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Bolinas, CA
"Bolinas is such a great little town. I think it's cool that the signs are always torn down, although when we drove into "downtown" Bo the…" read more »
For starters we had the artichoke fritters with tarragon aioli. They were actually pretty good, coming from someone who is not that into artichokes. We also had the homemade burrata mozzarella and that was ridiculously delicious. It was served with roasted garlic and some type of yummy cured meat, as if the cheese wasn't enough. It's been four days and I'm still thinking about that appetizer. Next course, short ribs. Wow. The short ribs were melt-in-your-mouth perfection. For dessert we had the butterscotch pudding (delectably dense and creamy) and the ice cream sandwich- eh, could've done without. The cookies were tough to break-- a disaster waiting to happen. I could see chunks of cookie, or possibly a fork, flying in the air.... Next time I'd like to try the warm chocolate hazelnut brioche.
Scene: birthday, party of 12, all a little soggy from hiking from various (& distant) parking spots, all wearing glitzy golden apparel (she turned 25 on the 25th, get it?!). Table is set with golden centerpieces and sprinkled with golden star confetti and located right by the bar in a major thoroughfare.
Knew before hand: huge party will equal huge bill. Must mentally and fiscally prepare. High heels + slippery floor will mean disaster imminent.
Afterthoughts: The mojitos were excellent. Waitress attentive and very helpful. Some of the appetizers were bomb (the mac & cheese, aka the new "it" food), and some were blah (that rice/bean thing? What was that?). My filet mignon was, well, I've had better. Had little taste, was meh all around. Was expecting more for the price. Heard the ravioli and quail were excellent though. Bill ended up being a little more than I expected, but easily distributed amongst us. NEEDS VALET. This is Marin for goodness sakes, isn't it in county code to offer valet?
Verdict: I'll give it another go to try the ravioli. And what was up with seeing my 6th grade P.E. teacher there...I swear she has not aged. I guess being a middle school gym teacher keeps the ladies young...
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This is where to go when you want perfect short ribs with horseradish sauce. Their salads are also great. My favorite spot there is in the side room by the fireplace.
Good food. Gets a little loud in the main room, so if noise bothers you ask for a table in the room with the fireplace.
Good drinks and bartenders are friendly. Great wine list.
Update: They have since added a drink list to their menu. Awesome. Very creative drinks and well made. Also enjoy the shrimp and quail to start.
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I went here last night for the first time and thought it was really good...I sat at the bar with a couple of friends and the bartenders were very attentive and talkative. The food was really good, I had the short ribs, beet salad to start and we all shared apps which were really good as well. The flat bread was the best app, I was not so impressed with the artichoke pieces. The beet salad was very good, it had goat cheese balls, which kind of off set the earthiness of the gold and red beets. The short ribs for entree were really good, but the portion size could have been a little larger. Another in my party had raviolis, but again the portion was smaller. Price was in the mid range, but not terrible expensive. This is owned by the real restaurant group that owns buckeye and several others throughout the bay area, I will go here again for sure.
So I was going to give an in depth review but that would require a detailed description of the gnocchi which would make me salivate like Pavlov's dog and frankly I don't want computer to short circuit.
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The food is pretty good. I had the quail and I thought it was great. Our waitress was also great. My girlfriend had the lobster spaghetti. It was good, but not great. My mother had the filet mignon and it was very tender, but lacking a bit in the flavor department. But, I'm more of a rib-eye guy. The portions are very small. Even after sharing a salad and an appetizer, I was still a little hungry after my quail. We also had the Calamari appetizer which comes with white beans. The beans and the sauteed, not fried, Calamari were great, but it's mostly beans, which I wasn't really expecting. FYI, Corkage fee is $15.
Classy setting, homestyle cuisine, unpretentious prices, cougars?
