A new Menlo Park restaurant, Burlingame board game cafe and Belmont food truck
The “chicken tender people” are what I like to call the people who refuse to eat anything other than chicken and basic starches. And shockingly, many exist in this world.
But I think the existence of “chicken tender people” speaks to the ubiquity and widespread popularity of this simple protein, a protein that will soon be highlighted in its highest-quality form at a restaurant coming to Menlo Park at the start of next year.
There’s been some speculation about what is replacing the former Le Boulanger along Santa Cruz Avenue, and I’m excited to introduce you to Cafe Vivant. The restaurant will specialize in California heritage breed chicken (described as “consciousness altering” by one of the owners) and wine (the owners were previously the head sommelier at Tribeca Grill and wine director at Michelin-starred Bâtard.)
If that isn’t enough to get you excited, I also wrote about a new board game cafe in Burlingame and a Filipino-American food truck in Belmont serving “pandesalwiches.”
Stay tasty,
Adrienne
California heritage breed chicken and an extensive wine program are the focus of Cafe Vivant, a new restaurant coming to downtown Menlo Park
A restaurant offering “consciousness altering” chicken is coming to Menlo Park. Cafe Vivant will focus on California heritage breed chicken, farm-to-table cuisine and an extensive wine program featuring “hard to find, interesting (and) sought-after wines,” co-owner Jason Jacobeit said.
A new board game cafe in Burlingame, food truck in Belmont and fast-casual spot in San Mateo
- Plucky’s Cafe in Burlingame, will have its grand opening Friday. The mother-daughter owned board game cafe serves up inventive coffee drinks and has around 175 games to play.
- Meryenda, a Belmont-based Filipino American food truck, is serving “pandesalwiches,” sandwiches featuring Filipino meats on pandesal buns.
- Want free lunch? Nick the Greek is opening a location in San Mateo on June 21 and will be offering free lunch for anyone coming in from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- Want free coconut pudding? Tong Sui is opening a location at Westfield Valley Fair this Saturday. Be one of the first 200 customers to snag this freebie.
- Rootstock Wine Bar in Mountain View and Los Gatos is hosting Yappy Hour June 23 in support of Sage Compassion for Animals.
- Clorofil, Acterra and GreenTown Los Altos are hosting a plant-based dairy tasting and workshop June 15 at the Los Altos Community Center.
Lamb tartare from Sekoya Lounge & Kitchen
Tartare is a polarizing dish, and lamb is a polarizing protein choice. So when I saw lamb tartare on the menu at Sekoya in Palo Alto, it was clear I had to try it.
I’d been meaning to check out Sekoya, the sister restaurant of Porterhouse and Pausa, for a while. The vibes are modern, classy, elevated and, surprisingly, loud. The term “lounge and kitchen” is fitting – the restaurant is small, and the bar takes up about half of the interior.
The lamb tartare was served on a very unusual, almost inverted plate, with a side of lavash crackers. The combination of the rich and creamy egg yolk jam, bright and acidic pickled mustard seeds, fried capers and lemon zest, and savory vadouvan curry made for a flavor-packed bite. The lavash crackers were well-seasoned and the crispy leeks added an extra layer of texture, offsetting the soft lamb.
Now typically I don’t go for raw meat (we cook it for a reason) or lamb (sometimes it can be gamy), but I surprisingly enjoyed this lamb tartare. And that is a very impressive achievement on Sekoya’s part.
Sekoya Lounge & Kitchen, 417 California Ave., Palo Alto; 650-313-2413, Instagram: @sekoyapaloalto. Open Monday through Thursday 5-9:30 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 4-10:30 p.m.
Inside Fogbird, San Mateo’s newest cocktail lounge
The downtown bar features cocktail chemistry, classes, and drinks with a modern flair
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