Category Archives: General

Dining At The Newly Crowned Michelin-Starred Chez Noir

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Autumn honeynut squash raviolo at Chez Noir.
Autumn honeynut squash raviolo at Chez Noir.

Carmel-by-the-Sea may be all of 1 square mile, but this tiny seaside town now boasts two Michelin one-starred restaurants.

In fact in July, when Chez Noir became the second restaurant to receive that coveted honor less than a year after opening, the entire crew from long-time star-holder Aubergine walked over, toting a hefty Jerobaum to offer hearty congratulations.

This family-owned, fine-dining jewel of a spot may seat only 36 in a dining room not much larger than some folks’ living rooms, but it’s long been held in high esteem. In fact, when a friend dined there months ago, she spotted none other than Eric Ripert, chef-owner of New York City’s Michelin three-starred Le Bernardin, ensconced in a corner banquet with his family, savoring the fabulous Monterey coastal cuisine.

The accolades are not surprising when you consider that Chez Noir is helmed by Executive Chef-Owner Jonny Black, whose impressive credentials include cooking at Michelin powerhouses Per Se in New York; Quince in San Francisco; and Atelier Crenn in San Francisco, where as Dominique Crenn’s first executive chef, he oversaw all her restaurants. Most recently, he was the executive chef of Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur. His wife, Monique Black, worked in the front of house at Quince, and at Coi in San Francisco.

Chez Noir opened in a Craftsman house.
Chez Noir opened in a Craftsman house.
The compact bar in the tiny restaurant.
The compact bar in the tiny restaurant.

The cozy, romantic, French bistro-styled restaurant is in a former Craftsman house, where the couple and their kids live upstairs. Out front is a 22-seat brick patio, but it is not covered, meaning if it rains, you’re out of luck as outdoor reservations are cancelled and refunded.

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Dining at the New Rollati

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The divine eggplant rollatini at Rollati.
The divine eggplant rollatini at Rollati.

Roll into Rollati in downtown San Jose, the newest restaurant from Chef Roland Passot’s Vine Hospitality.

That’s just what I did a couple weeks ago, when I was invited in as a guest to this handsome, bright, and spacious restaurant on the ground floor of the Miro luxury apartment building.

The first Italian-American restaurant from Passot and Vine CEO Obadiah Ostergard, it features both indoor and outdoor dining, plus a small marketplace to buy pantry staples and prepared foods to-go.

If you’re lucky, you might just hit it on a night where there’s a trio of musicians playing in the bar-lounge, too.

The bar.
The bar.
Live music in the lounge.
Live music in the lounge.

Ostergard’s nephew, Chef Sam Gimlewicz, a Culinary Institute of America graduate who went on to work at the acclaimed Nina June restaurant in Maine, designed the menu that’s overseen by Chef de Cuisine Christian Luxton, formerly of Berkeley’s Hotel Shattuck Plaza.

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Greening Up the Holidays With Grey Salt, White Chocolate Matcha Blondies

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Matcha not only gives these blondies great color, but tempers the sweetness of the white chocolate in them.
Matcha not only gives these blondies great color, but tempers the sweetness of the white chocolate in them.

With twinkling, decorated-to-the-hilt trees everywhere at this time of year, why not add a bit of that festive green to your cookie plate, too?

“Grey Salt, White Chocolate Matcha Blondies” will do the job deliciously.

These bar cookies get their hue, of course, from Japanese powdered ceremonial green tea. The matcha also adds a nice grassy astringency from its natural tannins to balance out the sweetness of the white chocolate chunks.

This cookie recipe is from “Love Is A Pink Cake” (W.W. Norton), of which I received a review copy.

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Dining At The West Coast’s First Chotto Matte

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Chicken karage with gochujang at Chotto Matte.
Chicken kaarage with gochujang at Chotto Matte.

If you’ve been wanting to experience a mesmerizing infinity room, you don’t have to trek to a museum. Just head to dinner at San Francisco’s new hot spot restaurant Chotto Matte that opened in October.

Step inside the first floor entrance of what used to be Macy’s Men’s Store and be greeted by floor-to-ceiling glossy walls that reflect colorful pendants hanging from the ceiling, making them appear as if they go on forever.

The entrance, where you'll find the elevator to take you to the rooftop restaurant.
The entrance, where you’ll find the elevator to take you to the rooftop restaurant.
The host stand at the restaurant.
The host stand at the restaurant.

Just exercise caution after taking the elevator up to the restaurant, though, as the same black polished walls are used in the unisex bathrooms, creating such an entrancing effect that my husband, as well as the person walking in behind him, nearly walked into a wall.

Chotto Matte is definitely flash and panache, a fun-house dining experience.

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The Holiday Taste of Cranberries in Florentine Bars

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Get your cranberry fix with these sweet florentine bar cookies.
Get your cranberry fix with these sweet florentine bar cookies.

Two treats in one.

Like cookie meets candy.

Like buttery, chewy, sweet, and nutty all at once.

That’s what “Florentine Bars” are like. Plus they have the festive sweet-tart taste of dried cranberries that we call can’t get enough of at this time of year.

This recipe is from “Baking School” (W.W. Norton, 2022), of which I received a review copy, by the King Arthur Baking School.

The book is filled with the time-honored recipes that the Vermont cooking school has been teaching students for more than 20 years. They include the likes of “Perfectly Pillowy Cinnamon Rolls,” “Raisin Pecan Bread,” “Kouign Amann,” “Dark Chocolate Cake,” and all manner of pie crusts and fillings to mix and match.

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