Sir and Star at The Olema

One of the best meals I’ve ever eaten. This place is to food what Picasso is to art, Dylan to music, and Lamborghini to cars — creative, inspirational, fabulous.

Good beer… not happy with the service. Well the hostess anyway. We didn’t stay for food. I asked her for coffee and was told to go up the street to the market. What happened to American generosity and kindness? Sad!

2 nights ago we had dinner at Sir and Star for the first time. Walking over to the building I was surprised that it had been painted a deep chocolate but the color worked, giving it a rustic but sophisticated look. The interior décor was artistic and interesting – kind of Pottery Barn style but less cluttered. When I made the reservations I’d requested a table in «a quiet area» and as our server greeted us, he mentioned that and asked if we’d like to have a table in a side room rather than the main dining area. Yes! I really appreciated the fact that my request was taken to heart. We ended up having our own space while the main area filled up. Service was impeccable with just the right timing between visits by our server and perfectly paced delivery of our 4 courses. And the food was a wonderful experience! The dishes we had were creative but not over the top and each was beautiful to the eye. The seasonings and spices complimented main ingredients rather than overshadowing them. We had probably the most delicious carrot soup I’ve ever tasted. It had a hint of chile heat to it and a wonderful texture – a balance of creaminess and chunkiness. The taste was the essence of garden fresh carrots! Next were the kale fritters which topped an all veggie bouillabaisse that had a delicious broth – actually more like a sauce or light gravy. You could taste the individual veggies. Forgot to mention that we also ordered a (huge) roasted garlic whose cloves were so creamy and spreadable on the house-​made buns. We had glasses of the Ernest Bloom Pinot Noir. Since our home base is in the Russian River Valley, we don’t drink Marin wines very often and this lovely Pinot didn’t disappoint us. Altho’ pricey at $ 17 per glass, we loved being able to sample it. Our server even gave me an additional pour – very nice! The dessert was a house creation and resembled a sundae with rich ice cream, lemon curd at the bottom and topped with a small piece of almond cake. One serving was plenty for the 2 of us and a delicious way to end our dining experience. West Marin has another stellar place to dine – the star in «Sir and Star» is highly appropriate.

The love, care, and attention to every detail by Margaret Grade and Daniel DeLong shines through in every luscious and carefully-​thought-​through bite of their loving recreation of the impeccable cuisine they first created at Manka’s Inverness Lodge. From their highly inventive and whimsical menu descriptions to their flawless execution of locally-​sourced ingredients to create a bucket-​list-​worthy meal experience, Sir and Star is up there with French Laundry as a Northern California destination restaurant.

Visited last night and had the Saturday prix-​fixe menu.
For a bill that came out to $ 212, the service was poor and the food just so-​so (arriving lukewarm, small portions, long wait times between courses with no check in from waitstaff). Our server barely checked in with us all night, and the woman who was refilling our water glasses and removing our finished plates was rude (asking harshly «are you done with this» when we were clearly only halfway through our dessert).
We are locals and won’t visit again.

I had high expectations coming in and they were surpassed on every level. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable. The ingredients and execution bordered on perfection. The setting is comfortable and inviting. The drive in from Petaluma was not just beautiful, but the journey itself created the feeling of a something special to look forward to. Simply wonderful. We will be back many times.

Not sure how this place only has 3.5 stars. Our experience (on my birthday) was definitely 4.5−5 star. From service (thank you Bradley) to the continually unfolding wave of flavor from the mignonette over local oysters to the bread and butter with roasted garlic (it’s easy to overlook in it’s simplicity so don’t miss this dish!) to slow roasted pork and mashed potatoes, the duck egg hash with potatoes, cabbage and bacon. The end is important in all things… Almond cake with date-​caramel AND (yes two desserts) homemade, soft-​serve, buffalo ice cream sundae. Carrot soup was only really, really good but didn’t have the complexity of the other dishes.

We had another wonderful experience at Sir + Star yesterday.
Tried the chef’s tasting menu which was customized to accommodate our request for vegetarian. Everything was DELICIOUS! We were welcomed and well taken care of by the staff, who seem to really care about the visitor experience.
I love this place!

Tucked away in the hills of Marin, lies Sir and Star. A hidden gem. First rule: try the Faux Gras, duck liver without the force feeding. De-​freakin-​licious. Second rule: if you have a choice, ask to sit in Forrest’s section. He’s a waiter at Sir and Star and knows the perfect balance of interjecting humor, while giving you space to enjoy your meal with your company. A true delight.

