Tyler Florence and fellow Mill Valley resident Sammy Hagar will partner on a takeover of the 61-year-old El Paseo in Mill Valley, the Marin Independent Journal reported today. They won’t change the name, but the food will get an update. “It doesn’t necessarily have a label to it,” Florence told the IJ. “It will be like Chez Panisse, but American rootsy, rustic. It will have a kinetic energy that makes sense in Mill Valley.” How that will meld with the pyrotechnic shows and spandex Hagar no doubt has planned is anyone’s guess.
Actually, Hagar already owns a couple of restaurants, including Cabo Wabo Cantina, in Cabo San Lucas, and Sammy’s Beach Bar & Grill, in St. Louis. This will be both he and Florence’s first restaurant in Marin County, though. Due to open in mid-December, you can expect a new menu look. Per the IJ: “House-made charcuterie and home-cured local ham, an oyster bar, steaks dry-aged in-house, mostly organic seasonal food coming from ‘a bicycle ride away’ and house-baked breads… The bricks will be whitewashed and patined, the carpets will be replaced by reclaimed hardwood floors and it will feature Spanish-American tile work.” The big question about this partnership: Who gets to control the sound system?
Tidbits: Florence, Hagar to turn Mill Valley’s El Paseo into rustic tavern [Marin IJ]
Earlier: Tyler Florence Plans Marin Restaurant; Pulls Plug on Bar Florence [Grub Street SF]
