from, including the favorite "original tart." I tried the coffee gelato, strawberry and cheesecake. The coffee has an amazing depth of flavor and didn't taste like a kid's dessert so much as a rich treat. The cheesecake flavor definitely came through, but the strawberry tasted a little artificial. While most of their flavors are nonfat, I'm partial to fat - for better or worse! As a result, Swirl's froyo seems less creamy to me than other options. The topping choices were first rate. I loved that they offer compostable cups and spoons! It always makes me so happy when there are environmentally-conscious packaging. It did amuse me that there wasn't a compost bin separate from the trash bin.

It was 1 of those extremely rare events in all of human history, an aligning of the stars that was…read moreordained to portend an epic & fantastical coming of... well, of something. The 17th Annual Fairfax Brewfest was on March 17th, 2012, which also happened to be St. Patrick's Day. Oh come on, the numerological significance of this is undeniable. The 17th on the 17th & a Brewfest on St. Patrick's Day? Destiny. So it was written (on flyers posted in almost every business in Fairfax), so it was done. For $25 each, the girlfriend & I joined the beer-loving hordes that fine St. Patrick's Day at the Fairfax Pavilion for unlimited beer tastings of brews from 21 local breweries. It...Was...Epic. Iron Springs, Marin Brewing, Moylan's, Lagunitas, Pacific Brewing Laboratory, Broken Drum, Anderson Valley, 21st Amendment, Speakeasy Ales & Lagers, Lost Coast, Napa Smith, Drake's, New Belgium, Mad River, The Beach Chalet, Triple Rock, Beltane, Third Street AleWorks, Mill Valley Beerworks, Sudwerk, Pizza Orgasmica: drink all-you-can from all of that for $25! Add in traditional Irish & Celtic music performed live by the Gas Men & it was like discovering what Craic was for the 1st time all over again. It's said that everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day. Everyone at the 17th Annual Fairfax Brewfest most certainly was Irish on that day.

2014 was the second year I attended Fairfax Brewfest after 2013 went down as one of the best beer…read morefestivals in the last year. This relatively small beer fest takes place in picturesque town of Fairfax; probaly one of the cutest little places you will find anywhere. The only downside for us out-of-towners is that Fairfax is not anywhere close to the freeway...you have to pass through central San Rafael, drive some 5 miles on a narrow road before you get close enough to park to the Pavilion where the event is held. Coinciding with St. Patrick's Day weekend (and also my birthday), this year's event was a little bigger than the last year's. There were few more breweries present but also the crowd seemed a bit larger occupying the same exact space. Farifax Pavilion is not very large and it can get hot since all the beer is served inside. Unfortunately, it was even more crowded outside where they had several food vendors. Despite the congestion and the amount of beer served everyone had a great time and I did not notice any unfortunate incidents. As far as the brews served it was mostly again local breweries and some guests such as Stone and New Belgium: altogether about 25. There was nothing there that I haven't tried in the past that blew me off, but the waits were not horrible and most of the stuff the brewers brought was very tasty and fresh. The only reason for not giving 5 star rating is that Fairfax Brewfest is starting to outgrow itself. There are people (like myself) coming from out of town and spreading the word of mouth, so the lines for the bathrooms get really long and the main room gets too muggy. Outside area this year was crowded as well so it might be time for the organizers to look for a new venue as they can only expect more people in 2015.

My experience with Punto Fino Coffee was a special one. Dan was our guide for this roasting…read moreexperience and he didn't disappoint. The roast was hosted at his lovely home tucked away on a wooded hillside in Fairfax (Amazing view I must say). Dan started off with some basic worldly knowledge about coffee and then got into different roasting techniques, sharing a couple of his passionate stories about coffee along the way (very enthusiastic and knowledgeable). The part most special to me was actually roasting the coffee beans over the open flame. Putting the knowledge I just learned to the test was a very gratifying experience. I look forward to drinking my freshly roasted coffee with my partner at home. At the end they have beginner roasting kits for sale so you can continue your roasting experience and you can even snag some cool merch! Overall the experience was very educational and would highly recommend to coffee enthusiasts or beginners alike! You won't be disappointed.

From the owner: Punto Fino Coffee is a recreational experience company offering a coffee roasting workshop for…read moreanyone interested in coffee or home coffee roasting. Roast Your Own Coffee is 90 minutes of coffee topics, home-roast methods, demonstration, coffee tasting, and hands-on coffee roasting. Reservations required. See the website to book.