I love this restaurant's atmosphere and the FOOD - so good. Bungalow 44 seems right at home in Mill Valley, and you can tell upon entry that it's a local favorite. I love the fireplace seating area inside (would be perfect for an intimate gathering), and I was especially impressed by the menu (which includes some exotic picks mixed in with homestyle fare like fried chicken and onion rings - order these!!!).
I checked this place out on a Sunday night. I made reservations for our group of 3 via the website which was very convienent, however, we had to wait for 10-15 minutes anyway. The hostess was a bit snooty, but we were seated at a table in the dining room. Our waitress was very friendly and helpful, although was very busy so we did have to wait quite a while between appetizers, ordering entrees, ordering desserts, and having the check brought out. We were there 2 hours. I had the Kobe beef burger with truffle fries and was a bit disappointed. If I'm going to spend $14 on a hamburger that claims to come "fully stacked" I expect it to be memorable! This one was not, and I don't know what fully stacked means. It only came with lettuce on it, and the cheese I requested. As for the truffle fries, they were the same as any decent restaraunt quality fry, good, but nothing to write home about. I loved the mac& cheese appetizer though, it was a bit greasy but tasted great. For dessert I tried the blueberry & apple crisp. I love sweets and even I found this to be VERY sweet, but it was good if you like that. Overall, it's cute and the food is pretty good. The prices are pretty steep for the quality of food I had, but I would go back and try some of the other options. For a better hamburger at less than half the cost, go to Pearl's Phatburgers a couple doors down. Do try the mac & cheese.
Four of us went here a couple of Saturdays ago. It was a typical Mill Valley crowd. Which I consider a good thing. Both the bar and the restaurant were busy. The service and the food were good. I had a nice little Chicken Pillard with twice baked potatoes. Someone at a nearby table had the ribs. They looked great. I will be back to try them.
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Because of the decent reviews here on Yelp, we decided to forgo Sausalito aka "tourist trap" for Mill Valley. Bungalow 44 is located just around the corner of downtown Mill Valley w/ lots of charming shops and a rustic atmosphere. We were able to make reservations online w/o trouble and when we showed up on a busy friday nite at 7:15pm, it was packed w/ lots of people waiting to get in. After a few minutes wait, we were seated in a booth table with a perfect vantage view of the entire restaurant. This was very important to us which I will explain later.
We started out w/ some gnocchi and house salad, and they were both good. The gnocchi is quite rich so be careful not to ruin your appetite w/ this. The house salad was simple but fresh and perfectly mixed. For entrees, we had the Ahi steak which was a thumbs up, and the rib-eye which was cooked medium rare.. and it was nicely blackened and seared on the outside. The first few bites were a tad on the dry side, but I quickly started to appreciate it as is after a few more bites. The flavor was quite rich and delicious and it got better and better as I ate more. So I guess it was an example of not being what I expected at first, but I grew to like it the more I ate it. So I give it a solid 4/5 stars. The portion was quite generous as well. We had zero room for dessert.
So while we finished up our cocktails and red wine, we spent the rest of the time watching all the "cougar" action. We watched a couple of cougars in action and were quite impressed at how "blatant" they were. We also noticed some cougars hunting in packs of 2's or 3's. We asked our waitress, who was very good by the way, and she confirmed this restaurant's cougarville reputation. She was even nice enough to point out some other sessions in action that we missed. She was like our cougar tour guide. This activity made our dinner that much more fun, interactive, and memorable and you can bet that we will return for more yummy food and cougaring whenever we're in town.
Because of Bungalow 44, Mill Valley has just gone up a few notches in my book while Sausalito has dropped a bit. We stopped by there on the way home and it was just DEAD on a friday nite.
Happy Cougaring!
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This place is great! My friend and I went here when Buckeye Roadhouse was too busy/crowded (at 9pm!) to seat us. I'm so glad we got to eat here!
