Sally Around The Bay » San Anselmo

Thai Food in San Anselmo

Sally — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 00:45:01 +0000

I love Thai food and Marin County seems to have endless choices when it comes to Thai food. Today I joined a friend for lunch at a place called Lanna Thai in San Anselmo located on the Miracle Mile. The décor is nice and the food is good.

We started with the Salad Roll appetizer “lettuce cups filled with jicama, crispy noodles and pine-nuts all tossed in a tangy sauce”. We ordered the Sauté Eggplant which is eggplant sauteed with Thai basil in black bean sauce with Tofu. It comes with a choice of Chicken, Beef or Tofu and it cost $7.95.

We also got the Crispy Basil Chicken: Tender chicken lightly breaded and tossed with a tangy sauce and crispy Thai basil for $11.00. I was expecting it to be more chicken nugget like but it the batter was actually light, crispy and delicious! I had a Thai Iced Tea with my meal.

I LOVE Thai Iced Tea!

Lanna Thai
810 Sir Francis Drake Blvd
San Anselmo, CA 94960
415-455-8300
www.lannamarin.com

Sushi in San Anselmo

admin — Thu, 13 May 2010 12:15:21 +0000

Last week we took our oldest daughter shopping for her prom dress at Gioia Boutique in San Anselmo which just happens to be located right next to Sushi 69. We stopped for sushi lunch before beginning the prom dress selection process. I had great plans to write up a fabulous post for Sushi 69 but my friend @SFDoug beat me to it. He writes so eloquently I thought I’d just send you to his blog to read about Sushi 69 instead of boring you with my rambles.

You may wonder why it is called Sushi 69. (Get your mind out of the gutter!) It’s called Sushi 69 because their address is 69 Center Blvd, San Anselmo, CA.

Healthy Yummy Food at Comforts in San Anselmo

Sally — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 03:02:57 +0000

If you are in a hurry and want something healthy and super yummy then Comforts Café in San Anselmo is the place to go. My favorite dish from Comforts is their Chinese Chicken (or Tofu) Salad. It has got to be the best Chinese Chicken Salad ever! It is always fresh and the dressing they use is delicious. The Chicken Okasan is also very popular in my household.

Comforts always has their fresh Chinese Chicken (or Tofu) Salad in a box and ready to go. This is a great lunch to grab when you are on the run. They also have a huge selection of prepared healthy food which you can pick up in the afternoon and bring home for dinner.

Comforts Café has two sides. One side is a sit down more formal café the other is the take out, more casual side. I usually go to the take out side because… I’m usually in a hurry but both sides are good and on a sunny day it is really nice to sit outside while dining.

In addition to all delicious and healthy meals they have a full service café where they serve excellent tasting cappuccinos, lattes, mochas, etc…

After filling up on fine food at Comforts you can take a stroll down San Anselmo Avenue to Gioia’s for a little boutique shopping.

Comforts is located at:

335 San Anselmo Avenue
San Anselmo, CA 94960
415.454.9840

Photo borrowed from www.comfortscafe.com

Chocolate Delights

Sally — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 17:56:26 +0000

I like dark chocolate. I already finished the big box of chocolates that @octupusgrabbus sent to me from Turtle Alley so I needed to find some local chocolate. Actually, I wasn’t looking for chocolate, I was looking for a good coffee. I was craving a latte and I was in San Anselmo near Redhill shopping center and wanted something besides Starbucks or Peets. I saw the little, tiny, charming store in Redhill called Chocolate Delights and remembered they had coffee. We went in and were greeted by a very friendly woman who made us some delicious lattes; you know the kind served in a glass mug so you can see the layers? It was pretty and yummy. Of course, since I was sitting in the cute, little shop staring at the abundance of chocolate I just HAD to try some. I had a dark chocolate Belgium truffle. The truffle with the coffee was an absolutely wonderful tasting experience. It was also quite cozy to sit in this little shop while it was raining outside.

If you find yourself in San Anselmo and are craving some coffee and chocolate this is the place to go.

