Category Archives: Spirits/Cocktails/Beer

Dining Outside at the New Sekoya

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The unique chicken liver mousse with banana bread doughnuts at Sekoya.
The unique chicken liver mousse with banana bread doughnuts at Sekoya.

If you get the inkling that Sekoya, the newest restaurant to open on California Avenue in Palo Alto, might be named for the majestic, hardy, and giant tree, you’d be correct.

From the English elm and walnut tables in the lounge, and the dramatic, curving, live-edge dining table by the bar to the plates that mimic cross-sections of trees, it’s clear that sequoias and their ilk are an inspiration for this bar, lounge, and restaurant that opened in mid-August.

It’s the latest restaurant by Steve Ugur, co-owner of San Mateo’s Pausa with Chef Andrea Giuliani, who also happens to be director of butchering at his father’s San Mateo restaurant, Porterhouse. Unlike the former, which is Italian, and the latter, which is a classic steakhouse, Sekoya draws from many global influences, primarily French and Mediterranean.

The bar with neon focal point.
The bar with neon focal point.
The sculptural live edge table in the lounge.
The sculptural live edge table in the lounge.

Chef de Cuisine Jason Johnson — formerly of Chez TJ in Mountain View, and Wayfare Tavern and Quince, both in San Francisco — oversees the menu that is heavy on starters and shared plates.

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Dining at Healdsburg’s New Molti Amici

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A glorious hen of the woods pizza at Molti Amici.
A glorious hen of the woods pizza at Molti Amici.

The name of Healdsburg’s newest downtown restaurant loosely translates from Italian to “many friends.”

It’s emblematic of the convivial vibe to be found at Molti Amici, which took the place of locals’ favorite, Campo Fina, in late June.

It’s the brainchild of three alums of Michelin three-starred SingleThread Farms restaurant, just a block and a half away. Owner and sommelier Jonny Barr is that venerated restaurant’s former general manager. Husband-and-wife Chef Sean McGaughey and Melissa McGaughey, are SingleThread’s former chef de cuisine and hotel baker, respectively. The couple also own Healdsburg’s Quail & Condor bakery and Troubador cafe. At Molti Amici, Seth is the executive chef and Melissa is the pastry chef. They are assisted by Chef de Cuisine Matthew Cargo, former executive sous chef of Gjusta in Los Angeles, who honed his pasta and pizza skills through extensive travels throughout Italy.

The bar in the main dining room.
The bar in the main dining room.
The dining room.
The dining room.
Light streaming in on an early Saturday night.
Light streaming in on an early Saturday night.

Don’t expect fancy, white tablecloth, tweezer-food here, though. Instead, it’s all about handmade pizzas and pastas, made with a confident, deft hand that befits their impressive backgrounds. When I visited a couple weeks ago, as a guest of the restaurant, I enjoyed some of the best pastas and pizzas I’ve had in a while. And if you know my carb addiction, you know that’s saying something.

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Mic Drop For TCHO’s Limited-Edition Collab Chocolates

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TCHO chocolate bars (front to back): The Perfect Matcha, Grizzly Berry, Deep, Dark & Salty, and Hoppy Hour.
TCHO chocolate bars (front to back): The Perfect Matcha, Grizzly Berry, Deep, Dark & Salty, and Hoppy Hour.

Berkeley’s TCHO Chocolate has just debuted three brand-new, limited-edition bars in partnership with three local icons: Third Culture Bakery, the Oakland Zoo, and Berkeley’s Fieldwork Brewing Co.

Like a Supreme drop, these are small-batch productions that wait for no one, meaning once they sell out, you’re out of luck.

I had a chance to sample these creations that sell for $9.99 per bar on the TCHO web site. The respective bars are also sold at the three partnering businesses: Third Culture Bakery’s Bay Area locations, Oakland Zoo, and Fieldwork Brewing Co.

The new, limited-edition bars.
The new, limited-edition bars.

The Perfect Matcha was inspired by Third Culture Bakery’s popular strawberry, lychee and matcha latte.

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New Goings-On At Curry Up Now

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West Dilli butter chicken biryani -- one of the new regional biryanis at Curry Up Now.
West Dilli butter chicken biryani — one of the new regional biryanis at Curry Up Now.

If it’s been a moment since you’ve dined at Bay Area-grown Curry Up Now, delicious new happenings are afoot.

First, Bikram Das, formerly of Amber India in Santana Row was hired this spring as corporate executive chef.

Curry Up Now's new corporate executive chef, Bikram Das.
Curry Up Now’s new corporate executive chef, Bikram Das.

Second, the San Jose location did away with counter-ordering and instituted full table service indoors and outdoors.

Three, Das has added new dishes to the menu definitely worth checking out.

After dining as a guest at the San Jose location last week, and wiping a brow, I asked him if he had upped the heat on the dishes.

“Oh, yes!,” he replied with a wink.

Indeed, the food is bolder and spicier than previously. The prices remain incredibly reasonable for the portion sizes, too.

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Beat the Heat at Break Even Beermakers

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A friendly goat at Banded Family Ranch, where hops are grown for Break Even Beermakers.
A friendly goat at Banded Family Ranch, where hops are grown for Break Even Beermakers.

Amador City, CA — Like so many Chico State students, Aaron Wittman drank his share of beer. But he started making his own then, too.

Today, that master’s of English graduate, is putting those other skills to work prominently as beermaker-partner of Break Even Beermakers, where he’s making exceptional brews now carried by the likes of Michelin-starred San Francisco restaurants State Bird Provisions and The Progress, as well as their sister establishment, The Anchovy Bar.

Break Even's Summer Bummer.
Break Even’s Summer Bummer.

“Tiny but mighty” is how he describes the brewery. It was founded nearly four years ago by Kevin Carter and Cassie Davis, who also own the Imperial Hotel a few yards away, as well as the nearby 90-acre Banded Family Ranch that plays an important role in the beer making.

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