We ordered the truffled parmesan fries - they were so so so good! I had the kickin' fried chicken. The meat was moist and juicy. My friend tried a piece and her piece was not juicy. So sad. She ordered the grilled rib-eye. As much as I love fried chicken, her rib eye was really something to write home about. I absolutely loved everything we ordered! Dessert was nudging us, but we opted out so that we could go to the new gelato place across the street.
Started out with the steak tartare, then moved on to the gnocchi and caesar salad. I thought I was in heaven. But wait - there's more!
Grilled rib-eye steak, blue cheese twice-baked potatoes & watercress. Dessert was hazelnut chocolate brioche - to die for!
Great bar scene - one of the best espresso martinis I've ever had. Try the raspberry lemon-drop!
The staff was very pleasant and the service was top notch.
One of the best places to eat in Marin Co. Pricey but well worth it!
We had dinner here tonight w/ a friend. I had a mojito which was pretty sour. I sent it back for sweetening up, which improved it greatly. Not the best mojito I've had, but good. The beer selection was limited, w/ only one dark beer available, none on tap. We started w/ onion rings, which were tasty. Husband and I split the Brussels sprout salad, which was fabulous. He had the ribs, I had the fried chicken and our friend had the day boat scallop salad. Of the three entrees we were most impressed w/ the latter. My fried chicken was good. The ribs at Bo's were much better. Service was pleasant and attentive but became less attentive w/ coffee and tea. No teaspoons w/ the tea, just w/ the coffee, so I had to steal husband's spoon while he was away from the table and request another. He had to request a refill. Other than that it was good. We were on the lookout for coyotes...uh, cougars, (husband's little joke) but didn't notice any. Not sure how we would have known.
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I would say three stars for the food which was pretty good, although I ordered my steak medium rare and had to send it back when it arrived burnt to a crisp. The gnocci appetizer could serve as my meal alone, and the kobe burger is delicious. Good dessert too. However, the service was extremely lacking; our server was unpleasant and seemed really bored and out of it. She didn't come to check on us once the food arrived, and was unapologetic about the steak. But I might come back here again
Can't ever say enough good things about Bungalow. Great bar scene, fantastic food, great decor. Service is always on point. I work in real estate and frequently send clients new to the area straight into Bungalow for a martini and blue cheese gnocchi. Oh, also quite possibly the best filet ever. Ever.
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I love this place. This was the 3rd time I've attempted to eat here (last minute of course) and luckily 3rd time was a charm (at the bar). The cocktails were made perfectly as were the appetisers. Love the service and the atmosphere. Would definitely recommend!
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O.M.G!!! Their lobster spaghetti is really, really delicious. My husband ordered the lobster spaghetti and I ordered salmon. I took one bite of his dish and didn't give it back. Good service, drinks and dessert.
Did the management here change? I went here a while back and did not have a great meal or service. I'm glad I gave them another try. It was a completely different experience.
By popular demand, I am writing a review after one visit, apologies to the bugalow owners if I misrepresent. Ok, first things first, what's in a name? Did this name remind anyone of the hip and trendy New York bar, Bugalow 8? If so, please be warned that these digs bear no relation to the aforementioned bungalow. If Bungalow 8 is a bungalow, Bungalow 44 is more of a yurt. This is a good place to hang out after some midday shopping in cute Mill Valley. Might also be a place where one might go to see and not be seen, if you know what I mean. Politicians and their girlfriends, movie stars, the rich and not famous of Marin.
Bungalow associations aside, the restaurant is cozy and comfortable, a hint of traditional sophisitcation with a California flair. Some good points. This place does not scrimp on silverware and glassware. We had a few different wines, each with its own lovely wine glass. I also approve of the steak knives, which were metal. Teapots were bee house, and teacups had a nice saucer. They also had some lovely ceramic serving plates which I daresay were locally crafted.
Onward to the food. The menu here is traditional with hints of Californian. Everything is fresh, however the preparations are classic American. Steak, crab cakes, onion rings.
