Spilling the tea: Palo Alto is getting a restaurant from a celebrity chef and a cocktail bar from a Michelin-starred team
If you count boba as a food, it honestly might be my favorite type.
The first time I had boba I was in kindergarten, and it was love at first sip. At the time (two decades ago), boba was hard to come by in the Bay Area. There were no American-born chains like Boba Guys and no Taiwan-born franchises like Yi Fang Tea. And while I wasn’t keeping a tally of boba shops as a child, I distinctly remember Tea Era in Mountain View (which I mistakenly thought was “Tiara” for years) being one of the first boba shops established in the area.
This week, New York Times bestselling author Grace D. Li shares her favorite boba spots along the Peninsula, as well as what she recommends you order. Having my own boba opinions, I decided to tack on four Peninsula-exclusive boba spots (including Tea Era!) onto the bottom of her guide. And for easy reading, we also made a map!
Moving on from boba drinks to alcoholic drinks, the team behind Michelin-starred Protégé is working on a new California Avenue project: a cocktail bar taking inspiration from Tokyo, London and New York. From Michelin stars to a TV star, celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor is opening a restaurant in downtown Palo Alto – the first Khazana to open in the United States.
Stay tasty,
Adrienne
Here’s the tea: 15 boba shops to try on the Peninsula
New York Times bestselling author Grace D. Li shares her 11 favorite Peninsula boba shops, breaking down where to go and what to order. Peninsula Foodist Adrienne Mitchel shares four additional recommendations.
The latest openings in Palo Alto, a boba shop expands and more hot pot in San Mateo
- Downtown Palo Alto is getting a third modern Indian restaurant. Created by celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor, Khazana Palo Alto will soft open Sept. 9.
- The team behind Michelin-starred Protégé plans to open a cocktail bar along California Avenue in Palo Alto.
- Boba shop Ume Tea has replaced Burlingame’s Mochiko Mochi Pizza.
- In San Mateo, Sichuan hot pot restaurant Tang Bar has opened in the former Le Boulanger location, and Cajun Bowl opened its second restaurant on Monday.
- Starbird Chicken, a locally based fried chicken franchise, is opening its Palo Alto location on Monday.
- Palo Alto’s Zola + BarZola is celebrating its 10-year anniversary with a prix fixe dinner menu on Sept. 12 created by Howard Bulka of Palo Alto’s Howie’s Artisan Pizza, a mentor of Zola owner Guillaume Bienaime.
- Taste of Woodside, a ticketed event benefiting the Rotary Club of Woodside Portola Valley Foundation, is this Sunday from 4-8:30 p.m.
Apricot fields slice at Slice House by Tony Gemignani
It’s rare that I find myself impressed with a slice of pizza. Recently the pizzas I’ve tried have either been too soggy, too oily or too stingy with the toppings. But I think I may have found my new favorite slice at Slice House by Tony Gemignani in Mountain View.
At first I was a bit skeptical to try Slice House, turned off by it being a massive franchise with 71 locations in California alone. But at the urging of some old co-workers that I check out the pizza joint, my curiosity got the better of me. I tried both the hot honey (tomato sauce, mozzarella, thick and thin pepperoni, Italian sausage and hot honey) and the apricot fields (Blenheim apricot jam, bacon, sausage, pesto, mozzarella, ricotta and Romano cheeses, red onion, hot honey, Tony’s Hot Pepper Oil, and oregano and garlic oil). The apricot fields, a Mountain View exclusive item, was by far the winner.
The dough was lightly crisp with a wonderful chew and the ricotta added a satisfying creamy texture. The bacon and sausage were rich and savory and paired nicely with the sweet apricot jam. The pesto and red onion added a brightness and acidity that cut through the richness, and the hot honey and pepper oil added a kick of spice.
While I enjoyed my time at Slice House, the options are much more limited if you’re a vegetarian – cheese, veggie, and Sweet Gino (Margherita) are the only vegetarian by-the-slice options.
Slice House by Tony Gemignani, 2565 California St., Suite 501, Mountain View; 650-966-7772, Instagram: @SliceHouse. Open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
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The historic former President Hotel has transformed into an upscale homage to all things Stanford
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