Brick & Bottle
July 15, 2010 Scott Howard's new venture, Brick & Bottle, is a welcome addition to Corte Madera. The convivial atmosphere (it was totally hoppin' on a Thursday night) and sleek large bar add a neighborly charm to the huge space. Go sit near the open kitchen if you want people watching and lively chef action.
The menu is high on comfort food and local produce. The crispy Deviled Dungeness Crab Cake is excellent with the Smoked Bacon Potato Salad. The La Quercia Ham is well-balanced with juicy nectarines, parmesan and wild arugula. The pizzas are also popular. I need to go back and try the other pizzas because the duck on the Duck Confit Pizza was a tad dry. I'm sure they'll work out the little kinks as it just opened six weeks ago.
Dungeness Crab Cake at Brick & Bottle
One of the most popular mains is the Petrale Sole with Lemon Beuree Blanc. Now, I'm very cautious of many Petrale Sole dishes out there as it can be bland and dry. To my delightful surprise this rendition is moist and very tasty. The Dungeness Crab Potato Puree that came with it was all kinds of delicious. For red meat lovers, the Double "G" Ranch Petit Beef Tenderloin will really whet your appetite.
As for the sweets, the famous Butterscotch Pudding seems so light and creamy during the first several spoonfuls. Your brain doesn't register that it's actually a rich dessert until your spoon is literally scraping the bottom of the dessert bowl. Totally worth the gym penance the next day. The other killer dessert was the Rum Cake with Rum Raisin Ice Cream. Based on a recipe from Howard's mum, this is definitely a rich, intense cake. I can see myself coming back here just for that.
I'm always happy to see a restaurant that's open past 9pm in Marin. As an added bonus, their late night happy hour menu is available until 2am. Score! Being a total night owl, this fact alone makes me wanna do a little jig.
Check out the menu at www.brickandbottle.com.
For editorial consideration, a press visit was arranged for this review.
Reader Comments (2)
That's a lovely photo of a crab cake.
Mmmm . . crab cakes . . .
Oh my goodness, that pizza looks sooooo good. Gotta get up there and try the place. Yum!