"Though not obvious to the casual observer, Novato has an advantage over its neighbors to the north (Petaluma) and south (San Rafael): It 's distance from both renders its residents somewhat captive which makes for a vibrant, active downtown. Finnegan 's Marin was just one example of a town embracing itself, with an overflow crowd at 6pm on a Saturday. We caught the attention of a server/hostess to ask not for a table inside or out but rather might we be able to order from the menu and have the food delivered to the wine bar next door? The answer was yes and I sensed that as a good indicator of their desire to please. Please they did, indeed, as a Cobb Salad and a Taco Salad (chicken boxed separately, as requested) were hand delivered to me and a friend at that next door wine bar about 15 minutes later, both well-packaged, well-presented, and really delicious in taste. Though I didn 't dine or drink inside Finnegan 's itself, I was impressed and satisfied enough with this experience that I 'd happily suggest it on a future visit to Novato. Even though Novato residents might be somewhat inclined to do their eating and drinking in town they do have a wide array of places to choose from. It 's obvious from the crowd that Finnegan 's is a popular choice and now I understand why."
