Paul's Blog

Going Italian in San Mateo

So many people have asked me why I opened a second restaurant in San Mateo (my latest venture, Osteria Coppa), specializing in artisan pasta and artisan pizza.  What can I say?  Italian food is a great passion of mine.  Some of my fondest memories are from travels to Italy where I enjoyed the wonderful local, fresh (and often daily) farmers markets, and the true “farm-to-table” experience.  This is an exciting concept in this era of fast food, and we are fortunate to be able to implement it so well here in Northern California with such extensive local bounty. 

Chef Chanan Kamen (formerly head of all things pasta at San Francisco’s Quince) visits the local farmers markets throughout the week, hand selecting produce, cheeses, and other artisan products.  Chef Kamen makes and cures all of our salumi in-house, hand makes all of our pasta and pizza dough, using methods learned in European kitchens.  He spent a year in Italy in the kitchen of seven different regional restaurants to experience each cooking style, six of which have one or more Michelin stars.  His food is amazing. 

 
But I guess the truth of the matter is, I really opened Osteria Coppa to have a great place to go on our weekly date nights with my wife, Julie. 

 

The Perfect Paella

Need to know how to make a perfect Paella?  We just completed our fifth Spanish Winetasting "Paella Dinner" at Sam's -- my good friend, Jose Luis Relinque did us the honor of joining our Executive Chef/Partner Lewis Rossman and his team as our guest chef.  Born in Seville and raised in Barcelona, Jose Luis is the Executive Chef/Owner of the critically acclaimed Iberia restaurant in Menlo Park.

This interactive event is a blast – Jose Luis set up three large Paella pans on stands in our Terrace room, overlooking the ocean. Our guests helped cook three different kinds of Paella under the masterful direction of Jose Luis, stirring religiously until the Paellas were perfect, while sipping Spanish cava.  Sam’s Executive Chef/Partner Lewis Rossman and his staff prepared great appetizers, and delicious, authentic tapas – Chorizo Bilbao (sausage) with a honey and sherry glaze, charred asparagus with romesco sauce and manchego and marcona almonds, braised calamari with corona beans, and anchovy fritto with lemon aioli and serrano ham bocadillo - wow!

Dessert was a masterpiece by our sous chef Simone, who combined the top Spanish dessert ingredients to create an apple custard tart with almond cream and cinnamon. The wines were also a great match with the meal.

Be sure to stop by and try Iberia restaurant if you are in the area – it’s an authentic, and very charming restaurant with some of the best Spanish food on the West Coast.  The dining room inside is colorful and romantic, as is the cozy bar de tapas near the wood-burning fire.  Our favorite is the outside patio garden, with is large and shaded by a huge old Oak tree.  Jose Luis also has one of the larges Spanish wine collections in the United States (a 15,000 bottle collection), and won the prestigious Wine Spectator Magazine's Award of Excellence.

Stay tuned for our next Paella dinner, and check out the photos!

   

 

 

 

 

Flea St. Café in Menlo Park

Been there lately?  Wow is all I can say, from the food to the ambience – Jesse (Cool) has done a fabulous job yet again.  Julie and I were there a couple of nights ago on our weekly “date night” and it has a wonderful new interior look.  It’s fresh and contemporary while at the same time maintaining that warm, homey feeling (after all, it is in a renovated home).  The décor is simple, crisp and clean and we totally enjoyed the room we were sitting in with its dusty blue walls and white trim.  The menu is focused around seasonal, organic, and natural products.  Our dinner was terrific – Julie had the Herb and Flower Petal Crusted Pacific Halibut with a Saffron Herb Broth, Purple Potato Mash, Spring Garlic and Sugar Snap Peas, and I had Mediterranean Mussel Stew with Andouille Sausage and Tomatoes to start, and then the Pancetta and Leek Stuffed Pork Chop with Smoked Grits, Grilled Apricots and Ver Jus Demi-Glace.  Of course, because Julie was with me we had dessert, which was a chocolate tart with caramel walnuts.  Everything was delicious – we loved it!

B&G Oysters and Neptune Oyster in Boston

We are remiss in writing about the great seafood we had on our boston trip – so here are our two favorite spots:  we had a great time at B&G Oysters in the south end of Boston on Tremont Street – we sat at the casual wraparound oyster bar and had a great time.  The oysters of course are fantastic, very fresh and briny.  We had the baked stuffed lobster with truffled macaroni & cheese, which was absolutely decadent, and the fritto misto of fish with tartar sauce & lemon, also great.   We also tried the fried ipswich clams and loved them! 

