Category Archives: Restaurants

Hawaii Part 1: Bright and Early at the Honolulu Fish Auction

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The action gets going at 5:30 a.m. at the Honolulu Fish Auction.

HONOLULU, OAHU — Long before the sun comes up six days a week, Pier 38 is a frenzy of activity even in deepest darkness.

As early as 1 a.m., fishing vessels that have been 200 miles out in international waters pull into port to unload their formidable fresh catch at the Honolulu Fish Auction, the largest such auction in the United States. (The only other one is in Maine.)

The fish — bigeye tuna, swordfish, mahimahi and others — are weighed and tagged with the name of the vessel that caught each one. Then, the fish are put on display in row upon row of ice-heaped pallets inside an expansive warehouse kept at a frigid temperature to maintain the integrity of the seafood.

Fresh, whole opah. Can you guess why it's also called moon fish?

The male mahimahi have square heads, while the females have rounded ones.

At 5:30 a.m. sharp, the auctioneer rings a brass bell to signal the start of bidding on that day’s bounty from the sea.

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The Good Life at LYFE Kitchen in Palo Alto

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A drizzle of pomegranate balsamic vinegar makes this flatbread something extra special at LYFE Kitchen.

After seconds, thirds, perhaps even fourths on Thanksgiving, you’re probably in need of a less indulgent meal that does a body good.

Look no further than the new LYFE Kitchen in downtown Palo Alto, which opened in October.

LYFE (Love Your Food Everyday) serves up healthful food made with no butter, cream or GMOs. No dish is more than 600 calories and all are less than 1,000 mg in sodium.

The food may be lean, but it’s not mean. Not when it was created by James Beard Award-winning Chef Art Smith, a former personal chef to Oprah Winfrey; and Chef Tal Ronnen, an expert in vegan and vegetarian cooking. It’s healthful fare that never tastes too virtuous or leaves you wanting.

The project is a collaboration by Founder Stephen Sidwell, an investment banker; CEO Mark Roberts, formal global president and COO for McDonald’s; and CCO Mike Donohue, former chief communications and external relations officer for McDonald’s. They wanted to show that fast-casual food doesn’t have to be bad for you. Indeed, if the concept proves popular, they hope to open more LYFE locations.

If the crowd last week when I was invited in as a guest of the restaurant is any indication, LYFE appears to be a hit.

The light, bright space was constructed with recycled and eco-friendly materials, including bamboo floors, teak tables, LED lights, and a bench and drop wood ceiling fashioned from vintage high school and college stadium bleachers.

How many fast-casual places grow their own herbs on-site?

There’s even an herb garden wall just inside the entrance that supplies fresh chervil, spearmint, lemon balm, chives, basil and marjoram to the restaurant.

The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The calorie count and sodium level is listed for each dish. There’s also a variety of vegan-friendly options, as well as a selection of California wines on tap. And the highest-priced dish is only $11.99.

Order at the counter, then find a table. You’ll get a geolocation device to put on your table so a server can find you to deliver your food. It may be fast-casual, but you don’t have to pick up your food at the counter or bus your table when you’re done. Moreover, LYFE goes the extra effort to serve the food quite attractively on contemporary plateware, as well as with real cutlery and glassware. No plastic baskets or paper cups here.

Whatever you do, start with a refreshing “Cucumber-Mint Cooler” ($2.99). It’s like spa water, but muddled with cucumber pulp to give it more flavor and body.

How pretty is this cucumber-mint cooler? And it has only 47 calories.

Grilled artichokes with lemon aioli ($3.99) brings two artichoke halves, expertly trimmed and nicely charred with a velvety, bright-tasting mayo sauce.

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Instead of Fighting the Crowds at Big-Box Stores Over the Next Few Days…

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Meet brothers Michael and Byran Voltaggio at Williams-Sonoma. (Photo courtesy of Williiams-Sonoma)

Meet Chefs Michael and Bryan Voltaggio

Michael and Bryan Voltaggio — sibling chefs who strutted their culinary prowess on “Top Chef” before younger bro, Michael, walked away with the title — will be making appearances at two local Williams-Sonoma stores next week.

First up, they will be at the Stanford Shopping Center store at 5 p.m. Nov. 28. The next day, 5 p.m. Nov. 29, they’ll be at the San Francisco Union Square store.

At both events, they will be signing copies of their new cookbook, “Volt ink.” (Weldon Owen). The books must be purchased at Williams-Sonoma in order to be signed.

Give the Gift of A Restaurant Gift Certificate

San Francisco’s Treatful makes gift-giving for the foodies on your list a whole lot easier.

