Dining spots embrace mahjong as a community event
Growing up in a Chinese American household, I’ve played my fair share of mahjong (although I’m sure with very loose rules and pronunciations). As a child, I was fascinated by the smooth white-and-blue tiles decorated with ornate red and green engravings, and I loved the sound they made clicking and clacking on the table when being shuffled. If you haven’t played mahjong, it’s a fairly simple four-person game, aimed at collecting four sets of three tiles, plus one identical pair.
Along the Peninsula, restaurants are offering mahjong as a community event, with Mamahuhu in Palo Alto’s Town & Country Village hosting Mahjong Mondays and Boichik Bagels periodically hosting mahjong events. This week, writer Elaine Wu shares what mahjong means to her, the history of mahjong and more about these mahjong restaurant events.
Stay tasty,
Adrienne
These Peninsula eateries pair meals with mahjong
Mamahuhu and Boichik Bagels both offer the Chinese tile game as a way to foster community.
A new revolving sushi spot, a cafe with global flavors opens in Redwood City and a festival for whisky lovers
- A revolving sushi spot with a robotic server is coming to Redwood City in the spring.
- Passport Cafe & Bar has opened in the former Chez Nous cafe in Redwood City. Previously a conservative gathering space, the new owner says she wants the restaurant to be a place for everyone.
- From a Witches & Warlocks Wine Stroll to the Downtown Burlingame Halloween Costume Bar Crawl, here are some frightfully delicious ways to celebrate Halloween along the Peninsula.
- Bay Burgers, a former pop-up specializing in smashburgers, is hosting the grand opening of its Redwood City brick-and-mortar restaurant Nov. 1 at noon with merchandise, prizes and more.
- Qingting Chengdu Hot Pot, a hot pot restaurant with more than 300 locations in China, is coming to San Mateo this winter, according to signage outside the restaurant.
- Golden Pin Donuts in Campbell is hosting its grand opening Friday with free doughnuts.
- Silicon Valley Whisk(e)y Festival is Saturday from 3-6 p.m. at the Palo Alto Elks Lodge. The event includes live music and pours from more than 20 whiskey brands.
- The Local Spot in Belmont is hosting a Mini Fall Market Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with eight local vendors and a pumpkin-carving competition.
- Chinese restaurant J House recently opened in the former Darda Express space in Sunnyvale.
- Joe & the Juice is expected to open at Cityline Sunnyvale in November, according to the Mercury News.
- Rouge Lounge in San Carlos is hosting a Wine Down Social Sunday from 3-5 p.m. with complimentary bites and a portion of wine sales donated to Fund A Need.
Dinner at The Mountain House
For a restaurant with stunning ambiance, it’s hard to beat The Mountain House in Woodside. Located on Skyline Boulevard, The Mountain House is charmingly cozy, with plenty of wood textures, eclectic picture frames, taxidermy mounts and irregular tables made of slices of tree trunks coated in epoxy. Walk through the bar area and you’ll enter one of the most naturally stunning dining rooms I’ve ever eaten at – a large sunroom with walls and ceiling made of glass, allowing a gorgeous view of the woods.
The Mountain House offers a seasonally rotating, three-course prix-fixe menu at $94 per person. While the menu conceptually plays it safe, dishes are well-executed and tasty. Portions are large, and you may be bringing home leftovers.
For the first course, I tried both the Pacific Albacore tuna carpaccio and the roasted Texas quail, which was a $5 supplement. The carpaccio was punchy, bright and flavorful, with briny Niçoise olives and sweet tomato confit. Crunchy radish and crispy shallots added textural contrast to the soft tuna. The quail, on the other hand, was more mild and savory. While still a nice bite, it paled in comparison to the vibrant carpaccio.
Both the grilled Duroc pork with potato rosti and grilled venison loin with sauce Grand Veneur, a $12 supplement, were incredible for a second course. Portions were hearty and the meats were tender, perfectly cooked and nicely seasoned. My one critique is that I wish there was a sauce to accompany the perfectly crispy potato rosti.
While the platings for the desserts were a bit safe, they tasted amazing. I tried both the Sicilian pistachio cake and the dark chocolate Basque cheesecake, and they were decadent, delicious endings to the meal. If I had to pick, definitely don’t skip the Basque cheesecake, which featured such a richly luxurious texture and a deeply satisfying dark chocolate flavor.
The Mountain House, 13808 Skyline Blvd., Woodside; 650-851-8541, Instagram: @themtnhouse. Open Wednesday to Sunday from 5-9 p.m.
Varam strives to offer downtown Redwood City ‘the best of India’
Chef’s specials, plentiful biryani options and more are on the menu at the former site of the Dragon Theatre
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