Openings and closings in the Bay Area
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar comes to Santa Clara
Known as much for its 100 wines served by the glass as its prime-graded steaks and prime rib, Fleming’s will join the Santa Clara Square development. An Aug. 28 opening is planned.
This will be the third Bay Area location for Fleming’s, which also operates at Palo Alto’s Stanford Shopping Center and in Walnut Creek. Look for a lighter, airier design at this location, a departure from the clubby steakhouse look seen at some of the Newport Beach company’s other 65-plus locations.
The menu will feature Fleming’s classic array of steaks and prime rib — both wet- and dryaged beef are offered — with contemporary rubs of Kona coffee, black and white peppercorns or porcini mushroom. Nonbeef highlights include lobster tail, double-cut pork chops and the house-made burrata with charred tomatoes and arugula.
Sides range from the de rigueur (think creamed spinach) to the trendy (crispy Brussels sprouts and chipotle-cheddar mac and cheese). The Fleming’s 100 is the wine director’s hand-picked list of wines available by the glass, flight or bottle; the restaurant schedules frequent promotions around these wines. The list changes annually as new vintages become available.
At Santa Clara Square, located along the west side of Highway 101 near Great America Parkway, Fleming’s will join a foodie lineup that includes Il Fornaio, Opa!, Whole Foods, Lula’s Chocolates and Sur la Table. Details: 2732 Augustine Drive, Santa Clara; www.flemingssteakhouse.com.
Pleasanton’s Asian fusion hit, Gan, closes its doors
The San Francis cotrained chef who brought upscale Korean fusion cuisine to Pleasanton has closed his downtown restaurant after less than two years.
“Thank you for all of your support over the past couple of years! We were honored to be a part of the Pleasanton community,” reads Peter Chung’s note on the Gan website.
He’d received strong reviews for his concept of applying Korean flavors and technique to seasonal California ingredients. “Chung’s creativity in melding traditional Korean and modern flavors makes Gan an exciting destination, not just for Pleasanton locals but for folks throughout the Bay Area. … Gan slowly seduces with its quiet charm, and by meal’s end, you’ll be wowed,” wrote Bay Area News Group reviewer Mary Orlin, who gave the restaurant three stars. And Diablo magazine rated it one of the 2016’s best new restaurants.
The chef brought an impressive résumé to town. The Korean-born, Alamed araised Chung studied sociology at UC Davis but found that his place was in a restaurant kitchen — at Jardiniere, Michael Mina and Oakland’s A Cote, then as sous chef at Waterbar and chef de cuisine at Componere Fine Catering.
Last spring, Gan (pronounced gone, it means seasoning in Korean) had moved into a prix fixe format for dinners but later added small plates and an extended happy hour for summer afternoons and evenings.
Adega to host San Jose’s first Michelin all-star event
Adega, San Jose’s first restaurant to earn a coveted Michelin star, will host the city’s first Michelin AllStar Experience in September. The theme? Portuguese, naturally.
As Adega last year became the West Coast’s first Portuguese restaurant to be honored by Michelin, chefs David Costa and Jessica Carreira and owners Carlos and Fernanda Carreira came up with the idea of gathering their award-winning brethren from around the world.
They were inspired by the great European tradition of events that bring Michelinlevel cuisine to a wider community, said Kyle Schatzel of Team San Jose, which announced the pioneering event on Thursday.
Coming to San Jose will be the chefs of three restaurants that have earned a Michelin star. They will join Costa and Carreira in the kitchen Sept. 12 and 14 to cook seven-course meals paired with Portuguese wines.
Walnut Creek gets its second Peruvian restaurant, Limon
Limon Rotisserie has opened in Walnut Creek, giving locals a second spot for indulging in Peru’s famous flame-grilled chicken, ceviche and pisco sours.
It’s the latest outpost for chef Martin Castillo, who made his name at a San Francisco restaurant, then started expanding to a second location and then a third, in Burlingame. The storyline is similar for chef Carlos Altamirano, who found success in San Francisco and then in Half Moon Bay before heading to Walnut Creek with Parada, his take on new Peruvian cuisine.
At Limon, the signature pollo a la brasa, rotisserie chicken with a crisp skin that’s served with aji sauce, is offered in whole, half or quarter bird platters. All come with two sides (tacu tacu is sauteed rice and beans, camote frito are sweet potato fries). Other popular Peruvian dishes on the menu include the empanadas and the marinated skirt steak with chimichurri sauce.
Coming this weekend is Limon’s eggy new brunch menu. Offerings from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. include Lomo Montado, beef tenderloin, tomatoes and onions topped with two fried eggs; a bowl with chicken braised in aji panca estofado sauce and served with borracho beans and eggs; and a scramble called Revuelto that combines sausage, bacon, Oaxaca cheese, bell peppers and an aji aioli.
Joining the traditional pisco sours at the bar are lycheeand passion fruit-infused versions and a sangria made with Drambuie rather than brandy. On weekends, a Limon mimosa of cava and orange juice and a Bloody Lorcho made with pisco will be offered.
The restaurant, at 1524 Locust St., is open from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. weekends. Details: www.limonrotisserie.com.
How to find (or make) butterscotch pudding a la Bradley, Lark Creek
If the sudden closing of Lark Creek Walnut Creek after 22 years has you already craving the famous butterscotch pudding of founder Bradley Ogden, don’t fret.
• If you’re dining out: “Bradley’s Decadent Pudding” remains on the dessert menu at One Market in San Francisco, one of Ogden’s legendary spots. You can also find it at Yankee Pier in Lafayette, a sister restaurant of Lark Creek. Blue Plate in San Francisco serves a butterscotch pudding with pecan brittle. Fans of Flora in downtown Oakland recommend the caramel pudding with sea salt. Follow the Butterscotch on the Go food truck as it makes its rounds in Menlo Park and elsewhere. Market Hall Foods in Berkeley and RockridgeOakland occasionally makes butterscotch pudding in togo cups, although it’s not on the summer menu. And foodies report that butterscotch pudding often rotates onto the menus at Eureka! in Cupertino, Mountain View and Berkeley and the Yard House in San Jose. Or, you can make your own based on this very close facsimile developed in 2007 by then-colleague Carolyn Jung, aka the Food Gal. She adapted Ogden’s recipe. To find the recipe go to http:// www.mercurynews.com/ lifestyle/eat-drink/
Contact Linda Zavoral at 408-920-5960.