I found this Pop-up event & thought its a nice idea. I t was a delightful evening, hands-on class &…read morethen we had dinner. The event held in the Chef's beautiful house & everything was well organized, well prepared & extremely flavorful! People at the group were very sweet & enjoyable to cook with. I highly recommend any event with Chef Mashav. She is really professional & knowledgeable!

What a fantastic tour by Mashav (the owner and the chef of Le Couloir)! Richmond neighborhood in SF…read moreis known for its mix of cultures, but Mashav masterfully uncovers all the hidden secrets and gems - Secrets only someone who lives in this community is familiar with. And she does that through food and hand-picked dishes that you will never uncover without a guide. Even though locations may change per tour, our group tasted a mix of cultures and got some stories behind the dishes, the restaurants, and their owners. Few examples - * Russian cuisine - Herring with a pickled onion on fresh bread * Indian street food - I was surprised how much I enjoyed this vegan street snack - I would have never ordered anything without meat, and I dislike spinach, but the fried spinach snack was mind-blowingly good. * Mexican - Quesadilla with plantain. Again, no meat but it was soooooo good. * Chinese - Glazed Pork and pork-filled bun I won't spoil the surprise for some of the other locations. And more, and more - Total of about 7-8 places. You won't stay hungry, guaranteed. The walk itself is not challenging; there are no hills to overcome, even though it's San Francisco. Don't wait - Just go!

Gorgeous views of the Pacific Ocean and the redwoods They…read moreoffer lots of Pinots a great chenin blanc and various chardonnay's. It's a trek to get up here they offer Beautiful vistas and nice grounds They have space for private tastings. You can hold private events or fundraisers up to 100 guests. And stay nearby at timber cove. They also offer great food pairings. Tammy was super nice as our hostess

While staying in Timber Cove scheduled a wine tasting here. They offer cool climate wine (which I'm…read morea fan of) Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. There is indoor & outdoor patio seating. We sat out on the patio overlooking the gardens. There is a forest like feel with all the tall trees surrounding. It was foggy on the day of our visit so we were unable to see the ocean or Farallon Island. The wine host was very knowledgeable about the wines and the area. They had a really great pricing deal when multiples of certain wines were purchased, I ended up leaving with 6 bottles. They do offer food pairings which looked amazing, but we didn't book that experience. This is a nice spot to visit if you're in the area. The winery is kid and dog friendly.

Great food and wine tour through Tiburon with Renee. It was a small group so we got a very…read moreintimate tour to the RR Museum, Tiburon Tavern, Sams, Luna Blue, Cafe Renzo, and the Tiburon overlook. We all started at the Tiburon RR Mueum where we got a nice overview of the areas history. Who knew this was all a giant Railroad yard at one time? Tried a variety of great foods and wine along the way. They were prepared especially for us by the chefs at each restaurant. Had some delicious deviled eggs and hush puppies with honey butter at the tavern. It was served with a good glass of Chardonnay though I don't recall the name. At Sams had a delicious shrimp dish with crunchy toast. It was paired with a JCB Rose from Province that Renee brought She also gave us some lavender cheese which was a perfect complement to the wine. Went next door to Luma Blue and were served eggplant parmigiana paired with a bold Tuscan Red. Strolled to the cafe owned by the same family and got coffee with cannoli. To top it off we had Meyers port from Anderson Valley with a crunchy cookie (also from the cafe) at the top of Tiburon. It was a great unrushed tour through some of Tiburon's finest restaurants for delicious food and wine pairings. Great way to enjoy the town or to host out of town guests.

I had a team workshop in Tiburon and the Food & Wine Pairing tour was a perfect team activity…read more Tiburon is easy to walk with beautiful views of the bay. The weather was wonderful and we really enjoyed our time with Viv as she navigated us from venue to venue. The food and wine selections were tasty and Viv's knowledge of Tiburon and surrounding areas made for fun conversation throughout. I would recommend this as a team activity, or would also love to try this with a small group of friends!

Some friends and I wanted to go wine tasting but didn't want to have to worry about who was going…read moreto drive. A friend of mine recommended HipTrips so I gave them a call. They were able to accommodate our group of 5 and even took us to a couple of hidden gems! All in all we had a great time and felt like VIP's pulling up to the wineries in their blacked out SUV! Thank you Susan!

As new transplants to Sonoma County Susan was the perfect and knowledgeable guide. In addition to…read moreher enthusiastic and fun approach to exploring wine country, she has deep roots in northern CA and knows the ins and outs of wineries, tasting venues, restaurants, and entertainment. We look forward to more HipTripping with Susan!