The plate also includes fried sweet potatoes that add a subtle sweetness to the mix. The soft-shell crab ($13), nubby with cornmeal, is placed next to a circle of smashed avocado and aioli made spicy from a generous dash of Tabasco. The thick bread has an intense nuttiness, and the Bellwether Farms Carmody cheese has a creamy tang that makes it as distinctive as the soup. Stewart serves the combination as an appetizer, but this adult version features a spicy broth and a sandwich cut into two small triangles. I love the familiar twist on the tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich ($8.50). The chef tends to crowd appetizers and desserts onto bread plates, making them look less appealing than they are. The flavors were marvelous, but the presentation wasn't. His grilled asparagus ($9), served with a black pepper sabayon laced with a hearty dose of sherry and white truffle oil, is cleverly paired with tiny summer chanterelles, sauteed crispy so they crackle like bacon. His repertoire includes an innovative panzanella salad ($8) made with grilled whole wheat bread, wedges of at least three kinds of heirloom tomatoes and seasoned white beans tossed with tender leaves of arugula, basil and mint. The food is familiar yet inventive, and Stewart has that elusive knack of being able to balance disparate flavors. The couple fell in love with Willowside when they were in the area planning their wedding, so after hearing it was for sale, they bought it and renamed it Zazu. His family has been in the catering business in New York since 1919. Then became chef at the Palace Kitchen there, where she met her husband. She moved back to the West Coast to be the corporate sous chef for Tom Douglas' three Seattle restaurants, The handsome copper-top tables are still there, as are the five swirling fans, the framed mirrors and the large windows that overlook Guerneville Road, miles of vineyards and the hillsides beyond.Įstes is a San Francisco native who went east to attend Brown University and stayed to work at Al Forno in Providence, R.I. They didn't have a lot of excess capital, so the interior was left pretty much alone. However, Willowside faltered for a while under another owner and finally closed before being taken over by Estes and Stewart. The only positive thing to say is that the burger was good.Under the original owners, now involved in Manzanita in Healdsburg, Willowside grew into the type of country gem that diners dream about. At the end we decided to stay, although we considered this behaviour really unprofessional. When we arrived, there was no performance at all, only a soccer game on tv. We then talked to the waiter to know if there was a place inside (as we planned this dinner there in order to be entertained) and she tried to call the other location in Aragon, where they had our table inside: they assured us that they had performances also there so we decided to go there. The waiter told us that Terrace in Spain means on the street, but no one ever told us that and anyway you couldn’t hear the music. When we arrived at Alameda, we discovered that the “Terrace” was a table alone on the street, without any decoration and completely outside of the restaurant: you could never hear some music or anything. Therefore, we decided to book a table to be sure to have dinner also at Alameda: they had only space in the Terrace, which was fine for us, as long as we could hear music and see the performances. At the end, the waiter in Aragon told us he reserved a table but to call back for confirmation: no one never answered. We tried to call both locations 20 times as most of the time no one was answering or no one spoke English. As we knew we were going to be Valencia from Saturday to Tuesday, we decided to book a table at Zazu on Sunday night in order to see an “animated” dinner. We had many problems with Zazu, both the restaurant Alameda and the restaurant Aragon. Special occasions Restaurants in La Xerea.Late Night European Restaurants in Russafa. ![]() Restaurants with Outdoor Seating in Valencia.Restaurants for Group Dining in Valencia.Indian Restaurants for Lunch in Valencia.Asian Restaurants with Buffet in Valencia.Hotels near Parroquia de San Nicolas de Bari y San Pedro Martir.Hotels near Plaza del Mercado (Placa del Mercat).Hotels near Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias.Marriott Autograph Collection Hotels in Valencia.
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