The other fave was Neptune Oyster on Salem Street – another relatively small place with great, fresh seafood, and an old-fashioned oyster bar.  We had their New England Clam Chowder, oysters of course, and a Maine Lobster salad with tarragon vinaigrette, stilton cheese, pancetta, and grape tomatoes.  We also tried their lobster roll which was good (of course ours is the best!) and $24.00.  Everything was terrific -- our only regret was they didn’t serve dessert, so of course we had to wander around until we found a gelato place!

Red Lantern - Great Southeast Asian Food in Redwood City

Last night we had the pleasure of trying out a new Southeast Asian restaurant in Redwood City.  We were excited because it's within walking distance of the newer downtown movie theatre in Redwood City.  We became even more excited once we tried the food - it was great!  We hear that the chefs are from Viognier and Betelnut, which gives you an idea of the great cuisine it has.  We had the Papaya Salad followed by Lumpia for starters.  The Lumpia was some of the best we've ever had.

For main courses, we had the Clay Pot with Sea Bass, followed by the Short Ribs, with a side of some of the best braised eggplant ever - cooked until slightly caramelized, with onions and garlic.  For dessert, because we are just not shy eaters, we had the Pineapple Upside Down Cake, which was also delightful.  Highly recommend this for a great place to dine.  P.S.  Our service was great also - ask for Dimitry - he was fantastic!  Info:  808 Winslow St, Redwood City, CA 94063,          (650) 369-5483       

Paul and Julie

Kaygetsu in Menlo Park - Fantastic!

Tucked away in the Sharon Heights Shopping Center in Menlo Park is this exquisite restaurant who has perfected Japanese food and service.  It's a real treat!  The sushi is marvelous as well as the full menu.  One of our favorite starter dishes is the Kaiso salad, which is three kinds of seaweed, watercress, mizuna and plum dressing.  We also love the Black Cod, marinated in white kyoto miso, and their tempura is just perfect -- we get the tempura prawns, anago (sea eel), and vegetables.  The service is impeccable - highly recommended. 

We also love to have the Kaiseki menu, which is a multiple course tasting menu of amazing seasonal foods.  Try it - you won't be disappointed.
Paul and Julie

This "Blog" Thing

Well, my wife Julie who comes from high-tech has been after me forever to start a "blog", so here I am.  Because I live for food (and wine is somewhere right behind that), that's what my blog will be about.  I love great food, and in fact get upset when I have a meal that is anywhere from mediocre to downright bad.  It seems like such a waste -- and I have to wait until the next meal for the opportunity to replace the disappointment with pleasure.  Far too long to wait...

So I thought it would be fun to share good finds, as I always appreciate when others do.  Julie and I go out on date night once a week, and alternate between casual neighborhood kind of places and fine dining.  We recently had the pleasure of dining at Incanto in San Francisco -- kind of a cross between both (they bill themselves as an Italian restaurant and wine bar).  Referred by Executive Chef Lewis Rossman, we were delighted with our meal.  From the handkerchief pasta with rustic pork ragu to the California white bass with cranberry bean minestra & herb salad, our meal was spectacular.

It's definitely at the top of my list of San Francisco choices.

Paul

Well, my wife Julie who comes from high-tech has been after me forever to start a "blog", so here I am.  Because I live for food (and wine is somewhere right behind that), that's what my blog will be about.  I love great food, and in fact get upset when I have a meal that is anywhere from mediocre to downright bad.  It seems like such a waste -- and I have to wait until the next meal for the opportunity to replace the disappointment with pleasure.  Far too long to wait...

So I thought it would be fun to share good finds, as I always appreciate when others do.  Julie and I go out on date night once a week, and alternate between casual neighborhood kind of places and fine dining.  We recently had the pleasure of dining at Incanto in San Francisco -- kind of a cross between both (they bill themselves as an Italian restaurant and wine bar).  Referred by Executive Chef Lewis Rossman, we were delighted with our meal.  From the handkerchief pasta with rustic pork ragu to the California white bass with cranberry bean minestra & herb salad, our meal was spectacular.

It's definitely at the top of my list of San Francisco choices.

Paul