12/24/2023 0 Comments Protege palo alto restaurant![]() The main confusion of the restaurant is the divide between the lounge and the tiny dining room. The chocolate tart, which is optionally served à la mode, is intense, rich and delicious, although perhaps not the most innovative dessert you can find. Once a dessert is chosen, it is prepared and plated in the kitchen. The main courses are certainly filling, though not to the point of turning down the dessert cart, filled with canelés, pies and cookies. The short rib pithivier has delicate, buttery and crunchy pastry with a satisfying short rib filling, though the dish as a whole eats a little dry, and dollops of ranch dressing with white asparagus seem a little out of place. Main courses continue the trend of classic dishes done with a modern spin, such as a roasted brick chicken. Spreading the ingredients on the brioche melds out the flavors somewhat. Although the flavors are a traditional combination, the foie gras has a strong gamey flavor, and the celery is a tad overpowering. ![]() ![]() The appetizer section of the lounge menu features dishes such as pillow-like ricotta dumplings and a foie gras “terrine.” The latter, a signature dish at Secviar’s training grounds, The French Laundry, is served with celery, quince and hazelnut, as well as a brioche slice. These “little tastes” are certainly a friendly start to the meal, but with plenty of less ambitious restaurants offering complimentary amuse-bouche and bread courses, being charged for these small bites almost feels unfair. The dish is a well-balanced tartare, ceviche or crudo (whatever you want to call it), though the resemblance with the original dish of fish and chips is a little tenuous. A play on fish and chips features an acidic ceviche topped with a chamomile flower, served over a chip that reminded me of the Asian shrimp crackers I ate growing up. To begin, the brown butter rolls are perfectly buttery, paired with - you guessed it - more butter. The lounge menu is more ambitious than most, but at its core, still a lounge menu. The restaurant itself keeps elements of fine dining, keeping true to the background of the chef, but aims to make it more approachable, with a smaller 2 to 4 course prix-fixe menu in the small dining room and an à la carte menu in the walk-in lounge. ![]() The name “protégé” means “one who is mentored or trained or whose career is furthered by a person of experience, prominence or influence.” Here, the name has a double meaning, both in reference to Chef Anthony Secviar’s extensive experience at The French Laundry, one of the most famous restaurants in the world, as well as the goal of the restaurant - to mentor younger chefs and to give them a place to learn and further their careers. Still, it seems as if word is out - reservations in the 7-table dining room are almost impossible to come by, and tables in the walk-in only lounge will make you wait outside (unless you show up at 5 o’clock on the dot). This expectation made Protégé’s quiet soft-opening this past month all the more surprising. When a restaurant is announced two years in advance - especially when that restaurant is spearheaded by two French Laundry alums - it would seem to follow that the opening would come with lots of fanfare. There’s a new kid on the block - on California Avenue, to be specific - one that may have you literally waiting on the block. ![]()
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