Northpoint Coffee

2007-08-24T13:54:00.000-07:00

Great venue. Loads of potential. Disappointingly falls short.

Northpoint Coffee, located at 1250 Bridgeway in Sausalito, CA, sadly fails to deliver what could easily become a local's favorite coffee shop hang out. And perhaps it once was. But it seems that ever since Northpoint Coffee underwent management changes a few months back, things (which even then were never that great, but we tolerated for the views and outdoor seating by the water), have slowly slid even further into a disappointing coffee shop of Sausalito. Let's go through the checklist for every reputable, somewhat cool, I'll be visiting you again on a regular basis while I attempt to work on my computer but actually just surf as many blogs as my eyes can take, coffee shop:

Couches, check.
Free WIFI, check.
Great views, check.
Outdoor seating, check.
Average lattes, check.
Soy milk available for said lattes, check.
Palatable light lunch fare and snacks, check.
Bottled beer, check.
Wall outlets for your computer and other electronic device charging, check.

Looking pretty good, isn't it? At first glance, I would say so too. But Northpoint Coffee somehow seems to slide more and more from the cozy and quaint category it once was to the shabby category. Between the lack of ventilation that makes ever patron smell like a burned panini after only sitting and drinking their coffee for five minutes and the scarred, water-stained, wobby tables with torn, dirty, cushionless chair cushions, you feel that Northpoint Coffee is not on the verge of becoming a cool underground coffee shop for locals only, but rather, on the verge of going belly up.

The service stinks (and its not the burned paninis), so expect to wait at least 20 minutes on an average weekday for your grilled cheese. Add on another 10-15 minutes if its a weekend and swallowed up by the bridge and tunnel bikers from all over the bay area. The cushions of the couch look like something that might have not been washed since your grandmother last visited the place when she was a young girl and the coffee accoutrement area consists of paper napkins still in the plastic bag they were shipped in and various milk containers floating in melted ice with labels on them that can no longer differentiate what is actually within the container.

To give Northpoint some credit, they do offer a better selection of teas that some cafes do not (namely: Mighty Leaf Tea) and they do serve your drinks 'for here' in brightly mustard colored coffee cups and tea mugs. Back when I drank coffee, I also remember their quality of coffee far exceeds watery Starbucks quality (which I guess doesn't take much, but hey, its a check!). The food is also not that bad, although not mind blowing. I would call it dependable or solid at best, but with the caveat that you get it unburned (the last two times the boy and I have visited, one of us has ended up with a 1 side burned sandwich). They also even play some good jazz/blues tunes every once and a while over the speaker system. But somehow all the things going for Northpoint coffee get lost between the burned bread smell, the scratched walls in need of repainting and the glimpses into the questionably clean galley kitchen.

With the right management, Northpoint could be the gem that I assume it once was. Unfortunately, until that day, my visits will be far and few between. Namely, only for the lack of crowds that Cafe Treiste garners and the outlets in the wall for my computer will continue to bring me back to Northpoint Coffee once every few months.

Note: Northpoint coffee is not open at night for all you evening cafe goers. Open early morning, but closes circa 5pm each day.

FISH: A hidden feast

2007-04-14T10:52:00.000-07:00

Fish is one of those places that grows on you. My first few times there were okay, and, yes, while the food was good, I didn't understand the undying devotion some people have to this place. The prices seemed high, the atmosphere simple, and, for being on the water, the views aren't that great. But now, this is one of my favorite spots to go. The food, for one thing, is excellent. The restaurant practices sustainable resources, so the shifting menu always is full of in-season goodness. And I think ultimately, that's why people keep coming back to Fish. Their commitment to nothing but the best resources has resulted in nothing but the best food. But here's the trick; what somehow seemed plain before, now seems "local" and the views of the boats, rather than wide open water, lend to the "hidden" feel of the place. And, while the prices are still expensive, it may just be the best deal in town.

Try the crabroll and ask for it with wedges rather than fries. If you go there on a sunny day, be sure to sit outside. Also, they are a fish market, so you can buy your own and cook it at home. But I suggest you let them do the cooking.

350 Harbor Drive. 415-331-FISH. www.331fish.com

Sausalito Restaurant Reviews

Northpoint Coffee

FISH: A hidden feast