It was a match made in heaven.

The Promised Land Brewery in Gilroy has developed a new craft beer called “The Wave,” named after “Krazy” George Henderson and the audience engagement technique that he originated.

Owner and brewer Brian Schwab said a chance meeting with Krazy George led to the new brew.

The iconic cheerleader recalls that encounter with Schwab. “He came up to me at a function in Los Gatos and told me of his idea,” Henderson said at the packed Britannia Arms in Capitola, which hosted a release party for the new beer on Sept. 6. “I thought he was joking. Two days later he called me and already had the label designed. It’s amazing.”

Schwab said it was a blast watching everyone enjoy the beer and interacting with the local celebrity. 

“We’re giving praise to an icon,” Schwab said. “This is awesome.”

For more than 50 years, Krazy George Henderson has been the ultimate superfan. His story began in 1968 at San Jose State University. His wild energy and booming drum soon turned him into a legend throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. In 1975, his big break came when Lamar Hunt, owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, brought him in for one game. Henderson was such a hit that he was hired full-time for every home game for the next four years.

But Krazy George didn’t stop there. At an Oakland A’s vs. New York Yankees playoff game on Oct. 15, 1981, he made sports history by inventing The Wave. That simple, brilliant spark of energy circled the stadium that day and went on to entertain fans everywhere.

From the NFL and NHL to the World Cup and countless other events, Henderson has transformed crowds into unstoppable fanatics—whether it’s 25,000 fans in a stadium or corporate crowds at business events. Teams and companies that bring him in once usually bring him back again and again.

After all these years, Henderson remains the world’s most famous cheerleader. His mission is simple: get people on their feet, get them cheering, and keep The Wave rolling strong.

Henderson’s niece, Kendra Bonham, made the trip to Capitola from Oroville with seven other friends and family.

“This is an honor, it really is,” she said. “To have my uncle honored like this is incredible. He deserves it.”

Two new Menlo Park restaurants are transforming sleepy Santa Cruz Avenue into a chic culinary destination. Clark’s Oyster Bar and Yeobo, Darling have joined nearby Camper to further rarefy the air on the peninsula.

After closing Maum and Bǎo Bèi, Meichih and Michael Kim opened Yeobo, Darling in June. At the end of our meal, Michael made an appearance in the dining room to explain that “yeobo” is a Korean term for darling. Meichih overheard Michael’s parents using it with each other to express affection. When the couple was deciding what to name their latest concept, the word seemed appropriate for a restaurant run by a pair of married chefs.

The menu reflects both of their heritages, as individuals and as partners. Meichih’s roots are Taiwanese and Michael’s are Korean, and they’re also Asian American, which accounts for lasagna, somyun and chicken wings showing up on the same menu.

Yeobo, Darling’s dining room is smartly sectioned off with occasional draperies. They add privacy, instill a decorative sense of drama, and tamp down the acoustics. The monochromatic color scheme soothes and nudges diners toward a more intimate and relaxed pre-digital world.

Yeobo, Darling specializes in shared plates that increase in size as your eyes move down the long list of items on the menu. We started with a scallion croissant ($24) that was made in partnership with Redwood City’s The Baker Next Door. The Kims smartly decided to leave the laminated dough to an expert.

A clever play on a scallion pancake, the “croissant” actually arrives at the table in the shape of a small loaf of bread. The layers form elegant swirls that twist and turn all the way across the loaf as if it had been designed with a stencil. When torn into, the interior was flaky and flecked with scallions. It’s served with a bright yellow-white side of whipped Irish butter that’s been dusted with the salty crunch of pork floss.

A plate of chicken wings ($20) changed my mind about the dish. Generally speaking, they’re a lot of fuss and bother to get one or two good bites. Yeobo’s, though, are all the right things—crisp and tender exactly where they ought to be. For a minute I did imagine that a dipping sauce, something light with soy, chili and vinegar, might be complementary. But that could have easily dampened the spice mix coating the skin. The plate also included some seared Jimmy Nardello peppers that were sweet and succulent.

Similar to the reinvention of a scallion pancake as a croissant, the chefs are intent on remaking familiar dishes without straying too far from the originals. The results are elegant and imaginative. The Kims’ soondubu ($19) isn’t unrecognizable as a tofu soup served at many Korean restaurants. What’s different is the kitchen’s attention to details. The scarlet broth was spicy but balanced. Our taste buds didn’t burn after sipping it. Each morsel of seafood—whether octopus, clams, or a plump mussel—was also cooked with a great deal of care. 

Another soup-like dish was texturally dim sum adjacent. Our server explained that the primary ingredients, shiitake mushrooms, would come stuffed with a shrimp mousse. But I didn’t gather that they would be served in a broth. Visually, the thickened broth, with its drifting seaweed ribbons, conjured up a sweet and sour soup. But it tasted milder in comparison.

Our main course was my favorite, Hokkaido scallops in a marvelous black bean sauce ($42). The plate was also punctuated with dollops of a white cauliflower purée—a commendable way to represent a vegetable I hold mostly in contempt. Each scallop was seared to secure a crisp top while the center remained tender. We cleaned the plate and decided to end the meal.

Until we perused the dessert menu. At Bǎo Bèi, Meichih made a widely celebrated karat cake® (note the trademark symbol) that she’s brought to Yeobo. But we tried the two gluten-free desserts and were just as richly rewarded. I was told that Anthony Le was the talented pastry chef behind them.

