I’m sure I’m not the only one with indelible memories of the fresh-baked breads and pastries that pleasingly permeated the air around Bay Village Bakery in Mill Valley back in 2001. Jump forward two decades, and the comfort and joy return to 17 Madrona St. with this week’s opening of Bootjack Bakery.
Ged Robertson and chef and partner Kyle Swain brought us California-style pizza and savory cast-iron dishes when they introduced Bootjack Wood Fired in the space last summer. But since the onset of the socially restrictive pandemic, they closed the restaurant and have been focusing their energy on Watershed at the Mill Valley Lumber Yard and Robertson’s Shoreline Coffee Shop in Tam Valley. Both establishments are serving meals outside and to-go, as well as through the nonprofit, Feed the Front Lines.
But as Robertson says, the “little house on the hill” always seemed to want to be a bakery again. “It just feels like one and the pandemic gave us the time to commit to converting it for proper baking.”
With a few interior revisions complete and essential materials procured, the wood-fired brick oven that has characterized the property for 16 years is back at it. It was built by blacksmith Alan Scott for Roberston’s Small Shed Flatbreads (2004 through 2014) and has been central to the menus that followed (Todd Shoberg’s Molina until 2016 and Moana Restaurant Group’s Pizza Molina until 2018).
Cam Esaryk, who was previously at Green Gulch Farm, has been baking at Bootjack for the past month to provide Watershed and Shoreline Coffee Shop with desserts, breads, hamburger buns and pastries. The bakery menu consists of morning toasts, breads, pastries and a breakfast sandwich. Eventual additions include focaccia, square and round pizzas, sandwiches, salads and small pantry items like pestos, jams and bags of flour.
Robertson is resurrecting what famed baker Chad Roberston (no relation) and pastry chef Elisabeth Prueitt started here in 1999 with the aforementioned Bay Village Bakery. When it closed in early 2002, the husband-and-wife team went on to notable acclaim with Tartine bakery in the Bay Area, Los Angeles and Seoul.
Bootjack Bakery at 17 Madrona St. is open from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. The menu will be limited at first, but gradually growing.
Find updates on Instagram at instagram.com/bootjackwoodfired.
Time for tea
The charming, English-style, pink and white tearoom in Ross that has been quietly standing by for months has at last made its debut. Crown & Crumpet Cafe is now open for takeout and dine-in service.
Afternoon tea comes complete with finger sandwiches, warm fruit scones with jam, clotted cream or lemon curd, and other treats. The bakery menu also features morning pastries, hot buttered crumpets, cake slices, cookies and bars.
Photo by Kim Thompson Steel
Crown & Crumpet Cafe brings its tea, baked goods and more to Ross.Savory offerings at breakfast include boiled egg on a toasted crumpet and assorted breakfast wraps. And at lunch, chicken pot pie with vegetables in a creamy sauce topped with a puff pastry cap; chicken apple sausage rolls; and a variety of sandwiches.
Sip on black, green, herbal and fruit teas as well as espresso drinks made with beans from Marin-based Equator Coffees.
Although the fancy tea parties the original San Francisco location is known for aren’t happening in Ross quite yet, groups of up to six people are able to congregate at one of five tables on the shared patio or soon-to-be parklet in front. Alternatively, the full space is available to rent for late afternoon or evening small-scale gatherings.
Co-owners Amy and Christopher Dean opened their San Francisco tea shop in 2008 in Ghirardelli Square and moved to Japantown in 2013. The city location is temporarily closed, but operations will resume when in-house dining is permitted.
Crown & Crumpet is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays at 23 Ross Common. Hours are subject to change based on demand. Specific details about the Ross location are being added to the website at crownandcrumpet.com or call 415-771-4252.
Outdoor adventure
Smoke-free air is sure to bring a strong desire for outdoor anything. If the coast is clear this weekend, start out with a strenuous push up Hill 88 or a slower-paced stroll around the lagoon at the Marin Headlands in Sausalito. Then, find a spot on the beach, parade ground or battery overlooking the Pacific for a boxed picnic prepared by Headlands Center for the Arts chef Damon Little ($15).
These vegan, vegetarian, gluten- and nut-free lunches contain a seasonal rice bowl with fresh, pickled and roasted veggies; coconut milk tapioca pudding; and a can of sparkling water.
Photo by Alex Alioto
The Kitchen Table in San Rafael now offers outdoor brunch.Picnic boxes are available on select Sundays beginning this Sunday, when the advanced pre-order deadline is 5 p.m. Wednesday. Go to donate.headlands.org/event/pop-up-picnic/e300307 to purchase and arrange for a noon or 12:30 time slot for pickup at the side door of the Mess Hall on the east corner of Building 944. These are not sold on-site.
Let’s brunch
Chef Alexander Alioto of the Kitchen Table in San Rafael has turned his culinary creativity toward brunch to further utilize his alfresco sidewalk space on the sunny corner of Fourth and F streets in San Rafael’s West End neighborhood.
From 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sundays, dig into a menu of sweet and savory dishes such as farmers market frittata with greens, broccoli, tomato, onion and arugula; avocado-smeared grilled batard topped with portobello mushroom, arugula, poached egg and leeks; Louisiana Creole-style eggs Sardou-layering poached egg, crab meat, artichoke hearts, creamed spinach and hollandaise; fried chicken and waffles with spicy butter and honey; or grilled peach and corn salad with olives, feta cheese, cucumber and sherry vinaigrette.
Start with an orange, peach, mango, papaya or guava juice mimosa; the house bloody Mary made with Han Soju vodka, or other sparkling wine cocktails.
The Kitchen Table is at 1574 Fourth St. Make reservations at thekitchentablesr.com or call 415-521-5568.
Leanne Battelle is a freelance food writer. Please email her at ij.lbattelle@gmail.com with local food and restaurant news or follow the Marin dining scene at instagram.com/therealdealmarin.
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Mill Valley bakery a sweet return to its beginnings - Marin Independent Journal
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