Piatti

Good luck finding a restaurant on the water in the Bay Area—especially in Marin County—with food and prices as smile-worthy as Piatti in Mill Valley.

This modern, ivy-covered restaurant on Richardson Bay is just off Highway 101, but you forget you’re near the freeway from the indoor or outdoor tables that face the bay. The best bargain is the $20 three-course dinner, which includes a small Mista or Caesar Salad or cup of soup, any of 10 pasta entrees (small portion) and Tiramisu, Gelato or Sorbet for dessert. Add a glass of wine? Sure, it’s just $2 extra.

Even better than the prices is the quality of the food. Most items are made with locally sourced ingredients—much of it very local, as it’s caught in the bay, or grown or raised in western Marin County just over the hill. Especially tasty and popular is the smooth and lemony spinach-ricotta ravioli, a specialty flavored with lemon cream and citrus gremolata, and the Tiramisu in a jar, layered in the textures and flavors of espresso, vanilla, mascarpone cream cheese, sponge cake and biscotti.

Whether you’re indoors near the open kitchen and its marble counters, in the large bar, or out on the redwood deck, the ambiance is relaxed, yet elegant.

Now, back to those prices. All pastas come in small ($7.50-$11) and large ($12-$18) sizes to accommodate any appetite, and they include several seafood and meat versions. The salads ($6.50-$10) and wood-oven pizzas ($8-$13) are also excellent and quite affordable.

Even if it’s only for brunch or lunch ($7-$23), Piatti is the perfect place to enjoy a view and food that’s creatively prepared and artfully presented in Marin without feeling the hurt in your wallet. There are also Piatti restaurants in Danville, Santa Clara and eight cities outside the Bay Area, but none with this view.

HelloSanFrancisco tip: Arrive about an hour before dusk to watch the sun descend over the coastal hills and Richardson Bay—from a window table, if possible—when the sun shades are raised just as the sun sets.
 

- by Bob Cooper, San Francisco Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Bob Cooper

Bob Cooper is a full-time freelance writer (www.bob-cooper.com) who writes about travel, outdoor sports and health. He is a monthly contributor to Runner's World and has written recent articles for other national magazines such as Continental, Ladies' Home Journal and Inc.