Before dinner, I’d seen pictures of the soft serve milk ice cream and stone fruit ($14) that made me long for it. The dish was packed with fresh slices of plums and perhaps pluots too. I simply loved the combination of tart fruit against the rich ice cream. A dark chocolate mousse ($16) was much richer, but crunchy walnuts and a foamy layer of banana cream made the whole thing heavenly.

Yeobo, Darling, open Tues.–Thu. 5–9pm, Fri.–Sat. 5–9:30pm. 827 Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park. 650.665.7799. yeobodarling.com.

An Instagram reel from LeVant Dessert’s Sunnyvale location pans across a buzzing Eid celebration: tables packed with customers, plates of various sweets, and live musicians filling the room with Arabic melodies as guests clap and sing along. The scene feels more like a festive community gathering than a storefront bakery: a place where food, music and culture intertwine.

As LeVant Dessert cements its role as a hub for Bay Area Arab diaspora in the South Bay, another beloved institution called Reem’s is preparing for a return to Oakland, hinting at a wider regional resurgence of Arab-owned food spaces.

Arab bakeries are emerging as cultural touchstones across the Bay Area, serving not just desserts but a sense of belonging. LeVant Dessert—with Oasis Baklava in Sunnyvale and LeVant Dessert in Menlo Park—reflects this shift through its blend of hospitality, heritage and community-building. Its growing presence in the South Bay comes amid the highly anticipated return of Reem’s in Oakland, suggesting a broader revival of Arab-owned food spaces and their role in shaping the region’s culinary and social landscape.

Arab and Middle Eastern North African (MENA) communities have long been part of Northern California’s diverse fabric, with waves of immigration dating back decades. Recently, there’s been a notable surge in popularity of Arab culinary ventures across the Bay Area, fueled by a growing second-generation population eager to reconnect with their heritage and by wider local interest in authentic, regional flavors. This has led to increased demand for traditional Arab desserts and breads, from flaky baklava to za’atar-spiced flatbreads.

Founded in 2017 by Maya Fezzani, who is half Lebanese and half Syrian, LeVant Dessert began spontaneously. Friends praised her traditional family-style sweets, but she assumed Bay Area Arabs already had access to such recipes in their own kitchens. It wasn’t until she started making smaller, café-friendly portions for catering events that she realized the wider market potential.

Demand “took off very quickly,” she recalls, prompting her move from a home operation to a storefront. Today, most of LeVant Dessert’s customers are non-Arabs drawn to the unfamiliar flavor profiles—orange blossom, rose water, salep—and modern presentation of classic treats. Bite-size knafeh became an early bestseller, while items like pistachio-rose cake and “booza” Middle Eastern ice cream now routinely sell out.

Fezzani says she never set out to serve only her own community. 

“Back home, everyone makes these desserts—I wanted to introduce them to people who don’t,” Fezzani says.

Beyond its sweets, LeVant Dessert has evolved into a cultural gathering point in the South Bay. Fezzani sees the café as a space for celebration and connection—from Eid catering orders to afternoon meet-ups over coffee and baklava. She emphasizes that Levantine pastries are rooted in ingredients rarely used in Western baking, like shredded phyllo for knafeh, orange blossom syrup, and mastic, which gives the desserts a distinct identity while also sparking curiosity among new diners. Balancing tradition with innovation has helped the shop thrive: recipes are inherited from grandmothers, but presentation and size are adapted for American café culture. Fezzani says the most rewarding part of the business is watching people gather around her desserts.

“I get to see people loving what I grew up with,” she says.

When Reem’s first opened its Arab street bakery in Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood in 2017, it quickly became both a culinary destination and a symbol, celebrated for its mana’eesh flatbreads, political murals and community-focused mission. The pandemic forced the beloved space to close, leaving a void for loyal East Bay regulars who saw the bakery as more than a place to eat.

Now, after several years away, local news outlets report Reem’s is preparing a long-awaited return to Oakland. For many longtime customers, its comeback represents more than nostalgia; it signals a re-investment in Arab visibility and hospitality in the Bay Area, and underscores how much the region’s food landscape has changed during its absence.

In a post-9/11, post-Trump America, and against the backdrop of ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Arab-owned bakeries have taken on an outsized symbolic power. These spaces offer not just knafeh and baklava, but pride, cultural safety and public presence. At LeVant Dessert, owner Maya Fezzani says customers are often curious first—then delighted—by ingredients they’ve never tasted before.

“People enjoy discovering something different,” she notes, adding that introducing new flavors is part of her mission. Reem’s, meanwhile, has long embraced a politicized identity, fusing Palestinian food with calls for liberation and justice. Together, the two represent a quiet yet powerful form of resistance: insisting that Arab culture belongs boldly on Bay Area streets.

Running an Arab bakery in the Bay Area comes with unique pressures: commercial rents are sky-high, ingredients such as pistachios, salep and orange blossom water are expensive to import, and many customers still need to be educated about what, exactly, they’re eating. Staffing, especially with people familiar with the nuances of Middle Eastern desserts, has been another hurdle. Yet Fezzani remains ambitious.