Chocolate Delights
876 Sir Francis Drake Blvd.
San Anselmo, CA 94960
http://chocolatedelightsmarin.net
415.454.3315

Top yummy photo borrowed from Chocolate Delights Website.

Random Fun Things To Do This Weekend

Sally — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 23:48:15 +0000

Cool things to do around the Bay Area this weekend.

Music & Dance
I just discovered the San Francisco LovEvolution which is happening this Saturday, October 3rd, 2009
“America’s biggest dance movement event” www.sflovevolution.org

To find live music in Marin and all around the Bay Area check out www.marinlocalmusic.com

Happy Hour
Cafe Flore in San Francisco (near the Castro) is my favorite place for Happy Hour! I was there last Saturday night and had the 2 for $5 Cosmo special! www.cafeflore.com Molly makes awesome Cosmos! They have different special every night.

Mellow Marin
If you are looking for a more mellow weekend. How about taking a stroll in San Anselmo and drinking some tea. I just discovered the Teapod this week and loved it! It’s an Organic Tea Bar. I had lunch there with my new friend Marilyn. The salad was delicious and the tea was really good! I had a green chai tea latte. The place is so relaxing. Doesn’t this picture just make you relax?

After you go to the Teapod make sure to stop by Gioia’s and say hi.

Petaluma
Looking for something new and original to do? How about visiting a farm! Tara Firma Farms is a cool place to visit!

And of course… all of these activities would be so much better if I were driving a Mini Cooper! www.minisf.com

Fun Things For Kids To Do Around The Bay Area

Sally — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 15:00:14 +0000

Marilyn LoRusso, is the Owner and Funmaster of Kids Fun on the Go. I met Marilyn a few weeks ago at my local Toastmasters Group and was fascinated by what she does. I asked her if she’d be willing to do an interview. She agreed!

Marilyn please tell us a bit about what Kids Fun on the Go is.
Based here in Marin County I bring fun kids classes to homes in Marin, Sonoma and parts of San Francisco. A family provides the space (room in an apartment, house, office or any kid friendly space) and some of their friends. That’s when the FUN begins! There are even ways a host family can receive the entire class series for FREE!

I offer classes in Baby Sign Language, Art, Yoga, Baby & Me and Baby & Me Fitness for children 2 months to 9 years of age and are in sessions of 4-6 weeks. I am a Certified Independent Instructor with the original Baby Signs® Programs, a Certified children’s yoga instructor, an experienced arts and crafts teacher, infant play teacher and all around Funmaster! I have been a Speech and Language Pathologist, teacher and district manager at Gymboree Play and Music Centers, owned my own retail business at the Village at Corte Madera and have entertained thousands of children, as Princess Polka Dot, with magic, face painting, balloon art, songs, games and more!

So, bringing fun and joy to children and their families is my true passion!
I have created Kids Fun on the GO to answer the growing need for fun, safe, creative, interactive and affordable play options for parents and their little ones. And, to support that wonderful growing sense of community here in the Bay Area.

What do you love most about the Bay Area?
I am originally from the east coast and have been in the Bay Area for almost 30 years. This is HOME to me! I love the beauty, weather, diversity, people, wine country, openness to new ideas, quaint towns, mountains, beaches, redwoods, wildlife, abundance of activities and proximity to San Francisco and the coast. And, I met my husband Robert here in Marin County. We live amongst all the beauty in Novato with our amazing cat, Asia.

What is your favorite place to hike in the Bay Area?
I love to hike the Tennessee Valley path to the ocean. I love bringing unsuspecting out of towners on the path and keeping the ocean a surprise! It is so fun as we are winding down the path and all of a sudden a small sparkle of ocean appears on the horizon, then slowly becomes larger and larger. I never tire of that and love finding insets of rock wall to relax in with a picnic lunch or snack once at the beach. What a special place.

The Chimney Rock wildflower walk in Point Reyes during spring is sensational. It’s an easy 2 mile loop displaying amazing wildflower shows. One year I counted 27 different types of wildflowers! It ends overlooking the ocean high on a bluff. You can sometimes see whales, hawks and often see elephant seals down below sunning themselves on the small sandy beaches.

