Oak + Violet Opens in Silicon Valley’s New Park James Hotel | Eater SF

"Inside Menlo Park’s new Park James Hotel, I found Oak + Violet, the luxury hotel’s main restaurant helmed by executive chef Mike Gadd; it opened for dinner on Monday, October 8. The dining room features lots of natural wood and a Connemara marble dining bar where diners can order off-menu daily specials, and the “James” name and green marble nod to Menlo Park’s Irish history. The menu focuses simply on Californian cuisine with local ingredients, starting with small shared bites like Dungeness crab toasts with spicy aioli, mini lobster tacos with avocado crème, and steak tartare with pickled vegetables and a poached egg, then moving to entrees such as toasted farro risotto with butternut squash and hazelnuts, a whole branzino stuffed with roasted fennel, artichokes, olives, and peppers, and steak finished with bone marrow butter. Gadd (formerly sous chef at Veritas in Columbus, Ohio) and general manager Reed Woogerd lead the restaurant; Woogerd also oversees cocktails including the Pacific Mule (cucumber vodka, kiwi, ginger beer) and the Southside (gin, lime, butterfly tea, mint). Oak + Violet’s initial hours are 5 to 10 p.m. daily, with breakfast, lunch, and brunch rolling out on later dates." - Janelle Bitker