“We’re still young, but growing,” she says, adding that expansion could someday include locations in the East Bay, San Francisco or Los Gatos. For now, she’s focused on extending her menu, reaching new audiences and making LeVant Dessert a staple in an increasingly globalized local food scene. 

LeVant Dessert can be found at 842 Santa Cruz Ave, Menlo Park. Sister restaurant Oasis Baklava is at 907 E Duane Ave., Sunnyvale. For more information, call ; 650.402.2525 or visit levantdessert.com.

While this year’s Taste of Los Gatos will feature Rush cover band R50 and Livewire headlining the main stage, with Chain of Fools, Identity Problem, Phill & Rob and Sam Marshall scattered throughout the one-day street party, make no mistake, the essence of the fest will be the nibbles and libations.

“It’s really telling the story of Los Gatos as a culinary destination,” Chamber CEO Jennifer Lin said about the event, taking place on Sept. 6. “I really do feel like we’re experiencing a culinary renaissance here.”

Lin was in a buoyant mood after the Los Gatos Planning Commission supported the food-and-furniture plan by RH, the upscale company based in Marin County’s Corte Madera.

“They recognize that Los Gatos is a destination,” she said of the business known as Restoration Hardware until 2012. “And if approved, it will only help us to elevate that reputation and drive even more regional traffic here.”

It’s been all-hands-on-deck at the Visitor’s Bureau as staff sifted through details about the eats and sips to be offered at Taste. At press time details were still emerging about the 27 restaurants and 20 local wineries that are participating. But here’s a sneak peek…

• Oren’s Hummus: mini falafels and pita wedges
• Telefèric Barcelona: duck confit empanadas with spicy aioli
• The Lexington House: nectarine crostini (garlic butter, burrata, crispy capocollo, nectarine, seasonal berries, balsamic)
• Michi Catering: sushi handrolls
• Coup de Thai: famous dragon balls
• The Pastaria & Market: tortellone a la vodka and peas

“We find people just love being in the middle of the street connecting with neighbors and making new friends,” Lin remarked. “And we do think that this festival is one of the best ways that we can share who we are.”

This year’s event will feature an interactive digital map to make wayfinding easier.

“People will actually go to the business locations. They will go to the restaurants to go to get their bites, and they will go to our stores who are hosting the wineries to do their wine tasting,” Lin said. “The restaurants will be marked with a red flag outside their entrance, and the wine tasting locations will be marked by a blue flag.”

Lin thanked the sponsors, particularly title sponsors El Camino Health, Good Samaritan and Netflix. The latter is partnering with Cinelux to hand out popcorn at the Los Gatos Theatre during the festival.

“Having their trust and financial support, it enables us to offer a lot of things to the community,” Lin said, noting Netflix increased their community involvement this year. “Timing was right.”

Taste of Los Gatos takes place noon–5pm on Sept. 6 in Old Town Los Gatos. Tasting tickets are $75-$95. losgatoschamber.com

Editor’s note: Corrections made on Sept. 3.

There’s something special about dining outdoors in the summer and early fall, when the days are still warm and long, and fresh tomatoes and peaches are rolling in.

The definition of “view” is pretty broad, but for our purposes here, we’ll define view as something attractive or interesting to gaze upon while grazing, whether it be a city or skyline, a sparkling waterfront, an artsy cityscape, a relaxing water feature or a sweeping vista. 

Without a doubt, the King of the Hill dining spot is the Grand View on Mount Hamilton. With a garden, orchards and grazing cattle, it’s kind of hard to beat. But for anyone who’s not into making the circuitous trek up that somewhat heart-pounding road, we have other spots that offer a feast for the eyes.

Cityscapes

Right in the heart of Santana Row is Cielo, a rooftop bar that offers views of the sun setting over the Santa Cruz Mountains to the west. Enjoy dinner at Oveja Negra prior to cocktails, or just grab a light snack at Cielo and sip on a glass of wine while cozying up by the fireplace. While Cielo is generally open Tuesday through Sunday 5:30 to 9:30pm, they do offer private parties, so it”s prudent to check the event schedule or call ahead at 408.551.0010.

Eos & Nyx, a chic new two-story downtown San Jose hot spot, lies near the Hammer Theater and is right on the rail line. Outdoor seating is expansive, and the views of the city are very metro and at night, especially from the second floor, quite striking.

The food here is top-notch, brunch or dinner. Classics like loco moco get amped up by black garlic, while the veggie Benedict sports spinach, mushrooms and feta and Béarnaise. Large and in charge, the stack of chicken and waffles is served with kimchi butter, while moules frites are zhuzhed up with uni toast. A flatbread called Another One Bites the Dust is stuffed with mozzarella and mornay and topped with prosciutto and poached egg.

Dinner stuns with lasagna and duck Bolognese, a standard from Chef Nicko Moulinos, who used to helm the kitchen at Dio Deka. Wood-fired grill specialties include pork chop, branzino, dourade, lamb chops, ribeyes and porterhouse, with exquisite sides. Their cocktail scene is a step up, sourcing the mixology chops of the talent behind Paper Plane. Streetside or inside, the people-watching is outstanding.

