Category Archives: Restaurants

Psst…The New Suspiro at Santana Row Has A Secret Speakeasy

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Paella de carne at the new Suspiro in San Jose.
Paella de carne at the new Suspiro in San Jose.

The new Suspiro, which opened in San Jose’s Santana Row last month, offers up delightful Spanish and Peruvian specialties, along with an intriguing attraction:

A secret, reservation-only speakeasy tucked away in the back with its own private entrances.

How surreptitious? The press materials I received never even mentioned it. If you go to the Suspiro web site, you won’t easily find anything written about it either. That is, not until you scroll to the very bottom of the page to find a red star symbol underneath the restaurant’s phone number. Click on it, and it will take you to the Instagram page with a link. Click on that, and you’ll see yet another link to make a reservation at the speakeasy via Resy. You’ll also see a link there for “members,” where you can apply to be one. Although I was told it’s unlikely a membership will ever entail a fee, it may entitle you in the future to special perks.

The stylish dining room.
The stylish dining room.

So, when I was invited in as a guest of the restaurant a few weeks ago, this was all news to me. As was the fact that the executive chef is Yerika Munoz Rodriguez, a woman who had Frida Mexican Cuisine and Cantina Frida in Beverly Hills, and worked with celebrated Peruvian chef Gaston Acurio at Astrid y Gaston in Mexico City. That’s because all the press materials only included the name of Oscar Santos, the chef de cuisine, a Barcelona native who spent time working at that city’s Michelin-starred Enigma by Albert Adria.

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Lunching at Michelin Two-Starred Harbor House Inn

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An exquisite bay nut tart with creme fraiche at the Harbor House Inn.
An exquisite bay nut tart with creme fraiche at the Harbor House Inn.

Elk, CA — I have never aspired to be one of those ladies who lunch.

Somehow, so many hours squandered in the afternoon just provokes too much guilt in me.

Yet after spending a leisurely weekday afternoon partaking of a 5-course lunch at the Michelin two-starred Harbor House Inn on the rugged Mendocino coast, I could definitely be persuaded to be one now.

That’s even on a stormy day that drenched me before I made it through the front door and prevented me from taking any outdoor photos.

Six years ago, I had the pleasure of dining for the first time at this 1916 property after Chef Matthew Kammerer came on board to transform the restaurant from a wayside stop to a must-stop. That time, it was for dinner, and before it officially opened to the public (because I helped write some of their original marketing materials).

The double-sided fireplace that definitely warms on a rainy afternoon.
The double-sided fireplace that definitely warms on a rainy afternoon.
The sitting room where you can relax before being escorted to your table.
The sitting room where you can relax before being escorted to your table.

So much has changed since Kammerer took over. Most notably, the former executive sous chef at San Francisco’s Saison when it held three Michelin stars, gained his own two Michelin stars, launching this Craftsman-style inn three hours north of San Francisco in the tiny town of Elk into the stratosphere.

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Mendocino Coast, Part II: The Little River Inn

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The new lobster mac on the menu at the Little River Inn should not be missed.
The new lobster mac on the menu at the Little River Inn should not be missed.

Mendocino, CA — In this day and age that values change and progress at the speed of light, it’s amazing to think that the Little River Inn has been owned by five generations of the same family who have welcomed legions of guests for the past 85 years.

The original house was built in 1857 by Silas Coombs. His descendent, Ole Coombs, turned the property into an inn in 1939, which is now run by his grand-daughter Cally Dym.

Although I’d driven past the inn over the years, it was only when I was invited to stay as a guest last month that I realized just how surprisingly sprawling it is.

The Little River Inn sits on a sweeping 225 acres overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Not only are there 65 rooms, a spa, and a bar and restaurant, but two tennis courts and a nine-hole golf course with pro shop.

The Little River Inn on the Mendocino Coast.
The Little River Inn on the Mendocino Coast.
The "pianist'' in the main building.
The “pianist” in the main building.

Moreover, there are another five cottages just a half mile down the road, which is where my husband and I stayed in the Coombs Cottage, which was larger than many apartments I’ve lived in.

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Dining At Table Culture Provisions

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"From the Turf'' at Table Culture Provisions
“From the Turf” at Table Culture Provisions.

Feel how you may about Elon Musk, but there’s no denying that Tesla stock has proved a boon for many.

That was certainly true for chefs Stéphane Saint Louis and Steven Vargas. During the height of Covid, the two made the daring decision to invest their Small Business Loans pandemic stimulus checks in Tesla stock, which turned out to be a brilliant move. It took all of five months for their $2,400 investment to balloon into a $17,000 windfall.

That provided the seed money not only to kick-start a successful fried chicken pop-up during the pandemic, but allowed them to generate enough funds to open their first restaurant, Table Culture Provisions in Petaluma in November 2020.

The restaurant, which has garnered glowing reviews, sports a teeny dining room and an equally tiny outdoor dining patio.

So, it comes as no surprise that Table Culture Provisions would soon find itself needing more space. As such, it will be moving to a much larger location around the corner later this summer that will feature prix fixe and a la carte menus. Its current location will remain open, as a laboratory of sorts for more forward-pushing tasting menus.

That’s what I gleaned when I dined recently at the spare and elegant little space done up with denim-colored walls.

A view of the chefs from the dining room.
A view of the chefs from the dining room.

The chefs in the kitchen are visible behind a row of windows that look onto the dining room. Given the space limitations, it’s rather remarkable the elegant, elevated food that comes out to the table.

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Kenwood Part II: Dining at Golden Bear Station

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Don't miss the hot honey pizza at Golden Bear Station.
Don’t miss the hot honey pizza at Golden Bear Station.

Kenwood, CA — With soaring white rafters, furry throws on the bar seats, and a menu of specialties that skew Asian and Italian by way of Wine Country, Golden Bear Station not surprisingly attracts a packed house of locals and visitors.

Even on a Wednesday night, which is when I decided to dine there recently for the first time.

But when you have a husband-and-wife team at the helm whose reputation precedes them, that’s to be expected.

Chef Joshua Smookler and Heidy He opened Golden Bear Station, which takes its name from the original gas station that once stood on the spot, in late 2023, right around the same time they decided to close their critically acclaimed, more upscale Animo in Sonoma.

Golden Bear Station.
Golden Bear Station.
Counter seats with furry throws.
Counter seats with furry throws.

Smookler, who was born in Korea and adopted by a Jewish family in New York, worked previously at Per Se and Bouley in New York City. The couple then ran their well-regarded Mu Ramen in New York City (the New York Times heralded it as the best ramen in the city), before closing it during the pandemic to move with their young daughters to Sonoma County.

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