El Paseo Restaurant

NOOO! The Best Restaurant In The World has succumbed to the food individualist-​drowning, Rachael Ray-​watching, conglomerate mega monopoly-​creating forces! To re-​open to serve something called ‘American rootsy’ and ‘rustic’. Is there no god? One can only hope that the staff and chef make the move to Nob Hill intact with their stellar wine cellar, so that I can appropriately drown my sorrow.

El Paseo has closed!
Tyler Florence and Sammy Hagar plan to open a restaurant in the same location mid-​December, but no more yummy French food!

My husband took me here for my 30^th Birthday celebration this past Thursday & I must admit that’s it is my new favorite restaurant. I don’t know why we’ve never stumbled upon it before. Good thing for Open Table. We’ll be spreading the word to all of our friends. We loved the food and the overall ambiance of the restaurant with the long brick walkway and brick lined walls. Our waiter & sommelier completed the dining experience. Although they have an extensive wine list, we strongly recommend the grand wine pairing.
My husband had the Chef’s Tasting Menu:
Tuna Tartare
Pan Seared Artisan Foie Gras
Marin Vegetable
Fish (imported from Japan)
Duck Breast
I had the 4 course so that we could try other items on the menu that looked extremely appetizing:
Dungeness Crab Croquette
Pan Seared Artisan Foie Gras
Slow-​Cooked 48 hour Kurobuta Pork Belly (*our favorite dish)
Angus Beef Filet Mignon with Sauce Bordelaise
Our total came out to under 400 which is a steal compared to other restaurants such as Gary Danko, MIchael Mina & French Laundry. We’d rank El Paseo as #1 in our books. We’ll be back very soon.

My wife and I went last night (Sunday) for our anniversary, and did the 4-​course prix fixe menu, with the «Grand» wine pairing. All in (incl. tax and tip), was $ 365. For a typical dinner, that’s a lot, but it depends on what you compare it to. I was at the French Laundry a few weeks ago, and had a similarly fabulous meal, but that ran about $ 700 per couple — nearly twice the price. You can do El Paseo for much less (e.g., 3-​course menu, without the wine pairing). Either way, for a special occasion, I would put my money on El Paseo. This may have the most cozy and romantic atmospheres of any restaurant in the Bay Area, and the food is truly unique — a modern fusion of French and Japanese styles. The wait staff are friendly and helpful — not stuffy — and they know their wine and food pairings. Go for a romantic, special dinner.

French Who?
While French Laundry is certainly an experience in itself, El Paseo ranks right up there in my Top 5 best restaurants that I’ve ever been to. This hidden gem is food at its absolute finest.
If you are looking for an intimate, first class meal, look no further than Mill Valley. Although finding a close parking spot may be a bit of a task. You won’t find a valet or even a parking lot. But what you will find is a superior dining experience.
The waiter helped me choose a Riesling from the wine list and I liked it so much, I went out the next day and purchased a bottle.
To start the meal, we were served with a shooter of pea soup. I was skeptical. I won’t ruin it for you, lets just say it was amazing.
I had no idea what to expect when I ordered the Marin salad that included fava beans, beets, candied nuts… no lettuce in this salad… true perfection.
As my second appetizer, I had the crab croquette. Need I say more?
To save room for dessert, I only ordered one entrée which was the mushroom risotto… and I’d order it again, no doubt.
Finished with the chocolate cake with chocolate sorbet… not too sweet… fantastic finish.

French cuisine with some delightful Japanese touches. Delicious. Somewhat limited menu, but all the food I have sampled has been expertly prepared. Lovely, but quiet atmosphere. Excellent service. Expensive but not outrageous.
Great place for an anniversary dinner, but also good for a nice Saturday night out anytime of the year. One of the very best restaurants in Marin, and rivals some of the best in San Francisco (albeit with a more limited menu).