I started with a lovely glass of Chardonnay recommended by our cute waitress. This wine was different from your typical oaky Chardonnay, crisp and buttery, a nice compliment to my oysters which were quite fresh. They had one type of oyster, however this did not dissapoint too much because of the fresh quality.
The wine list is strictly Californian, however there is a good representation of regions.
Crabcakes are standard, the prosciutto flatbread has a unique sweetness to it which is quite refreshing. The green salad is generous and the mustard vinagrette is flavorful but light. The scallop salad is fair but nothing to write to yelp about. My filet was tender, however I think I may have detected a hint of A1.
In total I would say this is a solid restaurant and quite healthy for restaurant fare. I ate a lot but didn't leave feeling stuffed. You can get some good wines here and enjoy the comfortable atmosphere and attentive service. A good place to take some out of towners who would like something good but not experimental or to have a quiet dinner after a hard day of shopping and spa.
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Megan W Is so right! Whenever I feel like eating great food and a great ambiance but too lazy to hit the city I come here. I love sitting at the bar, watching the game, drinking Mojitos and eating everything on the menu. The Truffled fries are amazing, flat bread with fig & prosciutto- amazing, polenta with grilled prawns. yummy.
Minus one star for the rookie bartender spilling a drink on me (which would have been semi-ok if she had comped me a drink which she didn't)
I feel slightly bad giving this place only three stars but in all honesty, I cannot give it more. Bungalow 44 was fine; I have only two complaints. Before I get to those - I'll explain. Bungalow 44 was fine. But that's it. Just fine. It wasn't spectacular. It didn't wow me. Nothing stood out. The things that did stand out where the two things I expressly didn't enjoy. So maybe I'm the one with the problem here but our waitress was just toooo much for me. There's a difference between being enthusiastic about your job and being a bit on the creepy side. If her smile or her eyes got any bigger she would have rivaled The Joker. I mean really, how expressively must one describe potato leek soup? There's potatoes it. There are leeks in it. Sure, hit me with some celery. No need to recite a practical soliloquy on the deliciousness of the perfection that is this warm and scrumptious special winter soup. It's soup!
We didn't order the soup despite the RAVE review. We ordered the artichoke fritters which were actually fried artichoke hearts, not fritters. They were . . . fine. We also ordered the maccheroni and cheese. That was probably the best thing we had. It had a pleasant richness without being overwhelming. For an entree we order the tiger prawn burgers which were . . . fine. The broccolini we ordered as a side was fine too. Nothing tasted bad - it was all fine.
After our plates were cleared my dinner companion and I decided to skip dessert but I felt like a shot of fernet to close the night. Served in a nice tumbler, I sipped my fernet while my date had a coffee. We chatted for a bit and our super duper waitress brought our bill. I don't know if it's a Marin thing but since when is a shot of fernet $8.50! (my other complaint) Come to Solstice - we only charge $6.
All in all I didn't have a bad time. The food was fine. The atmosphere was fine. The service was even fine when it wasn't overbearing. My company was lovely and besides the fernet, I thought everything was reasonably priced. Will I go back? I won't go out of my way but I won't avoid it if someone invites me.
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I think it'd be easy to judge those who patronage this place because it is the neighborhoody "Mill Valley" crowd...where everyone knows your name (and whose husband you've slept with) BUT the food and wine were excellent. I had the tuna steak and it was possibly one of the best I've had. Nothing here is cheap, but the quality of the food makes up for it.
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A nice birthday dinner from Mark:
We sat in the indoor/outdoor room which had heat lamps, but these would go off, leaving us cold. The staff was nice about putting them back on again, though.
Hand-made gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce--pretty tasty, but the gnocchi were a little burnt after some serious pan-searing (kitchen should have skipped that step, maybe), and some delicious fried chicken with buttery, silky mashed potatoes. The kobe burger was admittedly ordered well-done, but seemed burnt too. Great carmelized onions on the salad.
