|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Michelin Guide released its annual Bib Gourmand awards on Thursday, Oct. 15, with only three restaurants representing the Midpeninsula: Greek favorite Evvia in Palo Alto, new French restaurant Zola (also in Palo Alto) and Vesta, an Italian restaurant in downtown Redwood City.
Bib Gourmand restaurants – which Michelin describes as “eateries that offer excellent food at a reasonable price – are selected by Michelin’s anonymous food inspectors and represent restaurants that serve two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for $40 or less (tax and gratuity not included).
The 2016 Bay Area list has 74 restaurants from throughout the Bay Area, from San Francisco to Sonoma and South to East Bay.
Zola was one of 12 new restaurants added to this year’s list. Local chef Guillaume Bienaimé, formerly of now-shuttered Marché in Menlo Park, opened his own restaurant at at 565 Bryant St. in September 2014.
Above: Zola’s pork belly and loin, with apples, turnips, Brussels sprouts, maple and sage. Photo by Michelle Le/Palo Alto Weekly.
Both Evvia and Vesta were named Bib Gourmands last year. Evvia has been a mainstay in downtown Palo Alto for more than a decade. Vesta — operated by Peter and Courtney Borrone, son and daughter-in-law of the owners of Menlo Park’s Cafe Borrone — opened on Broadway Street in 2012. It’s known for its wood-fired pizzas (don’t miss the sausage and honey pie) and small plates.
Mario Ortega, executive chef at Evvia in Palo Alto, starts dinner service in December 2013. Photo by Veronica Weber/Palo Alto Weekly.
Fey, a Chinese restaurant in Menlo Park, and Donato Enoteca in Redwood City, dropped off from last year’s list.
The Bib Gourmand awards were released exactly a week before the Bay Area Michelin stars will be named. Look for local stars next week. Last year, Baume in Palo Alto, Madera in Menlo Park, Chez TJ in Mountain View and The Village Pub in Woodside all garnered stars.
View the full Bib Gourmand list here.