My g/​f and I were taken here by a rich acquaintance (there is no way we would have been able to afford the sheer class of this restaurant– approx. $ 140 per person with the sommelier’s choice wine pairing) and then later informed (by the owner, Seigo-​san) that the likes of Matsuzaka and Ichiro regularly dine here on their trips to Oakland, SF, and LA…
This is a Japanese-​style French restaurant (French Kaiseiki or whatever you want to call it)… and it is quite simply an exquisite dining experience. We had the 3-​course meal (two appetizers and one entrée) along with a wine pairing (the sommelier gets to choose which wines go with each course). The food was other-​worldly and delicately prepared with a subtle taste that was perfectly matched by the sommelier’s wine choices.
I had the Foie-​Gras, as well as the Tuna with wasabi caviar for appetizers, and the hokkaido scallops for my main course. The tuna, especially, was very good. My g/​f had the duck as her main course, which left a bit to be desired, but was nonetheless above average. Our sponsors had some other stuff which also looked very good, but I was too awestruck by the décor and the classiness of the place to really notice what was going on at other regions of the table.
Anyway we ended up enjoying a fine meal and nice conversation with various staff members for over 5 hours, savouring each bite and sip of wine and contemplating the price of each swallow.
My g/​f would like to mention that she liked the mint selection served out of a handmade antique wooden case at the end of the meal, the relatively clean restrooms, and the short 20-​minute drive to Mill Valley from SF.
Thank you to our patrons for allowing us to have a true fine-​dining experience usually only enjoyed by people with non-​familial suffixes after their surname.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I heard this place was a French/​Japanese restaurant but the food was amazing. Every dish and soup we had was delicious. I had the octopus mixed salad, avocado with chicken and crab soup, lobster seafood dish, and the rack of lamb.
The service was great, they were very attentive. The place is very small, just big enough for 2 – 4 person groups. Very nice ambiance, relaxing and enjoyable.

One of the better french restaurant in the bay area. I tried many and they do stick out.
We had the four course meal and I brought my own bottle of wine. Meal was well balanced in terms of flavoring.
Service was really good and took care of our every need.

My gf and I came to El Paseo for 2008’s Christmas Eve dinner.
Upon arrival, the hostess immediately took care of our coats and umbrella.
We were given sitting in the back-​ish room, where there were already 5 other filled tables.
Overall, the pre-​fix menu for this night was great, we loved all the courses. And despite the fact that we didn’t select wine pairing, the wine recommended was great as well.
The reason that I didn’t give full 5 stars is the service. It took a long time for our drink order to arrive, we had to ask for bread, and waited a while for our orders to be taken as well.
One highlight of the night was that the master chef, Keiko Takahashi, came out and greeted the dinners and introduced herself.
My girlfriend and I thought that was really special.

Read INES T’s comments.
«For dinner, he had the filet mignon and I had the 48 hour pork belly. I was eager to have the pork belly and was expecting a tender, juicy piece of meat, but instead received two pieces of dry meat– the only thing that wasn’t dry was the huge hunk of FAT on top of each piece. This meat was NOT cooked for 48 hours. It was quite a disappointment. My fiancé’s filet mignon was nothing to rave about either. (–2 stars)
Desert was yummy, the apple tart and the sorbets are handmade by the chef. The Pear sorbet was to die for. (+1 star)
Our total bill including tip was $ 250– I don’t think I would come back. It was just too expensive for what we got. If you go, I would skip the wine pairing $ 35 per person — for 3 glasses of wine. It was just too expensive for ¹⁄₃ full glasses of wine when you could have easily gotten an excellent bottle of wine for less than that.»

Thanks to Unilocalers Dan V. and A.J. (aka Unilocal Team Asia Review) for their reviews as there is no way I would’ve known about this place.
El Paseo in Mill Valley is a hidden gem and the dining ambiance feels like an intimate cottage. The bf and my parents enjoyed a cozy dinner for 4 last nite. Each of us ordered the 4-​course menu and our favorites were the tuna tartare, chinois soup with avocado, crab and chicken, tai snapper, kurobota pork belly and the filet mignon. EXCELLENT!
For dessert, try any of the home made sorbets or ice creams — you have a choice of 3 scoops and each scoop is a generous portion of intense flavor. I liked the chocolate sorbet, mint ice cream, and pear sorbet the most.
Our server was excellent. She was so attentive and professional (not that we would expect anything less from this place) and the sommelier recommended a wonderful bottle of zinfandel: Tobin James 2005 reserve from Paso Robles.