Just enjoyed Birthday dinner at Sir & Star on March 25, 2016 and it was outstanding.
Quality, innovative presentation & perfectly prepared Farm/​Sea to Table ingredients are pre requesite to pleasing my palette. Since it was a celebration, flutes of bubbly arrived immediately!
Four of us tasted the Faux Gras on little toasts with jam, fresh oysters, brilliant carrot soup like no other, salad with outstanding ingredients sourced from nearby farms. For dinner we shared tender duck, roasted bone marrow, halibut which might have been swimming a few hours ago! Desserts are over the top; we tasted the Beignets with 3 dipping sauces, Almond cake (perfect), Chocolate Sundae (of course with homemade sauce).
Service was attentive, with dinner lasting 2 hours. Next time we’ll plan to stay over night.
It’s a great location, near Stinson Beach and the Historic Pt. Reyes.
5 stars: A very memorable dinner; beautiful surroundings inside & out.
My new FAVORITE restaurant in Marin.
Linda /​San Anselmo.

I have to admit from the get-​go that I probably went to this place on the wrong day! Yes, it was valentines day! The thing is that I don’t care about Valentines day at all. It’s just that it was a weekend and I was in the neighborhood and I decided to eat there! What a big mistake! :(((
This place was definitely very beautiful and nicely done. I felt good being there. It felt like a special place in the middle of wilderness! (the star is for décor!)
We waited outside for an hour and arrived exactly at opening without a reservation. They told us they are fully booked for the night, but if we wait a bit they will be able to figure it out and seat us. So we did. After about 30 minutes we were seated at a decent table. Not to my surprise there were plenty of open tables around. On my plate there was a menu. I was immediately sort of disappointed not to see the a la cart menu, but that’s when I realized it’s V-​day and they probably have a special menu for the evening. There was no mention of the price, and I made a mistake of it being probably twice the price of their usual days which would make it to $ 100/​pp (everything included). Again it’s my mistake that I did not ask.
So the food started coming. The appetizer was decent, but pretty much everything else that followed was just O.K. and so-​not-​special!!!
The service was so so.
When the bill came I was little shocked that it was way more than I expected. One last thing that really turned me off was that, when they brought the bill there was no mention of the tip on the total. However, when we gave them our credit card they added the 20% tip without our knowledge. I thought that was very inappropriate! Total came out to $ 180/​pp. For this price I could have eaten at a way better restaurant… and I have, for way less!
To summarize; no I wouldn’t go back!

We arrived on time, but no one greeted us. After a couple of minutes, we were told to sit. The host was next to us, quietly working. A few more minutes passed and he asked if we had dinner reservations. Then we were ushered into the main dining room. The décor was fine with us. One waiter was nice enough, if a bit subdued. The other waiter was aloof but you almost expect this when dining in Marin or Napa at this price range. I have to agree with those reviewers who liked the wine list choices, but we wish there was a greater price range. The food was delicious. To be fair I have to say that I enjoyed my entire meal except for the salad, which had too much sea salt. We did not have dessert so I cannot comment on it, but the prices were reasonable.
Our only complaint is that my companion ordered the steak after fasting for most of the day, and woke up the next day with intense intestinal cramps and the runs. This is someone who normally has an «iron-​clad» stomach, who does not react to fatty foods etc. We had to consider the steak as a culprit because I ate the same food minus the steak and did not have any problems. This ruined our valentine’s weekend because I spent it trying to figure out if we should leave our hotel to go to the horpital. I will consider the steak issue a fluke since no one else, to my knowledge, has had this problem with Sir and Star.

Sir and Star is quintessential top end Marin. The drive out to Olema is lovely. The restaurant’s décor is a bit quirky (bare fir trees for interior decoration) but it’s all part of the charm.
We experienced really excellent food and top notch service. As you would expect in Marin, the restaurant features farm to table. And to make it even more appealing, the farms that are all very close by. We had oysters, flat iron steak, and the bouillabaisse of vegetables. The wine list contained some local wines that were familiar to me but several I had never tried before (because where else can you find them?). The Skywalker Chardonnay was a nice surprise.
The desserts were scrumptious, too. I had the lemon ice cream cake — very satisfying. We’ll be back. We’ll bring some visitors, too. It’s a great place to let the out of towners get a taste and feel of our fabulous West Marin.

My wife and I stopped here for dinner on the way to a weekend getaway in Inverness. We had a reservation (requested and received a table in the garden room, thanks to another reviewer for suggesting it). Everything about the meal was perfect, except the main course. Great interesting (though maybe a bit portlandia-​style over the top) décor, helpful, attentive, friendly service. We had a great bottle of wine that the server suggested based on our taste that wasn’t on the menu.
We started with oysters and Brussels sprouts, then had the prix fixe cook’s meal. Every dish we had knocked it out of the park, except the trio of pork entrée. The pork belly was really nice, but the osso buco and tenderloin were both a little bland and dry. But we could easily look past that one dish because of how great the others were (sunchoke/​leek soup, savory French toast with chanterelles, and beignets for dessert).
For reference, we live in Temescal in Oakland and our favorite restaurant pizzaiolo. At the start of the night we thought Sir and the Star might give Pizzaiolo a run for their money, but the entrée made it fall short. Still a really fun and romantic dinner, we will definitely be back.

