Toni M.
Yelp
Lori, Terry and I met here for lunch again today. It was Lori's choice. I would have been there on time, despite sleeping later than planned, had a brain fart that caused me to drive to Point Richmond rather than Marina Bay. I don't know how that happened, as I had fixed the location in my mind before leaving home, but it did. I realized my mistake as soon as I drove into Point Richmond, turned around, got back on the freeway and went to Marina Bay, parking in the far parking lot at Lara's. All the close spaces had been taken. By then Lori had called a couple of times to check on me. I answered the second call and told her I was there and would be right in.
I told the hostess I was meeting my friends and she led me to their table, which was right by the window overlooking the marina. They had menus already and were trying to decide what they were having. We agreed to share an order of calamari to start while we were deciding on our mains. I also requested hot tea w/ oat milk and stevia. Our server, Katherina (I hope I'm remembering correctly;; she was charming and accommodating) brought a caddy of assorted teas and a small, graceful pitcher of oat milk. They didn't have stevia but they had Splenda, which is OK. The calamari was delicious, w/ loads of tentacles, which Terry and I both love. The calamari came w/ small ramekins of tartar sauce and cocktail sauce. Both were good. Terry requested bread and a small sliced loaf was brought to us, along w/ a tripartite china tray w/ olive oil, balsamic, and butter. I stuck to the first two.
I looked at the Specials menu and was immediately attracted to the Pasta Verde, which was linguine w/ Dungeness crab on top. Having left my reading glasses in the car, as I often do, so I didn't see what else was in it, and when it arrived I was surprised to find a lobster tail on top. It was a pleasant surprise. The photo I took was darker than I'd like, but it'll have to do. The other I took was even darker. I will let Lori and Terry tell you in their reviews what they ordered and what their experience was. It was a beautiful, sunny day, w/ the sun sparkling on the water and the boats in the marina. The pasta was delicious, perfectly cooked al dente. I loved the lobster and the crab. When the dessert cart came around we were too full to partake, but we admired everything. Lara's is a consistently good place to meet for lunch.