Unilocal Team Asia Review Part 2. For part 1, please see Dan V’s review…
Old-​school style restaurant with modern twists is how I’d characterize El Paseo. «flirts with classic and contemporary culinary trends» is Dan V’s way of putting it. If I were trying to take it further, I’d say that it’s a good classical French restaurant in Japan… but happens to be in Mill Valley. And while at first blush that might sound like a trainwreck, the result is a unique and wholly exciting place to enjoy a meal.
The setting and service definitely have an old-​school French vibe to it. Servers are dressed in vests and aprons and move and fuss about like you might imagine the grandes dames de la cuisine of another era. In more recent terms, think Gary Danko without the camp. Everyone was friendly, helpful, professional and more than accommodating. And all seemed to have confidence that they were taking part in something special.
The preparations too are deeply rooted in classical french cuisine… glazed veggies, careful saucing, individual terrines for the soup and so on. However, the food isn’t some sort of time-​capsule as it readily employs modern ideals. The egg that Dan describes combines both the old-​school japanese dish of an onsen tamago (hot spring egg), with the modern preparation favored by Juan Arzak (who many consider a father of modern Spanish cuisine). The seared foie and ahi tartare courses sound like throwaways by description alone… but hold interesting elements that keep them from being culinary cliches. The kakuni really does take the best of both old-​school japan and modern refinement. Best of all, the chef is not a slave to technique, but has a strong sense of flavor and the balance to harness it.
All is not roses though in Mill Valley as is to be expected with such a challenging venture. Our first amuse, a salmon crème gougere, was a failed first shot across the bow. As the first bite you eat, it sets the tone for what is to come, and plays an essential role in the meal. In this case however, I fear that the dish was prepared too far in advance and the choux pastry had picked up some off flavors. There can certainly be some improvement in how they expedite as well. We were informed that the kitchen was a little behind due to a confluence of orders… something that happens to kitchens all the time and is certainly forgivable, but in this case seemed a little puzzling with empty tables around us. In any case, the owner was acutely aware of what’s going on, and I’m sure that they’ll continue the process of refinement. There is no rest for the ambitious.
All in all, El Paseo has a great vision, and brings some unique cross-​cultural elements to the table, and best of all they do it with elegance. If you’ve ever watched Hiroyuki Sakai on Iron Chef and gotten excited… this might be your only opportunity to experience something similar in the US. The Japanese and the French have a uniquely symbiotic culinary relationship, and it’s one worth experiencing. Yes there are other restaurants that operate in both cuisines, but El Paseo is something very different.
It’s obvious that Chef Takahashi and her husband want to take us to someplace special, the question then is… will we be open enough to let them?

Went here to celebrate a birthday. The funny thing was it seemed like everyone else eating there was also celebrating a birthday. The overall atmosphere of El Paseo is nice. The restaurant is housed in a brick building. The service was excellent. In fact, you might say a little to good. Everytime I took a sip of water, it was being refilled within the next 10 seconds.
The food was great. It had plenty of flavor. The most memorable dish that I had was the roast pork butt. I literally melted in my mouth. The rest of the dishes were just as great.
The only down side is that it took a while for them to bring out dishes, not that we noticed because of the lively banter occurring at the table. But the total time for dinner was almost 3 hours.
It was a great experience, can’t wait to go to back.

First of all — El Paseo? What is that? Spanish influenced dishes? No, it’s French sort of Japanese fusion. Whatever it is, it’s not Spanish but it’s good. Real good.
Had a great evening with the in-​laws. Hubby chose the tasting menu (six-​courses) and the rest of us chose the 4-​course menu. We all ordered our dinner with a wine pairing and we were off for a 3 hour plus evening.
The wine pairings were awesome and we had some wine that is making our list of wines to get by the case now.
Each dish was excellent. Loved the pea soup (amuse bouche), then had the fig and bleu cheese salad. That was excellent with the wine that it was paired with. Next was risotto. A little different from what I have had but very hearty and earthy with delicious mushrooms. It wasn’t as sticky and heavy as risottos I have had. I was glad since I had two more courses coming, not including dessert.
Third was the seafood — scallops. Done so well. They were wonderfully delicate and cooked just right. Finally the fillet mignon — that meat melted in my mouth and I ate ever bit.
I chose the profiteroles for my dessert and this was the best out of the three desserts we ordered. Loved having the after dinner mint guy come to our table with his box of mints. We thought it was a cigar box, but oh no, it was filled with mints! Get the rose mint, it was a treat.
Atmosphere is cozy. I think this added to the enjoyment of the whole meal. I felt extremely comfortable and it wasn’t stuffy at all.
Service was interesting. The waitstaff was disjointed and they didn’t seem to be communicating. Our main waitress was low key and down to earth which made me even more comfortable, but I definitely noticed some miscommunication with the staff. It didn’t detract from the experience though, it just made the evening interesting. Like I said, it made everything feel more casual.
I loved it here. I want to come here for all my special occasions. I felt so comfortable, good food, and just walking to the restaurant is a journey.

