DINING SCENE
Top toque: We finally caught up with Erik Romme, the new executive chef at the Menlo Grill, at Menlo Park’s Stanford Park Hotel. He’s Colorado- raised but brings a Peninsula pedigree to the role, with Marche, Madera and Left Bank on his resume. Romme favors seasonal, local produce: arugula salad with peaches and cherries; pan- seared scallops with corn and tomatoes; strawberry- rhubarb cobbler. He dabbles in molecular gastronomy also, with a lemonfish crudo appetizer in which he “spherifies” the Meyer lemon vinaigrette into a capsule that spills over the sashimistyle local halibut. But Romme says there’s one thing diners won’t let him take off the menu: the housemade guacamole. Details: Open daily for breakfast, lunch/ brunch and dinner. 100 El Camino Real, Menlo Park. 650- 330- 2790; www. menlogrill. com.
Blackbird’s menu: As colleague Sal Pizarro reported, the Blackbird Tavern aims to succeed at a downtown San Jose location where so many others have failed. The opening menu, created by executive chef Curtis Valdez ( formerly of Seven restaurant on The Alameda) is an eclectic mix of bistro, diner and gastropub dishes that includes steak frites, shrimp and grits, fried chicken, housesmoked trout and deviled eggs. As fans of Valdez’s short ribs at Seven, we’re eager to try his riff on poutine: Potato wedges with short ribs braised in a red curry sauce. Open Tuesday- Sunday for dinner. 200 S. First St., San Jose. 408- 278- 1050; www.theblackbirdtavern.com.
Top chowders: Chef Willi Franz and his Monterey Marriott restaurant team won the coveted Best of Show and Best Clam Chowder awards in the Monterey Wine Festival’s annual chowder cook- off. Cilantro and a drizzle of Cholula hot sauce gave their chowder a Mexican flair; a fried clam garnish added interest. Other top winners were Louie Linguini’s on Cannery Row for Best Seafood Chowder, and Sysco of San Francisco for Most Creative Chowder. LouLou’s Griddle in the Middle, located on Monterey’s wharf, scored the People’s Choice award. Doing some cool molecular tricks was chef Jeremy Tummel of Stillwater Bar & Grill at Pebble Beach. He created a whipped, chilled clam chowder that was piped into a shell and topped with geoduck sashimi. Perhaps a new category for Most Refreshing Chowder?