|
Over the past year, numerous media
<br />opportunities helped spotlight the vibrancy
<br />and energy of the Downtown Redwood
<br />City community. A key focus was placed on
<br />highlighting public art installations, capital
<br />improvement projects, placemaking efforts,
<br />and elevating the voices of local businesses.
<br />Additional attention was given to the return of
<br />several beloved in-person events and activities,
<br />including Music on the Square, Movies on the
<br />Square, ART on the Square, Oktoberfest, Día
<br />de los Muertos, and seasonal celebrations
<br />such as Hometown Holidays, the Merrie Olde
<br />Christmas Carolers, and more. Some of the
<br />most noteworthy media hits include features in
<br />publications such as San Mateo Daily Journal,
<br />Mercury News, East Bay Times, RWC Pulse, San
<br />Francisco Chronicle, Almanac News, Mountain
<br />View Voice and The Six Fifty along with TV
<br />interviews on stations including NBC Bay Area,
<br />Telemundo 48, KRON 4, FOX 2, and ABC 7.
<br />MEDIA RELATIONS
<br />HIGHLIGHTS
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />PAGE 12 • 2024 ANNUAL REPORT
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /> RITUAL AT MANRESA, LOS GATOS
<br />Los Gatos has been without Michelin cuisine for a year, ever since chef David Kinch closed his three-starred Manresa after a final feast on Dec.
<br />31, 2022. That all changes Jan. 17, when Silicon Valley entrepreneurs Juan and Luis Caviglia will officially launch a most unusual concept, Ritual
<br />at Manresa, 10 months’ worth of culinary residencies that will pair Mi-chelin-starred chefs from around the world with Kinch.In announcing the news, Kinch called Ritual at Manresa “a creative
<br />playground for top culinary talent to innovate and create right here in Los Gatos.”
<br />The residency weeks will feature innovative prix fixe meals open to a limited number of diners. In January, chef Angel Leon of the three-starred
<br />Aponiente in the south of Spain will join Kinch, followed in March by two-starred Atomix chef Junghyun Park from New York and in April by Brazilian chef Alex Atala from the two-starred D.O.M. in Sao Paulo. Tick-
<br />ets for those became available in December, and most dates are already booked. Diners hoping to score spots can add their names to the waiting
<br />list or purchase a Ritual membership, which offers early access to tickets.
<br />DETAILS >> Dinners will be held at the home of Manresa, 320 Village Lane,
<br />Los Gatos; ritualatmanresa.com.
<br /> THE SALTY PEARL, OAKLAND
<br />Few chefs are as deft as Danny Pirello at transforming simple, fresh sea-food into a totally scrumptious meal. So it was a shame when his Rocky
<br />Island Oyster Co. got unceremoniously booted from Point Richmond this year. But Pirello is now back in a big way – with a larger kitchen, elevated menu and perfect location near Oakland’s waterfront Jack London Square.
<br />The formula is simple: Creatures pulled from the sea flow in – lob-sters, market fish, oysters from Pirello’s childhood haunt of Massachu-
<br />setts – and the chef does his thing to make them tasty. “I might bring in a whole salmon and break it down, maybe smoke some and serve other parts as fillets,” he says. “We’ll have steamed clams and moules-frites.
<br />There will always be crudo on the menu, whether that’s local halibut or scallop or salmon, and occasionally a sea urchin. And always Dungeness
<br />crab, when it’s in season.”Accompanying the lobster rolls and chowders are smaller bites like
<br />$1 oysters, marinated olives, Acme bread with butter and artfully con-structed salads. There’s Scrimshaw Pilsner to pair with raw oysters, and a small but lovable wine list pulling hard from Mendocino County and
<br />France. (A Melon de Bourgogne Muscadet, anyone?)The design of The Salty Pearl resembles a charming, European corner
<br />bistro. “There’s a 10-foot bar with a cool green tile backsplash, a little bit of an outdoor area and then a dining area. The whole place seats about 50 people,” Pirello said. “It’s supposed to be like an Irish pub/oyster bar,
<br />but a little nicer, with a neighborhood bar vibe.”
