Eating Out T HE Y E A R
IN
DINING
A look back at the Midpeninsula’s top food news of 2016 BY ELENA KADVANY
TheatreWorks S I L I C O N V A L L E Y
A CLASSIC AMERICAN COMEDY
Crimes of the Heart
I
n many ways, 2016 was a year of recognition, second acts and upscale dining for the Midpeninsula restaurant scene. In Palo Alto, newcomer Bird Dog made headlines locally and beyond for bringing innovative dining south of San Francisco. Local, national and even international restaurateurs continued to look to Palo Alto to expand their businesses, from the second outpost of a popular San Francisco wine shop, Biondivino, to Wahlburgers, a burger chain owned by actor Mark Wahlberg and his family.
Michelle Le.
Four dedicated poké eateries opened in Palo Alto and Mountain View this year, following one that opened in 2015.
Second acts from established restaurants, including California Avenue Italian favorite Terún and longtime brewery-restaurant Gordon Biersch, found their own success. Notable high-end restaurateurs, including Nobu Matsuhisa and two French Laundry alums, announced plans to open in Palo Alto. In Mountain View, 2016 saw the return of the popular Gochi Japanese Fusion Tapas, which had closed the previous summer due to an impending redevelopment. Several national and international chains also moved in, including Eureka!, Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot and Dong Lai Shun. Zagat highlighted Haochen Liu of Kumino, a new Asian-fusion restaurant, as one of its “Under-the-Radar Chefs to Know in the SF Bay Area.” This year, Los Altos regained Chinese standby Hunan Homes, which reopened in Mountain View, but lost community fixture Main Street Cafe. And Midpeninsulites quickly became hooked on the carefully crafted bread and baked goods from Manresa Bread, the bakery spinoff from the Michelin-starred Los Gatos restaurant of the same name. Below are several highlights from this year in dining, from the most exciting opening of the year to the chef to watch in 2017. For the full story, go to Palo AltoOnline.com/arts. MOST EXCITING OPENING OF 2016: After a liquor-license suspension, a change in ownership and nearly three years of renovations, the British Bankers Club, also known as the BBC, quietly reopened in Menlo Park just before the end of the year. For now, the restaurant is serving dinner only; lunch service is expected to start later in January. YEAR OF POKÉ: 2016 was undoubtedly (and for some, tiredly)
the year of poké. Four dedicated poké eateries opened in Palo Alto and Mountain View this year, following one that opened in 2015. STRANGEST TAKEOVER : Who could have predicted that Mark Wahlberg would buy a Palo Alto seafood restaurant this year? The owner of Sam’s Chowder House announced unexpectedly in December that the restaurant had been sold to Wahlburgers, which is expected to open in 2017. SHORTEST LIVED: It took only five months for the owner of Mountain View Asian fusion restaurant Izzo to call it quits. Frank Chang closed the 246 Castro St. restaurant this fall, stating the concept — Taiwanese and Asian-fusion cuisine — was “not taking off fast enough.” FAREWELL TO AN INSTITUTION: Palo Alto said sayonara this year to Homma’s Brown Rice Sushi, which had served brown-rice nigiri, rolls and vegetarian sushi in a no-frills setting off California Avenue for 30 years. FOOD BOOM AT STANFORD: 2016 was the year that Stanford Shopping Center became a dining as well as a shopping destination. Shoppers can now stop for a snack — or a full meal — at Tender Greens, True Food Kitchen, Go Fish Poké Bar, Pink Posy bakery, Minamoto Kitchoan or Terrain Cafe, with more on the way in 2017. CHEF TO WATCH IN 2017: Those who waited in line at one of pastry chef John Shelsta’s Palo Alto pop-ups this year can attest to the quality, care and love poured into his baked goods. Now that Shelsta’s most (continued on next page)
By Pulitzer Prize Winner Beth Henley “Overflows with infectious high spirits.” The New York Times
Jan 11–Feb 5
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www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • January 6, 2017 • Page 21