Perfect for Out-of-Towners

We've just eaten for the gazillionth time at Salute in the Marina Bay section of Richmond - and it was delicious again. This time, we took friends from out of town, Chris, Jim and their son Brandon, and we've decided this is the perfect place to entertain out-of-towners.

The setting is pretty, the service is great, you don't often need a reservation and the food is reliably good, well cooked and delicious.

The restaurant is in a lovely wooden building that looks like a big house (but with lots of easy parking) and, as you enter, each step of the staircase just inside the door is decorated with a single rose in a clear vase. Nice. Then, you are seated next to the big glass windows that look out onto the marina, always a pretty view, and on a clear day the skyline of San Francisco is visible in the distance.

The wait staff is attentive and yet unobtrusive (unless you get our favorite waiters, one young and one seasoned, who are complete characters in a delightful way).

The food is good. Always good. Good every time. It's so nice to know I can take my guests there with confidence. In 13 years of visiting, I have never had a bad meal. There is always a nice selection of pastas, pizzas, meat, poultry and fish dishes, and a killer dessert cart. It's not haute cuisine (often out-of-towners, and my pocketbook, would be uncomfortable with that) but it is always fresh and well-prepared, and the prices are reasonable.

Take your out-of-towners, or just yourselves, to Salute and relax, knowing you're in good hands, whether the first time or the gazillionth.