Dining Detectives: Terrapin Crossroads-san Rafael

San Rafael feels like it is really happening again with the addition of Terrapin Crossroads

. They offer a fun varied menu featuring fresh seasonal ingredients and daily specials plus have a Taproom and Lounge and a new Music venue. The owner is Phil Lesh who is one of the founders of The Grateful Dead and you will see great photos of Jerry Garcia and The Dead on the walls from back in the day. Located in the former Seafood Peddler space on Yacht Club Drive, it overlooks the Canal and you can actually sail or motor and tie-up your boat and come in for dining or cocktails. There is a large bar area where they serve Bar Bites, Pizzas and Burgers. The Dining Room serves the full menu and there is a cozy Lounge area for Cocktails, Wine and Beer. They also have an Outdoor Patio with lush green grass which is a beautiful spot for Brunch. To add to the excitement, they just remolded the Grate Room which is their state of the art music venue which seats 350 and is also available for private parties.

We decided to sit and dine in the Bar area so we could watch The World Series. The SF Giants were winning and the crowd was very elated! We ordered Specialty Cocktails including a potent Jills Chill made with Patron Silver Tequila, orange juice, lemon juice, lime juice and sparkling water and a perfect Cosmo made with Belvedere Vodka.

Crispy Pork Belly

We started with the lightly breaded Vegetable Fritto Misto which was served with tasty sage walnut pesto. Our next small plate was the delicious Crispy Pork Belly with Lagunitas Brown Shugga glaze and caramelized apples. This was truly fantastic as the consistency and taste were amazing! The Entrees that we tried were both great! We loved the Petrale Sole with roasted cauliflower, golden raisins, capers, pine nuts and potato sauce. It was prepared perfectly and the texture and flavors were very complimentary and we look forward to ordering it again. The Balsamic Glazed Pork Ribs with grain mustard potato salad was a hearty portion, the meat fell off the bone and the glaze was outstanding! The Wine List is local with Napa and Sonoma wines both by the glass and full bottles. We enjoyed the 2010 Napa Valley, Long Meadow Ranch Sauvignon Blanc with our starters and the Sonoma Valley Terrapin House Merlot with our entrees. The Desserts were quite tasty as well. We enjoyed the Carmel Pot de Crme topped with marshmallow cream, peanuts and sea salt. Our favorite was the Warm Bittersweet Chocolate Cake topped with Frangelico and hazelnut chocolate sauce and whipped cream which was just perfect! Espressos allowed us to linger and enjoy the Giants victory.

Balsamic Glazed Pork Ribs

Executive Chef Chris Fernandez has put together some outstanding menu options which are a blend of Italian, Mediterranean and Northern California Cuisine made with locally sourced and sustainable ingredients, featuring the best from local purveyors. We look forward to returning soon to Terrapin Crossroads for drinks, dinner, weekend brunch and especially to hear live music!

By Carol & Joe Davis

Terrapin Crossroads

100 Yacht Club Drive

San Rafael, CA. 94901

415-524-2773

www.TerrapinCrossroads.com

by: Bonnie Carroll

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