I’m going to make a list of “Places My Dad Took Me for Lunch and Paid.”
La Toscana has been around for as long as I’ve lived in Marin and I only went there just this past weekend. It kinda had that Marin Joe’s feel of long lasting tradition from the outside. The inside was well lit and only mildly Tuscan though… if that is a word.
The first thing I noticed is that the table we were sat at was only recently vacated. The tip was still on the table and the menus were filled with crumbs. I don’t know, I have been in some real dives that I like but I was expecting a lot more from this place. Mind you that this was the first time I’d ever been here.
My dad and I shared a Caesar salad that was made the authentic way and had a slight taste of anchovies and garlic. I had the Fettuccine Carbonara and my dad had some spaghetti and meatballs. The Spaghetti Bolognese doesn’t come with meatballs and it reminded me of a scene from Big Night when my dad asked for them.
Anyway, the portions were generous and the food was hot and good. There did seem to be a lot of old people dining there though so I can’t say that this is a hip place to hang out. My only problem was, that when I was eating the pieces of pancetta, I couldn’t help but notice that old lady’s gross fungus infected toenails that was sitting next to us. It was tough eating those little slices of pancetta and not imagining that they were…. ugh…. you get the picture.
So this place is worth going back to I think. It’s been around forever and it might be a good place to take your family. Better than Strings or Olive Garden. That was sort of a joke because Strings and Olive Garden suck. But La Toscana was good.