Category Archives: Restaurants

Anchor Steam In Cans, San Jose Restaurant Week & More

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Anchor Steam's flagship beer is now available in cans.

Anchor Steam’s flagship beer is now available in cans.

Anchor Steam Now In Cans

No doubt you know Anchor Steam for its bottles, barrels and kegs. Now, for the first time in its 122-year history, its flagship beer comes in cans.

Not just any cans. But big 19.2-ounce ones.

The new cans are enough for two moderate drinkers to share or one thirsty person to enjoy more than a beer and a half.

It’s the same copper colored brew with malty, hoppy, deep caramel flavors that’s been made since Fritz Maytag acquired and revived the brand in 1965, making it the first hand-crafted beer to be brought back in the United States after Prohibition, launching today’s craft beer movement.

The tall distinctive gold cans with a big blue logo anchor retail for $2.49 each. Just in time for summer barbecues, picnics and camp-outs, the iconic beer is now easier to tote.

Hungry for A “Little Taste of San Francisco”?

If you are, then you’ll want to pick up a copy of the adorable and compact “A Little Taste of San Francisco” (Bluestreak Books) by Bay Area food writer Stephanie Rosenbaum Klassen.

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The 72-page book, of which I received a review copy, serves up more than 30 of the city’s quintessential recipes — from “Clam Chowder in A Sourdough Bread Bowl” and “Irish Coffee” to “Tofu Banh Mi” and “Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches.”

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The Oasis of Ambience

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Ostrich mousse with black truffle at Ambience.

Ostrich mousse with black truffle at Ambience.

 

The elegant Ambience in downtown Los Altos may have opened more than four years ago, yet it still flies relatively under the radar.

But thankfully, more people are finding out about this fine-dining gem on the Peninsula, as evidenced a few weeks ago when I was invited in for a repeat visit as a guest of the restaurant. The first time I dined there in 2015 on a weeknight, I have to admit I wondered how it managed to stay in business. I think my party of two was only one of three tables filled that night in what albeit is a small restaurant. But on the return visit, I was happy to see that about two-thirds of the restaurant was filled on a weeknight.

Cobalt water glasses.

Cobalt water glasses.

A sip of warm almond tea to get in the mood.

A sip of warm almond tea to get in the mood.

A tasting menu-only restaurant can be a gamble, especially in too-impatient-to-wait-for-anything Silicon Valley. It’s one thing to devote 2 hours or more to a meal on a weekend or special occasion. But on a Wednesday night after work? For a lot of people, that’s a big ask.

Chef-Owner Morgan Song makes it worth your while, though. Song, who cooked for years in Sacramento and San Francisco, most notably at Kiss restaurant, and his wife, who manages the front of house and greets guests warmly when they arrive, have created a subdued restaurant, cloistered from the stresses and vagaries of the day with a candlelit dining room with smoky glass windows that seems to make the outside world disappear.

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Puesto Mexican Artisan Kitchen & Bar Opens First Bay Area Locale — In A Big Way

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Soft shell crab, Baja fish, and seared ahi tacos (front to back) at the new Puesto.

Soft shell crab, Baja fish, and seared ahi tacos (front to back) at the new Puesto.

 

When I first read that a new Mexican restaurant in the Santa Clara Square Marketplace cost $8 million to build, I thought surely that must be a typo.

Oh, but it’s not.

One visit to Puesto Mexican Artisan Kitchen & Bar confirms its over-the-top design.

This is the Southern California restaurant group’s fifth outpost, and the first that’s in Northern California. A second one, in Concord, is in the works.

I was invited in as a guest of the restaurant a couple of weeks ago. It is a cavernous 9,000 square feet covered in a riot of colors, thanks largely to the dramatic artwork by Bay Area graffiti artist Chor Boogie.

A custom mural.

A custom mural.

And another.

And another.

The restaurant, done up in concrete tiles, copper touches and wood tabletops, can seat more than 300. There’s also an expansive patio.

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Get Ready for the Phenomenon of Ramen Nagi

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Chef-Owner Satoshi Ikuta realizes a dream by opening his first U.S. branch of his Ramen Nagi.

Chef-Owner Satoshi Ikuta realizes a dream by opening his first U.S. branch of his Ramen Nagi.

 

Ramen Nagi doesn’t open until June 25 in downtown Palo Alto, but you might as well get in line pronto for the first outpost in the United States of this Tokyo ramen chain that boasts 35 locations in Asia.

I can’t say I’ve eaten at every ramen joint in the Bay Area, but I’ve definitely enjoyed my fair share. And Ramen Nagi’s may be the best I’ve had.

Yes, it’s that incredible.

These noodles, made fresh on site every day, are a cut above.

These noodles, made fresh on site every day, are a cut above.

Basil and parmesan ramen -- yes, really.

Basil and parmesan ramen — yes, really.

At a sneak preview media dinner a week before the official opening, I had a chance to sample five different bowls of ramen, plus a variety of side dishes, most of which are not available at any other Ramen Nagi locale elsewhere.

Chef-Owner Satoshi Ikuta, who founded Ramen Nagi in 20014, even flew in from Tokyo for the occasion.

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Warm-Rice Hand Rolls and Okinawan-Style Doughnuts at the New Ozumo

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Salmon hand-roll made to order with warm rice -- available at the bar at Ozumo.

Salmon hand-roll made to order with warm rice — available at the bar at Ozumo.

 

As much as I love sushi and Japanese food in general, I rarely could bring myself to step foot inside this spot in San Jose’s Santana Row when it was the former Blowfish Sushi to Die For.

That’s because it was small, dark, and blared pulsating club-like music non-stop, making it impossible to hold any kind of conversation, let alone relax.

What a difference a new concept makes.

Late last month, Ozumo took over that spot, renovating it with a light, bright interior, as well as adding an outdoor beer garden in the Valencia Hotel alcove right below Burke Williams spa.

Lanterns overhead in the beer garden.

Lanterns overhead in the beer garden.

A much more soothing palette than the previous restaurant in this spot.

A much more soothing palette than the previous restaurant in this spot.

The dining room.

The dining room.

Jeremy Umland founded the original Ozumo in San Francisco in 2001. A New York native, he became passionate about Japanese food and culture when he played professional baseball in the Japanese Pacific League.

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