Category Archives: Chefs

Johnny & Sanny’s Is the Latest Addition to Downtown Mountain View

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Octopus carpaccio at Johnny & Sanny's.
Octopus carpaccio at Johnny & Sanny’s.

If there was any positive to come out of the pandemic, it was the closure of Mountain View’s Castro Street to traffic. Instead of cars and motorcycles rumbling by, there are now cornhole games, a ping-pong table, and even mini putting green holes set up in what has grown into a veritable pedestrian playground with adults and kids alike.

Restaurants that line both sides seem even livelier now. One of the buzziest is Doppio Zero, with diners filling every sidewalk table. No wonder the founders of this mini Bay Area chain, Gianni “Johnny” Chiloiro and Angelo “Sanny” Sannino were inspired to open another restaurant just a few doors away.

Appropriately named Johnny & Sanny’s after its owners, it opened in May. Chef de Cuisine Santiago Avila Gonzalez and Corporate Chef Antonio Inguscio helm the kitchen of this establishment dedicated to Italian-American cuisine.

The front of the restaurant can be opened up completely to the sidewalk.
The front of the restaurant can be opened up completely to the sidewalk.

A couple weeks ago, I had a chance to check out the new restaurant when I was invited in as a guest.

The whole front of the restaurant opens up onto the sidewalk, making dining here seem even more festive.

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The Choi of Roasted Beets with Chili Crisp, Cilantro, and Lime

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Roasted beets never had it so good, as in this audacious dish.
Roasted beets never had it so good, as in this audacious dish.

The beet goes on.

And on and on in this inspired dish that’s a pure powerhouse of flavors that lingers devilishly on the palate.

“Roasted Beets with Chili Crisp, Cilantro, and Lime” is sweet, spicy, earthy, acidic and full of umami, and sure to make even an avowed beet hater change their tune.

This easy recipe is from the new “The Choi of Cooking” (Clarkson Potter), of which I received a review copy.

With a title like that, it could have been written only by Roy Choi, the South Korea-born chef who made a colossal splash in Los Angeles with his Kogi BBQ that ignited the food truck craze.

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The Enchanting Angele Restaurant & Bar in Napa

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Pate de Campagne at Angele in Napa.
Pate de Campagne at Angele in Napa.

With beautiful mountain ranges and sweeping vineyards galore, the Napa Valley doesn’t have to work hard to enrapture visitors. So, it’s a rare restaurant there that somehow manages to outdo that bucolic setting and transport you elsewhere.

That establishment is Angele Restaurant & Bar in downtown Napa, where dining feels like a blissful getaway to the lovely countryside of France.

Owner Bettina Rouas opened the restaurant on the banks of the Napa River in 2002, naming it for her grandmother.

The welcome sign at the door.
The welcome sign at the door.
The roof over the outdoor patio.
The roof over the outdoor patio.

The comfortable warmth you feel at Angele is no accident, not when Rouas hails from a family renowned for its hospitality. Her father Claude Rouas owned legendary L’Etoile in San Francisco and opened Auberge du Soleil in Rutherford.

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A Visit to Charlie Palmer Steak and the Archer Hotel in Napa

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The Flannery ribeye at Charlie Palmer Steak in downtown Napa.
The Flannery ribeye at Charlie Palmer Steak in downtown Napa.

The Flannery ribeye at Charlie Palmer Steak in downtown Napa.

Celebrated Chef Charlie Palmer operates a variety of restaurants from coast to coast. But he has only three Charlie Palmer Steak restaurants across the country: New York, Reno, and downtown Napa.

Recently, I had a chance to check out the Napa restaurant inside the Archer Hotel, when I was invited in as a guest of both establishments.

The swank boutique hotel that opened in 2018 on First Street is a perfect place to stay when you want to be in the thick of things, as it’s as easy walk to a variety of tasting rooms, retail stores, restaurants, the wonderful Moulin bakery, the lively Saturday farmers market, the CIA at Copia and Oxbow Public Market.

The hotel is a convenient walk to so many Napa attractions.
The hotel is a convenient walk to so many Napa attractions.
Steph Curry's bourbon whiskey is featured.
Steph Curry’s bourbon whiskey is featured.

The soaring hotel lobby includes a showcase of Steph Curry paraphernalia touting the Gentleman’s Cut Bourbon Whiskey curated by the Warriors point guard that’s a featured spirit at the bar.

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Zareen’s Irresistible Grilled Chicken Boti

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A home version of Zareen's fabled grilled chicken boti.
A home version of Zareen’s fabled grilled chicken boti.

The first time I had the pleasure of dining at Zareen’s in Palo Alto, my husband and I ordered chicken samosas, thali plates, and an obscene amount of flatbreads.

But apparently, that wasn’t enough. Because just as we began digging into it all, Owner Zareen Khan walked over with a plate of grilled chicken botti, sizzling away on a cast-iron platter and filling the air with the warm scent of garlic, cumin, and paprika. “You have to try this,” she said, proudly.

She was right. It is now a must-order for us whenever we dine there. We’re definitely not alone, as it’s the most popular dish at the restaurant.

You’ll find that “Grilled Chicken Boti” recipe in her new cookbook, “Zareen’s Pakistani Kitchen” (Sasquatch Books), of which I received a review copy.

The book was written with her husband, Umair Khan, who is the founder of Folio3 Software and a founding partner of Mentors Fund, as well as a visiting professor at the University of California at Berkeley.

She and her husband, who met in high school, were both born in Karachi, the largest city in Pakistan. The cookbook showcases the Pakistani and North Indian specialties of Zareen’s, as well as beloved home-cooking staples and street-food favorites.

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