September, 2005

Rating : 9 out of 10

Tariff : Lunch for 2

• 1 appetizer
• salad (shared)
• sandwich
• no wine
• tip
• $35

Grazie! is a casual but intimate eatery in the heart of downtown Novato. I say casual because it’s in a former coffee shop, but the food would be at home in any fine restaurant. The restaurant and the servers are welcoming and seating can be at tables or along a wooden counter at the windows, facing out towards Grant Ave, the heart of Novato’s old town. In good weather there is an outside area wrapping around the front corner of the restaurant. Inside, the décor is wood shelves lined with mirrors and filled with wine bottles—very attractive.

Food

Grazie! has a good selection of reasonably priced wines, but offers refreshing Italian sodas if you aren’t in the mood. A glass counter reminiscent of a bakery holds a number of decadent-looking desserts, some made in house. (The chocolate cake is large and delicious!). The menu is comprised of appetizers, salads, paninis and pastas.

When I’ve been there in the evening I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the specialty homemade ravioli. For lunch, it’s hard to resist Grazie’s salads. There is more than a touch of originality in the salads, which are easily a meal. Grazie will charge $2 to split a salad between two.

Most recently we were there for lunch and we tried a unique appetizer of fried polenta croutons—crunchy yellow cubes with soft centers—sprinkled with parmesan and served with marinara dipping sauce. We shared a chicken Caesar salad—very tasty, with large pieces of grilled rosemary-scented chicken arranged around the outside of the plate and a grilled BLT panini. I knew from past dining that the paninis—upscale sandwiches on quality rolls—are hearty and good, having already tried the namesake panini, the Grazie!, the portabella, the Ciao Bella.

Whenever I eat here I do say “Grazie!” for a fabulous dining option in Novato.

Grazie Cafe
823 Grant Ave Novato,
CA 94945
(415) 878-0202