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South Bay Accent - Feb/Mar 2015

98 South Bay Accent Manresa, 320 Village Lane, Los Gatos. 408/354- 4330. Chef David Kinch amazes diners with his creative, award-winning cuisine. $$$ Mosaic Restaurant and Lounge (Four Points Hotel), 211 S. First St., San Jose. 408/282-8888. This stylish bar and restaurant offers an American/Asian twist on Continental cuisine. $$$ Viognier, 222 Fourth Ave., San Mateo. 650/ 685-3727. The mesquite grill, rotisserie and brick-oven pizzas reflect a diverse global influences. $ ETHIOPIAN Zeni Ethiopian, 1320 Saratoga Ave., San Jose. 408/615-8282. Inviting spot serves up tantalizing variety of flavorful dishes, many vegetarian, with your choice of spice level. $ FRENCH Baumé, 201 S. California Ave., Palo Alto. 650/ 328-8899. New venture from Michelin starred chef Bruno Chemel. $$$ Chez TJ, 938 Villa St., Mountain View. 650/964- 7466. Fresh and innovative California-French cuisine is exquisitely presented as prix fixe meals by Executive Chef Jarad Gallagher. $$$ La Fondue, 14550 Big Basin Way, Saratoga. 408/ 867-3332. Appealing spot offers more than 50 different fondues ranging from cheese to wild game. Be sure to save room for chocolate finale. $$ La Forêt, 21747 Bertram Road, San Jose. 408/ 997-3458. Romantic restaurant’s menu centers on generously sized and beautifully prepared meat dishes, including a daily wild game special. $$$ La Maison du Cafe, 14103-C Winchester Blvd. (Vasona Station), Los Gatos. 408/378-2233. An intimate spot for a romantic dinner à deux. $$ La Mère Michelle, 14467 Big Basin Way, Saratoga. 408/867-5272. Elegance and fine traditional French cuisine combined with family pride provide a memorable dining experience. $$-$$$ Le Papillon, 410 Saratoga Ave. , San Jose. 408/ 296-3730. Highly acclaimed for its award-winning French cuisine, this Bay Area institution blends fresh, seasonal ingredients with impeccable preparation. Patio dining available. $$$ Left Bank, Menlo Park. 650/473-6543; San Jose. 408/984-3500. Popular eatery features contemporary French cuisine and a variety of seafood prepared with fresh, seasonal ingredients. $$$ Melting Pot, 2 N. B St., San Mateo. 650/342- 6358. Fondue spot features four flavorful cooking styles and a variety of entrees with dipping sauces. Be sure to save space for the chocolate fondue. $$ Navio (Ritz-Carlton Hotel), 1 Miramontes Point Road, Half Moon Bay. 650/712-7000. This luxurious seaside restaurant overlooks the panoramic golf course. $$$ The Plumed Horse, 14555 Big Basin Way, Saratoga. 408/867-4711. This 2011 Michelinstarred restaurant delivers contemporary, seasonal California cuisine based on solid French techniques. $$$ Restaurant Sent Sovi, 14583 Big Basin Way, Saratoga. 408/867-3110. Stylish French-California bistro relies on natural ingredients to create seasonal cuisine in a charming setting. $$$ TASTE TRIPS More than four decades ago, Alice Waters put Berkeley on foodie maps with Chez Panisse, her acclaimed homage to local, organic California cuisine. Today, there are plenty of other very good reasons to dine in Berkeley, where a number of 2015 Michelin Guide Bib Gourmands are wowing visitors from the Bay Area and beyond. Less than a mile from Waters’ famous restaurant lies Comal (2020 Shattuck Ave.), a hip, contemporary spot that bears no resemblance to the area’s ubiquitous, splashy-hued Mexican restaurants. Instead, Comal’s interior is industrial chic, with a steely California sophistication. And the food, while featuring the flavors of Mexico, is deftly prepared with lots of regional ingredients and twists. Here, a quesadilla may be stuffed with tender, shredded rabbit meat and covered in Oaxacan mole Amarillo. And an order of tacos might come with wood-grilled rock cod, pickled cabbage and avocado aioli. Within downtown Berkeley’s Hotel Shattuck Plaza, the restaurant FIVE (2086 Allston Way) offers classic American fare with a modern spin. The renovated, historic hotel provides an elegant backdrop for this stylish spot, where the weekly changing menu relies on what’s available at the local farmers market. A recent meal began with a salad of caramelized figs and smoked duck breast, served with flat bread, herbed feta, mixed greens and Champagne vinaigrette. Fresh seasonal vegetables accompanied two entrees: succulent homemade gnocchi with wild boar ragu and braised pork cheeks with a crispy bacon polenta cake. Nearby, another Berkeley Bib Gourmand in the downtown area is Gather (2200 Oxford St.), where Chef Charis Wahl purposely presents an evenly balanced menu of vegetable and omnivore dishes. All ingredients—heirloom vegetables, fruits and grains; foraged items; and whole animals butchered in-house—come from local, sustainable sources. Main dishes may include local sea urchin with black trumpet mushrooms and brown rice or winter squash pizza with caperberries, mint and chili. For dessert, the restaurant’s pistachio cake is outstanding with frozen yogurt, grapefruit curd and kiwi. Another notable contributor to the neighborhood’s exciting dining scene, Ippuku (2130 Center St. at Shattuck) showcases the tempting, and often adventurous, flavors of Japan. In the dimly lit interior, visitors are invited to remove their shoes and dine tatami-style or in screened seating areas. The menu stars chicken in many forms, with dishes presented in izakaya (Japanese tapas) portions. Drawing raves among diners are such items as chicken karaage (small pieces of chicken marinated and deep-fried), squid ink fried rice, warm bacon-wrapped mochi and a variety of skewers—grilled chicken pieces with leeks, or beef tongue or pork belly, to name a few. There is also a large selection of saki from which servers will happily offer a recommendation. — D.K. 200 DINING HOT SPOTS LV Mar The Counter


South Bay Accent - Feb/Mar 2015
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