New restaurants in Marin

All of sudden, there's a flurry of restaurant openings in Marin, with the following places debuting in the last several days.

Brick & Bottle: In Corte Madera, Scott Howard has taken over the former Izzy's space to open Brick & Bottle. For Howard, it marks a North Bay homecoming of sorts - years ago, the chef made his name at San Anselmo's Fork. Since then, he's hopped around a bit, opening (and closing) an eponymous restaurant in San Francisco and most recently, heading the kitchen at Berkeley's Five.

Alongside a full bar at Brick & Bottle, Howard is churning out a seasonal, casual menu headlined by mains like braised short ribs ($21) and a short selection of pizzas ($12-$14). He's also brought along a few of his signature dishes, most notably the smoked gouda orzo "mac and cheese" ($9).

55 Tamal Vista Blvd. (near Chickasaw), Corte Madera; (415) 924-3366 or brickandbottle.com. Lunch and dinner daily.

L'Appart Resto: Bruno Denis and Olivier Souvestre, the duo behind Sausalito's popular Le Garage Bistro, have opened a second French-inspired restaurant, this time in San Anselmo in the spot of the now-closed AVA. Whereas Le Garage veers toward a bustling bistro, L'Appart skews to a more sophisticated experience, with starters ranging from $8-$16 and entrees from $19-$32.

636 San Anselmo Ave. (near Tamalpais), San Anselmo; (415) 256-9884 or lappartresto.com. Dinner Monday-Saturday.

Dish: Marin restaurateur Peter Schumacher (Buckeye Roadhouse, Bungalow 44) has gone downscale for his latest venture, Mill Valley's Dish. Part cafe and part restaurant, Dish is a health-minded place with options for either take-out or dine-in.

507 Miller Ave. (near Reed Street), Mill Valley; (415) 388-3474 or dishmillvalley.com. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.

Beerworks Brewery & Beer Cafe: There's a brief food selection - fresh pretzels, salumi, cheeses - but as with most beer halls, Beerworks is all about the brews. In a month or two, look for house-made suds; for now, you'll have to choose from the list of nearly 100 imported and local microbrews.

173 Throckmorton Ave. (near Madrona), Mill Valley; (415) 336-3596 or millvalleybeerworks.com. Open noon to midnight daily.

- Paolo Lucchesi

This article appeared on page K - 2 of the San Francisco Chronicle