Tomatina

5800 Northgate Dr., #138

San Rafael

(415) 479-3200

Italian

Lunch and dinner daily

Entrées: $995-$15.95

Good wine list

Tomatina sits among a row of restaurants on the outer edge of Northgate Mall in San Rafael. But don’t let that fool you. It’s way beyond “mall food.” This is a place that focuses on fresh, seasonal ingredients, signature sauces and baking its own breads. It has an open dining room where you can see the kitchen and its wood-fired oven, as well as a small wine bar and a large patio. The comfortable furnishings are made of wood and leather.

Executive Chef Rogelio Jacinto (who’s been with the company since it opened its first location as an offshoot of Tra Vigne in St. Helena in 1998—that original place has since been sold) oversees all the locations (there are five open throughout the Bay Area, with three more scheduled to open this summer and fall). All locations also have a house chef. Giovanni Leon has the helm in San Rafael.

The extensive menu has all sorts of starters, salads, pastas, sandwiches (called “piadine”), pizzas, calzones, large plates and desserts. There are also monthly and weekly specials, lunch specials and rotating daily delights like happy hours, kids eat free (Thursdays) and more.

We started with a glass of 2010 Souverain Merlot (earthy, medium-bodied) and 2012 Frank Family Chardonnay (fruity, smooth, hint of oak). Next up were several appetizers. First came garlic rolls (lots of garlic!), fresh and cooked perfect with a doughy center and an oil/herb mix as well as the house signature “tomatina” sauce (full-flavored and  light with pepper, spices and a hint of sweetness) to dip them in. The Brussels sprouts were roasted crisp with garlic and shaved Parmesan-Reggiano cheese. The crispy Parmesan polenta cakes were golden crusted and served over bright, flavorful tomato-basil sauce (delicious). The bruschetta was topped with a spread of pesto, house made fresh mozzarella, Parmesan, fresh greens, sliced tomatoes, basil and olive oil with a drizzle of tomato vinaigrette. Everything was presented beautifully and tasted as good as it looked.

From the monthly specials menu, we had shrimp salad, which had large, sweet and plump shrimp with julienned carrots, red onion, lemon and carrot oil drizzled on the plate.

The restaurant’s specialty is piadine sandwiches, which are freshly baked flatbread (done in the pizza oven) and topped with your choice of ingredients, ready to fold and eat. The bread is light and flexible, which makes wrapping easy—and, in my opinion, way better than tortilla wraps. We enjoyed both the chicken (oven roasted with baby spinach, roasted red peppers, mozzarella, Parmesan, red bell pepper-garlic paste, oregano and citrus vinaigrette) and hummus (with chopped Romaine, kalamata olives, tomatoes, red onions, feta, Parmesan and lemon vinaigrette).

For entrées, we first had pan-roasted salmon, which was fresh and perfectly cooked with a crispy exterior spiced with fennel and topped with lemon-butter sauce, served with rich pea pesto risotto (plump peas). From the specials menu, we had red wine-braised beef short ribs, which were so tender there was no need for a knife. It came with zucchini “spaghetti,” julienned carrots and lemon-butter sauce.

For dessert, we had a big piece of fluffy, light tiramisu, which was drizzled with chocolate. Next was bread pudding, which had crispy edges and fresh banana slices—a wonderful way to end a meal filled with great service and good vibes.