Fast Food for the New Millennium

Calafia Cafe in Palo Alto proves that “fresh” and “fast” aren’t mutually exclusive

(This review appeared in South Bay Accent in November, 2010)

Google is best known for its prowess in Internet search and other online technologies but the Mountain View advertising giant spawned another innovation that gets less attention. Nothing less than redefining fast food in the new millennium.  You can taste the evidence any day of the week at Palo Alto’s Calafia Cafe: in a toothy, mouth-pleasing barley corn salad, fabulous thin-crust pizza or chile/garlic-glazed hanger steak.  Rather than relying on grease, empty carbs and the freezer, Calafia’s fast food is “slow food served fast,” as defined by owner/chef Charlie Ayers.  This means health-conscious, sustainably sourced ingredients turned into dishes that can usually arrive at your table reasonably quickly.

Los Gatos Loves Noisy Cin-Cin Wine Bar

Newish hot spot occupies former location of Cafe Marcella

(This review appeared in South Bay Accent in January of 2009)

Posh Los Gatos has long had the South Bay’s most convivial restaurant scent. Dining out in this cute town is about more than sustenance as patrons – local and those who wish they were – flock to the burg’s expanding array of lively eating spots to meet, greet, quaff, jabber, ogle and in general have a great time. In this spirited environment, Cin-Cin Wine Bar quickly emerged as perhaps the quintessential Los Gatos eatery, dedicated to nutrition but particularly to fun in the local style.

Nobu Spinoff in South Palo Alto is a Winner

Jin Sho/Nobu’s Yellowtail with Jalapeno

(This review appeared in South Bay Accent in November of 2008)

Nobuyuki Matsuhisa – known just as Nobu – is the most famous Japanese chef in the world, running a slew of restaurants on several continents that deliver his delicious style of modern Japanese food to appreciative, well-heeled audiences. For Peninsula foodies eager to sample Nobu cuisine, air travel has been required. Until now. Two chefs from New York’s Nobu exited the Big Apple, bringing their experience, skills and many Nobu recipes to South Palo Alto. Happily, owner-chefs Ichiro Takahashi and Noriomi Kaneko set up shop at their new Jin Sho restaurant armed not only with Nobu’s cooking sensibilities but with considerable knowledge of classic Japanese cuisine.

Plumed Horse – Worthy Overhaul and No Bargains

(This review appeared in South Bay Accent in May, 2008.)

The reborn Plumed Horse in downtown Saratoga defines how the concept of “luxury” has changed in the past half century. First opened in the early ‘50s in a location once reputed to be a stable for cart horses, this venerable spot coasted along for years as a pricey purveyor of Continental cuisine. Back in the day, this used to be what fancy food looked like: a limited repertoire of rich, “European” recipes like pepper steak, lobster bisque, Beef Wellington and other preparations that often involved furious tableside preparation by tuxedoed waiters straight out of an old New Yorker cartoon. During the era of cheap gas and small tv sets, the Plumed Horse was non plus ultra.

Cetrella in HMB is Better Than Ever

(This review appeared in South Bay Accent in June of 2007.)

Half Moon Bay has more going on than the traditional pumpkins and fog. Fine dining has made an appearance in this cozy seaside town in recent years and in the case of lovely Cetrella, Half Moon Bay now has a full-fledged destination restaurant. Located on the south end of the blip of a downtown, Cetrella looks like a millionaire’s Tuscan estate on the outside. Inside, it’s all clean, understated elegance and top-notch food to match. Discriminating Peninsula diners can get the twofer of an outstanding meal and glorious sunset all in the same place.

Kaygetsu: Simply the Best Japanese

(This review appeared in South Bay Accent in November, 2006. The restaurant closed a year or so ago, being replaced by Mitsunobu, run by some former staff members at Kaygetsu.)

In Japan, they study the art of simple perfection, as seen in their translucent porcelains, exacting calligraphy and even in the three compelling lines of a haiku poem. This same rigorous esthetic is applied to dining. However, visiting a formulaic sushi bar and sipping cheap hot sake – the typical American’s exposure to this cuisine — is not the best example of the multi-dimensional sensory experience in which the Japanese excel. Rather, to find transcendent, authentic Japanese cuisine, look behind the Shell station in an out-of-the-way shopping center in Menlo Park. There you’ll find tiny Kaygetsu, which serves what many consider the best Japanese food in the Bay Area, if not beyond.

High-decibel Greek at DioDeka

Mithia — mussels steamed in licoric-ey ouzo with olives and toast — are a worthy starter.

(This review appeared in South Bay Accent in January, 2008.)

Adding more delicious fuel to Los Gatos’ standing as the sizzling restaurant town of south county is perennially packed Dio Deka. Taking over the spot in the lovely Hotel Los Gatos formerly occupied by Kuleto’s, this darkly elegant, expansive, classy spot combines addictively delicious Greek food with welcoming, skilled service. The only downside is off-the-chart decibels. Even at 10:45 at night on a recent Saturday with the crowd starting to thin, the wall of noise was still daunting. But this seems to be a feature rather than a bug to the stylish set that flocks to the restaurant.

Upscale Homey at Restaurant James Randall

(This review appeared in South Bay Accent in May, 2007.)

“Family restaurant” and “comfort food” don’t evoke thoughts of upscale cuisine but all three terms apply to newcomer Restaurant James Randall in downtown Los Gatos. Owners Brenda Hammond and her son Ross Hanson named their cozy spot after her late brother, who left her an inheritance that was intended to be spent on some sort of life passion. The restaurant’s growing fan base can testify to the obvious zeal of mother and son in this loving enterprise.

Modern Cooking in a Classic Victorian at Trevese

(This review appeared in South Bay Accent in November, 2007. Unfortunately, the restaurant closed in 2011. )

Chef Michael Miller never gave up on the South Bay, despite the sign-of-the-times demise in 2003 of his first restaurant, Umunhum, in San Jose. Unfortunately, his terrific food couldn’t overcome the shopping-mall location nor the then-grim economy, but this local boy isn’t a quitter. His recent comeback has everything right going for it this time, particularly what is probably the most spectacular site in downtown Los Gatos – now indisputably south county’s premier restaurant town. Opened in early spring of 2007, Trevese Restaurant & Lounge inhabits the imposing, turreted 1891 Coggeshall mansion. Its stately façade and gingerbread have been attracting second looks for years from its spot in the heart of the action on North Santa Cruz Avenue.