This married couple is serving lomo saltado, jaw-breaking burgers and pasta out of a ghost kitchen in San Mateo
It was hard not to get misty eyed when interviewing Edith “Sara” Huamani and her husband Alberto Pastor for this week’s food feature.
Huamani spoke with so much passion in her voice that even though I don’t speak Spanish, the emotion behind her words was conveyed even before the translator spoke to me in English. Huamani and Pastor have put all their hopes and dreams into their food concept Sara’s Kitchen.
It hasn’t been an easy life for Huamani, who came to America on asylum after facing abuse in her hometown of Lima, Peru. Working her way up in the restaurant industry, she eventually met her now husband – they connected over immigrating to America by themselves.
Recently, the couple poured their savings into starting their own business, located in a ghost kitchen in San Mateo. It’s just a two-person operation, but Huamani and Pastor dream of making enough money to give back to low-income communities.
Stay tasty,
Adrienne
Edith Huamani immigrated from Peru 18 years ago on asylum. Now, she and her husband are fulfilling their longtime dream of opening an eatery
Sara’s Kitchen, which debuted May 2 in the San Mateo Food Mall, offers an eclectic assortment of Peruvian, American and Italian options.
A longtime restaurateur debuts a new concept in Palo Alto, a barbecue chain abruptly closes three of its locations and an event for beer and dog lovers
- The Farm, a new all-day cafe specializing in organic coffee and housemade pizzas, recently opened near Palo Alto’s California Avenue.
- A 42-year-old local barbecue chain is down to just one restaurant after suddenly shuttering three at once.
- Carpaccio, a 36-year-old Italian restaurant in Menlo Park, permanently closed Sunday.
- South Indian fusion restaurant Kappa soft opened Friday in Santa Clara.
- Horsefeather, a cocktail-forward restaurant in San Francisco, is opening its new location in Palo Alto’s Town & Country Village Friday.
- The Peninsula Humane Society is hosting a ticketed beer tasting event benefiting shelter animals Saturday from 2-5 p.m. in Burlingame.
- Half Moon Bay Brewing Co. is celebrating its 25th anniversary on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. with carnival games, live music and food and drinks.
- Covour Coffee in Palo Alto will be celebrating its 1-year anniversary Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- PETA has ranked local vegan seafood company Jinka as a top vegan seafood brand of 2025.
- Donato Enoteca in Redwood City is temporarily closing Tuesday, with plans to reopen later this summer. “Expect some exciting changes when we open our doors again,” the business posted on Instagram.
Dinner at 1001 Nights
If you’re a foodie, live near East Palo Alto and use Instagram, chances are your feed is flooded with reels advertising 1001 Nights at the Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley (I know mine is.) But is the returning summer pop-up just hype, or is it actually good?
When making a dinner reservation, you have three choices of seating: general seating, which has no extra cost and is very aesthetic, with a larger-than-life genie lamp; the Arabian tents, which is where I was seated and cost $150 per rental; and the Arabian Dome, which is arguably the most aesthetic and costs $250 per rental.
Unless you’re celebrating a very special occasion (with no more than four people) and want the extra privacy, I’d recommend sticking to general seating. I found the seating at the Arabian tent uncomfortable, as you have to lean forward quite a bit to eat. And unlike general seating, there were no heat lamps, which meant it was quite cold. There are 15-minute belly dance performances Friday to Sunday from 6-8 p.m. each hour, and when seated at the tents, you can barely hear the music, which comes from speakers in the general seating. You’re also only able to see a very brief portion of the dancing, which is primarily performed in the general area.
1001 Nights has a nice selection of cocktails, with interesting flavors and gorgeous presentations. I tried The Sultan’s Secret with blackberry-sage infused tequila, mezcal, fresh lime juice, handcrafted blackberry-sage syrup and egg white ($30), which was presented with smoke under a glass cloche, and the Magic Lamp with aromatic bourbon enhanced with chai tincture and coffee-walnut bitters ($28), which was poured tableside from a “magic lamp.” Both cocktails tasted wonderful, but I cannot justify spending $30 on one beverage.
Dinner is a four-course set menu, and diners have quite a few options to choose from. Unlike the cocktails, the price on the food is reasonable at $95.
For the first course, the cold mezze, I’d recommend the mushroom hummus and the roasted heirloom beet salad. The hummus was incredibly smooth and well-seasoned, and I loved the pairing of the earthy mushrooms with it. Beet salads are often paired with sweet ingredients, like balsamic reduction, apples and dried fruit, and I really liked how this was a truly savory beet salad, paired with tahini lemon dressing, nigella seeds and pistachio.
For the second course of hot mezze, I really enjoyed the beef kibbeh and Persian jewel rice, but I would not recommend the cheese roll, which desperately needed a dipping sauce. The kibbeh was well-seasoned and tender and served with mint labneh, pomegranate and pine nuts, which added more texture and variety of flavors. The Persian jewel rice wasn’t something I thought I’d care for, but it was packed with saffron flavor and had so many textures and flavors from the pistachios, almonds, sultanas, cranberries and candied oranges.
Of the four main courses I tried, I only enjoyed one. The sea bass samke harra was bland, despite being labeled as spicy on the menu. The Moroccan-style stew was toothachingly sweet, and the vegetable couscous was extremely bitter. The eggplant fatteh, however, was a breath of fresh air. Made with eggplant, garlic-scented yogurt, tomato, crispy pita and pine nuts, it was creamy, crunchy, tangy and earthy.
For dessert, both the um-ali, a bread pudding-like dessert, and blossom berry salad were great, but the must-order item is the saffron and halawa ice cream. It was my favorite dish of the night. Packed with saffron flavor and chunks of nutty halawa (reminiscent of cookie dough bits), the ice cream came topped with sesame seeds, date syrup and a “sugar beard” (cotton candy). I would buy this ice cream by the tub if that was an option.
In terms of ambiance, 1001 Nights knocks it out of the park. In terms of food, they’ve almost got it down, save for the entree section. Overall, I think you’d definitely have a fun time at 1001 Nights (especially if you have the budget for those cocktails), and the semi-private dining options would be nice for a birthday or anniversary celebration.
To watch my review, follow @peninsulafoodist on Instagram.
1001 Nights by Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley, 2050 University Ave., East Palo Alto; 650-370-1001, Instagram: @fspaloalto. Through Sept. 14, daily from 5-9:30 p.m. A la carte lunch available Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Sept. 14.
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