![]() ![]() He enjoys liquors that aren’t smoky, dive bars that are, and has a vague dread that someone, somewhere might be having more fun than him. Joe Starkey is the tallest person in the room 90% of the time. Generally, it's food, which really works out. And the "Brick Chicken," which is a Cornish Game Hen with saffron rice and pimentón. Turns out, it's things like ricotta dumplings with English peas and black truffles. Good as all of that will be, though, you came here to see what one of those French Laundry vets has been up to back in the kitchen. Take your seats, do that excited little looking-around-while-smiling-and-generally-settling-in thing that you do, and promptly order a classic cocktail like a Manhattan or Mint Mule. 250 California Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94306, tats-Unis - Retrouvez les avis de vos amis, des influenceurs, des magazines et des guides qui parlent du Protg. now.Īs you and a very special person who's willing to leave the city with you enter, you'll immediately be graced with the tan banquettes and the backlit bar and the general sense that you're about to get into something pretty special here. We'll also assume that means you'll gladly make the short pilgrimage to Palo Alto for Protégé, a new restaurant that's the love child of a French Laundry chef and a French Laundry master sommelier. Lopez is even baking breads with Palo Alto wild yeast starter.When we say "French Laundry," you say "How high?" ![]() It’s not your usual bar fare.Įvery detail of Protégé shows the team’s unique fingerprints, from the chicken foot impressed into the handmade brick made specially to weigh down the “brick chicken” Cornish game hens ($27), to the founders’ life stories written into literal giant thumbprints on the wall by local artist Rafael Arana. The beautifully executed short rib pithivier with that Holland white asparagus, rich potato puree, and red wine sauce ($30) would be at home in any Michelin-starred dining room. The dishes served in the lounge are supposedly more casual than those of the dining room, but the ham hock hush puppies ($8) turned out to be four gilt spheres served on a bed of tiny popped grains. The airy room accommodates tables of two to four people, with a 10-seat bar. They can decide just to have a glass and a couple of dishes to share, or have a four-course meal,” explains dining room manager Kent Bui, formerly of Manresa. “The idea is for people in the neighborhood to stop by, maybe for a spontaneous date night. “We want to appeal to a wide demographic.”Ī post shared by Jon de la Cruz on at 6:46am PDT “We want to showcase our style, training, and talent, but this isn’t an art project,” says Secviar. The cheese cart is stocked by Andante Dairy’s Soyoung Scanlon, and the dessert cart is the brilliant handiwork of fellow French Laundry alum and pastry chef Eddie Lopez, who also hails from Grace in Chicago and The Vintage Cave in Honolulu.ĭespite the impressive pedigrees, “approachable” is Protégé’s mantra, and most of the space is given over to a stylish yet comfortable no-reservations lounge. Dishes like charcoal-roasted white asparagus specially flown in from their fishmonger’s grandmother in Holland demonstrate their commitment to sourcing truly special ingredients, but they also plan to take full advantage of the weekly Cal Ave. Rather than a four-hour marathon of endless tiny bites, the reservation-only dining room offers prix fixe options of two courses for $55, three for $69, or four courses for $85. Offering two dining spaces, order la carte in The Lounge or sample the five-course tasting menu in The Dining Room. It shut down 18 years ago and the building was demolished, but the property is back in a new bid to shake up the neighborhood. Protg Palo Alto, US Combining their vision of upscale New American dining and drinking, former French Laundry alumni Anthony Secviar (chef) and Dennis Kelly (sommelier) opened Protg in 2018. It was the only place where kids could rock out to live acts like The Cars, Blondie, and the Talking Heads. But when opening a neighborhood joint for the Google and Facebook elite, casual does not mean low-fi.īefore it became a fine dining destination, the address 250 California Avenue had a much different past, as The Edge. They aim to disrupt the notion that fine dining has to be drawn-out formal dining, or that you have to drive to San Francisco for a night out. Protégé is the brainchild of two French Laundry veterans, chef Anthony Secviar and Master Sommelier Dennis Kelly. In reality, it’s a restaurant serving meticulously crafted modern American dishes alongside a wine lover’s dream list. “High-tech” at Protégé is classic haute cuisine technique, honed in the world’s finest kitchens and casually dressed as a neighborhood date night eatery. Among the Palo Alto startups going public this week is Protégé, which launched at 250 California Avenue. ![]()
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