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Fun events going on this weekend including the ' Sonoma County Fair' which has its 75 th anniversary and runs for 17 days from this Wednesday, also a celebration of yesteryear at Petaluma’s ' Rivertown Revival'  happening on Saturday. If you are in the mood for BBQ with some accompanying live music be sure to check out the new ‘ Southern Pacific Smokehouse’ in Novato. If you feel guilty about those sticky baby back ribs, then work them off at the new “ The Dailey Method” studio opening in Novato this weekend with free classes! Event Highlights Thursday July 28 th ‘Sonoma County Fair’ from Wed July 27 th – Sun Aug 14 th (closed Mondays), 11.00 am – 11.00pm at Sonoma County Fairgrounds, 1350 Bennett Valley Road, Santa Rosa. Admission $9 ages 13 7 up, $3 for 7 – 12 yrs. and under 6 yrs. are free;  view website This Wednesday the Sonoma County Fair opens and  Thursday 28 th is “Kid’s Day” featuring puppets shows, performing pigs, teddy bear stroller race, scarecrow bu...

I found a real gourmet gem in Novato last weekend, the new “Tavola Italian Kitchen” that recently opened in Hamilton Marketplace. No big name chef or fanfare launch but a wonderfully addition to Marin’s restaurant scene that supports local and artisan purveyors, not to be missed! This weekend there will be a sunset concert on Friday at BADM, an interactive art exhibition and workshops in San Francisco on Saturday and poolside fun in Marinwood on Sunday!  Weekend Event Highlights Friday July 22 nd ‘Summer Sunsets Concert Series’ from 5.00 – 7.00 pm at Bay Area Discovery Museum, 557 McReynolds Road, Sausalito;   view website The Bay Area Museum will be open late on selected Fridays and will be offering an entertaining mix of music, fun and food! Stop by to get your picture taken with Curious George who will be making an appearance at 5.30 pm and check out the “Curious George: Let’s Get Curious” exhibition. Musician Enzo Garcia will be performing from 5 – 7.00 pm, an...

I am really excited that The Marin Scoop has been nominated for the  SF Bay Area Mom Blogs   list on ‘Circle of Moms’. Their Top 25 honors the great Mom Bloggers and I would love your support by voting for this blog, just click on this link:  VOTE NOW You can vote for The Marin Scoop once a day until July 29 th , thanks so much! This week I review Tyler Florence’s ‘El Paseo House of Chops’ restaurant in Mill Valley which makes a great date night for a special occasion.  Also going on a nature walk and spotting the wildlife in Las Gallinas Valley makes a fun and educational play date.   Date Night – Restaurant of the week 'El Paseo House of chops' 17 Throckmorton Avenue, Mill Valley;  view website A friend of mine bought me the Tyler Florence's 'Family Meal' cookbook for my birthday which contains great recipes and inspiring food and lifestyle photography, that reminded me a lot of Jamie Oliver's cookbooks that line our book shelves at home. So after trying...

One way to enjoy the glorious weather and try to prolong the long weekend feeling is to head down to “Bar Bocce” in Sausalito.  Relax and soak up the spectacular view while mopping up some scrumptious food by the Bay! Restaurant of the Week Bar Bocce, 1250 Bridgeway, Sausalito   Tel: 415-331-0555:  view website We used to enjoy coming to this place when it was the charming Northpoint Coffee Company and now it has been transformed from an unkept garden with rough around the edges furniture into a modern bar terrace complete with a Bocce Ball court! Bar Bocce opened in March of this year with chef-partner Robert Price (Buckeye Roadhouse & Bungalow 44) running the kitchen and offering a seasonal American Italian inspired small plates menu with wood fire pizzas.  We arrived on a busy July 4th lunchtime with a full terrace and an outside waiting list displayed on the chalk board that stretched 40 minutes, and 20 minutes for an inside table. We were about to sadly l...