Category Archives: Restaurants

The Surprise of Safar by Karimi

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The very showy betel leaf chaat that arrives at the table in a cloud of dry ice.
The very showy betel leaf chaat that arrives at the table in a cloud of dry ice.

At Cupertino’s Safar by Karimi, you’ll find delicious North Indian and Pakistani dishes, as well as a sleek bar with modern chandeliers.

But what you won’t find is beer, wine or any alcohol.

Or any pork for that matter.

That’s because the restaurant, which opened last December, is halal.

While it doesn’t explicitly spell that out on the menu or on its website, you get the gist immediately when you look over the beverage menu, which offers plenty of teas, lassi variations, and non-alcoholic coolers blended in-house, but nothing at all boozy.

Look for the sign on Stevens Creek Boulevard.
Look for the sign on Stevens Creek Boulevard.
The bar.
The bar.

Far from turning off potential customers, it seems to be bringing them in if last week was any indication when the restaurant was bustling with folks coming in to break the fast at sunset for Ramadan. That’s when I dined, having been invited as a guest of the restaurant.

The restaurant was opened by three brothers: Rifakat Saiyed, Ashfak Saiyed, and Yunus Saiyed. They also operate the more casual Karimi Restaurant in downtown San Jose, The Cupertino restaurant on Stevens Creek Boulevard has the bonus of having its own parking lot, too.

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A Visit to the New Hestan Napa

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Australian Wagyu carpaccio served at Hestan Napa.
Australian Wagyu carpaccio served at Hestan Napa.

It’s a retail store, a wine bar, and a restaurant — all in one.

If you only gave Hestan Napa a quick glance, though, you might think it only a high-end kitchen appliance store, what with a gleaming demonstration kitchen filled with its cookware right beyond its doors, plus a Hestan grill loaded with all the bells and whistles that can be yours for $17,500.

But if you walked farther in, you’d see shelves of its shiny, pricey pots and pans for sale; and beyond that a sleek wine tasting bar with chairs; and even farther in, a well-appointed dining room plus a large outdoor dining patio for its restaurant.

Chef Mark Dommen.
Chef Mark Dommen.

At the helm of this new restaurant, which opened in November 2025? None other than Chef Mark Dommen, who held a Michelin star at the now-shuttered One Market in San Francisco for five years. It’s a signal that this restaurant isn’t just some nonchalant Wine Country way-stop but an establishment that aims to be taken seriously.

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Come Hungry To Meze Kebab

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Beyti kebab, one of the many protein options at the all-you-can-eat Meze Kebab.
Beyti kebab, one of the many protein options at the all-you-can-eat Meze Kebab.

Think Brazilian steakhouses, Japanese shabu shabu, Chinese hot pot or Korean barbecue joints where one all-inclusive price gets you all-you-can-eat for a set time limit.

Transfer that concept to Mediterranean food expanded to include a few Indian flourishes, and you get Meze Kebab in downtown Palo Alto, the new offshoot of the popular Meyhouse restaurant in Palo Alto and Sunnyvale, and soon-to-open San Ramon.

In fact, Meze Kebab is right next door to Meyhouse in what was once home to Tacolicious.

The interior has been repainted a striking lipstick red on the walls and columns; and the floor redone with beautiful blue and gold ceramic tiles.

The dining room.
The dining room.
The bar.
The bar.

Here’s how it works: For $59.99 (for adults) or $24.99 (for kids), you get unlimited dips, hot and cold mezes, house-baked bread, and an assortment of kebabs that take influence from Istanbul to Delhi — for 90 minutes. That price includes a 20 percent gratuity, so no tipping is required.

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Chez TJ Marks Its 44th Year with A Reset

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Owner George Aviet in one of the intimate dining rooms at Chez TJ.
Owner George Aviet in one of the intimate dining rooms at Chez TJ.

For an unprecedented 44 years, this charming Victorian in downtown Mountain View has drawn crowds and accolades for its fine-dining cuisine that has proved a jumping off point for a roster of some of the Bay Area’s most illustrious chefs.

Last year, though, Chez TJ lost its Michelin star after an impressive 19-year streak, a crushing blow to owner George Aviet. It was Mountain View’s only Michelin-starred restaurant, too.

But Aviet, 69, remains as determined as ever to forge ahead and continue to shape the restaurant into the best that it can be.

He and his late business partner Thomas J. McCombie bought the 1894 property in the early 1980s, and opened it as a restaurant in 1982. When McCombie died unexpectedly of a heart attack at the young age of 44 in 1994, Aviet pressed on, resolute in keeping Chez TJ going in McCombie’s memory and spirit.

The restaurant is housed in a historic Victorian.
The restaurant is housed in a historic Victorian.

He’s done more than an admirable job. In fact, he’s had an uncanny ability to hire young chefs, who after making a name for themselves at Chez TJ, have spring-boarded into stardom.

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Dining In At Petaluma’s Outstanding Della Fattoria

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Honeynut squash toast with herbed goat cheese at Della Fattoria.
Honeynut squash toast with herbed goat cheese at Della Fattoria.

I am no stranger to dashing into Della Fattoria bakery and cafe in downtown Petalua to grab a loaf — or two — of my favorite Rosemary-Meyer Lemon bread. In fact, I am beside myself if I ever find it already sold out, because this crusty, chewy bread strewn with sea salt is absolutely everything.

Yet despite those countless trips, I sheepishly admit that I had never sat down to eat a regular meal in its charming dining room with its tall, beamed ceiling that resembles a big ol’ family barn.

So, last week, my husband and I decided to finally remedy that. In fact, we went to Della Fattoria twice — in three hours.

The dining room set up for brunch and lunch.
The dining room set up for brunch and lunch.

Heed my reasoning here: Since its doors open at 8 a.m. and I was determined to get my bread, we arrived shortly after that hour. I not only got my hands on two loaves to take home, but a box of pastries to enjoy back at our hotel, just a short stroll away.

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