What is your favorite restaurant in the Bay Area?
I’m a big salad lover so I am always looking for tasty and fresh salads. I love the apple/fennel salad at Toast restaurant in Novato. It’s a fun, lively atmosphere and the salads are innovative and fresh. However, when I have to have my dose of Chicken Marsala, which I have tried all over Marin county, my favorite is La Toscana in San Rafael. It is not always on the menu, but you can ask the chef to make it and they are more than happy to.

What is your favorite place to get coffee?
I am a tea drinker and absolutely love Teapod Organic Tea Bar in San Anselmo. They are an innovative tea lounge serving fresh steeped teas and tea concoctions made from all organic loose teas and organic ingredients. They have amazing tea infusers which creates your drink in about a minute or you can choose to have a teapot. It is so comfortable to hang out there with friends or your laptop and hookup to their free wifi. They even have organic take away salads, drinks, desserts and often free live music events! The owners Jaimie and Chris are so warm and inviting. They have really created a modern and fun gathering place. And they just had a baby! You might see Maddox soon hanging out at the lounge greeting customers!

What is your favorite place to bike?
I hope you meant motorcycle! My husband Robert and I love to take our Stratoliner motorcycle for day trips all around the North Bay. Asia likes to stay home and sleep. We ride through Calistoga, wine country (Napa and Sonoma), Lake Sonoma, Healdsburg, Cloverdale, Ukiah, Clearlake, Blue Lakes and more. But our favorite ride is through the Russian River area – Sebastopol, Guerneville, Occidental, Monte Rio, Duncan Mills, down the coast, through Bodega Bay, Tomales and Point Reyes. We love stopping at all the quaint shops, beaches, coffee/tea shops, and parks (we take a lot of picnics!) The joy and freedom we feel is unexplainable! We truly experience the “staycation” 2-3 times a week!

Well, now you know more about me! Thank you Sally Around the Bay for including me in your fun and informative Blog!

Thanks Marilyn! Can you tell us a little bit more about the class you offer. I know with winter coming parents of young children are probably looking for some new and fun things to do with their kids. ~Sally

Of course! Have you ever wondered what babies are thinking?

The Sign, Say and Play classes (6 months – 2 years) teach babies to use simple, easy-to-do gestures for communicating with their parents and caregivers. The Baby Signs® Program helps children develop both language and cognitive skills. Studies show that babies who sign actually develop speech sooner and have larger vocabularies when they do start talking. It can also reduce tears, tantrums and frustration!

Beebo the signing bear appears. He is a 30” plush bear with sleeves I put my arms through to model the signs. The little ones love him! We sing songs, read books, have a parachute time with dancing and bubbles, have activities specialized to the theme signs of the day and more. There are 5-6 signs taught each class. Some of the class themes are mealtime, bedtime, bath time, getting dressed, pets and at the park.

In Baby & Me classes (2 – 7 months) parents and their little ones explore fun activities through sensory, auditory and visual stimulation. Parents sing songs to their infants and many new songs are introduced with accompanying tactile play. There is a tummy fun time which is often the favorite activity! There are musical games, tactile play, parent discussions and a lot of bonding activities. We even have a memorabilia/gift project at the end of each session. It’s fun to discover what all these little ones can teach us!

In Baby & Me Fitness classes (non-mobile babies) moms can relax and have fun with their friends and their newborns during this easy fitness class designed especially for new moms and their babies. We combine gentle core strengthening exercises, yoga and breathing techniques. This class incorporates the non mobile baby into easy and fun exercises.

In the Art classes (2-6 years) we help inspire children’s imaginations and self expression with fun art activities. Through painting, sculpture, drawing, collage and more, classes encourage confidence and support artistic potential. Themed art series include 2 take home projects per class, play dough fun, songs, movement activity and more!

