Oak + Violet restaurant debuts in Menlo Park hotel
Menlo Park is home to a new hotel — and a new restaurant.
Oak + Violet has opened at the Park James Hotel, a new boutique property on El Camino Real.
Executive chef Mike Gadd and general manager Reed Woogerd oversee all of the culinary offerings at the hotel, from full service at the restaurant and the courtyard bar to the corporate/private dining functions.
At Oak + Violet, they’re focusing on California’s agricultural bounty with a seasonal, locally sourced menu. Inaugural offerings include a stuffed whole branzino romesco with roasted fennel, artichokes, olives and peppers; quinoa and Honeycrisp apple salad; the vegan Impossible Slider; and such shared bites as Pacific oysters, charcuterie and beef tartare.
Signature sips featured on the craft cocktail menu are the El Camino, with El Silencio mezcal, aperol, fresh grapefruit and lime, and rosemary; and the Violet, a limoncello, bubbly and blueberry concoction.
O + V launched with dinner service, then will add breakfast, lunch and brunch in the coming weeks.
DETAILS, RESERVATIONS » 1400 El Camino Real, Menlo Park; 650-304-3880; www.parkjames.com.
Oakland chefs will close Camino by year’s end
The fire in the Camino kitchen hearth will be snuffed out by the end of December.
Russell Moore and Allison Hopelain have decided to close their acclaimed Oakland restaurant after 10 years, citing the challenging Bay Area dining scene that has left them struggling with staffing shortages, long hours and burnout.
Their more casual sister restaurant, the Kebabery, will remain open.
“We’re never going to open another Camino. It takes everything out of you every single day,” Moore told the San Francisco Chronicle. “But with the Kebabery, I’d like to open another. It’s fun right now. It’s less expensive to run, too.”
Both Moore and Hopelain are Chez Panisse alumni; he worked there for 20 years.
Changing the menu frequently and preparing virtually all of the restaurant’s dishes over an open fire takes its toll on a chef, Hopelain told Eater SF. “It’s a very physically demanding job,” she said. “I know that because I worked on the line like five times this year because we were so short staffed.”
She added: “He has a vision that is best played out when he is there and it just requires so much. He is there all day from 9 a.m. til midnight.”
According to Eater SF, the restaurant has already been sold to new operators, but Camino will stay in business until the liquor license transfer goes through, which should be in December. Until then, Moore will be at the hearth.
RESERVATIONS, DETAILS » 3917 Grand Ave., Oakland; www.caminorestaurant.com.
KoJa Kitchen coming to Fremont’s Pacific Commons
The Bay Area’s KoJa Kitchen, a Korean-Japanese fusion cafe that started out as a food truck, is spreading more kalbi love to the East Bay.
A location will open in early 2019 in Fremont’s Pacific Commons center off Auto Mall Parkway.
KoJa is both the coined name of the restaurant as well as its signature dish, a sandwich whose bun is made of garlic fried rice.
Historically, the chain’s top seller is that Short Rib KoJa, the unusual bun stuffed with the Korean barbecued short rib known as kalbi. Also popular are the Kamikaze Fries, waffle fries topped with minced Korean barbecue beef, kimchi, Japanese mayo, red sauce and green onions.
You can also get your KoJa (or bowl or taco) with miso-coconut braised pork, teriyaki veggie patty, ahi tuna or barbecue chicken.
Fremont will be the fast-growing company’s 17th location. There are 13 in the Bay Area, plus eateries in Rocklin, Fresno and Tustin.