RH Rooftop at the Stanford Mall is a showplace as much as a restaurant. Perched atop the Restoration Hardware store, it is massively white, light and bright, offering views of the hills to the west and the surrounding mall shops. It’s the perfect spot to be seen eating a signature summer salad of grilled shrimp and vegetables, including asparagus, corn, tomatoes and avocado. Or perhaps the Mulholland Drive Salad with iceberg, romaine, grilled chicken, egg, beets, tomatoes, cheddar, avocado, smoked bacon and balsamic vinaigrette. Sounds like a Cobb with an attitude. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner weekdays and for brunch and dinner on weekends.

Garden Spots

To conjure up the illusion of dining in a Roman trattoria, the massive fountain with huge metal figurines at Caffe Riace in Palo Alto can fit the bill. The food hasn’t changed in years, and is solid and very authentically Italian. The music of the fountains goes well with the Sicilian salad of sweet oranges and fennel and the penne Norma with eggplant, tomato and ricotta.

Nobu in Palo Alto recently unveiled two new reasons to dine in their lovely garden, endowed with relaxing water features and superb slabs of cool rock amidst the shrubbery. Brunch is served now on weekends, along with the full lunch menu, as well as a new tea service that begins at noon.

We loved the brunch/breakfast food, including the house-cured salmon lox with yuzu cream cheese on toasted levain topped with crispy capers, pumpkin seeds and microgreens, and the breakfast skillet of crispy potatoes, chicken apple sausage, sauteed miso spinach and poached heirloom cherry tomatoes topped with a free range fried egg.

Our favorite dish: the Bao Buns with spinach, yellow sriracha, crispy applewood-smoked bacon and sunny-side-up eggs and black sesame seeds. It was an adorable presentation with a watermelon radish and beet salad. For dessert, we indulged in the Suntory whiskey-soaked date cake, topped with vanilla sorbet and served with candied walnuts.

Waterfront Properties

In Redwood CIty, at the end of Seaport Boulevard off Highway 101, past scores of mostly empty tech and biotech buildings built before the pandemic, sits Hurrica, a restaurant awaiting discovery. Hurrica’s endearing nautical theme suits its location, next to a marina featuring some spectacularly modest yachts, including one that’s prominently for sale. The restaurant is sited to take in the water views, which can be enjoyed from the semi-covered outside deck or inside the marble bar, with its soaring ship sculpture. Spacious and accommodating to groups of all sizes, the menu is small, but competent (worth noting: a portion of featured oyster sales go to worthy local causes). The wine list is quite impressive. The seafood chowder was hearty, but not heavy, with clams and shrimp and finely diced vegetables. The burger looked immense. We’re going back.

Few dining establishments offer such unabashed luxury, world-class food, and service in a storybook setting as the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay. Surrounded by the deep turf of a top-rated golf course, and set right on a bluff above the surf, it offers three spots to quench thirst and feed the senses. Having recently dined at The Conservatory, the stylish, brightly lit and upbeat dining room, the food under the direction of Executive Chef Javier Arrebola was on point, with helpful and attentive service, wonderful cocktails and unbeatable views. The more secluded dining experience of Navio is ideal for special occasions (or expense accounts), while the Ocean Terraces, open daily from noon to 4:30, Monday through Thursday, and Friday through Sunday from 11am to 7pm, offers hearty and healthful fare. The bar is open until sunset on weekends. The lobster rolls, pork sandwiches, tacos and poke bowls and hamburgers aren’t cheap, but it’s worth it for the view. We especially love the Dungeness crab and artichoke dip and the little neck clam chowder with bacon. Score a room and make it an occasion to remember.

Mountain Eyries

Madera at Rosewood on Sand Hill Road boasts a magnificent view of the Santa Cruz Mountains, for breakfast, lunch and dinner, featuring summer-fresh dishes like Early Girl gazpacho, Dungeness crab roll, heirloom tomato risotto with Di Stefano burrata, summer squash and basil, and Half Moon Bay halibut with Brentwood corn, chanterelle and cherry tomato. You can also make like Popeye here and eat a side of Bloomsdale spinach with garlic confit.

A South by Southwest salad at Sand Hill Kitchen with field greens, roasted corn, avocado, queso fresco, crispy tortilla strips and ancho Caesar dressing costs just a couple of dollars more than that side of Madera spinach, and you’ll enjoy the views from the top of the hill, just across Sand Hill Road from Rosewood. The outdoor setting, with beautiful old oaks, is relaxing. Get the hand-cut fries or spiced tater tots: just $5 each. Seriously, this place rocks. Open weekdays from 8am until 3pm. We love this spot for its all-day breakfast/brunch, especially the avocado tartine or SHK simple breakfast. Both run $15 each. The grilled cheese here is insane.

Perched in the hills above Santa Cruz, atop the challenging and recently completely restored golf course originally designed by Dr. Alister MacKenzie and Marion Hollins, with input from Bobby Jones, Pasatiempo dates to 1929. The MacKenzie House, on the ninth hole, serves breakfast and lunch from 8:30am until 7pm, with “Taco Tuesdays” and other specials, under the direction of Pasatiempo Executive Chef Anthony Kresge and Hollins House Chef de Cuisine Ryan Soden. The historic Hollins House is available for special events, including gourmet lunches or dinners, with a pretty sweet side of views to the ocean.

