Kitchen, Novato

868 Grant Ave. Novato
415.892.6100



On fashionably refurbished Grant Ave. is a cozy and nicely decorated restaurant, Kithcen. It has been open for a few months, and frankly, I didn't expect too much from this restaurant. Novato is not a great town for fantastic restaurants, at least until now.
As my friend and I went in, I was a little surprised with the beautiful decor, with a large chandelier hanging in the middle and small red lights over each table. Seats were quite comfortable, and although the restaurant is noisy, it was comfortable enough to have conversations.
Although I was told it was not neccessary to make a reservation, I was glad we had one, because the restaurant was almost full. Service was prompt, and my water glass was filled right away when it needed to be filled.
We shared an arugula salad with Manchego cheese and cherries ($8). Reduced balsamic vinegar gave the salad a sweet taste, and Manchego cheese added a tang. Mt. Rainier cherries were unexpected addition to the salad and almonds gave a nice crunch.
For entrees, my friend ordered Seared Sea Scallops ($21). The scallops were accompanied by an unexpected sauce of cumin. At first, we thought it was curry flavor, but we discovered flavor came from cumin and saffron cooked with fresh tomatoes. The sauce was a pleasant addtion to the sweetness of scallops.

I ordered Roasted Halibut on a bed of olive oil mashed potatoes, fennel, and tapenade ($19). The halibut had a very mild flavor, and cooked to perfection. I kept wondering what the unusual flavor was, and I found out it came from extra virgin olive oil in mashed potatoes. The olive oil + rosemary flavor was permeating into the fish, which was truly enjoyable. The sharp tapenade of olives was complimenting otherwise bland (although good) fish, and the sweetness of anise taste from fennel added another dimension to the dish.
Skirt Steak ($22) at the neighbouring table looked just medium rare and looked really tempting!
Santa Rosa Plum Crisp for a dessert was a bit too sour, even with a big dollop of ice cream it came with.
Overall the restaurant is very pleasant, and combination of ingredients were unexpected and successfully so. It was most welcome because we were tired of usual combinations of ingredients.
We thought it was worth visiting many more times, and the prices were fair.