New generation, same quirkiness at the beloved Peninsula mainstay Buck’s new patio (formerly known as the parking lot) is now open for outdoor dining. (Photo by Magali Gauthier) After nearly three decades at the helm of the irreverent Buck’s of Woodside, owners Jamis and Margaret MacNiven hav retired and turned the restaurant over to their three sons. The younger generation reopened the Woodside restaurant last week for outdoor dining and takeout, with a ...
Read MoreMeet the Daly City culinary couple behind Ox & Tiger. Ox & Tiger’s miki malabed, an egg noodle soup in a clear but rich pork broth. (Photo by Elena Kadvany) Ox & Tiger’s miki malabed is the kind of soup you turn to when you’re sick, hungover, bone tired or … deep in the throes of an unrelenting global pandemic. The noodle soup is named after miki, or egg noodles, and Malabed, a ...
Read MoreGrab a loaf of artichoke bread, a slice of pie, your mask and head to the beach. One of my last pre-pandemic vacations was to Pescadero, where an off-the-grid weekend trip turned into an unexpectedly rich food tour. I ripped off hunks of Arcangeli Grocery Co.’s famous artichoke bread and followed my nose into the excellent Taqueria de Amigos, hidden inside a gas station convenience store down the street. Dinner at ...
Read MoreInside a dinner service at the reopened Village Pub in Woodside. A masked line cook can be seen grilling food inside the kitchen from The Village Pub’s dining room, which reopened in late June. (Photo by Magali Gauthier) When Village Pub servers, line cooks and dishwashers clock in to work these days, they immediately have their temperature taken. They sign a form that states in English and Spanish: “I certify that I ...
Read MorePuranpoli’s vada pav, a fried potato dumpling served with chutney and pav, a soft bun, is a vegetarian street food dish native to the state of Maharashtra, India. (Photo by Federica Armstrong) Meet the family bringing authentic Maharashtrian street food to Silicon Valley. Puranpoli is quite literally a family-run restaurant. Roshan Shivalkar opened the Maharashtrian restaurant in Santa Clara the same day the Bay Area’s shelter-in-place order took effect. His older sister is ...
Read MoreDiners enjoy lunch to-go outside Left Bank in downtown Menlo Park on June 6, the first day San Mateo County restaurants were allowed to reopen for outdoor dining. (Photo by Elena Kadvany) “The first big exhale in awhile.” After months of takeout, Peninsula restaurants reopen for outdoor dining Many local eateries embrace the opportunity of open air service, while others are left out. On the first days Santa Clara and San Mateo counties allowed restaurants to ...
Read MoreSupport them and others by checking out our list of local black-owned eateries Lisa, Myles and Dulani Spencer in their home kitchen in East Palo Alto. (Photo by Sinead Chang) Lisa Spencer holds her breath when her youngest son, Myles, leaves their home in East Palo Alto. He’s 15 years old now — not yet an adult, but old enough for his parents to sit him down for a conversation about how to behave in any interactions ...
Read More“Every seat outside would help.” Creative solutions surface to aid a beleaguered industry. Two pedestrians walk down Santa Cruz Avenue past Roma in downtown Menlo Park. (Photo by Magali Gauthier) Cities up and down the Midpeninsula are considering temporarily closing their downtown streets to traffic to give restaurants and other businesses more outdoor space to safely serve customers when they’re allowed to reopen. The cities, including Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Mountain View, Redwood City, ...
Read MorePriscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg donate $800,000 to their favorite Peninsula eateries so food can go to people in need Larry Chu with donated Chef Chu’s meals for staff at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View. (Photo courtesy Larry Chu) When Seiko Alba got an email from Mark Zuckerberg in late March, she was sure it was a scam. The Facebook CEO, a regular at her Palo Alto Japanese restaurant Dohatsuten, asked how she was doing. ...
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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