June 12, 2017 | Story Restaurants National
At [esc], the afternoon menu’s tartine selection includes an option with rosemary roasted pears, blue cheese, spicy candied walnuts and watercress ($14).
[esc] invites you to escape—in the most Silicon Valley of ways. The new restaurant inside the completely renovated lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley is aptly named for the computer keyboard command to “stop.” Steps away from the conference rooms, the cafe is “a place to escape between meetings or just to take an hour to yourself for a mini break,” says Norma Textor-Wong, the hotel’s director of marketing.
With a marble bar, stools and cushy purple chairs, [esc] is a sophisticated coffee bar by day, with a handmade Italian machine known as The Slayer that pulls perfect espressos and cappuccinos to accompany freshly baked croissants and kouign-amanns. Yogurt parfaits, sandwiches and salads are available for those who prefer breakfast or lunch on the go.
At night, the 35-seat [esc] morphs into a wine bar complete with a Friday oyster and caviar special, along with a DJ. Or nosh a smoked salmon-avocado open-faced sandwich with a glass of wine, such as Blend 122, the Four Seasons’ new signature red wine by Byington Vineyard. This is the first hotel to sport Plum, a by-the-glass wine preservation system, not only at its wine bar, but eventually in all of its rooms. Imagine checking in, then pushing a button in your room to relax with a glass of chardonnay just like that. It might be the ultimate escape.
2050 University Ave., East Palo Alto, 650.566.1200
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