The Left Bank Brasserie has been serving French Bistro cuisine in Larkspur for more than 16 years. Restaurateur Roland Passot has created a wonderful dining destination where the food has been consistently delicious, the service has been consistently friendly, knowledgeable and attentive and the atmosphere is always lively and relaxed. Every few years there is a new chef who helps to keep the cuisine fresh and spice things up! The new Chef De Cuisine Fabrice Marcon is originally from France and has worked at Michelin Star restaurants in Europe, as well as in San Francisco and the Napa Valley. The cuisine is still prepared with Farm to Table, seasonal, locally sourced ingredients but Fabrice adds some slight nuances that have amped it up!
We chose to dine inside this evening even though the sidewalk seating on this warm summer night was also inviting. We love the décor in the 112 year old Blue Rock Inn building which includes a large stone fireplace, mahogany bar and colorful French Poster Art. We ordered Saint Geron Sparkling Water and Cocktails to start while we looked at the menu. The Watermelon Refresher with vodka, watermelon, cucumber and lime which was refreshing as advertised and an excellent Cosmo with Grey Goose which was made with fresh lime juice was especially good and wet our appetites.
The Appetizers that we tasted were all better than ever. We loved the Mousse De Foie De Volaille which was spicy, creamy, smooth chicken liver mousse served with toast, relish, olives, and pickles. The Croquettes De Morue which was Crisp Salt Cod Fritters with cabbage, fennel coleslaw and saffron aioli was also delicious and a French favorite! You must have the Steak Tartare which was excellent chopped natural beef with capers, shallots, egg and Dijon mustard. We were quite pleased that we had the Soup of the Day which was Pureed Corn Soup served in a Turin. It was fragrant, nourishing, light and served nice & hot. The Entrees are hearty portions. Our favorite entrée was the Magret De Canard Aux Peches This was a delicious roasted duck breast with peaches, chickpea fritters and a phenomenal gastrique sauce. The Halibut was great tasty as well. You must try their sides. We loved the Sautéed Spinach with roasted garlic, as well as the Mashed Potatoes which were light, fluffy and delicious.
The Left Bank has an Award Winning Wine List. We like that wines by the glass come in small carafes, so you can monitor your pour. We enjoyed the 2009 Domain Tremblay, Quincy, Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc which was crisp and had citrus notes and the 2009 Kunde, “Magnolia Lane” Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc which had grapefruit and floral notes with our appetizers. The 2008 Davis Family Vineyards, “Guyzer Block” Russian River Syrah which was rich and velvety paired perfectly with the duck.
We always save room for Desserts and are so glad we did. We were very happy with the Warm Beignets with coffee crème which were light, lovely and definitely some of the best we’ve ever tasted. The Mousse Au Chocolat was an excellent creamy chocolate mousse with rich chocolate topping and fabulous caramelized bananas. Illy Espressos served piping hot were the perfect finish to our excellent dinner!
The Left Bank in Larkspur is a perfect destination restaurant for Lunch, Dinner or their popular Sunday Brunch. We were pleased to see that the cuisine was better than ever and the service was still excellent. Rob, our server, was very knowledgeable and helpful and enhanced our dining experience. We knew that this was the place to dine, when we noticed our “Foodie” friends from Palm Springs at a nearby table. They always dine at the Left Bank when they are in town!
By Carol & Joe Davis
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Left Bank Brasserie
507 Magnolia Avenue
Larkspur, CA. 94939
415-927-3331