Tag Archives: dining outside on the Peninsula

Dining Outside at Sumika

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Skewers of chicken thigh with green onion, meatballs, and chicken liver at Sumika in Los Altos.
Skewers of chicken thigh with green onion, meatballs, and chicken liver at Sumika in Los Altos.

After all the over-indulging of the holidays, January is typically a slow month for restaurants. Couple that with the prevalence of Omicron right now, and business is definitely on the wane at the moment.

So, when friends and I dined outside on a recent Monday night at the neighborhood gem, Sumika Grill in downtown Los Altos, we had the entire outdoor dining area to ourselves, as about two other small parties opted to dine inside instead.

With squat space heaters and wine barrels acting as dividers between the outdoor dining space and the parking lot, we were plenty comfortable, too.

Sumika Grill is the sister restaurant to Orenchi in Santa Clara and Redwood City. While the latter specializes in excellent ramen, the former is all about yakitori.

Balsamic chicken thighs and chicken skin skewers.
Balsamic chicken thighs and chicken skin skewers.

When you sit outside, with your table a mere couple of steps from the restaurant’s front door, you might miss the theatrics of watching a chef turn and flip skewers over a blazing grill.

But the food arrives at the table plenty hot and still every bit as delicious. Moreover, your clothes don’t end up smelling like smoke when you leave.

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Dining Outside at Flea Street

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Cured and smoked half roast duck at Flea Street.
Cured and smoked half roast duck at Flea Street.

Few restaurants anywhere reach a 40-year milestone.

That such a momentous achievement happened during the height of the pandemic last year for Menlo Park’s Flea Street might have put a slight damper on the festivities that had to be held over Zoom.

But it’s a testament to this restaurant, whose doctrine of organic and sustainable has been woven into its fabric since the beginning, that after the unprecedented challenges of a pandemic it’s come roaring back.

When I dined there last week as a guest of the restaurant, every outdoor table was full of smiling patrons, clinking glasses of festive cocktails, and chatting with Chef-Owner Jesse Cool as the made the rounds. The indoor dining room is undergoing a refresh, complete with a new ventilation system, and should be ready to welcome back diners soon. Executive Chef Bryan Thuerk, all of 23 years old, couldn’t be happier to be cooking for diners in-person again, after months of doing takeout, which the restaurant had never done before.

The welcoming outdoor dining area.
The welcoming outdoor dining area.

The outdoor dining has the air of a celebratory backyard get-together with bales of hay topped with cushions for bar-service only, and wood-slatted fencing in the dining area.

Indulge in a cocktail by bartender Eloy Martinez, who’s been with the restaurant for more than 15 years. The Apricot & Sage is a blend of brandy, apricot, sage, Contreau, bitters and lemon juice that get garnished with a fresh apricot half and sage leaf. It’s fruity with a nice bitter edge and a touch of menthol.

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