Long drives through the rolling hills of West Marin can be utterly romantic on a clear night, and never more so than after having dinner and dancing to the Baguette Quartette. One of the first hot-jazz ensembles to hit the Bay Area, the group has been featured on NPR’s All Things Considered and Putumayo’s French Café compilation for its authentic blowback to the espresso-and-Gauloises music of 1920s Paris. You might have even noticed their music in the smash-hit animated feature Monsters, Inc. Such exposure doesn’t come without hard work, and since the early 1990s, the Quartette have been building their vast repertoire and honing their chops with Django Reinhardt tunes, valse musette styles, foxtrots, tangos and more. A special Valentine’s Day dinner menu from the roadhouse’s acclaimed kitchen will be in effect, and with European melodies in the air, romance should prevail on Sunday, Feb. 14, at Rancho Nicasio. Town Square, Nicasio. 7:30pm. $15. 415.662.2219.Gabe Meline
.Feb. 14: Baguette Quartette at Rancho Nicasio
