‘At death’s door’: Backlash to outdoor dining ban mounts among frustrated restaurant owners. A restaurant parklet in downtown Los Gatos, emptied following the temporary ban on outdoor dining in Santa Clara County. (Photo by Elena Kadvany) On Saturday, Dec. 5, the morning after the news broke that outdoor dining would be coming to an end in Santa Clara County in just two days (rather than in the expected weeks), a group of Los Gatos ...
Read MoreWine shop to host socially distanced, outdoor dinners; San Carlos restaurant spotlights local chefs; SF’s Wise Sons brings bagels to Peninsula JCCs. Ox & Tiger will serve its chicken karaage at an outdoor, socially distanced pop-up at Vineyard Gate in Millbrae. (Photo courtesy Ox & Tiger) Six months into the coronavirus shutdown, more local establishments are turning to pop-ups as a way to invigorate their businesses. Vineyard Gate, a natural wine shop in downtown ...
Read MoreNam Vietnamese Brasserie, Red Berry Coffee Bar and the Ghostwood Brewing taproom close shop in the wake of a prolonged downturn (Image via MacArthur Park’s FB page) This Saturday, Aug. 8, will be MacArthur Park’s last day of service until 2021. The owners of MacArthur Park, which has occupied a historic, 11,000-square-foot building on the edge of downtown Palo Alto for nearly 40 years, have decided to close the restaurant temporarily. “The safety of ...
Read MoreIt’s not all Zoom and gloom, but it can feel that way as comics adjust to the harsh realities of virtual crowds Menlo Park-based comic Sedric Drake performs at the Dragon Theatre in Redwood City. (Photo courtesy Sedric Drake) “I’d kill for a room with 40 people in it.” Phil Griffiths longs for the crowds, for the chance to work the room and get that up-close response. As a Half Moon Bay-based comedian ...
Read MoreSome dining rooms are thrown open while others stay dark. Customers dine outside at Bistro Vida in downtown Menlo Park on June 9. (Photo by Magali Gauthier) Within hours of San Mateo County’s announcement that restaurants could resume indoor dining on Wednesday, Bistro Vida was serving diners inside the Menlo Park French restaurant for the first time in three months. Owner Ali Elsafy said about 20 people dined inside on Wednesday night, some ...
Read MoreLocal artist and teacher Celia Ma thought outside the box while stuck indoors, and the result is cause for celebration Landscapes… because can you ever really tire of a gorgeous view? (Image via Paint the Town’s FB page) Sure. The first virtual wine night or two were great. But how many “Zinfandel and Zoom” sessions can we stomach? When COVID-19 hit, Celia Ma, San Mateo resident and owner of Paint the Town (a paint ...
Read MoreMenlo Park almost lost its beloved Cafe Borrone to the shutdown. Then the community stepped in to save it. Marina Borrone’s GoFundMe strategy yields a much-needed lifeline while on the brink of closure. (Photo by Magali Gauthier) The coronavirus shutdown nearly claimed one of the Peninsula’s most beloved eating establishments, Cafe Borrone in Menlo Park. After temporarily shuttering the longtime cafe in March, Marina Borrone, whose parents opened the first Cafe Borrone in Redwood City in 1979, ...
Read MoreShuttered gyms & dumbbell price gouging: COVID-19 is threatening the Peninsula’s diverse fitness scene Here’s how you can help (and maybe develop some muscles and skills in the process) The gym at the YMCA of Silicon Valley location in Mountain View is shut down. In just one example of local creativity to stay useful, the space has been repurposed as a child care center for the children of health care workers. (Photo by Magali ...
Read MoreMeet the locals who would die for Mavericks, kidnap for revolution and rob banks for Batkid via these stranger-than-fiction docs. (Image via Getty) We get it. These days you want to escape reality. When your routine takes on the repetition of Groundhog Day and you feel trapped in the same day over and over, it’s tempting to check out. Why settle for the banality of reality, when fiction offers 31 flavors of larger-than-life? Whether it’s ...
Read MoreSupport your favorite eatery and avoid the supermarket crowds. Original Joe’s ravioli, sauces and other foods available for pickup and delivery. (Photo via Original Joe’s FB page) In a sign of the times, Palo Alto’s venerable Sundance the Steakhouse now sells toilet paper alongside filet mignon and ribeye steaks. The 45-year-old steakhouse, closed to in-person dining during the shutdown, has pivoted to serving boxes of raw meat and seafood for customers to cook at home, ...
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