Tag Archives: South Bay seafood restaurant

Dining Outside at King’s Fish House

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The albacore tuna roll at King's Fish House.
The albacore tuna roll at King’s Fish House.

King’s Fish House opened in the Westfield Valley Fair shopping center during the height of the pandemic in October 2020.

But you’d never know it.

The place has been hopping since it debuted. So much so that the mall even turned over to the restaurant an additional outdoor dining area a few steps away that had been just extra public space before. The restaurant now opens up that seating area on weekends when it gets extra busy.

Even on weekdays, though, there’s still plenty of outdoor dining, as the 7,400-square-foot restaurant is lined with floor-to-ceiling garage doors that can be opened up entirely. The tables on the perimeter also have woven mechanized blinds that can go up entirely or be let down to shield from the sun.

That’s where I sat when I was invited in as a guest last week, enjoying a nice breeze on a balmy night. After more than a year of cooking at home or getting takeout, I’ve only dined outside at about eight places in the past two months. I will say that King’s is the only one I’ve encountered so far where not everyone on staff was masked. As of today, mask wearing indoors is only recommended, not mandated, but if you’re the very cautious type, that may be a consideration.

The restaurant opened on the mall's new dining terrace.
The restaurant opened on the mall’s new dining terrace.

This is the first Northern California outpost of the Southern California restaurant chain that’s owned by King’s Seafood Company. It operates a dozen restaurant concepts in California, Arizona, and Nevada.

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Forthright Serves Up Righteous Food

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A perfect Scotch egg at Forthright.

A perfect Scotch egg at Forthright.

 

When two girlfriends and I recently dined at Forthright in Campbell to celebrate a birthday, we couldn’t help but notice that most of the parties there were all-female.

But then again, we women know a good thing when we see — and taste it.

And Forthright definitely makes for a great gals’ night out.

It’s the latest restaurant by long-time South Bay Chef Jim Stump, who also owns The Table in San Jose, The Vesper bar in Campbell, and Stumpy’s in San Jose. It takes the place of the old Hawg’s Seafood Bar.

It has a lot than appeals to the feminine side — great cocktails, a healthy-ish sensibility with all the fresh seafood, and just a little bit of naughtiness with a few guilty-pleasure dishes.

A specialty cocktail.

A specialty cocktail.

A view into the dining room.

A view into the dining room.

We paid our own tab, but Stump, whom I’ve interviewed many times over the years, and who can be found cooking on the line fairly regularly there, sent out a couple extra dishes.

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An Elegant Voyage Awaits at The Sea by Alexander’s Steakhouse

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TThe chocolate souffle at The Sea by Alexander's Steakhouse in Palo Alto.

If Tiffany’s recast itself as a restaurant, it would resemble The Sea by Alexander’s Steakhouse.

All vestiges of tiki-dom have been thoroughly excised from the former Trader Vic’s on El Camino Real in Palo Alto. In its place, the upscale The Sea launches itself in a shimmery, sophisticated palette of watery blues, grays and white. There’s a glass-fronted kitchen and one wall in the dining room with insets for vases of  striking white orchids.

As the name infers, The Sea is the newest concept by the owners of Alexander’s Steakhouse, with locations in Cupertino and San Francisco. Even before it opened, The Sea experienced some troubled waters, what with the abrupt letting go of Jeffrey Stout, the founding chef of Alexander’s and chief operating officer. But if my recent visit as a guest of the restaurant was any indication, The Sea seems to be navigating a smooth course in the hands of Executive Chef Yu Min Lin, whose impressive credits include a stint as chef de cuisine at Providence in Los Angeles, as well as stages at the French Laundry in Yountville and Manresa in Los Gatos. He’s also a trained sushi chef.

Executive Chef Yu Min Lin expedites at the glass-fronted open kitchen.

This is a restaurant that definitely pays attention to the details. You are provided hot towels at the start to pamper your hands. The table is de-crumbed after every course. The bread is made in-house and there are several to choose from. Coffee service at the end of the meal comes on its own compact tray, complete with a chocolate bonbon.

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