After a long wait due to permitting delays, Buvette du Marais, a French café, crêperie, and wine bar, has finally opened at the Marin Country Mart in Larkspur. The team received the official go-ahead in late June and began serving an abbreviated menu a week later. The classic French menu will roll out in stages throughout the summer.
This marks the fifth location for co-owners Patrick Ascaso and his wife Joanna Pulcini-Ascaso. In 2013, Patrick Ascaso recreated a charming café experience reminiscent of his childhood outside of Paris when he opened the original Le Marais Bakery in San Francisco’s Marina District, which closed eight years later due to unresolved landlord issues.
The Ascasos went on to open Bistro Le Marais in 2017 in San Francisco’s Castro district, a commissary kitchen with a bakery in Lower Nob Hill in 2018, their first location in Marin with a café in Mill Valley three years ago, and the Grande Crêperie at the Ferry Building in 2022.
Buvette du Marais offers a relaxed, casual spot to enjoy wine, a light snack, or a full meal. “A lot happens in the Mart’s center,” says Patrick Ascaso, referring to its active courtyard. “But if you want some peace and intimacy, (Buvette) is very Parisian with the flower shop next door, like what you see in France.”
The tempting array of French baked goods that Le Marais is known for are on display, including croissants, kouign-amann, scones, tarts, cookies, crème brûlée, flan, and breads. Several Mill Valley breakfast and lunch favorites are on the menu, such as eggs Benedict, quiche, avocado toast, croissant egg sandwiches, roasted turkey club, and salade niçoise.
The Breton-style crêpes, new to Marin but also offered in the Castro and Grand Crêperie locations, are a highlight. “I’ve always wanted to open a true crêperie,” says Ascaso, reflecting on his desire to recreate the delectable memories from his childhood summer vacations in Brittany.
The organic crêpe batter is made with fermented buckwheat (savory) or white wheat flour (sweet). In Larkspur, crêpes are prepared behind the center ordering counter, likened to a sushi bar, where diners can watch the crêpe makers in action.
Nine savory combinations include French ham, Gruyère and Comté cheeses with a fried egg; Far West Fungi mushrooms, chèvre, aged cheddar, onion jam, parsley, and garlic French butter; heirloom broccoli ricotta, roasted garlic, wild arugula, cucumber, and Calabrian chili; and creamy handmade burrata with cherry tomatoes, basil, and olive oil.
Sweet crêpes feature ingredients like salted butter caramel, spiced shortbread biscuit crumbs, Valrhona chocolate ganache, and seasonal fruits from nearby farms, such as K&J Orchards fresh peaches and Triple Delight Blueberries with lemon crème and sugar glaze.
For the California/French dinner menu, launching later this month or in early August, Ascaso and his executive chef Emmanuel Pradet plan to offer appetizers and seasonal entrées. This includes gougères with truffle cream, two handmade fresh pastas with farmers market vegetables, and steamed fish with velouté sauce. A more extensive menu of Pradet’s French bistro fare is available from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays at Le Marais Bakery in Mill Valley.
The diverse list of 20 to 30 rotating wines is mostly French, with some selections from Italy, Sonoma, Santa Barbara, and Oregon.
Buvette is located on the east end of the open-air shopping village, next to the Hudson Grace greenhouse. The botanical wallpaper by artist Josef Frank remains from the former tenant Fisher’s Cheese + Wine, but the Ascasos have added their Parisian touch with wood flooring, white countertops, and blue and green cabinetry.
Seating is available for 35 inside and 45 on a patio shaded by a blue-and-white striped awning and pergola. Orders are taken at the counter and items are delivered to the table.
Soft opening hours are from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily but will eventually extend to 8 p.m.
Buvette is celebrating Bastille Day on Sunday with croissant and crêpe tastings in the morning, champagne and chocolate espresso Bellini tastings from 1 to 2 p.m., a performance by French jazz singer and guitarist Lara Louise, and activities for children.