Yoga classes (3-5 years) (5-8 years) are specifically developed and modified appropriately by level, and are taught using the method of the It’s Yoga Vinyasa System. This is a fun and dynamic system of practicing poses joined together by breath and flowing movement. All classes include warm-up, action/play, winding down and relaxation. Busy lifestyles are commonplace for today’s kids and yoga is a wonderful way to tone the body and relax the mind. Beyond the well-known benefits such as increasing strength, flexibility and concentration, yoga is non-competitive, stimulates the imagination and is fun!

Here is a fun video about what Baby Signs® is!

Become a fan of Kids Fun On The Go on Facebook.

Joy at Gioia in San Anselmo

Sally — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 23:26:59 +0000

A fun thing to do in the Bay Area is to go boutique shopping. There are many clothing boutiques around the Bay Area full of original and unique clothing. One of my favorite clothing shops is Gioia in San Anselmo. Actually, I’m not the only one who likes to shop at Gioia. Patricia mentioned Gioia in her interview. Besides the great clothing you can find at Gioia it is also fun to shop there because the owner Joy and the people who work with her make the shopping experience fun!

I recently asked Joy Sasson, owner of Gioia clothing boutique in San Anselmo, CA what she loved most about the Bay Area. Here is her response:

What I love mostly about the Bay Area is the diversity and culture…whether it’s the arts, foods, nature, etc…we have it all! Also one can’t beat the Mediterranean climate here…

When I’m not working in my store, Gioia, I love to ride my mountain bike everywhere I can! I love the access to the trails. I can ride out my back door and get into nature easily and find my center and peace of mind…away from the multitudes of peeps!

I love the local restaurants here in Marin, with no need to go to San Francisco at all! There is so much choice, with the only problem of early closing. Marin shuts down pretty early and in the summer, I can finish a ride at 9:00 PM!

So, other than all that, I work in my cute little boutique in San Anselmo, which is fun fun fun!

Gioia has eclectic and exciting clothes for all women…if they are not conservative, and yet, conservative ladies have found something of wonder in my shop!

Come in and see me or one of my girlfriends who are helping me run the show!

Thanks Joy!

Become of fan of Gioia on Facebook!

Read more about Gioia at BrandHabit and on Yelp!

Mention Sally Around The Bay next time you visit Gioia and receive a 10% discount on any purchase over $100 between now until 9/30/09.

Authors Around the Bay: Patricia Volonakis Davis

Sally — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 23:35:51 +0000

Many authors live in the Bay Area and thanks to all the wonderful local book stores we often get to see authors speak and to meet them in person. Sally Around The Bay is going to start a series of local author interviews to find out their favorite spots in the Bay Area. Our first interview is with Patricia Volonakis Davis (whose book I just finished reading). Patricia wrote the memoir Harlot’s Sauce. It’s a great book about her life in Greece. I got nostalgic while reading the book and pulled out my photo album from my trip to Greece 10 years ago. Greece is such an amazing and beautiful country.

Thanks Patricia for taking the time to answer my questions!

Author Name: Patricia Volonakis Davis

Book: Harlot’s Sauce: A Memoir of Food, Family, Love, Loss, and Greece

What is your favorite restaurant in the Bay Area?
Well, since my background is Italian, I’m always looking for good Italian restaurants, and I have to say that there are two that I really love- one is Arriverderci’s in San Rafael, though it’s more Italian-American food than strictly Italian. Nonetheless, every item I’ve ever tried on their menu is excellent, they cook everything as you like, even let me trade my potato side for an extra vegetable side. I also LOVE the waitstaff, (Hello, Glenn, Hello, Danny!) because they are all in some way involved in the arts, and they come over to our table and chat with me about my writing, and so we feel like we’re going to see close friends whenever we eat there. But if you want genuine Italian pizza, the kind with the really thin crust, and all the fresh ingredients on top, you need to go to Benissimo’s in Corte Madera. My husband calls it “Benny and Mo’s”, but he’s a poker player, not an Italian.

Where is your favorite place to shop for clothing?
That is the easiest question to answer- hands down it’s Gioia in downtown San Anselmo. The prices are reasonable, the clothes are different, but trendy/chic, not too way out there, and I love all the shoes!

