Pasta Armellino and its signature dish coming to the Pruneyard in Campbell
Pasta Armellino, the Italian-themed offshoot from the Michelin-starred Plumed Horse in Saratoga, is opening another restaurant, this time at the Pruneyard in Campbell. It’s going into the space that had been occupied for years by Cafe Artemis.
Executive chef Peter Armellino and coowner Josh Weeks launched the original on Saratoga’s Big Basin Way in 2018, then opened the second, at Main Street Cupertino, last year during the pandemic when they were able to offer only takeout and outdoor seating. This location will open with both indoor and outdoor dining, a full bar featuring barrel-aged cocktails and frozen concoctions, plus what Weeks called a buzz-worthy bar menu being developed by Armellino.
The main menu melds Italian sensibilities and California ingredients with Japanese, French and other influences. “It’s my cuisine, and pasta is the vehicle,” said Armellino, who is also executive chef at the Plumed Horse.
The chef’s signature Pasta Armellino — tagliatelle tossed with crab, uni, Parmesan and black pepper — never leaves the restaurant’s menu. Current offerings also include bucatini with white prawns, arugula and mascarpone in a spicy tomato sauce; gemelli with organic mushroom ragu and truffle oil; rigatoni tossed with an Impossible Bolognese sauce; and oriecchette with braised short rib, broccolini and lemon ricotta.
Supplementing the pastas are two soups, two salads and focaccia with a dipping sauce of Calabrian chiles, Parmesan and olive oil.
“The small, well-executed menu has gotten us through a very difficult year with COVID” at the two locations, Weeks said, “and has solidified our belief that this type of dining is the future.”
Look for a May opening at the Pruneyard, he said.
DETAILS >> 1875 S. Bascom Ave., Campbell; other locations at 19469 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino; and 14560 Big Basin Way, Saratoga. www.pastaarmellino.com
Danville’s new Hen House chicken shack draws a crowd
Hen House, a new chicken shack specializing in sandwiches and rotisserie, opened to a gaggle of customers and much fanfare on the first day of spring in the former Gotta Eatta Pita space on Hartz Avenue.
Maybe it was because Danville doesn’t have a ton of affordable, fast-casual options on that side of town. Maybe it was because word got out that this familyowned business was opening. Or, maybe, people leaving the farmers market drove by, saw the goofy, googly-eyed bird logo on the storefront and made a sharp turn into the parking lot.
Across the country, and especially in the Bay Area, we are having a crispy chicken sandwich moment that is more like an era. Whether you’re a Popeye’s fan or a Bakesale Betty devotee, there are enough styles and slaws to send you into a feathered frenzy. And Hen House is poised to be a serious player.
For the opening weekend, the small crew offered a limited menu of rotisserie chicken by the whole ($12) or half ($8) in addition to sides ($2-$7) and a variety of crispy chicken sandwiches (Classic, Nashville Hot, BBQ, Buffalo and Ranch, $7 each).
According to our taste buds, the Classic is made from large chicken thighs coated and fried in a light, non-greasy batter. The sandwich is served on a brioche bun with secret sauce, housemade pickles and mild coleslaw. You can add cheddar sauce to any sandwich for $1. Also look for tenders ($5-$9), wraps ($7), salads ($10-$12) and milkshakes ($3.50).
DETAILS >> Opening hours are 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily for takeout and outdoor dining on the patio at 110 Hartz Ave., Danville. henhousedanville.com.
Pacific Catch’s newest seafood restaurant opens in Santa Clara
The Bay Area-based Pacific Catch seafood chain has opened its newest restaurant in Santa Clara, with a light, airy coastal design indoors and a patio with fire pit and heat lamps for outdoor dining.
The location at Santa Clara Square, a mixed-used development fronting Highway 101, is the 11th in the group. The expansion was announced in early 2020, just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic limited operations at restaurants in California and across the nation.
Pacific Catch, which bills itself as a “West Coast fish house,” specializes in fresh, sustainable fish and seafood dishes inspired by Asia, Latin America and Polynesia — Hawaiian poke bowls, fish tacos, pan-asian rice bowls and daily fish specials — and offers a full bar with specialty cocktails, California wines and microbrews.
Regional chef Rowena Rillo, who came on board in 2018, is currently working on the spring menu, which she said will bring some new small bites — musubi, salmon corndogs and jicama ceviche tacos — to the lineup of sustainable seafood offerings.
“I’ve always taken pride in our responsible sourcing, especially with our sustainable seafood program,” which follows the Monterey Bay Aquarium guidelines, she said.
Staying on the menu will be the popular Viet Hot Fish, a crispy Alaskan cod fillet sandwich inspired by CEO Keith Cox, and other customer favorites.
“We were looking into the hot/spicy fish
burger trend and realized we had an awesome sambal vinaigrette we used in our crab cake salad that pairs well on our fried cod, and that’s how this dish was created,” she said. “Plus some Sriracha aioli and fresh serrano pepper can’t hurt.”
Rillo pivoted to the culinary arts after serving in the Air Force. Her varied Bay Area résumé includes Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak, the Tacolicious group and chef de cuisine at Stone’s Throw in San Francisco.
The still-expanding Pacific Catch was founded in 2003 on San Francisco’s Chestnut Street by entrepreneurs Aaron Noveshen and Cox, with locations now throughout the Bay Area. The Walnut Creek, Cupertino and Palo Alto eateries became the eighth, ninth and 10th locations, respectively, in the chain.
Next up? San Diego.
DETAILS >> Open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily at 3315 Coronado Place, Santa Clara; pacificcatch.com.
Salt & Straw’s fun new ice cream flavors are inspired by cereals
If the thought of Saturday morning cartoons and a bowl of sugary cereal is as comforting to you as puppies in a Snuggie, you may want to tuck into Salt & Straw’s latest ice cream shenanigans.
Cereal-sly is a collection of five flavors inspired by nostalgic cereals, like Lucky Charms and Peanut Butter Cap’n Crunch, infused with Salt & Straw’s artisanal ice cream magic. (Can you call it artisanal or gourmet if there’s hydrogenated cottonseed oil in the cereal?)
The flavors, including a cornflake-flecked ice cream with house-made marionberry jam and a cold brew/cocoa crisp one, are available through April 22 at Salt & Straw scoop shops in Oakland, Palo Alto, San Jose, Burlingame and San Francisco. Pints are also available for takeout, delivery and nationwide shipping. Information: saltandstraw.com.