Rickey's - American/Californian, Novato

250 Entrada Drive
Novato, CA 94949-5574
(415) 883-9477

Last Visited: December 16, 2010

Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: N/A
Price: $$ to $$$

This review is limited to a catered lunch and not for a regular meal.

Rickey’s once was open during lunch time, but in recent years, their schedule changed and they are only open for dinner. For the last three years, we have gone to Rickey’s for our annual Christmas lunch at work. Lora, the event coordinator for the Inn at Marin, has been extremely helpful in past years for making our arrangements. Each year, they transform the room into a U-shaped setup. Poinsettias are placed on each table and we bring the remainder of the decorations. The oak tables and chairs, fireplace, and Christmas lights make a warm setting for our annual event.

The regular dining room is ours for lunch, and each person gets a choice of entrée (chicken, salmon, or vegetable napoleon) along with cornbread, tea or coffee, and cookies for dessert for a set price. Using the other banquet room requires an additional fee.

I’ve ordered their pan-seared crispy salmon for the last three years and you can see that the presentation is nice. The salmon is always perfectly cooked and the bed of garlic mashed potatoes are made from real potatoes. Asparagus or bok choy that is also cooked just right is also plated. The quantity isn’t particularly large, but good enough for lunch.

While I’ve never been to Rickey’s for dinner, I noticed that they are now offering a new happy hour. Tuesdays through Thursdays, between 4pm and 6pm, there are menu items available for $5 or less including prawns crostini, crab cake, quesadilla, and tostadas. Since this is only available at the bar, I’m not sure what they would do if you aren’t interested in ordering a drink, but it might be worth checking out some time. Also, Tuesdays through Thursdays and Sundays from 5pm to 9pm, they offer a 3-course menu for $22.50 that seems to be a good deal as well. Most of the entrees were 5 ounces, so it might be a good choice for lighter eaters.

The quality of food has been consistently good for the last three visits, so I would recommend trying out some of Rickey’s offerings. On occasion, they also have live jazz and other events. It’s a nice place for those whom don’t mind a restaurant that is a little out of the way.