Restaurants in Larkspur

Kenneth Drew knows what it is like to cook for people with exquisite taste. Drew, who is now the chef at Rickey's Restaurant & Bar, says he has worked in the kitchen at the famed Hotel Del Coronado and personally cooked for Bill Clinton.

His food shines beneath the golden chandeliers at Rickey's Restaurant & Bar. On Fridays and Saturday nights, when live jazz musicians take the stage, light dances across drum shells and the bodies of guitars. Shoots of steam bloom from dishes crafted with ingredients from small local growers. Pan-seared scallops land at tables wrapped in bacon alongside parmesan corn grits and sautéed bok choy, and creamy risotto brims with white corn, green peas, and cherry tomatoes like a farmer’s list of emergency contacts. Chefs dry rub and slowly roast prime rib, and waiters help make selections from a list of wines, spirits, and beers from brewers including Moylan’s.

Assab Eritrean Restaurant's chefs pile meats and veggies in delicately spiced sauces atop the slightly tart, spongy flatbread known as injera. Lamb, chicken, and beef dishes simmer alongside a blend of red and brown lentils, with legumes such as onions, okra, and peppers, both hot and sweet, tempered by a dollop of yogurt. As they finish, patrons can wash down meals with cups of tej, or Ethiopian honey wine, or trap savory aromas in perfume bottles for smelling later.

Sharing a cooking space with upscale pub The Brick Yard, the Back Yard Kitchen invokes a sense of bygone Americana with rustic wooden accents and the brown paper bags that wrap each of its house-made sandwiches. The unassuming eatery strikes an ideal balance between casual and gourmet, sourcing the ingredients for its traditional sandwiches and salads from local vendors and farmers. Hot and cold selections tempt diners with top-quality meats, preservative-free breads, and charming notes from Mom on the side. The cozy restaurant’s rough-hewn counters and antique accents aren’t its only relics from the past—an aroma of freshly baked chocolate cookies wafts through the air, leading diners to reminisce about that favorite childhood dessert.

Inspired by King Tut's exquisite tomb, Al-Masri melds hand-painted Egyptian artwork and gilded decor with a menu of Egyptian cuisine that reaches back into the 7,000-year history of chefs Sausan and Hatem's homeland. Free-range poultry lays the foundation for dishes such as firakh fe alforn, served inside the main dining room alongside lamb and vegetarian fare, as well as in the Isis room, a 12-person private dining area. Thursday through Sunday, female dancers don traditional costumes to perform raqs baladi—belly dancing—atop a painted stage, channeling the traditional music in a display more emotive than a bag of mood rings left on the radiator.