What do you love most about the Bay Area?
Another easy question. The people. The people make the Bay Area. I think it’s because they genuinely appreciate how stunningly beautiful the area is. And they feel blessed to live here and show it, by hiking in the area, bicycling here, eating here, shopping in the area, and most of all, doing their best to keep it ‘eco-friendly’

Favorite independent bookstores in the Bay Area?
Naturally, I’ll say Book Passage first. That’s because they have been so supportive of me and my writing. They have asked me to do workshops there and they went out of their way to make my book launch wildly successful. I love that they have great conferences and all kinds of artistic events, too. In fact, I’m organizing one really fabulous event for the California Writers Club Marin Branch that’s being held there in October. Some amazing literary names are taking part in that! They are truly a local landmark. I also love Book Depot in Mill Valley, And Booksmith in San Anselmo. In fact, Book Depot in Mill Valley was the first local bookshop I discovered when I moved here. They’ve got a great selection of books for such a small shop. Booksmith’s is one I pass almost every time I’m in downtown San Anselmo, and the owner is so gracious and accommodating.

Do you belong to any local clubs?
I belong to the California Writers Club, both the Marin Branch and the Redwood Branch, and I also belong to the Fairfax Health Club. I get my best writing inspiration from all my friends there, and the trainers are great, too!

Do you have any upcoming events related to Harlot’s Sauce?
Yes- lots! I’m speaking in front of the San Diego Feminist Book Group on July 7, for an event called “Harlots and Feminists”, there is the Instock Conference on July 18, in the Hotel Monaco in San Francisco, where I’ll be hosting a panel, The CWC Marin Centennial Event at Book Passage, The Redwood Writers Conference, and lots more appearances at independent bookshops throughout the state. You can check for updates on my Harlot’s Sauce Fan Page on Facebook, www.booktour.com or on my website at: www.patriciaVdavis.com.

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If you are a local author and would like to be featured on Sally Around The Bay please contact me.

Boutique Shopping Around The Bay

Sally — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 04:21:15 +0000

Today I went shopping and interviewed Joy Sasson, owner of Gioia’s Boutique. Gioia’s Boutique is located in the charming downtown neighborhood of San Anselmo, CA on the west end of San Anselmo Avenue. Downtown San Anselmo is a friendly, cute, little, tree lined street filled with independently owned shops, restaurants and cafes.

Joy worked in retail for many years and discovered she really liked playing dress up with people and giving fashion advice. Seven years ago she decided to go in to business for herself and opened Gioia. She loves the social aspect of running a boutique. She enjoys meeting people and helping them make the right fashion choices. In fact, today she helped me pick out a new pair of jeans. She knew how to pick the right jeans to fit my body type. I now own a pair of jeans cool enough for my avatar to wear.

Gioia’s Boutique is an eclectic store for women; loved by teenagers all the way to grandmothers. She has something for everyone. (Well according to Joy, “for everyone that doesn’t want dress in cookie cutter fashion”.) Gioia’s Boutique is for the adventurous, individualist, fun, artistic, playful and elegant type of women. Joy describes some of her fashion styles as “simple elegance”. She offers everything from head to toe; semi-formal to jeans, shirts, blouses, pants, shorts, boots, handbags, sandals, jewelry, skirts, dresses and so much more. Many of the items are locally made. The store is decorated with beautiful paintings created by Joy.

Joy loves it when her shop is full of people. She is an extrovert and loves to socialize! She loves helping people put outfits together.

Since San Ansemlo is a small town and Marin County is a fairly small county Joy offers a special service. For all big events in the area (prom, winter formal, fund raising events, etc) she keeps a list of dresses sold for the particular events and only sells one dress style per event. For example, if she sells a prom dress to a girl going to the Drake High School prom she will make note and not sell the same dress to anyone else going to the same Drake High School prom. By doing this she helps to reduce the chance of someone else wearing your dress to the prom. How cool is that?!

Gioia’s store has a mixed price point, she has something for everyone’s taste and budget.

Become a fan of Gioia’s on Facebook to find out about specials and events.