San Rafael: Yet Wah; restaurant review

101 North

Yet Wah  

1238 4th St./B St., (415) 460-9883.  L-D daily; $$. 

I first dined at Yet Wah way back when it had several locations on Clement Street in San Francisco.  It grew into a mini-chain (the Diamond Heights location is reputed to have been the venue of choice for a Rolling Stones event), and now has shrunk back to just this one location.  When we dined early on a Saturday night, the main dining room was empty, so we sat in a warm, cozy, and quiet alcove in front with big windows and a view of the sidewalk.  In the mood to take advantage of the full bar, my dining partner and I each started with an umbrella-crowned mai tai made with seven ingredients.

mai tais at Yet Wah in San Rafael, California

We loved the crispy pan-friend pot stickers and deemed them the best we’ve had in a long, long time.

pot stickers at Yet Wah in San Rafael, California

We followed with kung pao chicken, which we selected because of the vegetables that dish comes with.  I would have liked that dish to be spicier and solved the problem with hot oil.

kung pao chicken at Yet Wah in San Rafael, California

Next time we’ll try the hard-to-find almond pressed duck that the kitchen is famous for (pressed duck with sweet-and-sour sauce and almonds).  Family-style set dinners are available and can be a good value, especially if you are hungry or can take home leftovers, and lunch specials are available on weekdays.

fortune cookie at Yet Wah in San Rafael, California
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image ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

San Rafael: Lotus Chaat and Spices; restaurant review

101 North

Lotus Chaat and Spices  

1559 4th St./F St., (415) 454-6887.  L-D daily; $. 

dahl puri at Lotus Chaat and Spices in San Rafael, California

Indian street food is the name of the game in this comfortable spacious dining room with table service.  The menu at Lotus Chaat and Spices describes dishes fairly well.  Items at the top of the to-try list  include dahl puri (small crispy rounds filled with mashed potatoes and yogurt), sambar vada (deep-fried lentil donuts with a bowl of spicy sambar soup), chole bhature (a big deep-fried puffy bread with chickpea stew), papdi chaat (deep-fried flatbreads topped with potatoes and sweet-sour tamarind and mint sauces).  The large dosa selection includes one stuffed with eggplant and another with no stuffing.  Almost everything can be made vegan or gluten free.  For drinks, I like the milkshake-like mango lassi.  A small adjacent store sells ingredients to take home.



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image ©2014 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

San Rafael: Terrapin Crossroads (CLOSED); restaurant review

101 North

Terrapin Crossroads  

CLOSED  100 Yacht Club Dr./Francisco Blvd., central San Rafael exit off Hwy. 101, (415) 524-2773.  D Tu-Sun, Sat-SunBr; $$. 

Located in an unlikely spot behind a frontage of car dealerships, this new restaurant and music venue is owned by Grateful Dead musician Phil Lesh.  It is expansive, with both indoor and outdoor canal-side seating.  An adjacent auditorium where Lesh performs regularly with musician friends is in the process of being refurbished.  Terrapin Crossroads  decor features light hardwood floors, some portholes, and rough weathered barn-wood walls adorned with photos of Lesh and others.  Seating areas are varied—one is especially for families--and include many comfortable oversize booths.  Organic and local is the aim of the eclectic seasonal menu featuring wood-fired pizzas with exceptional thin crust, housemade pastas, a burger on a potato pepper bun with housemade pickles (a veggie version, too), Alaskan cod fish & chips, and a chopped chicken salad.  My choices were a creamy-smooth cauliflower soup and spectacular, tender balsamic-glazed pork ribs with a perfectly prepared mustard-spiced potato salad.  My dining partner chose a satisfying mushroom risotto.  We shared and demolished the best chocolate cake I’ve had in ages—sort of a devils food-style double chocolate cake with a creamy chocolate frosting.  I can see why people become loyal repeat customers—the menu holds more mouth-watering items than can be sampled in one visit.  More reasons to return include for brunch on the patio that stretches into the San Rafael Canal, for the complimentary live music at Wednesday dinner and Sunday brunch, and for the scheduled concerts in the auditorium.  The taproom bar dispenses draught beers, wines by the glass, cocktails, and more.  Should you want a souvenir, a counter at the entrance sells posters and t-shirts, 


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image ©2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

San Rafael: Casa Manana; restaurant review

101 North 

Casa Manana

Still relatively undiscovered in its medical center hideaway, Casa Mañana serves breakfast all day. Don't miss the cheese pupusas mojadas when available. This is said to be Marin county’s oldest family-owned restaurant.


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San Rafael: Sol Food; restaurant review

101 North

Sol Food 

732 4th St./Lincoln Ave., (415) 451-4765. B-L-D daily; $$. No reservations.

Though this teeny, tiny Puerto Rican spot features a festive atmosphere, it has only several short counters of seating. Less appetizing seating spills into the parking lot. Check out the super cool Sol Food website and plan your meal ahead. Signature dishes include: pollo al horno (boneless, skinless, flattened chicken thighs served with pink or black beans and sweet (soft and juicy) or garlicky (crispy and flat) fried plantains); camarones criollos (large prawns sauteed in a delicious tomato-garlic-onion sauce and served with rice, avocado, and plantains); and pressed sandwiches—the jibaro features steak, garlic mayo, and crunchy garlic plantains, and the Cubano has roast pork, ham, mustard pickles, and Swiss cheese. Vinegary hot sauce on the table adds to the flavor, and a heavy plantain keeps napkins from blowing away. Fresh limeade and orange-mango iced tea are served up in mason jar glasses.

If the crowdedness of this small take-out place sounds unappealing (the kitchen here is stuffed with almost as many cooks as the counters are with diners), or if it is overflowing when you arrive, opt for their branch at 901 Lincoln Ave./3rd St., (415) 256-8900. It is just a block away and has much more seating, but it doesn’t serve breakfast and can also get very crowded with happy diners.






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image ©2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers