Chef-owner Koichi Ito dishes on Sushi Edomata, a continuation of longtime restaurant Sushi Sam’s
Over 100 comments in English, Japanese and even German are listed under a December Instagram post announcing Sam Sugiyama’s retirement from San Mateo institution Sushi Sam’s Edomata. The comments convey a mixture of congratulations, heartfelt stories and, of course, sadness regarding the closure of the beloved sushi spot.
It’s been three months since Sushi Edomata soft opened with the goal of carrying on Sushi Sam’s legacy. The new sushi spot, located just 2 miles from its original location, is run by Sugiyama’s niece, nephew and son-in-law and offers a similar menu to Sushi Sam’s.
In this week’s food feature, writer Jake Hutchinson talked with longtime customers of Sushi Sam’s and the new ownership of Sushi Edomata to discuss the history, revival and future of Sushi Sam’s.
Meanwhile, I spoke with JC Clow, who plans “to throw the best damn party in Palo Alto every single day” with Cedar & Sage Bistro & Lounge, expected to open at Stanford Shopping Center in November. And I also visited Kusan Bazaar, a Uyghur restaurant which held its grand opening Tuesday in Mountain View.
Stay tasty,
Adrienne
Sushi Sam’s is reborn with familiar hands in a new San Mateo location
For 36 years, Sushi Sam’s Edomata served as the cultural epicenter for sushi on the Peninsula. When eponymous chef-owner Sam Sugiyama retired and closed the restaurant in December, there was a fear that perhaps another Bay Area culinary institution had been lost.
A swanky addition to Stanford Shopping Center, a new spot for Uyghur cuisine and the first Bay Area Hello Kitty Cafe opens
- Live music, 250 types of wine and tapas-style dishes are coming to Stanford Shopping Center with the addition of Cedar & Sage Bistro & Lounge.
- Mountain View gets its second Uyghur restaurant with the grand opening of Kusan Bazaar on Tuesday.
- Four high school students are running a Palo Alto cooking summer camp called The Craft of Cooking and donating the proceeds to local nonprofits and shelters.
- Hello Kitty Cafe opened Friday at Westfield Valley Fair.
- Vegan restaurant Que Seraw Seraw and Cafe Capuchino, which has been in Burlingame for 31 years, are closing after new ownership of the building terminated their leases, according to a recent Instagram post. Que Seraw Seraw plans to relocate and has set up a GoFundMe page to help Cafe Capuchino.
- Bag o’ Crab, a restaurant specializing in seafood bags since 2010, has expanded to Sunnyvale in the former spot of Rubio’s Coastal Grill.
- Dragon Valley Express, a fast-casual Chinese and Taiwanese restaurant, recently opened in Sunnyvale.
- Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Historical Home in Palo Alto is hosting a ticketed mocktails mixer Friday from 4-8 p.m. Mocktails are made with ingredients from the garden and paired with charcuterie.
Coffee and pastries at Craftsman and Wolves
When Craftsman and Wolves opened just a five-minute drive from my house, I was equally excited and concerned for my waistline. After going three different times in one month, I’ve determined the best thing by far is surprisingly not the pastries – it’s the coffee.
It’s fair to say I’m obsessed with the iced dulce de leche latte ($6.25). It is rich, creamy, caramely, slightly buttery and not overtly sweet. The espresso is lighter and more nutty than bold fruity and chocolatey varieties. I’m partial to the latter, but I think the nuttiness really pairs well with the decadent dulce de leche.
For sweet pastries, I’ve tried the triple chocolate croissant ($6) and the strawberry peach kouign amann ($5.85). Both were excellent, but not worth driving long distances or waiting in long lines for. The croissant was refreshingly not very sweet and featured a deep, dark chocolate flavor, and the kouign amann was buttery and flaky with a miniature macaron on top.
On the savory side, I’ve tried the Rebel Within ($9.50) and the mortadella havarti croissant ($6.75). While the Rebel Within – a savory muffin with pork sausage, scallions, asiago and Parmesan, stuffed with a soft-cooked egg – is arguably what Craftsman and Wolves is most known for, I’d recommend the croissant.
I found the Rebel Within quite heavy and dense, and it was served very cold. I’m not sure if they usually warm it up and just forgot to do so for me, but I’d definitely recommend heating this. However, if you’re a fan of biscuits and gravy, I do think you’d like it, and it’s served with a small vial of smoked sea salt, which is cute (although I don’t think it’s necessary, as I found the muffin salty enough for my liking). That being said, it is a nearly $10 muffin, which I think is a hefty price.
The mortadella havarti croissant was very good. Crispy, flaky and buttery, the cornichon relish and whole grain mustard adds acidity to cut through the richness of the croissant. I also enjoyed the addition of chopped pistachios, which added a crunch to offset the soft mortadella and play into the mortadella flavor profile.
I’ve also tried Egan’s Addiction ($16) from The Case, a separate display case which features mousse cakes, tarts and more experimental desserts. Egan’s Addiction features Taiwanese high altitude oolong white chocolate mousse, strawberry panna cotta, matcha panna cotta, brown sugar genoise, brown sugar sablé and tea-infused glaze, but I couldn’t taste half of the ingredients that were supposed to be in it. I found the white chocolate overpowered the oolong and matcha flavors, although I could taste the strawberry. I also liked that the brown sugar sablé added a contrasting texture to the otherwise soft consistency.
Overall, my top recommendation for someone trying Craftsman and Wolves for the first time is an iced dulce de leche latte, and if you find yourself peckish, grab a mortadella havarti croissant.
Craftsman and Wolves, 400 San Antonio Road #4, Mountain View; Instagram: @craftsmanwolves. Open Monday to Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Bay to Baketopia: How a San Mateo cake designer found sweet success (and a spot on HBO)
Local working mom and cancer survivor Jamie Li thrives in her second career making dazzling, high-concept desserts
FROM THE FOODIST
When you support local journalism, you support the Foodist
The Peninsula Foodist is proud to be a sister publication of Palo Alto Online, and as an independent and local news organization, we rely on reader support to bring you 100% original content focusing on the places where you live and work — and of course — eat out. Your support is needed now more than ever. Help sustain local journalism and the Peninsula Foodist by becoming a member. >SUPPORT US TODAY
About the Peninsula Foodist
We cover the dynamic, under-the-radar food scene around the Peninsula through articles, interviews and eating excursions. Pass along tips, comments and recipes to PeninsulaFoodist@PaloAltoOnline.com.
Are you looking to reach locals interested in food and dining on the Peninsula? Learn about advertising in the
Peninsula Foodist newsletter.
Copyright © *|CURRENT_YEAR|* *|LIST:COMPANY|*, All rights reserved.
*|IFNOT:ARCHIVE_PAGE|* *|LIST:DESCRIPTION|*
Our mailing address is:
*|HTML:LIST_ADDRESS_HTML|* *|END:IF|*
You can update your preferences and manage your groups, or if you really never want to hear from us again, including other emails from us you may have signed up for, you can totally unsubscribe from this list.
View this email in your browser
Chez TJ owner wants to call it quits but can’t because of financial worriesOctober 31, 2023 11:46 am