While concert season is in play at the Mountain Winery, this view-laden spot offers pre-performance dining at the historic Chateau La Cresta, with a three-course prix fixe for $125 per person. Recent menu items included appetizer choices of hamachi crudo, Brussels sprouts with bacon and capers, or a grilled peach and burrata salad with prosciutto, and entrée selections featuring Markegard short ribs with mushroom risotto; pan-seared za’atar halibut with with flageolet beans, spinach and romesco sauce; Mary’s half rotisserie chicken with potatoes and lemon cream; and pasta Amatriciana with pancetta, tomato cream sauce and Pecorino romano. Desserts include pistachio or triple chocolate mousse, or limoncello raspberry cake. Wine pairings are $30 additional per person and feature Mountain Winery wines. We can drink to that on a warm Bay Area night.

Caffe Riace—200 Sheridan Ave, Palo Alto. 650.328.0407. cafferiace.com

Chateau La Cresta, 14831 Pierce Rd, Saratoga. 408.741.2822. mountainwinery.com/dining

Cielo, Hotel Valencia, 355 Santana Row, San Jose. 408.551.0010. hotelvalencia-santanarow.com

Eos & Nyx, 201 S Second St, Suite 120, San Jose. 408.831.6880. eosnyxsj.com

Hurrica Restaurant & Bar, Westpoint Harbor, 150 Northpoint Court, Redwood City. 650.499.4858. hurrica.restaurant

Madera, Rosewood San Hill Hotel, 2825 Sand Hill Rd, Menlo Park. 650.561.1540 maderasandhill.com

Nobu Palo Alto—180 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto. 650.798.8396. noburestaurants.com/paloalto

Pasatiempo, 20 Clubhouse Road, Santa Cruz. MacKenzie Bar & Grill Clubhouse: 831.459.9162; Hollins House: 831.459.9177. pasatiempo.com

RH Rooftop, 180 El Camino Real, Palo Alto. 650.328.4004. rh.com/us/en/paloalto/restaurant

Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay, 1 Miramontes Point Rd, Half Moon Bay. 888.293.0524. ritzcarlton.com

Sand Hill Kitchen, 2400 Sand Hill Rd, Menlo Park. 650.304.3966. thesandhillkitchen.com

After Austin, Aspen, Houston and tony Montecito, Clark’s Oyster Bar has opened its second California location in downtown Menlo Park.

The restaurant group knocked down the walls between Menlo Bazaar and Ann’s Coffee Shop, which closed after 75 years, to combine and reimagine both spaces. It’s a reminder that the present tense continues to pave over the past at a steady, persistent and sometimes alarming pace.

The new look conjures a vision of Ralph Lauren’s America, where summer days offer endless opportunities for a wide variety of nautical amusements. The lacquered wooden bar shines like the hull of a docked and well-tended yacht. The coveted booths and counter stools are upholstered like the colors of gemstones, in garnet and sapphire. Just inside the front door, tiny fish swim lazily around the circumference of a crystal clear aquarium.

From its perch, a taxidermied marlin, or the facsimile of one, stares out blankly across the dining room. And, most notably, a lovely plein air mural-sized painting of the coastline by Rob Moss Wilson captures the feeling of a sunny seaside walk.

The oceanic theme even extends to the bread plates, which are decorated with anchors. Only Neptune himself seems to have vacated the premises for his undersea kingdom.

No less than ten kinds of oysters ($4.50 each) start the menu off, indicating a bountiful harvest of fruits de mer to come. The long list of seafood dishes that follows includes (but continues well beyond): shrimp or crab louie salad, ceviche, tuna carpaccio, caviar (an order from Uruguay is $155), clam chowder, grilled Spanish octopus, cioppino, and a lobster roll.

With so many items to choose from, our table weighed the descriptions of each dish against the collective lunchtime mood. The heirloom tomato salad ($21) was a light start to the meal and easy to share. In my mind, I picture heirloom tomatoes as beefsteaks but these were cherry-sized and petite. They were arranged, with cucumber and croutons, on top of whipped ricotta spread that ate like a delicious lemony cloud.

After we left Clark’s, one friend said his Dungeness crab omelette ($34) was one of the best he’d ever eaten. The kitchen’s hollandaise also made him change his mind about the sauce, which can turn up as a heavy pour.

His wife was certain she was going to order linguine with clams ($38) but when our server approached she decisively went with crab cakes ($34). Evidently she’d made the right choice. At the end of the meal, there wasn’t a trace of crab or the companion watercress and frisée salad on her plate.

The most controversial food-related debate had to do with the lobster roll ($45). Someone was expecting it to be served hot. I was happy it was cold, like a tuna or chicken salad, mixed together with chopped green herbs and a refreshing lemon aioli. But I did take umbrage with the vehicle it was served in. The term “roll” applied to the sandwich in the broadest possible sense, as in some form of bread. White, nicely grilled bread, but not a roll per se.

The kitchen hollows out the center of what appeared to be a compact loaf before lining the center with a big leaf of bibb lettuce and then stuffing the cavity with lobster. It’s an awkward eat by hand, and much easier to consume with a fork.

When we sat down, the neighboring table had a small mountain of french fries ($14) that seemed to stay at the same height up until the arrival of their affogato ($13). The lobster roll comes with a quarter amount of the same shoestring fries (or cole slaw), and our table of four couldn’t finish them.

My particular dish, crispy rockfish ($42), was a hit with everyone but me. They all oohed and aahed over the stone ground grits laced with parmesan and the kick of spice from the surrounding moat of a sofrito sauce. But I didn’t like the ugly cut and cook of the fish, which turned an unappealing color. Had I followed my intuition that day, I would have ordered a fish from the “catch of the day” list—cod, halibut, opah, branzino or scallops.

