Mendocino Farms opens San Mateo location
Mendocino Farms, a creator of seasonal and healthy sandwiches and salads, has opened its first San Mateo County location.
The restaurant joined a new development called Park Place at the former Bay Meadows site in San Mateo.
Owners Ellen Chen and Mario Del Pero (they’re NorCal expats) first expanded their Southern California operation in December, with a spot at the Pruneyard in Campbell. They’ve since opened another one at Santana Row in San Jose.
Since that opening, Mendocino Farms has unveiled a new artisan sandwich — old-school pastrami smoked over hickory — and added a Chef’s Pick choice, the Asian Spring Roll Salad, that’s available through March 25. It features Mary’s free-range chicken breast, carrot and zucchini noodles, red cabbage, red onions, mint, cashews, spicy Fresno chiles, arugula, butter lettuce, fried shallots and a vinaigrette that combines the flavors of peanut satay, cilantro and lime.
What’s next in the Mendo Farms expansion? San Francisco and Sacramento.
Details: The San Mateo restaurant will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. (with phone orders ac-
cepted at 8 a.m.) at 1060 Park Place. 650-332-8300; mendocinofarms.com.
Chef Dominique Crenn opening restaurant
The acclaimed Dominique Crenn — the first female chef in the country with a two-Michelin-starred restaurant — will open a restaurant and boutique in San Francisco’s tallest building, Salesforce Tower.
According to Boston Properties, the tower manager and primary developer, Crenn has signed a lease for 4,000 square feet of space at the corner of First and Mission streets, plus an additional 1,000 square feet in the lobby.
When finished next winter, Boutique Crenn will showcase not just Frenchinfluenced food but also art and fashion. The boutique will sell made-fromscratch pastries and breads for breakfast. At lunch, the menu will feature dishes with ingredients sourced from the Crenn Dining Group’s organic farm in Sonoma. The lobby space is envisioned as a wine and cocktail lounge.
Her Atelier Crenn, in the city’s Cow Hollow district, holds two Michelin stars. She also owns a more casual spot, Petit Crenn in Hayes Valley, and will add Bar Crenn, next to Atelier, to that lineup in the coming weeks.