Tag Archives: Ethel's Fancy Palo Alto

My Top 10 Eats of 2022

Whether enjoyed outside, inside or as takeout, restaurant food has never felt more special.

I am so grateful to restaurants for weathering all that they have in the past few years, and managing to come through it all to keep nourishing us in body, spirit, and soul.

Here’s to them, and to all that they provide, including these most memorable eats, in no particular order, that made my Top 10 for the year:

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Dining Outside at Ethel’s Fancy

Mt. Lassen trout dressed up with chili crisp, salmon roe and peanuts at the new Ethel's Fancy in Palo Alto.
Mt. Lassen trout dressed up with chili crisp, salmon roe and peanuts at the new Ethel’s Fancy in Palo Alto.

Despite his restaurant being much-anticipated and long-delayed, even Chef-Owner Scott Nishiyama was flabbergasted at how quickly reservations were snapped up when first released for the Sept. 3 opening of Ethel’s Fancy.

But such was the voracious appetite from the start for this downtown Palo Alto restaurant in the former Prolific Oven.

Not only has Nishiyama waited a long time for this, but so has the dining public that’s been eager to experience the very personal fare from a chef who honed his skills at the Michelin-starred establishments of Daniel in New York City, The French Laundry in Yountville, and Chez TJ in Mountain View.

Chef-Owner Scott Nishiyama in the kitchen at his long-anticipated restaurant.
Chef-Owner Scott Nishiyama in the kitchen at his long-anticipated restaurant.

The wait was definitely worth it, as I found out last week when I dined at one of the outdoor tables the restaurant has set up right by its front doors.

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