An Elegant Voyage Awaits at The Sea by Alexander’s Steakhouse

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TThe chocolate souffle at The Sea by Alexander's Steakhouse in Palo Alto.

If Tiffany’s recast itself as a restaurant, it would resemble The Sea by Alexander’s Steakhouse.

All vestiges of tiki-dom have been thoroughly excised from the former Trader Vic’s on El Camino Real in Palo Alto. In its place, the upscale The Sea launches itself in a shimmery, sophisticated palette of watery blues, grays and white. There’s a glass-fronted kitchen and one wall in the dining room with insets for vases of  striking white orchids.

As the name infers, The Sea is the newest concept by the owners of Alexander’s Steakhouse, with locations in Cupertino and San Francisco. Even before it opened, The Sea experienced some troubled waters, what with the abrupt letting go of Jeffrey Stout, the founding chef of Alexander’s and chief operating officer. But if my recent visit as a guest of the restaurant was any indication, The Sea seems to be navigating a smooth course in the hands of Executive Chef Yu Min Lin, whose impressive credits include a stint as chef de cuisine at Providence in Los Angeles, as well as stages at the French Laundry in Yountville and Manresa in Los Gatos. He’s also a trained sushi chef.

Executive Chef Yu Min Lin expedites at the glass-fronted open kitchen.

This is a restaurant that definitely pays attention to the details. You are provided hot towels at the start to pamper your hands. The table is de-crumbed after every course. The bread is made in-house and there are several to choose from. Coffee service at the end of the meal comes on its own compact tray, complete with a chocolate bonbon.

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Solbar Debuts Asian Specialties, Plus Restaurant Promotions Around the Bay

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Solbar Lounge's "Lucky Pig'' (slow-roasted pork shoulder with sesame crepes, sweet chili sauce and pickled pineapple). (Photo courtesy of Solbar Lounge)

Solbar Offers Up Asian Noshes For A Limited Time

It used to be that if you got a hankering for Asian food in the Napa Valley, it was slim pickings.

But the offerings just got a little wider with Solbar Lounge now offering an Asian-inspired menu through March 31. The lounge is next to Solbar restaurant in the eco-conscious Solage Calistoga resort.

It’s in contrast to the restaurant, which serves elegant seasonal California cuisine, including lighter dishes for those watching their diets.

The new lounge menu offers an array of Asian-inspired specialties such as a Solbar sushi roll (cucumber, avocado, sweet potato and sticky rice; $8); Niman Ranch pork and ginger gyozas ($13); steamed buns with Chiang Mai pork sausage, saw-tooth herb and Chinese mustard cream ($10); and ramen with roasted pork belly ($16).

Steamed buns with pork sausage. (Photo courtesy of Solbar Lounge)

Restaurant Promotions Around  the Bay

The 12th annual “Dine About Town San Francisco” event kicks off Jan. 15-31, in which participating restaurants will offer a prix-fixe two- or three-course lunch for $18.95 and a three-course dinner for $36.95.

Among the more than 100 restaurants participating will be: Amber Dhara, Chaya Brasserie, Sociale and Waterbar. For a complete list, click here.

To get the excitement going early, the San Francisco Travel Association is hosting a launch party, 6 p.m. Jan. 10, at City View at the Metreon in downtown San Francisco.

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Suvir Saran’s Roasted Manchurian Cauliflower

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Ketchup and a host of spices make this easy cauliflower dish something special.

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting New York Chef Suvir Saran, no doubt you reveled in his bold, colorful and magnetic personality.

Not surprisingly, this dish is very much like him — it makes a big impression from the get-go.

“Roasted Manchurian Cauliflower” is from his cookbook, “Masala Farm” (Chronicle Books), of which I received a review copy. Suran, owner of Devi restaurant in New York, wrote the book with Charlie Burd, his long-time partner. It includes recipes and stories about their time shared in their upstate New York farmhouse situated on 67 acres with three ponds, goats, chickens and an abundance of fruits, vegetables and herbs.

The recipes are farm-to-table, but done often with Indian flair.

This cauliflower dish has been a signature one since his restaurant opened. It’s sort of like Chinese sweet-and-sour, but with cauliflower, not pork, and boasts a spicy kick.

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A Rich, Rewarding Experience at Rich Table

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The unforgettable sardine chips at Rich Table in San Francisco.

Sarah Rich is from the South. Her husband Evan Rich is from the East Coast. But after working together at Bouley in New York, they decided their destiny might very well lie in California.

“I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life in New York,” Sarah Rich says. “I knew if we didn’t leave then, we’d never leave. So, I convinced him begrudgingly to give San Francisco a shot.”

The move proved beyond fruitful, and Bay Area diners are all the better for it.

Last summer, the couple opened their own restaurant, Rich Table in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley neighborhood, on Sara’s birthday (July 26). Diners have been celebrating ever since then by packing into the 60 seats here.

The open kitchen at Rich Table.

The couple set out to create a restaurant they would want to eat at on their days off — casual, comfortable, yet with food cooked with impeccable ingredients, thoughtfulness and exemplary technique.

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