Founded by two Stanford Business School grads, the online site allows you to purchase gift certificates to more than 250 restaurants in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. Among them are Aziza in San Francisco, Jar in Los Angeles, Rye in Brooklyn, and the Girl & the Goat in Chicago.

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Amber Dhara Makes Its Mark In Palo Alto

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Shrimp Assamese flavored with galangal, tamarind and lime leaves -- a a dish from North-East India.

A budding new Indian restaurateur recently remarked to me that the establishment he most hopes to compete with is Amber India.

It’s easy to understand why.

The Indian restaurant group, which started more than 13 years ago with its first Amber India restaurant in Mountain View, practically pioneered the art of modern Indian cuisine in the Bay Area.

Weeks ago, it opened its fifth restaurant, Amber Dhara in downtown Palo Alto, in the former location of Junnoon, another modern Indian eatery. If that weren’t enough, you can look for a second Amber Dhara to open in San Francisco’s Mission District in January.

The look of the Palo Alto place hasn’t changed much. Heavy silk drapes and peach banquettes cocooned in dark wood still lend a glam, exotic ambience.

Last weekend, I was invited in as a guest of the restaurant to try some of the new dishes. Amber Dhara, explains Corporate Executive Chef Vittal Shetty, emphasizes small plates and little-seen regional Indian specialties. Think roti ($3.75) — but made with nine grains to give it a deeper, heartier flavor; and “Duck Two Ways” ($20) with a spice confit duck leg plus a seared breast in orange curry. There’s also a range of specialty cocktails, including the “Ginger Sutra” with fresh ginger, vodka and jaggery, which I couldn’t resist.

A tangle of mung lentils, pomegrante seeds and sweet pear slices.

We started with the moong lentil salad ($7) — a vibrant mix of full-throttle crunch from pomegranate seeds and crushed peanuts, as well as sweet Anjou pear slices. A zingy key lime vinaigrette tied it all together.

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Patxi’s to Open in Campbell, Unique Chefs of Compassion Event & More

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Time for deep dish. (Photo courtesy of Patxi's)

Patxi’s Opens This Afternoon in Campbell

Get ready for some deep deep dish.

Patxi’s Pizza, which specializes in Chicago-style deep dish pies, is opening its seventh Bay Area location at 4 p.m. today, 1875 S. Bascom Ave. in Campbell in the Pruneyard Shopping Center.

What’s more, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 21, the Campbell locale will hold a grand opening with complimentary samples.

The first Patxi’s (pronounced pah’-cheese) opened in Palo Alto in 2004 by William Freeman and Francisco “Patxi” Azpiroz, who previously worked at the legendary Zachary’s Pizza in Berkeley. The restaurant features four types of pizza (stuffed, pan, thin, and extra-thin), as well as three types of dough (regular, whole-wheat, and a new gluten-free one).

The new Campbell location has special meaning for Freeman, too. “I have deep roots in the Campbell area –my family has farmed land here for a century, and my dad grew up on a walnut and apricot farm on Lawrence Road,” he said in a statement. “So this is a real homecoming for me.”

Exec. Pastry Chef Carlos Sanchez of Parcel 104 picks his ingredients from the food pantry. (Photo courtesy of West Valley Community Services)

Chefs of Compassion

So many chefs are used to cooking with every gourmet product at their disposal.

But what happens when four Bay Area chefs are charged with making a showstopping dish from ingredients found only in the West Valley Community Services food pantry?

You’ll find out if you attend the “Chefs of Compassion Cooking for a Cause” fund-raising event, 5 p.m. Nov. 19 at the Addison-Penzak JCC of Silicon Valley, 14855 Oka Road in Los Gatos.

Executive Chef Chris Schloss of Cin-Cin Wine Bar in Los Gatos; Executive Pastry Chef Carlos Sanchez of Parcel 104 in Santa Clara; Executive Chef Jay Essadki of Morocco’s Restaurant in San Jose and Mountain View; and Executive Chef Nanci Wokas of Cooking with Class will each be preparing one of four courses at this dinner, which will help fund West Valley Community Services hunger and homeless programs.

"Breakfast for Dinner'' by Carlos Sanchez of Parcel 104. (Photo courtesy of West Valley Community Services)

Yours truly will be one of the judges, charged with picking the winning dish, along with Tracy Lee, founder of Dishcrawl; Sheila Himmel, former Mercury News restaurant critic; Linda Zavoral, Mercury News travel editor; and Abby Schwartz, South Bay manager of Yelp.

Tickets are $100 per person.

Chef Daniel Humm Returns to Campton Place for One Night

Chef Daniel Humm of New York’s Eleven Madison Park is returning for one evening to the establishment where he got his start — Campton Place in San Francisco.

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