Novato Inn finally to get restaurant

Motorists along Highway 101 may soon catch a whiff of somehting cooking on a mesquite, wood-fire grill as they pass the Alameda del Prado exit.

The $2 million WildFox restaurant is scheduled to open this October on the Novato Oaks Inn property at 225 Alemeda del Prado.

Munther and Debbie Massarweh are leasing the restaurant from Novato Oaks Inn and will operate it. The couple also owns The Bistro at Glen Ellen.

The idea for the restaurant was conceived with the development of the hotel in 1987, but it didn't start taking shape until two years ago, when the Massarwehs expressed an interest in leasing the restaurant. Construction finally got under way eight months ago.

"We were very careful in finding the right operator," said Garrett Grialou, the general manager of Novato Oaks Inn. He said it was important that the restaurant be a good fit with the community and the hotel.

The 4,000-square-foot establishment will seat around 200 patrons. It will feature an open demonstration kitchen equipped with a wood-fire pizza oven and a mesquite-grill rotisserie. It will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

"It is American comfort food with a contemporary twist," Grialou said.

Debbie Massarweh said the menu offers something for everyone, from families with kids to business people. Hamburgers and fries, thin-crust pizza, steak and salmon are just some of the fare the restaurant will serve.

"We have done a lot of research on the area and what we notice is everone is the clientele," she said.

Initially, the Massarwehs will run the kitchen.

Debbie Massarweh said they will offer a variety of local products, such as goat cheese from Sonoma County, California wines, produce, poultry and meat. Everything will be made from scratch, including homemade lamb sausage, she said.

Patrons will have the option of being seated indoors or on the two patios with outdoor fireplaces. They will be allowed to smoke on the front lounge pation facing the freeway. And cigars will be for sale in the restaurant. The back dining patio will offer a view of oak trees and built-in waterfalls to drown out the noise of the freeway.

"It will be a relaxed, comfortable dining experience," Grialou said.

It will feature a full bar with 11 micro-brewed beers and a separate lounge area.

The restaurant will offer room service to the hotel as well as provide banquet service to the hotel's four conference rooms. The largest conference room has a seating capacity of 160.

The restaurant was originally named the Sly Fox but Massarweh said the name WildFox sounded more exciting.

"It goes well with the fireplaces and the rotisserie," she said.

To fit the name, the Massarwehs intend to have a four-foot copper fox sit on top of the entrance door.

"We look at it as a barn-like lodge with a farmy rustic look," Massarweh said.