Please note that I’m awarding El Paseo five stars for their WINE BAR across from the main restaurant. This little gem is one of the best kept secrets in Marin. First off, the ambience of this small room is perfect. There’s always classical music on, the décor is simple and understated, the bar is beautiful, and it’s probably the best lighting for drinking wine that I’ve experienced. The Schott tintanium (lead free) glasses look so good under the light at the bar that I would up buying a half a dozen — but not from them of course.
OK, and now about the wine. This is the ONLY place in Mill Valley where you can walk in the door and find an exceptional glass of wine every single time. They have a remarkable cellar and list. It’s not cheap — nothing at El Paseo is – but it’s a get-​what-​you-​pay-​for world, and this is no exception. I’ve been more than pleasantly surprised here by their selections from Italy, France, Germany and elsewhere. They really know their list, too, so you can count on the person behind the bar to make a killer recommendation. Ah, if only more restaurants had this kind of wine knowledge… the world would be a better place.

If possible, it’s even better than before! I was big fans of Gunther and Marc, and I certainly miss some of their classic dishes (filet mignon w/​green peppercorn sauce, mmm) but the new chef is superb! Her slight variations on the dishes are excellent and well thought out. Each dish prepared perfectly.
The food is outstanding and the service is impeccable. It’s a pleasure to see Rell still there. Don’t be scared of the price fixed menu, there are plenty of selections and they are very flexible with what you order. The wine list seems greatly unchanged and is still very deep.
It’s a great romantic spot and special occasion destination… but once a year just isn’t enough. I think this is the best restaurant in Marin.

Ambience like this isn’t often done: rustic cottage & high end French décor. Owners don’t want to bother, patrons don’t want to make the time to apprecite it, designer miss and it either ends up guady or looking worn before it’s time. But when done right, «Wow» factor kicks in. And the fact it’s in Mill Valley kind of makes it a even more special. Akin to the Sent Sovi of Saratoga.
Our waiter was sweet and personable along with being completely Michelin approved. I keep thinking back to the avacado ice cream that was part of my 1^st app, the foie gras that was in this bitter espresso reduction. The meat: encrusted lamb, the French vs of cocaine. After four course of this I started to see the point of nice stationary vs text messages. And I would suggest you take someone here to show that you wanted to do something special that you wanted to make the effort to appreciate them.
* I went post management change so I would say any kinkds they had have just made them stronger.

Wow!
This was a surprise. We had our anniversary dinner there last night and were blown away with the food. Perhaps it was that it’s in Mill Valley next to a bike shop, perhaps because it’s kind of a French restaurant with a Japanese chef… but we didn’t really expect to be raving about the food.
First, let me tell you that if you love wine you cannot, cannot, pass on this place. They brought us a book of their extensive wine list from all over the world. But they have a huge collection of French wine.
On to the Food.
We had the Chef’s tasting menu which was a five course meal plus dessert (I would consider it really 6) for a fair price of $ 85. To make it easier on ourselves, we also go the wine pairings for an extra $ 45 each.
Before anything, the chef sent amuse bouche which I can’t even describe. Suffice it to say it did what intended and prepared our palate for exciting things to come. Next we had Tuna Tartare which was served with a poached egg with truffle sauce paired with cold Japanese sake. Yum. Followed by this out of this world Pan Seared Foie Gras with Espresso sauce paired with a Riesling. I wanted to eat that forever. They then served us the Crimini Mushroom soup paired with a delicate French rose wine. The soup is an updated version of your typical french mushroom soup. It’s almost a broth, but just as rich and lingering. Next came the Butterfish dish that came all the way from Tsukiji, Japan, and paired with Chardonnay from Provence. The dish is a little salty for me, but worked very well with the Chardonnay. The final dish was duck with caramelized endive. The duck simply melted in my mouth! I didn’t drink the accompanying Italian red wine from Venice because I was getting super drunk (to my delight of my BF who had to finish it for me), but had a sip of it and it was excellent.
Desert was Nougat Glacé and Apple Tart with caramel ice cream.
What a meal. That foie gras will stay in my dreams for a long long time!
Service was unpretentious and attentive. The wait staff seemed really proud of their food and was excited to serve it.
Yes, this is not your tradional French cuisine. If you are looking for that, you should try Fleur de Lys. But if you like creative, fresh, and simply delicious food, this is the place. We would definitely be back on a less special occasion-​for regular dining. The tasting menu was worth every penny, though we’ll probably have to restrict ourselves to the 3 course meal to save some $$$.

In a nook with Carmel-​like charm (think 1930’s Snow White cottage).
My husband’s eyebrows were raised when the waiter rushed to our table to pull out my chair for me when I returned from the ladies’ room. He also pulled back a curtain for me so I could enter the room.
I’m not surprised that the management is Japanese — the food had that kind of attention to detail and materials. However, as with a previous Unilocaler, I took issue with the oversalting. Too bad, because the turkey medallion was cooked to juicy perfection.
We’ll probably return for more casual supper at the bar – they have a good wine list, and the stew sounded interesting. We’ll update later, when we return.