<br />DETAILS >> A grand opening is scheduled for Friday at 550 Second St., Oak-land; www.saltypearl.us.
<br /> THE HIDEOUT KITCHEN AND CAFE, LAFAYETTE
<br />The Hideout’s signature weekend brunches and elevated lunch and din-
<br />ner offerings will soon be taking place in a new, expanded venue – and fortunately, it’s not far. Chef and restaurateur JB Balingit is about to move his Lafayette bistro into the space formerly occupied by the Cooperage.
<br />Expect to see all your favorites from the current menu — from waffle sandwiches at brunch to honey-fried chicken at dinner — in the new space
<br />too. But the expansion offers a chance to expand the food and cocktail offerings, as well as serve up a range of dining experiences for families
<br />looking to grab a bite or friends seeking an elevated multi-course dinner or fun, music-filled boozy brunch, says brand manager Peyton Ferrer says.“We have so much more room to look forward to using,” she said.
<br />As for the former digs on Mt. Diablo Boulevard, the Hideout team has plans to launch a cocktail lounge there with Asian-inspired bites. (And
<br />for those of you keeping track, The Cooperage moved to Walnut Creek’s Broadway Plaza last fall.)
<br />DETAILS >> Opening this month at 32 Lafayette Circle, Lafayette; hideout-kitchen.com
<br /> OCEAN OYSTER BAR & GRILL, REDWOOD CITY
<br />A new player is coming soon to downtown Redwood City’s theater dis-
<br />trict.Ocean, a restaurant in Union City with a large menu of fresh fish, sea-
<br />food and raw bar offerings, is taking over the prime location that housed the Spaghetti Factory until early in the pandemic. Lovers of a certain crustacean will find a wide array of flavors and styles: Mango-Habanero
<br />Prawns, Garlic Prawns, Louisiana Prawns, Spicy Peanut Prawns, Crunchy Jalapeno Prawns and Chef’s Special Prawns. And if the East Bay menu is
<br />any guide, diners on the Peninsula will enjoy Oyster Tuesday and Taco Wednesday specials, along with a Monday Slider Trio special that features
<br />crab, lobster and fried fish.Bonus: There’s a full bar with a weekday happy hour that lasts from 1:30 to 6 p.m.
<br />DETAILS >> Aiming for a March opening at 2107 Broadway, Redwood City; oceanoysterbargrill.com
<br /> ARTHUR MAC’S BIG SNACK, HAYWARD
<br />Eating on a BART train car is pretty rude. Unless, of course, that car is part of an actual restaurant, as is the case with Arthur Mac’s Big Snack.
<br />For the centerpiece of the new space, cofounders Adam Stemmler and Joel DiGiorgio transformed a legacy 1990s BART car into a dining com-
<br />partment complete with a retro arcade and a kid’s play area. All that’s missing are the rowdy A’s fans and people dozing ‘til the end of the line.“No one has ever craned a 75-foot BART train car onto a vacant lot
<br />in Hayward, so the engineering and permit process has been long and complicated,” says DiGiorgio.
<br />But that’s not the only thing that sets this new Arthur Mac’s apart from its sister locations in Oakland and Emeryville. It’s twice the size
<br />of the Oakland location, for one thing, making it ideal for parties and big sports-watching events like the Super Bowl and Women’s World Cup. There’s a sprawling outdoor dining area with fire pits and heating
<br />lamps, plus a corrugated awning to provide shelter from the elements.The food is a hearty mix of brick-oven pizza, hot wings, double-fried
<br />french fries and a growing assortment of gluten-free and vegan slices and snacks. These are prepared in a repurposed shipping container, a nod to the original Arthur Mac’s in the MacArthur Annex shipping-
<br />container park in Oakland.Big Snack also has a full-service cocktail bar in the garden by the
<br />BART car. “That’s not to say that we won’t have 20 draft handles serv-ing up our favorite Bay Area craft beers, as that is a staple of our brand,”
<br />says Stemmler. “This location will just lean really hard into innovative, refreshing cocktails – timeless classics and modern spins on your fa-vorite drinks.”
