Bar Underdog opens in Palo Alto
Hello, foodies! Adrienne is away this week, but before she left she brought us the scoop on Bar Underdog, a new “dive bar without the grit” on California Avenue in Palo Alto from the team behind Protégé. She’s also shared her recent experience eating at Joyous Cuisine in Mountain View. Meanwhile, I spoke with Pablo Lugones of Pacifica’s Small Batch Jam Co, which just opened a retail location in Redwood City (and I’ve been adding boysenberry jam to my chocolate ice cream ever since).
Stay tasty,
Karla
The team behind Palo Alto’s Michelin-starred Protégé debuts Bar Underdog along California Avenue
Find cocktails with housemade mixers and dual happy hours at this ‘dive bar without the grit’
Small Batch Jam Co expands, Izzy’s on the Peninsula is closing and food-centric fundraising events
- Pacifica’s Small Batch Jam Co has opened a new retail spot in Redwood City, within Little Green A Plant Bar.
- Izzy’s on the Peninsula is permanently closing Oct. 4. Previously known as Izzy’s San Carlos, the steakhouse reopened just last year after renovation.
- Fresh Approach has an urban farm dinner Saturday in support of East Palo Alto’s new community garden space.
- Devil’s Canyon Brewing Company wraps up its Summer Nights series Friday with an evening of international street food, global music and a marketplace of artisan goods.
- On Friday, Filoli holds its Harvest Gala, a fundraiser that supports the estate’s nature programs and features a farm-to-table feast.
- Find food, performances and more at the Millbrae Mid-Autumn Festival this weekend.
- Local firefighters host and judge a chili competition Sunday, part of the Woodside-Portola Valley Fire Protection Foundation’s Chili Cook Off and Barbecue.
- Taste of San Bruno offers food from more than 20 local eateries on Tuesday.
Noodle soup at Joyous Cuisine
Mountain View’s Castro Street has seen a lot of restaurants come and go in recent years, and by and large, the restaurants coming in are specializing in Chinese cuisine.
The street’s only American barbecue restaurant was recently replaced by Ox9 Lanzhou Handpulled Noodles, an izakaya made way for Fish with You (Sichuan cuisine), Mr. Bao Kitchen took over a former sushi restaurant and a handroll restaurant was replaced by Joyous Cuisine (Guizhou cuisine).
While the food at Ox9 was extremely disappointing (think inedible meat and a broth that’s 75% oil), I was blown away by how delicious the food at Joyous Cuisine was. The signature Huaxi beef rice noodle with sour and spicy soup base is a must order, and I definitely will be returning again for this dish.
For only $14.99, you get a giant bowl chock full of tender and succulent slow-braised beef shank, thick and chewy rice noodles, bok choy and pickled cabbage. And the sour and spicy soup was perfectly balanced in my opinion, with a punch of pucker and heat. The portion size is so large that it’s a challenge for even two people to finish, meaning it’s a hearty meal for just $7.50.
I also tried the pan-fried Japanese black pork soup dumplings ($14.99), and they were excellent as well, with a crispy bottom and gushing with juicy soup.
All diners at Joyous Cuisine can help themselves to a self-serve soft serve machine. As far as I could tell, it was unlimited and unregulated, so if you’re an ice cream fiend, I’m sure you could have seconds or thirds. I thought this was a really fun touch, especially for families dining with kids.
Another thing to note is that the ordering system at Joyous Cuisine is QR based, so you don’t get a lot of interaction with the staff. While normally I’m against the QR ordering system, I actually found it useful at this restaurant because it came with pictures and descriptions of every dish, which helped me better understand what I was ordering.
Joyous Cuisine has low prices and large flavors, and it’s a restaurant I’m glad has opened on Castro Street.
Joyous Cuisine, 124 Castro St., Mountain View; 650-282-5292, Instagram: @joyouscuisine2025. Open Sunday to Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
On the rise: How a Redwood City teen’s baking business propelled him to Food Network’s ‘Kids Baking Championship’
Andy Coyle divides his time between school and baking sweets for his at-home business.
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