Bungalow 44 has a high ratio of what Mark calls "cougars": older women on the prowl. Mark thinks that a cougar is any woman on the prowl over 35, but I think that it's 39. Please let me know and help solve this debate! In any case, cougar hunters will definitely find some fine cougars to poach at the Bungalow 44 bar, which is especially a cougar den of the rare species Cougarae Marinitae, genus Rich Man Seekus (okay, so I flunked Latin). Bring your binoculars for the hunt--and a Porsche and major credit card! Be careful, though, these cougars have well-manicured claws and can pounce at any minute.
To defend against a cougar attack: quit your job, sell your house, give all your money to charity, and find a girl who genuinely loves you--then the cougar will seek other prey.
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In the Mill Valley restaurant world, this relative newcomer is a pretty solid alternative for a Thurday or Friday dinner. Although it can be a little cougarish at times (read older women for younger men), the food is tasty - ribs, onion rings, upscale burgers and an awesome fried chicken entree. It has a great patio and the bar scene is fun for either a standalone drink or waiting for your table. It can be crowded but that is a good sign from a popularity standpoint. This location has turned over many times, but I believe Bungalow 44 will be there for a while.
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Gotta say, I was a little scared of the 40-and-over-meat-market image that this place seems to have, but I dropped in with a friend of mine for a drink. The bar was packed, and we were planning on eating, so we sat at the counter. Great service, great drinks, great food (somewhere between diner and California cuisine ... think "truffle-oil french fries"), very friendly (hmmm ... flirty?) chef who chatted us up over the counter. Not cheap, but I didn't feel cheated like I have at other places nearby. I'm gonna go back when I'm in the mood for red meat and get the short-ribs!
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Are You Kidding?
If I was a hot yuppie chick (or aging divorcee) wanting to eat and be seen outside the marina for a change then perhaps this place rates something. But in the couple times I've been forced to eat here I've been overwhelmingly underwhelmed. Since the last visit was yesterday and fresh on my mind - here's a mini review:
1) Wednesday night, quick seating albeit next to a leaky cold window.
2) Waiter arrives, gets our order including appetizers, tells us he'll be right back with bread.
3) Twenty minutes later, after said waiter had been walking around the room WITH A WATER PITCHER but never checked in to see if I might like my empty glass refilled, I walked back to the entrance to find him and request some water and inquire about that bread he promised. (Forgot to ask about the appetizer).
4) Bread was "being baked" (huh? What kind of restaurant runs completely out of bread at 8PM?!?) I did eventually get some water.
5) Food comes about 1/2 hour after order, along with the fucking $8.00 french fry "appetizers." Still no bread, but the dude teases us with "it'll be out soon." Yeah - nice dessert I guess....
6) The 3 bones of the $18.00 BBQ Spare ribs were OK, sweet potato fries alright but luke-cold, and the slaw's vinegary but good if you like it that way (I do).
7) My friend had the crab cakes, no complaints from her but no raves either.
8) Getting the right check was apparently an advanced task for this place. First we had to beg for it, then they gave the wrong check (we didn't notice, we just wanted to escape), they rang it up to the charge card, then returned with the RIGHT check and repeated the whole process including a credit to the card.
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epilogue...
This place has been in business for a while - maybe 2-3 years (we first checked it out not long after they arrived here, it wasn't THIS bad). The level of confusion and fairly incompetent and inattentive service were the kind of things you forgive in a place that just opened their doors. But when I'm paying eight dollars for some mediocre and nearly cold french fries it pisses me off to have it compounded with an invisible waiter - they ought to have the basic kinks of running a restaurant on a slow night down by now. Luckily we decided to base his tip on mercy rather than a percentage of the meal price. Even In and Out Burger serves up better fries, I can more easily get water, and the damn food is the right temperature... Plus they can figure out how to take your money.
