![]() ![]() On closer inspection they resolve into the enlarged thumb prints of the owners. At first each looks like a series of words arranged in swirls. Just how personal this restaurant is becomes obvious when diners see two pieces of framed artwork on the wall above the cheese cart station that services both rooms. The “lounge” is really a fully realized restaurant, and the a la carte menu rises miles above your typical bar food with appetizers such as three pillowy ricotta dumplings ($18) surrounded by a broth with tiny beach mushrooms, peas and nutty Parmesan. They also have a private dining room that seats up to 10, which is destined to be a popular place for business meetings and celebrations. Here they offer a four-course tasting menu ($95) with two choices in each category. Then there is the more intimate 20-seat dining room with its walnut wainscoting, massive image of trees along the back wall and a faux bois-motif carpet. They did hedge their bets by creating two concepts under one roof: There is a 40-seat lounge that includes a comfortable bar and an a la carte menu. Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicleīoth Kelly and Secviar are schooled in fine dining, and it’s obvious that style is central to their vision. The interior of Protege restaurant in Palo Alto, California, on Sunday, June 10, 2018. In Palo Alto, the designer had an empty canvas to work with, so he was able to install multilevel ceiling heights to define the different areas, floor-to-ceiling windows, wide-planked wood flooring and tactile tufted velvet banquettes to soften the hard surfaces. Together they’ve created a stunning restaurant with all the attention to detail but little of the pretense of the French Laundry.ĭesigner Jon de la Cruz was trying to walk the line between formality and the warehouse feel that dominates design these days, which drove his vision of the new Che Fico in San Francisco. His partner in this venture is Anthony Secviar, who also worked at the French Laundry for six years before moving to San Diego in 2012 to work at Addison in the Grand Del Mar Hotel. Kelly has further stacked the deck for success. For many who invested, it wasn’t just for monetary return but for the opportunity to have a nearby restaurant they could be proud of. Kelly says he has 50 investors, and 43 are local - which should go a long way to keeping the diners coming. Open 5:30-9:30 Tuesday-Thursday and until 10 p.m. Chef Jeremiah Tower opened Stars on Lytton Avenue in 1995, and two years later it became an outpost of Wolfgang Puck’s Spago, which lasted about a dozen years.Ģ50 S. Kelly, the wine master at the French Laundry for nearly a dozen years before leaving to open this new restaurant, started his career in Palo Alto, and he thought two of the biggest names to come to the city in the early 1990s, Stars and Spago, were ahead of their time. When I asked Dennis Kelly why he decided to locate his new restaurant, Protégé, in Palo Alto, he said that he thought the area was ready for what he had to offer. Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle Show More Show Less Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle Show More Show Less 10 of10 A piece of art depicting one of the owners fingerprints at Protege restaurant in Palo Alto, California, on Sunday, June 10, 2018. Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle Show More Show Less 9 of10 Roasted tomato soup with truffled grilled cheese at Protege restaurant in Palo Alto, California, on Sunday, June 10, 2018. ![]() Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle Show More Show Less 8 of10 Eddie Lopez shows off his tattoos which say "Cake Life" at Protege restaurant in Palo Alto, California, on Sunday, June 10, 2018. Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle Show More Show Less 7 of10 Dulce de leche dessert at Protege restaurant in Palo Alto, California, on Sunday, June 10, 2018. Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle Show More Show Less 6 of10 The short rib at Protege restaurant in Palo Alto, California, on Sunday, June 10, 2018. Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle Show More Show Less 5 of10 Hushpuppies at Protege restaurant in Palo Alto, California, on Sunday, June 10, 2018. Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle Show More Show Less 4 of10 The hen egg at Protege restaurant in Palo Alto, California, on Sunday, June 10, 2018. ![]() ![]() Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle Show More Show Less 3 of10 The short rib pithivier at Protege restaurant in Palo Alto, California, on Sunday, June 10, 2018. Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle Show More Show Less 2 of10 The whole cauliflower at Protege restaurant in Palo Alto, California, on Sunday, June 10, 2018. 1 of10 The cheese cart at Protege restaurant in Palo Alto, California, on Sunday, June 10, 2018. ![]()
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