How does one use a knife and fork while throwing devil horns? Mill Valley Restaurant Rally might have an answer.
For the week of Sept. 15-22, Mill Valley’s top restaurants offer three-course prix fixe menus from $55 to $65, with a $10 specialty cocktail (featuring local distiller Batiste Rhum) to boot.
In addition to the food and drink specials, this year’s MVRR toasts Sweetwater Music Hall’s 50-plus-year legacy of bringing live music to Marin. To that end, the participating restaurants are offering a menu of “greatest hits” inspired by the Stones, the Dead and others.
By way of example, consider the Buckeye Roadhouse’s Kiss-inspired “Lick It Up” braised short ribs, featuring herbed soft polenta and glazed rosemary carrots, or ’70s songbook classic “Ride Captain Ride,” which inspired Bungalow 44’s macadamia-crusted petrale sole with beet puree, fingerling potatoes and collard greens.
Likewise, Corner Bar rocks a menu inspired by, among others, Huey Lewis & the News, whose “Stuck with You” naturally encouraged three available “Swords & Skewers” selections: sumac chicken with harissa and whipped tahini or za’atar shrimp with green garlic yogurt or a beef kofta kebab with whipped feta, Aleppo chili and mint. It’s hip to be skewered.
Moreover, each night, one lucky diner will be awarded a “Golden Ticket” with their bill—a prize that includes a pair of tickets to an upcoming Sweetwater concert. It’s not just another food festival—it’s a tribute to the spirit of Marin County—where creativity in the kitchen and on the stereo intersects. Think of it as a delectable dinner with a side of rock history.
Other participating restaurants include Gravity Tavern, Paseo Bistro, Piatti, Piazza D’Angelo, Playa, The Rock & Rye and Watershed.
Each bite is designed to transport the diner, not just in taste but in spirit, to the era when rock ’n’ roll was king, and Mill Valley was one of its playgrounds. What sets this event apart is its casual yet curated approach. There’s no rush, no pressure to keep up with a schedule. One can take one’s time, linger over a dish, chat with the chef or lose oneself in a conversation about when a particular rock star was spotted at the bar (hint: it was all of them).
Readers have certainly heard of food and wine pairings. So why not food and rock ’n’ roll pairings that are equal parts nostalgia and innovation? It’s a taste of Mill Valley’s storied past with a modern twist, where every bite resonates with the echoes of a guitar riff and the flavors of a bygone era. Rock on—and dig in!
Reservations for the Mill Valley Restaurant Rally, Sept. 15-22, can be made at bit.ly/MVRR24.
Oh YUM!