Trying to get out and explore more of the Bay Area is hard. My experiences with restaurants outside of the city are more along the lines of we-have-other-plans-so-what-is-nearby as opposed to travelling just to check out the area and restaurants. Since my partner has to trek to work in the South Bay sometimes, he finally suggested that perhaps I come down and meet him somewhere for dinner. Palo Alto seemed like a great choice as it’s close-ish to his work, and the express train goes directly there, so we can meet without driving and enjoy a good dinner with some fantastic wine.
Of course, I had to do my research on where might be good as I have no knowledge at all of what is there. Bird Dog hit the top of my list very quickly. The chef has worked at some top quality restaurants such as Benu and The French Laundry, so the American/Asian influences were really no surprise. And as a huge fan of Asian food, I was ready and willing to go and see how well he could do!
Cocktail menu 
Hunter Spritz
We were intrigued by the cocktail list, as most of the cocktails seemed very similar to a standard cocktail but with a twist. They also sounded like they might be slightly sweet, but the Half-Seas Over and the Hunter Spritz seemed like they would be a good match for how we like our cocktails. The Hunter Spritz is very similar to an Aperol Spritz, with some rhubarb and korean chili mixed in. It was a very light, refreshing summer drink, and I could see myself drinking it on a hot evening in Italy. The Half-Seas Over was described to us as being similar to a martini, but as the chef is a surfer, he wanted to find a way to recreate getting a mouthful of ocean water. I was intrigued, and the drink was absolutely fantastic. There was just a hint of the sea to it, and it felt a bit like drinking oysters. It was definitely a winner.
Foodwise, we ordered quite a bit to share. The recommendation was two from each list (starters, sides and mains), but as it was our first time, we were told that three from the first list and one from the second would work as well if we were interested in trying more of the chef’s signature dishes. I’m very much into signature dishes so we made sure to order several of them. The chef is from Texas so many of his recipes have that southern twist. We ordered two of them from the starter dish: The yeasted waffle with uni cream cheese and trout roe and the wood-grilled avocado with ponzu and fresh wasabi. We also ordered some kampachi to try out how he handles sashimi. For the side dish, while the signature potatoes sounded amazing, we went with Brussels sprouts to get a few greens. For the main dishes, we had to try the signature fried chicken thighs, and we also opted for the braised long rib. Finally, we ordered a bottle of Cabernet Franc, as they have a fairly interested an extensive wine list with a wide range of years depending on how you like to drink your wine.
Herbed roti 
Kampachi
They also provide some bread service, with some Indian herbed roti which was an interesting and flavorful touch. The kampachi arrived and there were about four pieces covered with some foam and some powder. The flavors were pretty fantastic, with nice acidity from the lemon, spicy from the aji chili and a nice nuttiness from the pecan-sesame powder, but I wish the kampachi hadn’t been completely covered up with the toppings. But it was a solid dish, and it really had me excited to find out what was going to be coming out next.
The next to arrive was the waffle. It looked amazing but splitting it was a bit difficult. The toppings to the waffle were in different areas, so cutting it in half and mixing them together got difficult. It did taste absolutely fantastic with a bit of sweetness in the waffle from maple syrup, that rush of umami from the uni and saltiness from the roe. I really wished we had ordered two so we could have one each, that is how good it was. Finally, the last of our starters came: The wood-grilled avocado. It definitely looked and smelled great, but it was a bit difficult to eat as all the ponzu and wasabi was inside of the hole. I could eat it reasonably well if I slowly ate it from the inside out, but one small incorrect slice, and all the ponzu would have flowed out on the plate. It was definitely another fantastic dish though, as the ponzu (a mix of yuzu and soy sauce) added the salt and citrus that is usually required for avocado to really stand out. The wasabi also added a bit of heat, so it was definitely a winning dish in my book.
Yeasted waffle 
Wood-grilled avocado
After a little while, a plate of salad was brought to our table (which I pointed out we didn’t order), but it was complimentary from the chef. I think it may have been because there was an issue with our mains and that we were brought some food in the meantime while they fixed it. I’m always okay with something for free, so we dug in. The salad was light, refreshing, and very enjoyable.
Butter leaf salad 
Brussels sprouts
Finally, our mains arrived, and we were excited to dig in! The long rib looked fantastic, with a nice dark char on the outside, and it fell right of the bone. It was rich, beefy and decadent, and definitely a winning dish for me. (But I also love a good slow cooked piece of meat). The chicken was boneless, but as it was thigh meat, it was still really moist. The crust fell off a bit, but everything was flavorful, and it was obvious that the chef was really into his Southern soul food. The Brussels sprouts were nice and plentiful (unlike some other fine dining restaurants I’ve been to recently), so they really were a nice side dish for our mains. It wasn’t a wow side, so perhaps those potatoes would have been a great choice after all.
Beef long rib 
Fried chicken thigh
Of course, I wanted dessert, so we checked out the menu, and I decided on the cheesecake which ended up being more like a deconstructed carrot cake as there was a base of carrot cake crumble with a scoop of cheesecake. It felt like the cheesecake was there to replicate a cream cheese frosting. It was nice, but not the best dessert I’ve had. They did have an amazing dessert wine called a Barolo Chinato which was a bit of a combo of wine and amaro. It was new to us, but we did fall in love with it right away.
Dessert menu 
Cheesecake
Bird Dog was a really fantastic experience. From the service of the waiter and the sommelier, to the interesting dishes and great wines, dinner was very enjoyable. If we lived closer, I could see us coming back a lot more. As is it, it may have to be reserved to one of these after work meet-ups in the South Bay, but it will be on the list for a return trip.
