A Michelin-starred chef from the Napa Valley and Sausalito is bringing has brought his hyper-seasonal approach to a hotel restaurant on the Peninsula.
Chef Joseph Humphrey is now the executive chef at Oak + Violet, the restaurant at the Park James Hotel, a boutique property in Menlo Park. Both the hotel and the restaurant opened eight years ago, in October 2018.
Humphrey had been on the two-Michelin-star team at The Restaurant at Meadowood in St. Helena, then launched the inaugural restaurant at Cavallo Point Lodge in Sausalito in 2008. That restaurant, Murray Circle, won a Michelin star just three months later — the first starred restaurant ever for Marin County.
At the time, Humphrey told the Marin Independent Journal that a lot of attention was focused on that restaurant opening. “Also,” he said, “I was on the radar, especially with Michelin, because of Meadowood.”
The Humphrey era at Oak + Violet comes with a new Food & Beverage manager, Kaitlin Mitza, and a refreshed look for the restaurant, by the Parisa O’Connell Studio.
Their aim is to create menus that appeal to both locals and hotel guests for the stylish dining room and the expansive outdoor lounge area.
Local sourcing pops up in every dish on Humphrey’s inaugural menu, and he’s weaving early autumn and late summer ingredients together, thanks to the warm weather.
The Half Moon Bay Bonito Tuna is served with summer squash and fresh corn polenta. There are entrees of Pasture Raised Petaluma Chicken and Duck Breast. The appetizer list showcases Sizzling Monterey Bay Squid, a Castroville Artichoke Salad and Hand-Cut Pt. Reyes Beef Tartare with pecan salsa macha, fried oyster, oyster crema and house-made lavash.
Meanwhile, a refreshed cocktails menu — and an extensive mocktail menu — draw on local landmarks for their names. For instance, the Glenwood Garden blends scotch, mezcal, cucumber mint and lime, and draws its name from the nearby Glenwood Avenue, while the Laurel Spritz combines a non-alcoholic aperitivo, Lyres Classico and orange for a refreshing citrus drink, drawn from the nearby Laurel Street (there are also two local elementary schools with the same name).
For dessert, choose from a house-made trio: the Dark Chocolate Mousse paired with dulce de leche, salted caramel gelato and devil’s food cake; a house-made Cinnamon Roll Sundae with poached dates, lemon icing, chantilly cream, amarena cherries, candied pistachios and pistachio gelato; or a Warm Buttermilk Cake, served with marinated strawberries and a strawberry ice cream float.
Details: Open 5-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday for dinner. The cafe serves a limited breakfast and lunch menu starting at 6:30 a.m. daily, with coffee for hotel guests at 4:30 a.m. The Park James Hotel is located at 1400 El Camino Real, Menlo Park. https://parkjames.com/