Mill Valley's a wonderful place for pretentious eateries, but I wouldn't bother with Bungalow 44 again. For a warm dose of ego puffery mixed with mostly decent food there's DeAngelo's just a block over. DeAngelo's also has a bar full of professionals drinking themselves to unconsciousness, but the seating is more comfortable and it's better lit if you like observing their mating rituals. PLUS - they have bread in stock (even on slow nights).
The pros:
1) You can come here with mud and blood from your MTB mishap an hour earlier streaked all over you and have a glass of chard at the bar- and no one will care.
2) You can refer to this place as Bunghole- and the name will stick with anyone in earshot which is fun
3) If you have kids- you can have a great easy relaxed time here.
4) If you detest kids- you can still have a good time here since they tend to separate families from serious diners.
5) The service has been consistently friendly to me the last five times I've eaten here.
6) The food is great- and the desserts are even better.
Cons:
I haven't found any yet that relate to the restaurant!
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In my view it's a tad bit overrated,
but if you do decide to go there, make your way past the cougar cage at the bar..
sit near the fire in the other room.
and order the meatloaf and grits.
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I have been looking for some good fried chicken in Marin county for a long time and I finally found it! Bungalow 44 has lots of great offerings, but their "Kickin Fried Chicken" is awesome! The restaurant is slightly on the fancy side, but the food is excellent and the atmosphere is relaxing and cozy with a fireplace. They also have a great drink and dessert menu.
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this was a terrific place to go for a 30th bday celebration. staff was courteous, the menu offered a wide selection for any diner, and the atmosphere was very cozy and welcoming. will definitely schlep out of the city for another go in the future!
I love the food here...one of my favorite spots in Mill Valley....quite a bar scene as well.
Warmly decorated with super-comfortable chairs and stools. Loud, with an older crowd. Not cheap. Bring your parents and confess your sins over a plate of gnocchi. Either they won't hear you, or they won't care.
I've gone to this place about 5 times now, mainly for the gorgonzola gnocchi. It's unreal. Definitely fun to sit along the bar next to the kitchen to watch the cooks in action. It's like a live version of Iron Chef. Otherwise, would agree, it's a bit overrated. Did I mention the gnocchi?
Im in-between 3 and 4 stars... yes it is LOUD, they did, just so you all know, put up sound proofing strips along the ceiling... did they help, well by the end of dinner last night, i thought i was going to go crazy. It was really loud... but on to the food. The drinks were great, overpriced yes, but delicious. I recommend the pomegranate martini, sucked 2 of those down in 10 min. All the appetisers were good, gorgonzola gnocchi (sp?) fabulous, and the fries w/ the kobe beef burger were outstanding. I think for me, this would be a better lunch place.
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Only been here once, entire meal was awesome. Great quality and selections, it's like the "baby buckeye," probably because they are owned by the same people. We were there on a Monday night which was great, not too crowded or noisy. Only downfall was the drive out of Mill Valley after cocktails and wine.
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Excellent service and wonderful food with a twist. Haute comfort food. quite good and never disappointing.
Great new hot spot in Mill Valley, right over the GG bridge. It's a little meat heavy, but the waiters will be honest with you and tell you what the best things on the menu are. This place is owned by the same people as the Buckeye Roadhouse, Beatlenut, and Bix.
Good but I expected a little bit more from this place given that's it's under the Tra Vigne - Buckeye - Betelnut umbrella. Classic American dishes with steak, pork, and chicken. My favorite dish: handmade gorgonzola gnocchi. They do this the way I like it where you slightly brown the top giving it a bit of crust. Yummy. Kobe beef hamburger with truffled fries was also good. Nice long bar with TV - beware of noisey brouhaha during big game nights. Remodel gave the place a spacious room on the side that is probably great for large parties.
This restaurant is brought to you by the same owners as the Buckeye Roadhouse. This is a nice place, a scene, a bit loud, but the food is excellent. The corn flake fried chicken is excellent as well as the short ribs. I also love the homemade creamed spinach. Wine selection a bit pricy but not bad. I look forward to dining there again soon.
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