April, 2007

Rating : 10 out of 10

Tariff : Lunch for 2

• a pasta dish
• a salad lunch
• iced tea & soda
• tip
• $36

Atmosphere

A reviewer for the Pacific Sun wrote "It's hard to imagine a more Parisian scene than the sidewalk cafe at Left Bank on a Sunday afternoon." I would agree, and on several occasions I've enjoyed dining outside.  However, this day was cool with a drizzling rain, and thus the spacious indoor dining area with huge stone fireplace was crowded and we ended up eating in the nearby bar area where there are 4 or 5 tables for two.

Service

The service at Left Bank is usually very good; the waiters are professionally attired, and are helpful and knowledgeable about the menu items. On this day our service was spotty in its timeliness and efficiency as well as in our being greeted and seated (after I tried to check in at the desk and awkwardly stood there for a while a woman told me it would be a few minutes, calling me 'hon'!). On the other hand, the waiter we ended up with did apologize for it being so busy and he made great recommendations about the lunch choices.

Food

The menu is seasonal, the ingredients are fresh, and although they claim their dishes are 'simple', they are so special and good, I don't tend to think of them that way. For example, take the dish Gnocchi aux Morilles--one might think what could be simpler than gnocchi? In fact the chef takes delicate homemade pasta, cooks it and then sautés it with exotic mushrooms and pine nuts, coating the pasta in rich flavors. My guest ordered the signature salad, Salade Lyonnaise, and enjoyed the frisee, topped with a warm poached egg (cooked to perfection), lardon (bits of bacon), and croutons, with a light Dijon mustard dressing. If we had had room for dessert there were a number of good choices: petit profiterole, éclair moka, and petit passion fruit sorbet.

Left Bank
507 Magnolia Avenue
Larkspur, CA 94939
415-927-3331