Celebrate the Peninsula’s culinary scene and support local journalism at Bash at the Basement
Yelp Peninsula’s biggest event of the year is coming up soon – and you’re invited! Happening April 16 from 5-8 p.m. in Redwood City, this 21-and-over mega foodie event benefits Embarcadero Media Foundation – and therefore, the Peninsula Foodist!
Expect complimentary bites and drinks from local vendors (like Jettywave Distillery and OLHSO Korean BBQ and Seafood!), a DJ, photo booths, games, activities and exclusive Peninsula Foodist merchandise. Bash at the Basement is a donation-based event with sign-ups open until April 9 via the Yelp app. I can’t wait to see you there!
This week, assistant lifestyle editor Karla Kane talked with Catherine Delfino, who lived in Ghana and France before moving to the Bay Area and starting her own French chocolate company 1.2.3 Chocolat. She says she’s not in it for the money – she’s in it “for the love of chocolate.”
Stay tasty,
Adrienne
‘For the love of chocolate’: Inside this Belmont-based confectionery specializing in authentic French mousse
When someone tries a bite of chocolate mousse or other chocolate confection from Belmont company 1.2.3 Chocolat, owner Catherine Delfino is eager to note their reaction. For Delfino, cooking is part of her family heritage, and her goal with 1.2.3 Chocolat is to deliver an authentic French chocolate experience to Peninsula consumers.
A 30-year-old restaurant prepares to close, a beer garden set to close is saved and an acclaimed culinary couple set their sights on Menlo Park
- Two downtown Mountain View restaurants will have their final days of service on Sunday: Fiesta Del Mar Too and Vida Tapas Y Cócteles. Vida owner Gianni Chiloiro said he plans to replace the Spanish restaurant with a new concept.
- Steins is saved! The Mountain View beer garden will no longer be closing at the end of the month.
- The culinary couple behind a former Michelin-starred restaurant in Palo Alto are gearing up to open a new restaurant in Menlo Park featuring Korean and Taiwanese flavors.
- Valley Goat, a new restaurant from “Iron Chef” and “Top Chef” winner Stephanie Izard, will open Monday in Sunnyvale.
- Learn how to make miso at a Palo Alto workshop hosted by Kitchen Therapy April 5 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Lunch is included in the $80 ticket.
- Starting June 4, Peet’s Coffee will no longer upcharge for nondairy milk.
- South San Francisco has a new sandwich and breakfast spot. Bluegrain Sandwich Market held its grand opening March 4.
- BZZ Claypot, a Chinese restaurant specializing in claypot dishes, recently opened in Cupertino.
- Watch the documentary “Food For Thought” at a vegan dinner-and-a-movie event April 4 in South San Francisco.
- The Menlo Park Library is hosting a seed swap on Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon, where all are welcome to exchange packaged seeds for gardening.
Passport dinner at Porta Blu
If you’re looking for an interactive dining experience that’s moderately priced, a passport dinner at Porta Blu in Menlo Park might be for you. This four-course dinner includes wine pairings and costs $70, with the executive chef and sommelier walking you through each course and wine accompaniment. Notably, the dinner does not include dessert or dessert wines.
Porta Blu holds its passport dinners on the third Friday of each month, and I had the opportunity to dine on its debut night, when the destination was Spain. Guests are seated side by side at two long tables facing each other, with the chef and sommelier walking down the center of the tables as they explain the dishes and answer guests’ questions.
The first course was pintxos (finger food from Basque country), sourdough crostini smeared with pea puree and topped with diced serrano ham and hard-boiled eggs, paired with Cava Mont Marcal Brut. While the pintxos tasted good, the dish wasn’t anything extraordinary and was one I could easily recreate at home. The wine pairing worked well, and overall it was a refreshing and light course.
Next was a Spanish meatballs dish with espagnole sauce and crimini mushrooms paired with Bodega Lanzaga Corriente, the only red wine of the evening. The meatballs were extremely tender and the sauce was rich and flavorful, but I think it should have either been served on a plate or with a spoon, as it was difficult to eat. The heavier red wine stood up nicely to the rich meaty and umami flavors of the dish.
The third course was Spanish-style garlic prawns with housemade chili oil made using the heads of the prawns. It was paired with Garnatxa Blanca, a white grenache from Catalonia. This was my least favorite course, simply because I don’t care for prawns.
The fourth course of lobster paella with calamari, Spanish chorizo and clams, which was paired with La Bastio Rioja, was surprisingly my favorite dish of the night. None of the seafood in the paella tasted fishy, and the amount of texture and flavor in the dish really wowed me. I loved the fried garlic chips, and the peas, corn and green onion added extra dimension. Despite it being made with Bomba rice, a short-grain rice traditionally used in paella, the dish did not taste like paella – it tasted like fried rice.
A few things to note about the passport dinners: The wine pours are extremely generous, and the pace of service is fast. I was only able to finish a little more than half of each glass, and as soon I finished my plate it transitioned to the next course.
Porta Blu, 200 Independence Drive, Menlo Park; 650-304-3800, Instagram: @hotelnia. Passport dinners are held on the third Friday of every month from 5:30-7 p.m.
By the fire: Breakwater Barbecue’s beachside brisket
FROM THE FOODIST
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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.
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