123 Bolinas Artisan Wine, Beer and Food

This is a little gem tucked away in Bolinas that serves excellent food and has a great wine menu. Its a good spot for a date as it feels very cozy inside.  The wine list is top notch - the servers are all pretty knowledgeable and they make great suggestions.  Recently the wife and I came and shared a delicious salad of arugula and had a striped bass entree that were both excellent.   Be forewarned  though:  1.  its not cheap, so you will pay a premium for such good food and the portion are not huge. 2. It gets loud for such a small place when its filled, usually on Friday's and Saturday nights.  But the servers are friendly and the food is very delicious. I think Bolinas 123 is a great spot to take a date when you want to sample a few appetizers and split some dishes, without getting filled up on a big meal.

This is one of my favorite date spots in Marin. Its a limited menu - but everything on it is fresh and amazing. They have a great selection of wines. Mostly I love the atmosphere...it is cozy, unique, warm, and local. Some people might not be as much of a fan given that the menu is so small- but I like that it is fresh and seasonal and always changing. I wish there were more places like this!

Since July of 2010, 123 Bolinas has been kidnapping many Fairfax folks from having to leave the village for a fine dining experience that remains casual and classy.  Or at least that is what my friends tell me.

My friends have lived here for about 10 years and said that for them, this place is sent from the heavens, and i now know why...  

We started with flights of both red and white, and then we each chose a glass for ourselves based on our favorites.  None of the 6 blew us away, which was actually a surprise given the quality of the food, the great service, and the interesting architecture... someone here has impeccable taste, they just haven't been tasting the wines?

We all agreed that the standout for the food was the slow cooked pork tacos, cabbage slaw, salsa verde, crème fraiche, and house pickled onion.

We also liked the salmon which was served on a potato cake... Yukon gold potato latkes, smoked salmon, dill, crème fraiche, and pickled onions.

I had heard from my friends that the gnocchi was excellent but they had just run out of this dish, so if you get a chance to try it, let me know if it is worth a trip back to Fairfax as an excellent gnocchi would likely add another star.  Right now, it would not take much to get me on a plane.

I really liked the ambience and the food and the attention to creating an interesting dining experience, but wished we had been more impressed with the wines in general.  Waitstaff was helpful, knowledgeable, professional, and kind.

Kidnapped by the memory of great conversations with amazing friends over salmon latkes, slow cooked pork and a fine cheese plate...  I can think of no better end.