I’m so glad I live in Marin and so can get here on a rainy weeknight to meet great friends, with no reservation! (My first visit, but they come fairly often since live in West Marin & Petaluma.) Fortunately got to share the «faux gras», as it is pretty much a perfect starter on a dark rainy night. Terrific toast and preserves highlight the pâté. We also chose the Brussels sprouts appetizer and loved the grilled, balsamic preparation. We then shared two of the $ 48 prix fixe 3 course dinners, one with veggie option and one with duck, between three people. Everything is über-​local, and when the menu says «our neighbor’s duck» they mean it! Local mushrooms in creamy sauce on toast had that earthy depth you can’t get from store bought mushrooms. The duck was cooked just right and was not too fatty. The polenta with a veggie ragu was as satisfying as any meat based dish.
My only criticism is that upon my arrival ahead of my friends, I had to ask for a wine menu, and then after bringing a glass of wine, the server disappeared. No interaction, kinda distant. Just didn’t fit with the intimacy of the inn or the room, and not so welcoming. Otherwise, really well thought out menu, lovely food and a great environment in which to enjoy it.

Ok… 5 stars yes really…
I have dined at many of restaurants between Northern and Southern California especially in the last 2 years.
I love this place. Besides the delicious food and the excellent service you have a warm ambiance with a romantic feel. In a old historic building. A great place to have a anniversary date, a great place to take a first date. A great place to bring your in laws.
You should add this to your list.

I am so underwhelmed I don’t know where to start. The waitstaff are robots no personality no interest no explanation about the menu or what they are going to serve.
For beverages there are 2 choices overpriced okay at best wine or water. Forget coffee or tea. At $ 75 per person the best course was desert, vanilla ice cream. The lamb chop was nice all bite and a half of it. If you aren’t a vegan this is not the place for you.
My husband came to the old Sir and Sea and couldn’t say enough about it and so wanted for me to enjoy this version, unfortunately he is more disappointed than I.
Applebee’s would have been better!

Sir and Star is such a gem! Boyfriend and I spent the weekend hiking at Alamere Falls and wanted a nice sit down restaurant for dinner. This place was perfect!
The food was AMAZING! I loved every dish and execution was great. Flavors and texture balanced each other on every dish. We came on a Saturday so there was a Chef’s Tasting Menu with which we had the option of adding two appetizers at $ 12 each — faux gras and fresh Tomales Bay oysters. We opted for both and were so glad we did!
The oysters were fresh, flavorful, and briny. The faux gras (called this way because the foie gras process was done humanely — no force feeding, etc.) was served with a layer of jam, sea salt, and crispy toast — incredibly buttery with a hint of sweetness!
All of the items on the tasting menu were really good. You can tell the chef likes using a lot of local products. The best part of this meal though was the PRICE! What would have easily gone for $ 200/​person in SF was only $ 75/​person here!!! What a steal! Am definitely booking Sir and Star for the next time I’m in the area!
The only reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5 is because I felt the service could have been a bit better. It started slow and continued to be slow throughout the entire meal, but I guess quality takes time!

I was so charmed with Sir + Star, that I’m tempted to drive out to Olema every weekend for this magical date night escape. It’s got all the flair of a historic roadhouse, with homey gourmet food, polished hospitality, and a few low-​key surprises (like $ 5 – 6 goblets of house wine!)
We were staying in Bolinas, but made the drive to Olema to treat ourselves to something a little more fancy, but with West Marin character. Sir + Star was the perfect match. It feels like a special occasion place, though there were plenty of people in jeans and t-​shirts (I think you’ll get better service if you dress it up a bit).
Wine list was hyper-​local and reasonably priced around $ 10/​glass. House wines were actually wonderful, and only $ 5−6/glass. Bring it on! They offered a prix fixe dinner for $ 75 pp, and only $ 25 extra to split between two people. The a la carte menu was very simple, with dishes all priced at $ 10÷20÷30. We couldn’t resist the Hot Fudge Saturday for $ 8. Perfect to share. Also a must: the house made hot rolls with olive butter, $ 5 and so worth it.
Service was warm and attentive, ambiance was elegant but comfortable, and food was hearty, memorable, and veggie-​forward. Always appreciated.
Note: If making a reservation, you’ll want to request a table with a view of the gardens. We ended up in the front room, facing the street, which was still lovely but less scenic.

A group of us came here on a Sunday at 5pm, and though we were the first to be seated, the restaurant quickly filled up. Off the beaten track (from urban life), really cute space, many candles, witty signs (especially in the bathroom!), punny menu that changes daily, and wall décor. The service was bomb dot com — the maitre’d and waiter were both so friendly, engaging, and truly interested in providing top service while not being overbearing.
The food was very good too! And in generous portions. We got the prix fixe, and everything about it was scrumptious, perfectly-​prepared, and locally sourced. The pork shoulder and loin with some perfectly tart apricot, the delightfully warm bread, the fresh vegetables, and best of all, a heaping, generous serving of ice cream with the best caramel I’ve ever had, and candied pecans. Deeelicious!