Malinda Lo

Last month I went to dinner at the Buckeye Roadhouse with some friends. This is kind of an institution in Marin, just off the 101 north of the Golden Gate Bridge, with a bar that’s always packed and — my favorite! — free valet parking. From the sound of its name, you might think the Buckeye serves up nothing but steak (preferably grilled out back by some ranch hands), but actually it’s kind of a pricey establishment.

Overall, the food was good, even though none of us ordered steak. The drinks were better, but as usual, I drank my drink before I took a picture of it. Someday I will remember to do otherwise! Here’s a sample of what we ate (not all the pics turned out well, due to the lighting):

Seared sesame-sprinkled ahi tuna with red and Napa cabbage, crispy wonton and hoisin-ginger vinaigrette

The ahi was an appetizer, and it was very good. I’m not really fond of “crispy wonton” in any form, but I didn’t notice them too much. The cabbage slaw was particularly tasty.

Sonoma duck, house smoked and orange glazed, with Puy lentils and goat cheese ravioli

I thought the duck looked very pretty, but I’ve never been too wowed by duck ordered in Western restaurants. I think I’m spoiled by my mom’s roasted Chinese duck, which she used to make for Christmas. It involved hanging the duck out overnight in the garage. I don’t know how she did it, but that was good duck. This duck was OK.

Seared scallops with risotto

I’ve been on a scallop kick lately, and it’s been interesting to try them at different restaurants. The Buckeye scallops were pretty good, though not nearly as good as the Absinthe ones. The risotto had some kind of tomato base in it, which was a little gloppy, but overall I was very satisfied with this dish.

Pineapple upside-down cake

Last but not least, this is one of the desserts our table ordered. And yes, it was as delicious as it looked! (We also ordered a hot fudge sundae, and really, more restaurants should offer them! They are classic.)

May you eat well this weekend.