Category Archives: Dining Outside

Bistro Lagniappe Brings A Little Something Extra in Healdsburg

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Fluffy rockfish dumplings in a concentrated lobster bisque at Lagniappe.
Fluffy rockfish dumplings in a concentrated lobster bisque at Lagniappe.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who mourned the trails, tribulations and eventual demise of Molti Amici in downtown Healdsburg.

But a solid successor took its place last summer when Bistro Lagniappe opened its doors.

Named for the Cajun-French word for “small gift” or “little something extra,” it was opened by Chef-Owner Jacob Harth, who operated the now-shuttered Erizo, a sustainable seafood restaurant in Portland, OR.

Instead of Italian cuisine that its former occupant spotlighted, Bistro Lagniappe makes use of the wood-fire oven to turn out French-inspired farmhouse cuisine that highlights local products.

Lagniappe has a long, narrow dining room plus a large outdoor dining patio in the back.
Lagniappe has a long, narrow dining room plus a large outdoor dining patio in the back.
A bookcase of cookbooks in the dining room.
A bookcase of cookbooks in the dining room.

On a chilly weeknight when I dined in late-January, it was wonderful to see the restaurant buzzing with diners at what is usually a slow time of year for Wine Country. I’m guessing many were locals, which is always a good sign that a place has been embraced by its community.

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A Visit to Cafe Vivant — Where the Chickens Come Home to Roast

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The roasted Pescadero Red chicken at Cafe Vivant.
The roasted Pescadero Red chicken at Cafe Vivant.

When my husband told a friend at the gym that he was going to dinner at a restaurant where a whole chicken costs more than $100, the response was:

“What?!? Does it lay golden eggs?”

Not quite.

But Cafe Vivant, which opened in late October in downtown Menlo Park, is definitely not your average fast-casual rotisserie or fried chicken joint.

Instead, this unique upscale restaurant specializes in heritage-breed poultry. If you remember decades ago when heritage turkeys started to be all the rage, despite a price tag multiple times larger than your average Butterball, then you get the gist of how these chickens differ.

These breeds, which existed before chickens became an industrial commodity, take longer to raise, are harvested when they are older, and not surprisingly, are in much smaller supplies. The results are chickens raised more purely, with more pronounced flavor and texture.

The upscale restaurant opened in Menlo Park at the end of October.
The upscale restaurant opened in Menlo Park at the end of October.
The striking dining room.
The striking dining room.

The restaurant is owned by revered sommeliers Jason Jacobeit and Daniel Jung, who also run Somm Cellars in New York City, which specializes in rare and collectible wines. They have partnered with farmer Rob James of Corvus Farm in Pescadero, who raises a couple of the specialty breeds.

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Jose Andres’ Zaytinya Finally Opens in Palo Alto

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Chef Jose Andres opens his first restaurant in the Bay Area.
Chef Jose Andres opens his first restaurant in the Bay Area.

It’s a big deal whenever a world-renowned chef opens a new restaurant. But even more so when it’s Jose Andres, recipient of two Michelin stars and two James Beard Awards, who was twice named one of Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People.” He not only operates 40 restaurants globally, but founded World Central Kitchen, the nonprofit humanitarian organization that is so often first on the ground at major disasters around the world to help feed those in desperate need.

It’s been a long time coming, but Andres has finally opened his first restaurant in the Bay Area. Zaytinya took two years to debut from conception through construction, and was nearly derailed by a short-lived ban by Palo Alto on gas stoves in new construction.

Last week, it opened in the former Macy’s Men’s store site at Stanford Shopping Center to great fanfare to serve Greek, Turkish and Lebanese fare. It is the sixth location of Zaytinya in the country.

Opened in the former Macy's store.
Opened in the former Macy’s store.
Outdoor dining for the warmer months.
Outdoor dining for the warmer months.
Neon at the bar.
Neon at the bar.

Although Andres wasn’t there for the opening, his presence was on display in the form of a monogrammed chef’s jacket hanging at the host stand. He also had veteran staff on hand from his other restaurants in Los Angeles and Las Vegas to ensure seamless service, as I found when I was invited in as a guest of the restaurant last Tuesday.

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San Jose’s New Poppy & Claro Outperforms

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Seared salmon with cauliflower, broccolini, and cornmeal-battered green beans. Would you believe this is all of $21 at Poppy & Claro?
Seared salmon with cauliflower, broccolini, and cornmeal-battered green beans. Would you believe this is all of $21 at Poppy & Claro?

Admittedly, when I was invited to dine as a guest of a new downtown San Jose restaurant, one established by the building’s developer who had never opened a restaurant before, I arrived skeptical.

By the time I left, though, I was an avowed convert, because Poppy & Claro far exceeded expectations.

Housed on the ground floor of the former KQED office building (and former Knight Ridder building before that), it’s very much designed for the weekday work crowd, as it’s open only Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. However, it’s available for private events on Sundays and Mondays.

Created by the Jay Paul Company, a Silicon Valley real estate firm, it’s centrally located right next to the San Jose Museum of Art and the winter ice skating rink. There’s even outdoor seating right by the Circle of Palms Plaza.

The communal table in the shape of the state.
The communal table in the shape of the state.
The bar.
The bar.

The restaurant name pays homage to California’s state flower and the wood from the state’s native walnut tree.

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