Inside the Kitchen at Peery Park
Freeway close, lots of pork belly on the menu — and a daily happy hour
A tech-friendly Hilton Garden Inn with 238 guest rooms has sprouted on Mathilda Avenue, and with it comes a new restaurant for locals and business travelers alike. The hotel’s Kitchen at Peery Park is named after the industrial park in this part of Sunnyvale, and the 3,000-squarefoot Orchard Ballroom pays tribute to the city’s famed cherry trees of decades ago. We checked out the restaurant during a media preview of the property. Here’s what we found.
THE VIBE >>
Modern and streamlined. It’s an openlayout restaurant located in the airy, spacious lobby. Walk in the front door (make sure to gaze up at the fabulous lighting fixture with dozens of hanging Edisonstyle globes) and head to the right side of the lobby (but don’t miss the cool artwork over the front desk that depicts the coastal mountain range). There’s a mix of communal tables, high-tops and small seating areas along with plenty of midcentury-modern-style chairs at the large, welcoming bar.
THE FOOD >>
Chef Anthony Bruno’s inaugural menu for the Kitchen at Peery Park is an approachable one with an emphasis on locally sourced ingredients. Breakfast and dinner are served daily. Under the “Apps” section you’ll find such shareables as a housemade hummus with vegetables and naan ($10), Cali chicken flatbread ($14) and truffled french fries ($9). The “Leafy Greens” allow you to pick your protein to add to an iceberg wedge, mixed greens or a Caesar salad ($11 without, $15-$20 with steak, chicken, salmon or pork belly). There’s also a roasted beet salad ($13), with fried quinoa, goat cheese and candied spiced walnuts. All of the “Hands On” dishes come with french fries or fresh fruit. Choose from a pork belly grilled cheese, jerk chicken breast or Peery’s French dip, among others (all $15$16). Main dishes include a salmon and quinoa bowl ($29), featuring a large filet of salmon atop greens, Brussels sprouts, pickled red onions and other veggies drizzled with a sweet Thai chile sauce. Breakfast is a wide-ranging affair with selections like overnight oats, French toast, breakfast burritos, omelets and a croque-monsieur ($10$14, which includes your beverage and either potatoes or fresh fruit). For $17, you can sample a little of everything at the breakfast buffet.
THE DRINKS >>
There’s a full bar with signature cocktails such as the Orchard Margarita (Hornitos reposado, lime juice, agave nectar), garnished with a cherry (of course), and the Smoked Old-Fashioned (Woodford bourbon, organic maple syrup, bitters), which is smoked over a cedar plank. Half a dozen brews are on tap. The wine list blends California and European offerings.
DON’T MISS >>
Not surprisingly, the pork belly. But it’s hard to decide between the pork belly grilled cheese, which is served with a thick sourdough that soaks up the buttery goodness, or the Cali chicken flatbread, with its oven-roasted pork chunks.
GOOD TO KNOW >>
Heads up, locals. Happy hour runs from 4 to 6 p.m. daily — yes, weekends too.
PERFECT FOR … >>
Bites and sips before or after concerts at Shoreline Amphitheatre just north of here and games at Levi’s Stadium to the south. Peery Park is just a block off Highway 101. That also makes it a convenient post-work stop if you want to wait out the commute.
DETAILS >>
Weekday hours are 6 to 10 a.m. and 5 to 10 p.m.; on weekends it’s 7 to 11 a.m. and 5 to 10 p.m. The bar is open until 11 p.m. The Hilton Garden Inn is located at 767 N. Mathilda Ave., Sunnyvale. 408-735-7345, www.peerypark.thekitchenandbar.com.