The pristine interior of Clark’s proffers a preppy person’s idea of heaven. But the country club vibe isn’t snobby or unwelcoming. The exterior façade of Ann’s Coffee Shop might have been torn down and trashed but the heart of a friendly neighborhood diner is still beating somewhere inside the same address.

Clark’s Oyster Bar, open for lunch Mon to Fri 11:30am–3pm, brunch Sat & Sun 11:30am–3pm, Dinner Sun to Thur 4pm–9pm and Fri to Sat 4pm–10pm.. 780 Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park. 650.285.0855. clarksoysterbar.com/locations/menlo-park.

Praise be to the gods of pizza and pasta, and wine. Fridays and Saturdays have already become legend at Little Uvas and DeRose Vineyards at the Garage on Fitzgerald Avenue in San Martin, where hospitality flows like wine and the woodfired pizza oven turns out pies for which people gladly stand in line.

As longtime sous chef at Rosy’s at the Beach in Morgan Hill, Chef Berto Breton established himself as a beloved member of the kitchen staff there. When former owners Rich and Rosy Bergin sold the place in 2023 to Pam Novak and Vanessa Bermudez, he transitioned over to Little Uvas, where he brings his skills to the pizza oven. He makes all the dough and the sauces, and cooks up special pastas every Thursday evening. 

Rosy and Rich purchased this sweet piece of dirt a few years back, knowing they eventually wanted to retire from the restaurant business. Turns out they haven’t fully managed to do so. 

It takes a special love of endlessly hard work to be in this game. The hospitality gene is hard to turn off. Like it or not, the Bergins are well and truly still in the food service business. Wine is just another gateway to food. They’re now in it with both feet. 

Consulting with other winemakers in the Santa Clara Valley on what varieties to plant on their parcel, they were encouraged to install cabernet sauvignon, which they did, and to avoid sauvignon blanc, merlot and syrah, which they also chose to plant. In retrospect, very wise choices. 

Gene Guglielmo, of Guglielmo Winery, also suggested barbera to the Bergins, who planted a quarter of an acre. For other varietals, like chardonnay, they turned to Regan Vineyards in Corralitos, owned by John Bargetto. 

Little Uvas just released a Fiano, a robust Italian varietal, from Michael Mann Vineyard. Rich Bergin knows there’s a dearth of whites in Santa Clara Valley, and is determined to broaden his selection.

When you visit Little Uvas, you are also visiting DeRose, as the two wineries share a garage filled with fun cars and tables for tasting. They also share a winemaker, Alphonse DeRose, who crafts all the reds and the chardonnay, for Little Uvas. Winemaker Jeff Fadness makes their sauvignon blanc. 

Tasting options here are many: Escape sun and wind inside the garage-turned-tasting lounge, complete with a walled-off area that feels like a little café, or enjoy the views of fields and hills to the west at one of the many picnic tables. And chillier days, try one of the adorable Airstream trailers.

On a recent visit to Little Uvas, Bergin poured an easy drinking 2023 sauvignon blanc from the property, with flavors ranging from lemon grass to ripe melon and tropical fruits. This is the kind of sauv blanc that has broad appeal. The Bergins paired this with a shrimp cocktail gazpacho. 

Bergin then served us lovely romaine Caesar salads with gigantic croutons, paired with the Little Uvas 2024 Rosé of Syrah, tangy but fruity with a big mouthfeel. 

Breton then got to work on the first of three pizzas, each based on his recipe for a three-day sourdough ferment. Paired with a salmon pizza was the sensational 2021 Little Uvas “Puppy Luv” Merlot, perfectly soft, smooth and lush velvety in the mouth without being overripe or green, too tannic, too oaky or just too overwrought.

Breton then served up the perfect slice of Santa Clara Valley, with garlic from Gilroy and mushrooms from Morgan Hill, plus pepperoni for the kind of savory meltiness that highlighted the earthy spiciness of the 2021 Little Uvas Estate Syrah.

Not one to skip dessert, Bergin and Breton surprised us with an apple pie (pizza) paired with the 2022 Little Uvas Chardonnay from Regan Vineyard, which proved an epic pairing, as the sweet and cream barrel toast made merry with the warm apple pie spices—emphasis on cinnamon and nutmeg. Bergin said he was pretty stoked about this wine, with bright acidity and coastal fruit which is nigh impossible to achieve in the Santa Clara Valley.

Thursday nights there is a “Corks & Pasta” event, 4–8pm, where guests can order a bottle of wine and two pastas for $50 (upcharge of $15 for the barbera). Pasta choices are spaghetti and meatballs, chicken and fettuccine Alfredo, and pesto penne prima vera.

Pizzas are offered Fridays 4–8pm, and Saturdays and Sundays noon–5pm. Bergin says that the Friday night “happy hour” is pretty popular, and has become a favorite hang. Be prepared for a crowd.

Who can blame people for wanting to relax in this fun little spot with the feel of a mini camping resort? Plus, with a classic car restoration shop on the premises, there’s plenty of chrome to ogle while contemplating the finer nuances of the sleek barbera and a faith-restoring merlot.

