Round-Up of Restaurant News

Beef short rib sliders. (Photo courtesy of E&O Trading Company)

Dig into beef short rib sliders with pickled root veggies, sriracha aioli and taro strip fries ($15); albacore tuna crudo with seaweed and white soy ($15); and butternut squash dumplings with red curry lemongrass sauce ($9).

You can at E&O Trading Company. The restaurant, which has locations in San Francisco, San Jose and Larkspur, has an exciting, revamped menu, courtesy of new executive chef, the highly regarded Arnold Eric Wong.

Wong made a name for himself at his restaurants, Bacar and Eos, both in San Francisco.

The new menu boasts everything from hoisin and coffee-glazed Duroc pork spare ribs ($15) to crispy fried black striped bass with citrus segments and calamansi glaze $20). Long-time E&O fans can rest easy, too; the signature Indonesian corn fritters ($12) that have been served since Day One remain on the menu. Whew.

Butternut squash dumplings. (Photo courtesy of E&O Trading Company)

April 29 might be a perfect time to try E&O’s new eats because you can help a good cause, too. That night, the restaurant will host a fund-raiser for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Guests can enjoy hors d’oeuvres by Wong, and dance the night away to Chef Joey Altman’s Backburner Blues Band. There also will be a raffle.

All proceeds from the event will be donated to the non-profit. Tickets are $40 per person.

Additionally, through May 28, E&O will donate a portion of proceeds from the sale of its new coconut trifle dessert.

Menlo Park’s Marche will host a four-course “2006 Burgundy Dinner” on April 23 in the private dining room, and again as a chef’s tasting menu option in the main dining room on April 24-25.

Each course will be paired with a different 2006 Burgundy. Price is $195 per person.

Three Degrees Restaurant at the Toll House Hotel in Los Gatos will offer a wine dinner, too, on April 23. This four-course dinner spotlights Burrell School Winemakers. Price is $65 per person.

For the budget-minded — and who isn’t these days? — San Francisco’s Zinnia offers a “Halfsy Hour”  each week, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

That means all cocktails are half price then. Sip one with Executive Chef Sean O’Brien’s signature half-portion plates, such as seared potato gnocchi with mascarpone, Parmesan butter sauce and Amaretti crumbs ($9).

For another deal, head to McCormick & Kuleto’s Seafood Restaurant in San Francisco’s Ghirardelli Square tonight, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., for complimentary “Happy Hour” appetizers in the bar.

A lucky 13 of San Francisco’s top toques and 14 of the Napa Valley’s best vintners will headline the “Best of the Bay Tasting Event” April 25 at the Ferry Building Marketplace. Among the chefs participating are Alexander Ong of Betelnut, Craig Stoll of Delfina, Chris L’Hommedieu of Restaurant Michael Mina.

Tickets are $75 each.

And if you’re in New York, you might want to know that it just got a little bit more affordable to eat at Per Se. A little.

The four-star temple of gastronomy is now offering its only `a la carte menu. Available in the salon area of the restaurant, selections include an elaborate cheese course ($24); and a “Caesar Salad” with butter-poached lobster and bottarga emulsion ($40).

Not bargain-fare, but definitely less expensive than the restaurant’s regular, nine-course $275 tasting menu.

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9 comments

  • Those beef short rib sliders sound sooo good! A cheese course sounds tempting too!

  • I’m salivating.
    I’ve noticed that a lot of restaurants are following the trend of serving mini burgers!

  • I like the mini sandwiches. I’d would like to see more Cheap, Cheap, cheap eats. What about a Pho listing of the South Bay, dishes under $10! Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean would be more fun & cheaper!

  • We went to E&O Trading (the one in SJ) for our first date and the food was so good! We didn’t get to try the sliders though but they look super yummy too!

  • Those short rib sliders almost killed me. Sheesh. Am I going to survive being in the Bay Area? I think I’ll come home a zillion pounds–and very, very happy.

  • I can’t wait to try this place. When we lived in Cole Valley, EOS was a favorite so I can only imagine what the food is like here.

  • Thanks for putting my mind at ease about the corn fritters at E&O. I’ve tried to recreate them at home and my daughter says, “Dad, nice try but we HAVE to go back there.”

  • Thanks for the recommendation. We haven’t been to E&O yet but the boyfriend was reading over my shoulder and is now salivating over the sliders!

  • Yeah, I’d like to devour those sliders.

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