Category Archives: Restaurants

San Carlos’ Saffron Gets A Menu Redo

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Chicken paratha wrap, one of the items on the new "Bites'' portion of the menu at Saffron San Carlos.
Chicken paratha wrap, one of the items on the new “Bites” portion of the menu at Saffron San Carlos.

Think tapas — Indian-style.

That’s what husband-and-wife owners Ajay Walia and Reena Miglani had in mind when they revamped the menu at their Saffron restaurant in downtown San Carlos three weeks ago.

Regulars shouldn’t fret, as their favorites are still there, only portioned in smaller sizes so that diners can try a greater variety of dishes now.

Want to enjoy a pav slider, but you’re vegetarian and your dining companion is not? Now, you can order them by the piece, so that everyone gets what they crave.

Indeed, the restaurant has added a sizeable “Saffron’s Bites” section to the menu, that allows you to do just that.

The exterior of the restaurant.
The exterior of the restaurant.
The parklet for outdoor dining.
The parklet for outdoor dining.
The dining room.
The dining room.

I had a chance to try the new menu when I was invited as a guest of the restaurant last week. In fact, Executive Chef Vivek Tamhane was amenable to making some of the “bites” even smaller so that I could try that much more.

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Double the Deals on Tuesdays at Puesto

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Huge chicken flautas that are half off at Puesto during "Happy Hour.''
Huge chicken flautas that are half off at Puesto during “Happy Hour.”

Take a close look at all the food in these photos from my meal at Puesto in Santa Clara.

We’re talking a creamy horchata, a tall glass of hefeweizen, tortilla chips with spicy salsa, three sizeable chicken flautas, and six bountiful tacos.

That spread — enough to completely stuff myself and my husband, plus have enough leftovers for one lunch the next day — was $98 before tip.

But I got it all for $58.38.

How?

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The Brixton Gets A Revamp in San Francisco

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Dragon roll pressed sushi at The Brixton.
Dragon roll pressed sushi at The Brixton.

After opening in 2011 on Union Street in San Francisco, The Brixton slowly but surely began to evolve into more of a drinking establishment.

But last week, after a revamp, the restaurant, named for an iconic rock and roll venue in London, reopened as a modern gastropub, with as much emphasis placed on the food as the drink.

To redesign and expand the menu, owner Hugo Gamboa brought in long-time Bay Area chef Joey Altman of San Francisco’s Hazie’s as a consultant.

On a prime spot on San Francisco's Union Street.
On a prime spot on San Francisco’s Union Street.
The bar.
The bar.

Last week, I was invited in as a guest of the restaurant to try a sampling of the new menu the night before it opened to the public. It’s an eclectic mix with everything from deviled eggs topped with bourbon bacon ($14) and Korean barbecue ribs ($24) to a spicy tuna roll ($21), a Brixton Prime Rib burger ($25), and shrimp scampi and linquine ($28).

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All Roads Lead to Routier

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A most satisfying duck leg confit at Routier.
A most satisfying duck leg confit at Routier.

Watching the Olympics these past few weeks sure made me long to be in Paris.

Fortunately, San Francisco’s Routier more than satisfied my yearning with its comforting French bistro-like fare with California aplomb.

Audaciously opened during the height of the pandemic with only food to-go, Routier has grown into a warm, cozy dining spot, the type every neighborhood would be so lucky to have.

That it not only launched but overcame such a tumultuous time is a testament to its owners: Chef John Paul Carmona, former chef de cuisine of the former Michelin powerhouse Manresa in Los Gatos; Pastry Chef Belinda Leong, who also owns B. Patisserie a few steps away and B. On The Go, the kitty-corner sandwich shop; and Michel Suas, co-owner of B. Patisserie and founder of the San Francisco Baking Institute.

The main floor dining room.
The main floor dining room.

On a Friday night, the corner restaurant with windows all around, was humming with diners galore in the dining room done up in shades of blue.

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Dining At Robin Menlo Park

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Halibut aquachile, the opening salvo of the omakase experience at Robin Menlo Park.
Halibut aquachile, the opening salvo of the omakase experience at Robin Menlo Park.

Once you step through the doors of Robin Menlo Park, any traffic or stress you felt getting to the restaurant on busy El Camino Real disappears immediately.

Opened last year in the Springline residential-retail-restaurant development, it is an offshoot of Robin in San Francisco, the Michelin Guide-recognized sushi restaurant opened by Chef Adam Tortosa in 2017.

Step inside and the dining room reveals itself only once you’ve stepped past a wall into its cloistered realm done up in high-contrast dark charcoal and light wood. The effect is moody yet chic, and thoroughly transportive.

Don’t come expecting a traditional omakase. Instead, this one is more like Sushi by Scratch in Healdsburg, in that it’s not afraid to break boundaries to take on a more modern approach with global influences.

The restaurant's logo.
The restaurant’s logo.
The stylish dining room.
The stylish dining room.

When you sit down, the only menu you’re given is one for beverages. Because at Robin, both in San Francisco and Menlo Park, the omakase experience starts with a conversation with your server. You determine how much you want to spend: anywhere from $109 to $209 per person, which constitutes 13 to 20 bites. The higher you pay, the more premium ingredients you will receive. At the half way point of the meal, the server will come by to see how satiated you are and inquire if you want to add to your original tab amount. Our party of four settled on spending $150 each. That turned out to be 18 bites, which included dessert.

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