Little Uvas Vineyards, 255 Fitzgerald Ave, San Martin. 408.337.1329. Open Thu-Fri 4–8pm, Sat-Sun noon–5pm. littleuvasvineyards.com

A couple of weeks ago the weekday lunch crowd filled out all of the alfresco patios along Castro Street except for the one in front of Johnny & Sanny’s.

Mountain View residents didn’t seem to notice that the owners of Doppio Zero had opened a new restaurant in Vida’s former digs. We had one of the main dining rooms to ourselves.

Could the occasional sound of the train’s bellowing horns have deterred them? The new Italian spot is situated a few feet closer to the train station than its competitors. But they should have taken the time to step inside. Most of Vida’s upscale features and fixtures—the central terrazzo bar, the plush green banquettes—aren’t showing any signs of wear and tear. 

Taking a detour away from Spain and into Italy, the décor now genuflects toward the idealized glamour evinced by Federico Fellini in his 1960 film La Dolce Vita.

Framed black and white film stills featuring Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren evoke the era’s devotion to extravagance (a “Sophia Loren” pizza includes pepperoni, salami, San Marzano tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese for $22). There’s even a hand-painted stencil of a quotation attributed to the director: “Life is a combination of magic and pasta.”

The open shelves hanging above the bar, also retained from the Vida days, are lined with prosecco and champagne bottles, and a step-and-repeat pattern of liquors and liqueurs. The menu isn’t astonishing or inventive; it includes a short list of familiar Italian dishes that the well-trained kitchen prepares with precision and verve.

The plates are nicely composed but, because this is Italian food, never challenging, cold or severe. Spillage is de rigueur here.

High summer is the prime season for harvesting squash. Under their antipasti section, Johnny & Sanny’s is making ultra-thin zucchini fries ($15). They’re actually skinnier than french fries, more like fried shoestring onions. To finish the dish, the cooks shave copious amounts of parmigiano reggiano on top.

When I was a kid, we used to eat at an Italian-American restaurant that served fried zucchini sliced into great, hulking spears. As I bit into them, the blistered core of seeds melted in the mouth. Johnny & Sanny’s approach is less rustic and more elegant but the flavor of the vegetable gets a little lost against the breading but that didn’t stop me from snacking on the pile throughout the meal. A side of lemon basil aioli dip was fine but ketchup or ranch dressing wouldn’t have been bad ideas either.

Burrata ($15), our second shared antipasti, was served with tomato, olives, a vibrant smattering of everyone’s favorite microgreens, and a caponatina of eggplant. A caponatina, I learned, uses a finer chop on the eggplant than a caponata. I liked it better because the texture tasted more like a tapenade than a pasta sauce.

Although the half dozen Roman-style pizzas are key attractions on the menu, the burrata plate assemblage mimicked the flavors of a cold pizza so we opted for the homemade fettuccine pasta ($22). Dotted with cherry tomatoes, the serving was big enough to feed the two of us. I have a love-hate relationship with pesto. If the ratio of ingredients is off, the sauce can be too oily or bitter or both. Johnny & Sanny’s gets the balance right. The basil tasted like it had been freshly pulverized, the color green coating every twisted flank of fettuccine.

Fellini’s ghost is unlikely to cross the Atlantic to visit Mountain View but the kitchen does manage to pay tribute to the “magic and pasta” maxim scribbled on the wall.

Johnny & Sanny’s, open Mon to Thurs 11:30am–2:30pm and 4:30pm–9:30pm (Fri until 10pm), Sat 11:30am–10pm and Sun 11:30am–9pm. 110 Castro St., Mountain View. 650.282.5251. johnnyandsannys.com.

If you ask Gene Guglielmo, everyone’s got “a little Italian” in them, whether they know it or not. And those who happen to find themselves at the Italian Family Festa this weekend just might believe that’s true.

“Our involvement with the Festa goes back many years,” says Guglielmo, whose family winery in Morgan Hill has been a longtime sponsor of the San Jose tradition. “I don’t even remember how many at this point.”

Hosted for decades by the Italian American Heritage Foundation, the San Jose tradition will celebrate its 43rd year. This year’s iteration also marks a major milestone: the foundation’s 50th anniversary.

While the Festa has grown and evolved over the years, one thing that’s remained a crowd favorite is the grape stomp—a tradition the Guglielmo family helped pioneer. “We had a wine festival years before [Italian Family Festa], and at our Harvest Festival, we would do the grape stomp. It was a riot,” Guglielmo says with a laugh. “People would get into it.” Guglielmo Winery still carries on the tradition at its own Harvest Festival, coming up on Aug. 16.

And the same grape-stomping tradition continues at the annual Italian Family Festa, to be held on July 26–27, at History Park in San Jose.

Six public stomps are scheduled across the two-day event, and the celebrity stomp, happening Sunday afternoon, will once again pit local mayors against each other.

Never seen a grape stomp before? Here’s how it works, according to Guglielmo: “First, you’ve got your stomper that’s gonna get up in the barrel and stomp those grapes.” And there are the “pokers,” who wield a stick to keep the pipe clear of grapes so juice can get into the jar. Whoever fills their jar the fastest, typically within 45 seconds to a minute, wins.

“It may not sound too long,” Gene laughs, “but when you’re stomping grapes, that’s a long time.”

