Musical signage
What a time it has been for little Sam’s Café in Novato over the past year. And the changes just keep coming, with yet another new name, a new owner, and a new menu that adds some Brazilian flavor alongside the traditional pancake breakfasts and tuna melt lunches.
Originally opened as Sam’s Roadhouse Diner in 2006, the American-style café next to the Econo Lodge hotel at the 101 and Alameda Del Prado has been a confusing place to watch recently. There have been different concepts (Yucatán, even), different ownerships (including a short run by the eatery’s former manager), and at one point, a different name but the same ownership back again.
Now, the place is Novato Café, serving California and American comfort food cooked by chef/co-owner Marx Passos. Passos and his partners come from Brazil, and so diners can enjoy such specialties as Brazilian pan fried steak “from Ipanema,” bringing a thin pounded filet sautéed with onions and served with rice, black beans, fried egg, French fries and green salad ($11).
Back in early 2010, Sam’s was still under the stewardship of original owner Sam Jarjoura, but had morphed into a Yucatán restaurant, serving dishes like pavo en relleno negro and escabeche de pollo. Then, restaurant manager Shelly Roy took over ownership for a while as Jarjoura focused on his other restaurants, Sam’s Place in the Nave Center on South Novato Boulevard and Roast Haus Hof Brau in Terra Linda. Last July, Jarjoura stepped back in and returned the name and concept to Sam’s Roadhouse.
As Novato Café, the coffee shop style space serves breakfast and lunch daily, and dinner Thursdays through Saturdays. There’s nothing cutting edge about the general cuisine, but what’s not to appreciate about big portions of classics like burgers (3/4 pound, $8.50-$11.75), a hot pastrami sammy with fries ($9.95), chef salad ($11), or chicken fried steak and eggs ($10.95)?
Some of the more creative dishes include Brazilian chicken ($10), calamari steak in white wine sauce ($19) and a triple decker Monte Cristo on Texas toast.
Hopefully, this name is a keeper, or else somewhere, a sign maker will be happily paying for his kids’ college.
Novato Café: 271 Alameda Del Prado, Novato; 382-6196 or novatocafe.com.