Diverse selection of bars, eateries enter South Bay
Cocktails and barbecue of all kinds seem to be the theme for new openings on the Peninsula and in the South Bay in November. San Carlos got a new Lebanese barbecue specialist, while a robot waiter is serving up skewered squid in Cupertino. Three new bars made their debut, including a Korean-French hotel bar from a former Spruce chef. Plus, San Jose can celebrate the arrival of cult favorite boba shop Tiger Sugar.
Read on for more on each opening.
Jood, San Carlos
The husband-and-wife team from Belmont’s popular Middle Eastern spot Falafelle have opened a second restaurant specializing in Lebanese barbecue. At Jood in downtown San Carlos, Rawan and Khaled Harbali char meats on classic metal skewers over charcoal (they use a Japanese grill) in homage to the widespread grilling traditions of their native Lebanon. Chargrilled meats are comfort food to the Harbalis, which they typically serve with bulgur, spiced rice or wrapped in lavash, a type of flatbread. Options here include a whole butterflied chicken, hunks of ribeye, plant-based Impossible meat and vegetables such as cauliflower and eggplant. The proteins come as plates with sides, like bulgur or grilled baguette slathered with garlicky housemade toum, or as lavash sandwiches. Even salads get the grill treatment, like charred halloumi with kale, walnuts and blood orange.
Jood. Indoor dining and takeout. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Monday-Saturday. 635 Laurel St., San Carlos. eatjood.com
Bar Bonmot, Cupertino
The cocktails and food at Bar Bonmot, newly open inside the Residence Inn by Marriott hotel in Cupertino, show off chef James Lims’ affinity for playing with Korean ingredients and French techniques. Think a crudo with a French remoulade sauce made from Korean doenjang, or a kimchi buckwheat crepe. Drinks incorporate ingredients like roasted barley, perilla shrub and pickled radish water — the bar’s answer to the olive brine for a Korean riff on a dirty martini.
Bar Bonmot. Indoor dining. 19429 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino. 5-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. barbonmot.com
Wunderbar, San Mateo
The Peninsula is now home to another swanky cocktail bar: Wunderbar, a moody speakeasy hidden in the basement of San Mateo restaurant Wursthall. Settle into a deep red leather chair, grab a bowl of popcorn and order from the tarot card-inspired menu. On one side is a classic cocktail, like an old fashioned or martini, and on the back side are bar manager Kiernan Moran’s remixes. Moran’s riff on the Old Fashioned, for example, gets more complexity from cocoa bitters and two different kinds of amaro: one bitter and one sweet, with notes of molasses.
Wunderbar. Indoor dining by reservation only. Proof of vaccination required. 4:30-11 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday. 4:3011:30 pm. Friday-Saturday. 310 Baldwin Ave., San Mateo. exploretock.com/ wunderbarsanmateo
Tiger Sugar, San Jose
Boba heads, rejoice: San Jose now has its own outpost of Tiger Sugar, the hit Taiwanese chain that claims to have launched the brown sugar boba trend. The shop’s famed drink is made with a proprietary brown sugar syrup, organic milk from Straus Family Creamery (or soy or oat milk) and tapioca pearls. The menu also includes other kinds of milk tea, such as a green tea latte with cream mousse, as well as Tiger Sugar’s popular boba-studded brown sugar ice cream bars. The San Jose store joins the chain’s first Northern California location, which opened last fall in Cupertino.
Tiger Sugar. Takeout. 1628 Hostetter Rd Suite H, San Jose. Noon to 8:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, noon to 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday, noon to 9 p.m. Sunday. facebook.com/tigersugar norcal
Zest Food, Cupertino
Head to Zest Food for Wagyu, squid and chicken hearts grilled on skewers. For vegetarians, there are plenty of barbecued vegetables: chives, corn on the cob and whole cloves of garlic. Zest Food is also the latest Bay Area restaurant to employ a robot server, which roams the dining room instead of humans; the business also doesn’t accept tips.
Zest Food. Indoor dining and takeout. 10881 S. Blaney Ave. Suite B, Cupertino. Noon to 2:30 p.m. and 5-10 p.m. Wednesday-Monday (closed Tuesday). zestfoodinc.com/
Nursel, San Carlos
This new San Carlos restaurant specializes in Russian, Uzbek and Kyrgyz cuisines. That means dishes such as Russian borscht and plov (a rice pilaf ); lagman, an Uzbek soup with hand-pulled noodles and halal beef; and Kuurdak, a roasted meat dish from Kyrgyzstan. For dessert, there are layered Napoleon and honey cakes.
Nursel. Indoor dining and takeout. 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. 601 Old County Road, San Carlos. 650-226-5163
Lamella Tavern, San Jose
Lamella Tavern is the latest project from prolific South Bay restaurateurs Jim and Angelique Stump (the Table, the Vesper, Shepherd & Sims). The Willow Glen spot is more of a place to drink and snack than eat a full meal, with a focus on cocktails, wine, oysters and crudo. Expect Fanny Bay oysters, five kinds of gin and tonics and lots of Champagne.
Lamella Tavern. Indoor and outdoor dining. 4 p.m. to close Wednesday-Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday. 1109 Lincoln Ave., San Jose. lamellatavern .com