Category Archives: Restaurants

The Big Unveil

Posted on by 7 comments

EastBayCover.HRblog

Voila! Finally, the big reveal: Presenting the cover of my forthcoming cookbook, “East Bay Cooks: Signature Recipes from the Best Restaurants, Bars, and Bakeries” (Figure 1 Publishing).

I couldn’t be more excited to show off details of my newest cookbook, due out on Sept. 10, which will feature 41 of the best restaurants and bakeries in the East Bay.

To whet your appetite, that’s the paella from La Marcha Tapas Bar in Berkeley, and the lamb larb from Belcampo in Oakland’s Jack London Square prominent on the cover. The photos are all by the incredibly talented photographer Eva Kolenko.

What else will you find inside?

Read more

It’s Not Easy Being Green (Cake)

Posted on by 6 comments
Blink twice -- because this cake is indeed green.

Blink twice — because this cake is indeed green.

 

The first thing my husband said when he spied this cake cooling on the kitchen counter was: “WTH!?!”

Yes, this is cake.

With mint.

And parsley. Loads of it.

All of which gets minced until it resembles churned up grass clippings. Then, it’s folded into a batter that ends up looking quite a lot like pesto.

Meet “Parsley Cake” from Katy Peetz, former pastry chef of Roberta’s in Brooklyn.

It’s from the cookbook, “Food52 Genius Desserts: 100 Recipes That Will Change the Way You Bake (Food52 Works)” (Ten Speed Press, 2018) by Kristen Miglore, creative director at Food52.

The batter goes into a rimmed baking sheet so it bakes quickly.

The batter goes into a rimmed baking sheet so it bakes quickly.

When I first spied this recipe, I knew I had to make it in time for St. Patrick’s Day. I mean, a cake the vivid color of moss clinging to an ancient castle couldn’t be more perfect for that holiday, could it?

Read more

Brunch Up Top At the Archer Hotel in Napa

Posted on by Leave a comment
Doughnuts galore at Sunday brunch at the Archer Hotel.

Doughnuts galore at Sunday brunch at the Archer Hotel.

 

From their calm and courteous demeanor, you’d never guess that this time of year is probably the most nerve-wracking for the staff that puts together the upscale Sunday brunch buffet at the Archer Hotel in downtown Napa.

That’s because that brunch service is the only one in the Napa Valley that’s held atop a five-story building in an expansive open-air rooftop pavilion. If the weather is ominous –then and only then — the brunch is moved from Charlie Palmer’s Sky & Vine Rooftop Bar inside to the hotel’s Charlie Palmer Steak on the ground level.

With this winter’s rash of stormy weather, the decision on where to hold brunch each Sunday has not been an easy one to make.

“Will it be raining? Will there be too much wind? It’s very stressful. I don’t think there’s any other restaurant here that has to take all that into consideration,” said a manager, who noted that the decision on the location of the brunch must be made the night before in order to give the staff enough time to prepare.

A view of the hotel from my balcony.

A view of the hotel from my balcony.

Sky & Vine Rooftop Bar.

Sky & Vine Rooftop Bar.

I lucked out in late-February when I was invited as a guest of the hotel to stay overnight and try the brunch because the rains held off just long enough for me to enjoy the repast al fresco.

Read more

A Delicious Taste of Georgia (As In Eastern Europe, Not the Deep South) in Palo Alto

Posted on by One comment
Giant soup-filled dumplings at Bevri.

Giant soup-filled dumplings at Bevri.

 

Russian food is certainly not something you find on every street corner.

Georgian cuisine? Well, you have to squint even harder for that.

Fortunately, though, if you point your eyes in just the right direction, you will find what is thought to be the only Georgian restaurant in Northern California.

Bevri opened in downtown Palo Alto in 2018. It is a gem of a place founded by Google employee Pavel Sirotin with his brother and sister-in-law. Russian-born Sirotin noticed the dearth of Georgian restaurants when he moved to the Bay Area a few years ago. So he decided to open his own — despite not ever owning a restaurant before.

The open kitchen, where bags of spice blends and jars of preserves are displayed for sale, too.

The open kitchen, where bags of spice blends and jars of preserves are displayed for sale, too.

The intimate dining room.

The intimate dining room.

When my friend and I took our Russian-born friend Lina out for her birthday recently, we couldn’t think of a better place to celebrate than Bevri, where we paid our own tab at the end. It even gave Lina a fun opportunity to converse in Russian with the waitstaff.

Bevri celebrates the cuisine of Georgia, located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, which was once part of the Soviet Union. You can see influences from both those regions in this hearty, comforting food.

Read more

Albatross Soars in Danville

Posted on by 6 comments
Glorious avocado-hummus at Albatross.

Glorious avocado-hummus at Albatross.

 

My husband likes to joke that up until last year, I’d never ever eaten in Danville. Now, I’ve made the trek to this East Bay suburb three times in short order. This is what happens when you work on a cookbook, “East Bay Cooks” (Figure 1), all about East Bay restaurants, which will publish in September. And it’s what happens when a long-time restaurateur whom you’ve known for years invites you in as a guest a couple weeks ago to try a new restaurant he is consulting on.

Hoss Zare, late of the beloved Zare at Fly Trap in San Francisco, has known Proprietor Mehrasa Bagheri, a luxury residential and commercial developer, for years, as the East Bay resident used to cross the bridge regularly to frequent his restaurant.

“He’s like my big brother,” Bagheri says.

“I’m her big brother, her bodyguard, you name it,” Zare replies back with a laugh.

Consultant Hoss Zare and Owner Mehrasa Bagheri.

Consultant Hoss Zare and Owner Mehrasa Bagheri.

So when she decided to open her gem of a restaurant Albatross in December in a new building in downtown Danville, she knew she wanted Zare’s expertise as a consultant chef. Indeed, she has assembled quite an impressive team that includes Executive Chef Brian Bowen, who cooked with Chef Joseph Humphrey at both the Restaurant at Meadowood in St. Helena and Cavallo Point in Sausalito; and Pastry Chef Andrea Morgan, former head pastry chef for Chicago’s Mindy Segal and a member of the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group.

Read more

« Older Entries Recent Entries »