Blue Water Seafood & Crab reopens in a new spot
It’s an East Coast-style fish house located on the West Coast. And it’s just moved north. To North San Jose, that is. After seven years in Willow Glen, owners Craig Guynes and Irene Shen have moved their Blue Water Seafood & Crab to new, much larger digs in the tech corridor’s @First center.
They’ve opened with daily takeout/delivery and will launch outdoor dining soon.
Almost everything has doubled, they say — dining room capacity, bar seating, number of TVs — for when indoor dining is allowed to resume. For now, coronavirus rules will allow patrons to enjoy outdoor dining on the spacious patio, which seats 64 at 16 socially distanced tables.
As with the original location, this restaurant showcases Craig’s Maryland roots and his love of the San Jose Sharks. The huge animatronic shark has made the move here, and soon will have company in the form of a full-size whale.
As for the menu, the popular boiled-seafood buckets, oyster bar, chowders, bisques, beer and cocktails are back, as is the staff from Willow Glen. But there are a number of additions, including curry bowls topped with seafood, meat, tofu or Beyond Meat sausage; banh mi and Cuban sandwiches; and orange roughy.
Brunch, which was a weekend offering in Willow Glen, becomes a daily menu here, with crab and lobster Benedicts and seafood omelets available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Long hours of service are also offered, with takeout and delivery from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. (The patio will close at 8 p.m.) When indoor dining returns, Blue Water will stay open until midnight.
hlTAILS » 4180 N. First St., San Jose; www.bluewaterseafood andcrab.com
Provence Pizza fires up the ovens in Danville’s Iron Horse Plaza
Feel like a slice of Provence?
That’s what Danville’s newest pizza restaurant is offering — Neapolitan pizzas fired in an 850-degree Italian Valoriani oven and paired with French wines.
Provence Pizza is the creation of Said Hassani and family, who took over the Danville space that was formerly home to Forge.
For Hassani, who is a technology industry veteran, opening this side business with his wife during a pandemic proved to be just another opportunity to put his skills to work.
“I was driven to make the best pizza just like I solved engineering problems,” he said. “Eventually I figured out the best recipe myself.”
The inaugural menu features six pizzas, including a margherita, a Provence veggie and a sausage, with house-made sausage marinated in white wine and fennel. Rounding out the lineup are calzones, salads and oven-baked wings.
Provence, located at the Lunardi’s in the Iron Horse Plaza, offers shaded outdoor seating along with takeout and delivery. Hours are 3 to 9 p.m. weekdays, noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday.
DETAILS » 345 Railroad Ave., Danville; www.provencepizzas.com
Korea’s Left Wing fried chicken and beer lands on Santana Row
After blanketing South Korea with nearly 400 eateries, Left Wing decided to take its concept — hot Korean fried chicken paired with cold beer — on the road.
A fast expansion that started in 2019 has already brought Left Wing to Austin, Texas (the first U.S. location); Honolulu; Mesa, Arizona; and Arcadia in Southern California.
The company’s first Northern California restaurant is scheduled to open at Santana Row, where it will take a spot on the CineArts/Splunk side of the San Jose center.
Left Wing boasts that it uses fresh, never frozen, chicken and cooks with vegetable oil.
Bone-in and boneless wings come in five styles/flavors: Original (crispy fried); Sweet and Spicy (the sticky sauce version), House Special (wok stir-fried with garlic sauce); Go-Bachi (Korean chile barbecue); and Khan-Bachi (soy teriyaki barbecue). You can mix and match two styles in one regular order, three styles in a large order.
As for beers, Austin’s lineup includes regional craft brews for that market. Look for a similar approach here.
No opening date has been announced.
DETAILS »
3090 Olsen Drive, San Jose; www.leftwingbar.com
Oakland’s 4505 Burgers & BBQ closes after 1 year
The Oakland outpost of 4505 Burgers & BBQ, a favorite destination to enjoy responsibly sourced meats and organic soft serve in a large outdoor space, has closed its doors in the Laurel District, yet another victim of the coronavirus pandemic.
Chef Ryan Farr, who opened the restaurant in June 2019, shared the news in an Instagram post and on the restaurant’s website, saying that the Oakland location “closed its doors indefinitely.”
He added some hope: “Our goal is to bring our BBQ back to the East Bay in a new, creative way,” the note said. “There are a few things on the horizon, so stay tuned for more.”
The restaurant’s Divisadero location in San Francisco remains open.