Chefs dish on the best restaurants for Valentine’s 💘

Here’s where your favorite restaurateurs would dine at on Valentine’s Day

Kasem Saengsawang, chef-owner of Farmhouse Thai and Son & Garden, recommends Ettan’s cocktails. Photo by Devin Roberts.

Valentine’s Day may be over a week away, but restaurant reservations are already filling up. If you’re stumped on what restaurant to celebrate love at, consider a suggestion from one of these 10 Peninsula restaurateurs and chefs. From Mediterranean fare accompanied with live jazz to prix fixe menus with complimentary Champagne, we’ve compiled recommendations from the owners of notable restaurants like Son & Garden, Ettan, Meyhouse, Mazra and more.

As a bonus, here are two recommendations that aren’t included in the official roundup. Michael Ekwall, owner of Palo Alto’s La Bodeguita del Medio, offered a suggestion for an at-home celebration: Have a “French night” with a bottle or two of wine from Vin Vino Wine, as well as cheeses, fruits and picnic supplies from Sigona’s. Add cornichons, fig or quince jam, cured ham, chorizo sausage and/or conservas, and enjoy with your loved one.

Looking for a more casual restaurant option? Try Palo Alto’s Daigo for high-quality sushi with skillful preparation, suggests Sunny Noah, owner of Iki Omakase and Nagai Edomae Sushi.

Stay tasty,
Adrienne

Here are the best spots to dine at on Valentine’s Day, according to Peninsula restaurateurs and chefs

If the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach, then we have the love potion for you. We asked 10 local restaurateurs and chefs which Peninsula restaurants they’d take their loved ones to for Valentine’s Day and which dishes they’d be sure to order.

Kona coffee is coming to Mountain View, canelés pop up in Menlo Park and free cookies in Cupertino

Hanna Mejia Hans and Jorge Mejia, owners of Kona Island Coffee, stand outside their mobile coffee truck. Courtesy Kona Island Coffee.

A coffee truck serving 100% Kona coffee and crepes will open its first brick and mortar in Mountain View later this year.
There’s a new bakery pop-up specializing in canelés with classic and Asian flavors.
Dungeness crab seasons are getting shorter to help with whale conservation efforts. Is the industry sustainable?
Burlingame’s Caffe Stellato, which specializes in Italian sandwiches and gelato, has expanded to downtown Palo Alto, replacing Gelato Classico.
Soko Soko Japanese Cuisine, a Japanese restaurant offering sushi, brunch and seasonal specialties, is now open in San Carlos.
Stardust Superfood Coffee, offering adaptogenic lattes and superfood bowls, is now open in Campbell.
Mian, a Southern California-based Sichuan noodle chain created by James Beard Award-nominated chef Tony Xu, has opened its first Bay Area outpost in Santa Clara.
Mylapore Express, a South Indian vegetarian restaurant chain, will open in the former spot of Pezzella’s Villa Napoli, which had been in Sunnyvale for 67 years.
Singaporean restaurant Killiney Kopitiam, formerly located in downtown Palo Alto, will host its Westfield Valley Fair pre-opening party from Friday to Sunday.
Crumbl will host the grand opening of its Cupertino cookie shop on Friday and will be giving away free chocolate chip cookies all day.
Sample chocolates from 16 chocolatiers at downtown Los Altos’ Valentine’s Choco-Stroll on Saturday from 2-5 p.m.
The Bywater in Los Gatos will be closed today through Feb. 11 “for maintenance and respite,” according to a recent Instagram post.
Sprouts will give 25 schools a fully stocked cooking cart. Nominate your school by Saturday for a chance to win.
Local Kitchens is launching its collaboration with chef and digital food star Tuệ Nguyễn tomorrow, featuring four Vietnamese dishes.

Persimmon boba tea and coconut pudding at Tong Sui

I’ve tried most boba along the Peninsula, having grown up with the drink even before the Peninsula’s boba boom. So it comes as a shock to most that I’ve never tried Tong Sui, which began in San Jose in 2020. There are a few things about Tong Sui that have discouraged me from trying: The drinks look gimmicky, as many are topped with “cheezo” or “creama” (similar to Happy Lemon or Bober), and the cups don’t have a sealed top, which I believe is intrinsic to the boba experience (and is one of the reasons I’m not a fan of Boba Guys). And seasonal drinks are priced at $7.95-$9.95, and that’s not including boba, which will run you an additional dollar.

Pulled in by Tong Sui’s new persimmon drinks coupled with its new Cupertino location, I decided I’d give its boba a try. Something to note: Not all of Tong Sui’s drinks are listed on the menu above the register. It only showed one persimmon drink, the Osmanthus Persimmon Cheezo ($8.95), but there’s also an unlisted second persimmon drink option.

With the word Osmanthus in the name and no description on the menu, I assumed the drink would be made with osmanthus tea, which it disappointingly wasn’t. The persimmon puree was quite tasty, with larger chunks of persimmon coming through the boba straw, but without a tea component, the drink felt a little cloying and one-note. Was it worth $10? Absolutely not.

Now, I would be remiss if I went to Tong Sui and didn’t try their signature coconut puddings. I’m very glad I did, because I enjoyed the pudding more than the boba. I opted for the mango mochi coconut pudding ($10.95), and it was delightful. Lightly sweet with an addictive texture and packed with mango and coconut flavors, it was a treat that somehow felt healthy to eat.

Tong Sui, locations in Cupertino, Palo Alto, Redwood City, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Sunnyvale; Instagram: @torfabistro.

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