<br />DETAILS >> Opening is scheduled for summer at 1060 B St., Hayward;
<br />arthurmacs.com
<br /> PINSTRIPES, WALNUT CREEK
<br />This bistro-meets-bowling-alley-and-bocce-space has been in the works in Walnut Creek for some time, with a debut currently set for spring in
<br />Broadway Plaza. Although if your gameplay extends to a great fondness for musical chairs, you’ll want know that Pinstripes is going into the
<br />space formerly occupied by Crate and Barrel, which has moved to the former Talbots space across the street.
<br />Pinstripes is known for its Italian and American fare — think wood-fired pizzas, meatballs and polenta, crispy chicken sandwiches and burg-ers, and weekend brunch buffet — and lively atmosphere, complete with
<br />a bowling alley, bocce options and full bar.Don’t want to wait for spring? Head for the Pinstripes at San Mateo’s
<br />Hillsdale Mall. While pricing varies by market, locations share the same menu, bowling and bocce offerings, says Anthony Colucci, Pinstripes’ vice president of marketing.
<br />DETAILS >> Opening in the spring at 1115 Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek;
<br />pinstripes.com/walnut-creek.
<br /> THE SILOS, MORGAN HILL
<br />For years, foodies have been wondering when chef Ross Hanson would branch out from his super-successful Los Gatos pizza-focused restau-
<br />rant, Oak & Rye, with a second location. And would it be Willow Glen? Downtown Campbell? The Peninsula? Turns out he’s heading south to Morgan Hill, where his new venture, The Silos, will be located in the his-
<br />toric Granary District, agricultural buildings that have been renovated for retail and office uses.
<br />The craft cocktail lounge and restaurant, with indoor dining for 52 pa-trons and patio seating for 27 more, will go into newly constructed space
<br />in the Weston Miles project.Don’t expect artisanal pizza. Instead, Hanson’s looking to expand upon the Oak & Rye bar program and put the food focus on small plates. He’s
<br />not dropping any hints. but considering his background – he was chef at the revered Restaurant James Randall – this could be a very creative menu.
<br />DETAILS >> Slated for later this year at 17480 Depot St., Morgan Hill; hoakandryepizza.com
<br />Still coming
<br />We’ve highlighted these much-anticipated restaurants before, and they
<br />recently confirmed that, yes, they are still on the way! Most say it’s hard to estimate opening dates, given the current economic climate, but here’s what lies ahead.
<br />HOBEE’S, SAN JOSE >> Yes, this venerable breakfast establishment is tak-
<br />ing over a German beer garden downtown. Camille and Danielle Chi-jate, owners of the long-running Hobee’s chain, are opening soon in a historic blue Victorian on North Second Street, the German social-club
<br />venue with a street-facing patio that had formerly been home to Ludwig’s.
<br />MAZRA, REDWOOD CITY >> The second location of the popular San Bruno Levantine eatery is now expected to open March 1, according to co-owner
<br />Saif Makableh. The restaurant, located at 2021 Broadway in Redwood City, has faced delays in opening due in part to the large mesquite-burn-ing grill they’re installing.
<br />CHRISTIE HEMM KLOK — THE NEW YORK
<br />David Kinch closed his Michelin-starred restaurant, Manresa, at the end of 2022. Now, he’s reopening it with a twist — and Michelin-starred friends.
<br />PHOTO BY GINGER FIERSTEIN
<br />Oysters on the half shell will be available at The Salty Pearl, a new seafood restaurant opening this month in Oakland’s Jack London Square.
<br />FARM LEAGUE RESTAURANT GROUP/BCOOPERATIVE
<br />A rendering shows the framework of Arthur Mac’s Big Snack in Hayward, which has a repurposed BART train car as its centerpiece.
<br />COURTESY OF PINSTRIPES
<br />The Walnut Creek location of Pinstripes, like the San Mateo location, will feature a full restaurant, bar, bowling alley and bocce courts.
<br />SUNDAY, JANUARY 7, 2024 001 BAY AREA NEWS GROUP F3
<br />8.A. - Page 16 of 33
<br />28
|