Larkspur spot brings tastes of Brazil and açaí to Marin
World Green Açaí Bowl-Juice is located just outside downtown Larkspur’s row of restaurant parklets and sidewalk patios on Magnolia Avenue. It opened in February 2020, just a month shy of the COVID-19 stay-at-home order. More than two years later, the two Larkspur residents who own and operate it are proud to not only have endured the pandemic, but to also have converted many of its discoverers into regulars.
This certainly isn’t Marin’s only source for superfood bowls featuring the small but nutritiously mighty açaí berry, found on towering palm trees in the Amazon rain forest. But for Brazilian natives Laura Rabelo, the executive chef, and her husband, Roberto Saldanha, the shop is their opportunity to share the true northern Brazil açaí experience as well as an extensive selection of Brazilian sandwiches and other specialties that tap into the gastronomy degree Rabelo earned in Brazil, and where Saldanha got his law degree.
“Our mission is to introduce everyone to real açaí,” says Rabelo, reflecting on her younger years living in São Luis do Maranhão with her grandmother who had açaí trees. “It was wonderful when it was harvest time, and we could extract our own açaí berries. But when we tried açaí here in the United States, the taste was completely different.”
She mentions that even in her home country, many store owners mix in other ingredients that mask the flavor.
The most popular item on the menu is the Yanomami açaí bowl with frozen organic pulp from a reserve in Belém in the northern Brazilian state of Pará, the world’s largest producer. Rabelo encourages her customers to try the authentic, dark chocolate-like flavor of the fruit in its pure, unsweetened form, although organic sugar, honey, agave or erythritol can be added. Keep in mind that because each base blend is customized, preparations can take an average of 20 minutes.
All açaí bowls are topped with a selection of fruits; nuts or nut butters; seeds; protein, matcha or other powders; and house-made, gluten-free, vegan granola.
The savory lunch menu includes tapioca crepes that resemble Mexican quesadillas. These are stuffed with a choice of 10 fillings such as chicken, mozzarella and tomato, or roasted mixed mushrooms, avocado cream, spinach and caramelized onions.
Rabelo’s daily baked cassava starch cotija cheese and Italian Parmesan cheese breads come in four flavors (plain, bacon, crushed red pepper or olives) or in mini sandwich form filled with her Brazilian roasted beef or chicken; melted Havarti cheese and ham; prosciutto, arugula and basil pesto; and other meat, vegetable and cheese combinations. Standard sandwiches are made on either brioche bread or bulky rolls. The World Greens salad bowl contains seasonally dressed organic veggies, chickpeas and quinoa.
Frozen fruit smoothies, juices and coffee and espresso drinks crafted with locally roasted, organic beans from the Coffee Roastery in Fairfax round out the menu.
World Green Açaí is in a low-rise strip of stores and eateries that back up to Larkspur’s multi-use pathway where Saldanha has built a spacious patio festooned with potted plants. Umbrella-shaded picnic tables inside a picket fence line the front of the shop. Indoor seating is limited to stools along a wood counter beneath vibrant green walls covered with colorful prints.
Place orders online at worldgreenacai.square.site or visit the shop at 546A Magnolia Ave. in Larkspur from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays.
Coffee and waffles
Tammy Parr had a professional background catering events at a large hotel that later led to more locally based event planning. So, when the last of her three children entered college and less time was being devoted to school boards and neighborhood fundraisers, she says she decided to embark on what she calls a third career.
In June 2021, Parr debuted Center Depot Street Food & Drinks, San Anselmo’s first-of-its-kind mobile coffee and waffle cart. The vintage camper she scored on Facebook Marketplace is stationed in historic Yolanda Station on Central Avenue.
Parr, a 20-year resident, says she feels very connected to the community in which she raised her children, and the idea was a perfect fit for maintaining that. She gets heavy foot traffic from the nearby neighborhood, including a slew of elementary school children who flock in at the end of the day for a snack.
Parr’s menu includes chocolate chip cookies and Oreo blondies, fresh-squeezed lemonade and her signature bubble waffles, a lighter, eggier version than the more well-known Belgian variety. These are made-to-order in a commercial-grade waffle iron, molded into a cup while still pliable, and dusted with powdered sugar or topped with chocolate sauce, strawberries or Nutella and bananas with a dollop of whipped cream.
A savory option is an unfussy combination of eggs and cheddar cheese that puffs up on the iron and is topped with salsa and guacamole or ham and cheese.
Parr also sells small baguette sandwiches with salami and Swiss cheese, prosciutto and Havarti or tomato and basil.
Caffeinated beverages are made with beans from Petaluma-based Avid Coffee (formerly Acre Coffee).
“I wanted to find something different and partner with a local roaster,” says Parr, adding that the owner taught her all she needed to know and continues to send down barista trainers from his Petaluma location.
Hot or iced traditional lattes, including one with lavender, beet powder and organic rose petals, are prepared with whole, oat or almond milk. Fresh brewed teas and cold brew coffee are also on the menu.
Warmer days call for thirst-quenching natural “sparklers” in three flavors with a lotus plant-based energy shot that provides a jolt of caffeine. Or try a fauxjito, a combination of mint, lime and soda water.
Order online at centerdepotca.com or visit the coffee cart from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays at 1119 San Anselmo Ave. in San Anselmo.
Leanne Battelle is a freelance food writer and restaurant columnist. Email her at ij.lbattelle@gmail.com with news and recommendations and follow on Instagram @therealdealmarin for more on local food and updates on the launch of The Real Deal Marin restaurant guide.