Of course, not everyone wants to stomp the grapes—some prefer to sip them. And this year’s Wine Garden will feature pours from several regional wineries, including Morgan Hill neighbors Guglielmo and Fortino, Soquel’s Bargetto Winery, Rosa D’Oro from Kelseyville, D’Argenzio Winery from Santa Rosa, and Orzo from Healdsburg.

“Traditionally, wine is part of any Italian celebration,” Guglielmo says. “This is just another way to celebrate our culture and bring people together.”

And that’s the spirit of the Festa: two days of Italian food, music, games and community, gathering in il parco to celebrate culture.

The Roma Stage will feature live performances throughout each day, with genres ranging from opera to jazz. Over at the Culinary Pavilion, festivalgoers can catch pizza tossing and cooking demonstrations.

Kids can get into plenty of hands-on fun with crafts, face painting and swordplay at the dedicated Kids Zone. “The Festa has something for everyone,” says Guglielmo. “It’s very kid-friendly, and there’s plenty of shade, which is important for a festival that takes place in July.”

The event also includes bocce courts, a Roman Encampment (yes, costumes are encouraged), and appearances by the San Jose Sharks.

“There’s so much Italian history in this area,” Guglielmo says. “The Festa is a way to get together and celebrate all of the contributions the Italians have made to not just Santa Clara Valley, but the country.”

For Guglielmo, it’s also about passing those traditions on. “It’s a blend of the older and younger generations,” he says. “And it’s important because sometimes we forget about our heritage and where we came from. This is a way to celebrate that, and have a lot of fun too.”

Italian Family Festa takes place July 26, 11am-7pm, and July 27, 11am-5pm, at History Park, 1650 Senter Road, San Jose. italianfamilyfestasj.org

The pastry case at the new Craftsman and Wolves location in Mountain View was empty by the time I arrived. To the right of it, seven brightly colored desserts remained on hand.

They were all fancifully composed in jewel tones on their temporary plates. A thin green smile (or mustache) made of a curved sliver of cucumber skin was held in place on the side of three strawberry cucumber pink “pills” ($14). A pansy—violet, purple or yellow—was centered on top of each one. The two blood orange cardamom clouds ($16) looked like extra material removed from Elmo’s furry coat. And one remaining yellowy mango prism cake ($16) glowed intensely in the corner of the drawer.

Since first opening in 2012, Craftsman and Wolves has been making surprising or challenging baked goods, depending on your goût de vivre. Guided by William Werner until 2019, and then by Lawrence Lai until his death earlier this year, ordinary chocolate croissants turned into triple chocolate croissants. Ham and cheese croissants transformed into havarti and mortadella ones with cornichon relish and vegetable confetti. Their Scotch egg, called “The Rebel Within,” became a signature item on the menu.

As the company continues to expand its presence in the South Bay, Sam Ceccotti is the current executive chef who’s continuing the bakery’s commitment to making sweet and savory innovations. After a tour of “the Den,” the central kitchen and distribution hub located in San Francisco for all of the Craftsman and Wolves’ locations, Ceccotti talked with me about her culinary approach. “I’m all about texture,” she said.

Lai hired Ceccotti after she passed a baking test. “I was asked to make a mousse cake and something laminated that showed my style and my flavors,” she recalled.

Right out of culinary school, she worked as the executive pastry chef at the Plumed Horse in Saratoga. Growing up, her paternal grandmother took her through the Wilton Cookbook, which demonstrates the myriad ways bakers can decorate their cakes.

After being drawn to the art of making sugar flowers and piping, she decided she wanted to become a pastry chef. “I would always experiment in my kitchen and loved to make pastries,” she said.

For the pink pill, she drew inspiration from a cocktail with the same flavors. Its central core is made with a cucumber lemon mousse and an elderflower sponge cake. It tastes like an ethereal mini-cheesecake. She coats the bottom of the cake with a layer of puffed rice, tinted pink from strawberries. The outside corresponds with a strawberry confiture inside, the pink coat shines like a fresh coat of nail polish.

Ceccotti said she started with the elderflower cake first. “The next element that I put on top of that will highlight or enhance it,” she explained. “It has the floral quality of the St. Germain [liqueur]. Since it’s summer, strawberries are so delicious—they’re bright red and sweet—and then the strawberry cucumber mousse adds a bit more acidity to balance out the sweetness.” The strawberry puffed rice complements all of these textures with a final pop of crunch.

There is a broadcast quality air of perfection about Craftsman and Wolves’ desserts. “Our products are not cheap, so we want to put the best product out for the price,” Ceccotti said. “If you’re going to give someone a cake that looks like it got bumped, we don’t want a culture of putting out something that’s less than ideal looking.”

To carry out this level of quality control, she trains her sous bakers to lead individual sections of the kitchen. “We all collaborate on everything. It’s always an ongoing thing, learning what works and what doesn’t work.”

With new bakeries opening every month in the Bay Area, Ceccotti understands the nature of retail competition. “In the city, if you’re not constantly changing and bringing a new product, people get bored of you,” she said. They’ll move on to the next hotly anticipated thing. “My job as a chef is to keep new creativity flowing and put it on the menu to keep everyone interested.”

Craftsman and Wolves, 400 San Antonio Rd., Mountain View. Open Monday–Friday 7:30am–2pm, Saturday–Sunday 8am–2pm. craftsman-wolves.com