Category Archives: Restaurants

Meyhouse Adds Prix Fixe Lunch — and Plans for Expansion

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Braised artichoke with poached shrimp, one of the meze choices on the new prix fixe lunch menu at Meyhouse.
Braised artichoke with poached shrimp, one of the meze choices on the new prix fixe lunch menu at Meyhouse.

It’s been a remarkable journey in short order for Executive Chef-Partner Omer Artun and co-owner Koray Altinsoy who started Meyhouse as a weekend pop-up in 2017, then opened a brick-and-mortar in downtown Sunnyvale in 2018, followed by a splashy downtown Palo Alto location in 2023.

Last week, they started renovations on a third location to serve their patented modern Turkish cuisine, this one in City Center Bishop Ranch in San Ramon. It will be slightly larger than the Palo Alto restaurant. But like that one, it will also feature live jazz regularly. If all goes according to plan, the San Ramon outpost will open its doors in November, Artun said. He’s not stopping there, either, as more locations may be on the way in the future.

What’s even more impressive is that this is not only the second career for Artun and Altinsoy, but one that they had never worked in previously. Altinsoy is a tech marketing executive while Artun has a background in software and physics. As someone who has always loved food and cooking, Artun decided to embark on this next chapter after he sold his IT company.

There's outdoor seating, too.
There’s outdoor seating, too.
The dining room.
The dining room.
A peek at the grill area in the kitchen.
A peek at the grill area in the kitchen.

To say that Meyhouse is a very personal project for him is an understatement.

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Square Pie Guys Debuts in the South Bay

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The Mush-O-Roni at Square Pie Guys in Campbell.
The Mush-O-Roni at Square Pie Guys in Campbell.

Come for the thick-crust pizza. But stay to savor the Szechuan wings. In fact, you just might want a second order of those.

Square Pie Guys, which debuted in San Francisco six years ago, just opened its first South Bay locale — in Campbell.

It specializes in Detroit-style pizza from the Motor City, which was appropriately enough originally baked in industrial car parts tray.

The name may be a bit of misnomer — as the pizzas are baked in deep rectangular pans, not square ones — but the results are incredibly crisp perimeters and corners with the lacy, baked-on cheese we all fight over.

Last week, I was invited in as a guest of the bright, airy restaurant, where the friendly employees were making a point to greet each table.

You know you're in the right place.
You know you’re in the right place.
The decor is simple but with fun touches.
The decor is simple but with fun touches.

You order at the counter, then take your number to your table, where a server will deliver the goods when ready.

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A Visit to Thomas Keller’s Burgers & Half Bottles

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Lunch is served at Burgers & Half Bottles.
Lunch is served at Burgers & Half Bottles.

Two and a half weeks after opening, Thomas Keller’s Burgers & Half Bottles continues to draw lines of hungry and curious diners to his playful pop-up.

So much so that last Thursday, when my husband and I showed up at the opening time of noon to queue up behind about two dozen people, there were already plenty of diners eating burgers on the front patio. Turns out that the line that morning was already growing so rapidly, that the restaurant decided to open a little early, the manager told me.

Such is the allure when a legendary Michelin three-starred chef decides to build a concept around one of his favorite foods, the In-N-Out burger. When his Mexican restaurant Calenda closed in December 2024, it provided the perfect space for him to realize it, too.

Located in the building that was formerly home to Calenda.
Located in the building that was formerly home to Calenda.
The brew bus with beer taps.
The brew bus with beer taps.

On a torrid morning when it was already close to 90 degrees, a server passed out cups of ice water to those in line. This is a Keller restaurant, after all.

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Quattro at the Four Seasons Gets A Refreshed Look and A New Italian Menu

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Strawberry Bellini -- nope, not a cocktail, but an appetizer -- at Quattro.
Strawberry Bellini — nope, not a cocktail, but an appetizer — at Quattro.

With its soaring ceiling and floor-to-ceiling windows, Quattro at the Four Seasons Silicon Valley in East Palo Alto has always been an elegant establishment, the type with tables spaced far enough apart that you can actually converse easily with dining companions.

After undergoing a recent refresh, its look is even more inviting with all that natural light complemented by an earth-tone decor with plenty of potted palms, caramel leather chairs, and slender brass lights on each marble table. The eye-catching artwork, “Walking on the Street,” that’s been a fixture since the restaurant opened remains there with its four figures that represent each season that appear to pivot as you do.

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

Along with a new look comes a new menu from Executive Chef Jacques Swart, who was appointed in January, and has refocused the Italian-Californian food to lean even more into the Italian side.

I had a chance to try the new dishes recently when I was invited in as a guest of the restaurant.

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The Taste of the Sea Is Better Than Ever at La Mar Cocina Peruna

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Cebiche tasting (front to back): Clasico, Nikkei, and Victoriano.
Cebiche tasting (front to back): Clasico, Nikkei, and Victoriano.

On a summer evening when the sun lingers long even in typically foggy San Francisco, there are few better places to dine than outside at La Mar Cocina Peruna.

Located on the Embarcadero waterfront with sweeping views of the Bay, this modern Peruvian restaurant by acclaimed Chef Gaston Acurio just underwent an interior refresh, too. Its Executive Chef Victoriano Lopez also has updated the menu.

I had a chance to check out both when I was invited in as a guest of the restaurant recently.

Opened in 2008, it is one of 10 La Mar restaurants around the world, including the original one in Lima.

The bar.
The bar.
New fresh seafood display.
New fresh seafood display.

The San Francisco one glows in deep indigo hues. The bar features a giant squid art piece hanging from the ceiling. The dining room boasts light fixtures reminiscent of jellyfish, as well as a new display case of fresh seafood.

The covered patio has new planters, glass walls to guard against the wind, and plenty of heaters so the space is comfortable even when the evening chill descends.

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