Acclaimed chef Scott Nishiyama is getting back in the restaurant game, a decade after leaving the Michelin-starred Chez TJ in Mountain View. Although he has an all-high-end résumé that also includes the French Laundry and Daniel, he is looking this time to deliver what he calls a “a fun and less formal dining experience.”
His inspiration? His maternal grandmother and his mother. Nishiyama remembers their “comforting home cooking and warm sense of hospitality” from his childhood on Maui in the Hawaiian islands, and said he hopes to re-create that sense in Palo Alto. He and GM Jon Sloane (Quince, Chez TJ) are planning a menu of small plates for family-style dining, using seasonal ingredients from farmers markets and local purveyors.
And they’ll be doing so in a space that evokes warm memories for Peninsula residents — the former home of the beloved Prolific Oven.
Details: Opening in July at 550 Waverley St., Palo Alto. www.ethelsfancypa.com
