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.

Lovers' Moons

My Beloved and I have a long history with what we call the Mystery Restaurant - when we were reconnecting after almost 30 years apart, we kept trying to get to this restaurant but would end up mysteriously - ahem - not getting there.

Now that we are old married folks of many years, we get there fairly often and have never had a bad meal in 12 years. Its real name is Salute and it's in the Marina Bay area of Richmond. It has a beautiful marina view with San Francisco silhouetted across the bay, quirky waiters and solidly good food.

The last time we made it there, I ordered the lobster mezzelune di aragosta, generous half moon raviolis filled with lobster and ricotta cheese, and presented in this attractive fan with red and green accents. The waiter told us his life story charmingly while taking our order and the moon was full and bright that night. While I loved all the times we tried to get to Salute before we actually made it, I'm happy that we finally did.