Kyoto Palace 90 South Bay Accent Fey, 1368 El Camino Real, Menlo Park. 650/324-8888. An expansive selection of traditional Chinese favorites as well as specialties featuring beef, lamb, chicken, duck and seafood. $-$$ Mandarin Gourmet, Palo Alto, 650/328- 8 8 9 8 Cu p e r t i n o , 408/725-8168; San Jose, 408/281-8898. Upscale restaurants popular for their classic Chinese specialties. $$ Pagoda (Fairmont Hotel), 170 S. Market St., San Jose. 408/998-3955. The traditional cuisine of Canton, Kwangtung and Szechuan, beautifully served at this popular restaurant. $$ Pearl River Restaurant, 414 Blossom Hill Road, San Jose, 408/225-5060. A vast array of authentic delicious Chinese cuisine including beef, chicken, seafood and noodle options. $ Sino, 377 Santana Row, San Jose. 408/247-8880. Lunch specialties include dim sum and a la carte dishes. The dinner menu offers contemporary Chinese regional cuisines. $$$ Su Hong, 1039 El Camino Real, Menlo Park. 650/ 323-6852. Neighborhood restaurant featuring a lovely tea-smoked duck. $ Tai-Pan, 560 Waverley St., Palo Alto. 650/329- 9168. Hong Kong-style Cantonese cuisine served up in an airy, upscale setting. $$ Taiwan Restaurant, 1306 Lincoln Ave., San Jose. 408/289-8800. Started in 1982, this popular Willow Glen establishment serves a wide array of Chinese specialties. $$ CONTINENTAL Alexander’s Steakhouse, 10330 N. Wolfe Road, Cupertino. 408/446-2222. This upscale restaurant has redefined the traditional steakhouse experience by melding American and Japanese influences. $$$ LB Steak, 334 Santana Row, San Jose. 408/244- 1180. Sister restaurant of Left Bank Brasserie puts modern French twist on American steakhouse cuisine. Save room for luscious pastry desserts. $$$ Manresa, 320 Village Lane, Los Gatos. 408/354- 4330. Chef David Kinch amazes diners with his creative, award-winning cuisine. $$$ Mosaic Restaurant and Lounge (Four Points Hotel), 211 S. First St., San Jose. 408/282-8888. This stylish bar and restaurant offers an American/ Asian twist on Continental cuisine. $$$ Viognier, 222 Fourth Ave., San Mateo. 650/ 685- 3727. The mesquite grill, rotisserie and brick-oven pizzas reflect a diverse global influences. $ ETHIOPIAN Zeni Ethiopian, 1320 Saratoga Ave., San Jose. 408/615-8282. Inviting spot serves up tantalizing variety of flavorful dishes, many vegetarian, with your choice of spice level. $ FRENCH Baumé, 201 S. California Ave., Palo Alto. 650/ 328-8899. New venture from Michelin starred chef Bruno Chemel. $$$ Chez TJ, 938 Villa St., Mountain View. 650/964- 7466. Fresh and innovative California-French cuisine is exquisitely presented as prix fixe meals by Executive Chef Jarad Gallagher. $$$ BEST BITES TASTE TRIPS Zagat’s annual survey results, gleaned from the restaurant reviews of thousands of diners in the U.S. and abroad, always makes interesting reading. In the latest list of “Best Food North of San Francisco,” several old favorites show up, along with a few spots never noted before in this column. Two such restaurants on the roster are in Healdsburg. Campo Fina (330 Healdsburg Ave.), the stylish little sister of renowned Scopa, divides a creative menu of Italian dishes between tasty, wood oven-fired pizza and smallish and larger bites. Among the more substantial offerings are Tomasso’s Sugo Calabrese—tender spaghettini with tomato braised beef and pork rib sugo, dusted with pecorino cheese—and whey-braised lamb shoulder served with sautéed broccolini and creamy polenta. An all-day snack menu offers delicious treats, including Fontina cheese-stuffed arancini and roasted cauliflower with pine nuts, currents and anchovy. Down the road, Willi’s Seafood and Raw Bar (403 Healdsburg Ave.) takes its culinary cues from the far-flung shores of South America to the East Coast. From warm Maine lobster rolls to Latin-inspired ceviches, crudos and tartares, the menu offers a lively array of tastes. Most of the dishes are small plates made for sharing. Guests dine on grilled fish tacos, deep fried clam chowder or roasted beet salad with goat cheese mousse and spiced pecans. Seafood items at the chef’s raw bar are ever-changing, but there are always at least eight varieties of fresh oysters. For simply slurping exquisite oysters, Zagat reviewers point in the direction of Napa, where Hog Island Oyster Company operates a sophisticated oyster bar for connoisseurs and those new to the delights of shellfish (Oxbow Public Market, 610 First St.). The oysters here are sustainably hand-raised and farmed in the waters of Tomales Bay. About half a dozen varieties are featured on the small menu, along with clams and side dishes highlighting house-made ingredients and local produce. (Hog Island also has an oyster bar at the Ferry Building in San Francisco.) Another spot north of San Francisco drawing raves is Picco Restaurant (320 Magnolia Ave., Larkspur), which coincidentally offers Hog Island oysters on its Cal-Ital menu. This Marin County eatery is captained by chef-owner Bruce Hill, associated with a number of notable Bay Area restaurants, including Stars, Bix and most recently, Zero Zero. Hill’s small-plates menu at Picco offers more robust portions than most, and diners dive into vegetable dishes, seafood, pasta and risotto items, meat and poultry. Great choices include woodgrilled eggplant parmesan with smoked mozzarella; mini beef burgers with caramelized onion, crimini mushrooms and Point Reyes blue cheese; Brandt Ranch ribeye steak with garlic potato puree, broccoli romanesco and black truffle sauce; and the signature risotto—made from scratch every half-hour. —D.K. Sundance the Steakhouse
South Bay Accent - Apr/May 2015
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