Warm Welcome

Handmade hot chocolate served in a glass mug. Wrapped my hands around it and was warmed inside and out.

Last weekend, we met pals Janie and Jack for brunch at the new Woodlands Café in Kentfield but it turned out to be so chaotic with their order-at-the-counter-then-enter-the-scrum-to-find-a-table policy that we retreated to Larkspur to try the Tavern at Lark Creek, which we had heard was under new management.

Good idea. The Victorian building is lovely with its oak tables and glass roof, the food was good and the service was wonderfully friendly and welcoming. I was thoroughly chilled on that rainy, raw morning so I asked for hot chocolate even though it was not on the menu. Our server looked briefly nonplussed but explained that it would take about five minutes as she'd need to make it from scratch. It arrived in considerably less than five minutes and was ever so delicious.

I had a tasty and too-generous burger, My Beloved approved of his corned beef hash (although he still feels the gold standard for corned beef hash is found in Stinson Beach at the Parkside), Janie ate every bite of her French toast and Jack sat across from me cadging bites from everyone else's meal after he polished off his own trout. Jack has a good appetite. We sat for a long time chatting and catching up and never felt rushed. Turns out that not only is the hot chocolate warm there, so is the welcome.