807 Grant Ave, Novato CA 94945(415) 897-7707
Parking: Street parking
Hours: Daily 7am - 3pm, 5pm - 9pm
http://www.oldtownbistro.com/
Last Visited: May 3, 2010
Food: 2 to 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 to 4 stars
Price: $$ to $$$
November 2010: Since reviewing Old Town Bistro, it has now been changed back to the Golden Egg after requests from its clients for the old menu including all of the former omelette creations.
Formerly the Golden Egg Omelet House, Old Town Bistro has been renamed, but it hasn't lost its former flare. Even the former manager of Golden Egg, Johnny Fernandez, has returned as of June 2010. And when you walk in, if you were a patron of the previous restaurant, a lot of the staff members have remained the same too - so it has a familiar feel about it.
Then, you open the menu and that's when it hits you that the place has changed. Owned by the owner of Anokha, the great Indian place next door (which is incidentally owned by the same owners of Lotus in San Rafael and Lotus Cafe in Fairfax), you'll find that the menu selection no longer features as many omelettes, but during a previous visit, I was reassured that if I wanted something from the old menu, it was still available to me. So for those of you gasping for air at the thought of change and not being able to get one of your favorite omelets, they are certainly accommodating.
On this particular visit, I ordered a hamburger. I've probably been here about three times since they've changed hands - sometimes I get a sandwich and on other occasions, I've gotten breakfast.
- Buttermilk Waffle - It's a golden brown waffle served with whipped butter, syrup, and dusted with powdered sugar. While crisp on the outside and soft (but not too soft) on the inside, I found the waffle to be good. $4.95
- Side of Home Fries - To accompany my waffle, I got a side of home fries which were cooked with bell peppers and onions. Flavorful, but a little soggy. I like them home fries to be crispier on the outside. $3.65
Alone, these items seemed reasonably priced, but in general, I find the pricing here to be a bit on the higher side. A breakfast for about $10 may be reasonable to some, but somewhat steep considering you could get a better deal elsewhere when ordering the same items. This is probably why I don't go out for breakfast very often. Also, for full disclosure, this breakfast visit was eaten in January, a month before the ownership changed hands.
- Grilled Chicken Club - Served on three layers of whole wheat bread are grilled chicken, avocado, jack cheese, bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes. A choice of fries, salad or soup is available. You can swap your side for sweet potato fries or onion rings for $1.25 more. I selected regular fries and while the overall sandwich and fries were good, they weren't the best I've had, and I left some fries on the plate which tells you that they were just okay. $9.95
- Classic Hamburger - Half a pound of Star Ranch natural beef on a sesame seed bun is served with a choice of fries, salad, or soup. Condiments come on the side. I don't know where Star Ranch is, but a google search showed that they were owned by Tyson and that the cattle are grass and grain fed in the United States. As you can see from the photo, the hamburger patty is charred well - perhaps a little too much. The salad (lettuce, cucumber, carrots) was a bit rusted. However, my main complaint was that I had asked for mayonnaise and when it came, there was a foreign object in it. I think it was food, but still, who wants to find stuff in their mayo? The waitress kindly replaced it for me, but I was a bit grossed out by then. $7.95
All in all, it's an okay place. If it weren't for the foreign stuff in my mayo, I probably would be a little happier. Old Town Bistro offers standards for the local crowd. I wouldn't go out of my way to make a trip for any particular item, but would probably stick to ordering breakfast (no mayo involved).
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