Class
As the peninsula south of San Francisco morphed from orchards to computers, the name changed from Valley of Heart’s Delight to Silicon Valley. As techies replaced farmers, with few exceptions, property values in the Valley rocketed.
Redwood City was one of the exceptions. For years, the city was a backwater in a fast-flowing stream.
No more. Today, Redwood City is a rapidly growing municipality that has preserved its historic Broadway downtown, now home to old brick buildings, a leafy canopy, and to restaurants of every stripe and ethnicity.
At the center of the district is The Courthouse 2021, the first and only restaurant on Broadway serving classic American cuisine. It’s fine-dining personified, from service to setting, price to portion, freshness to flavor. Down from San Francisco or up from San Jose, it’s worth the trip.
The menu cleverly divides offerings by their origin: Green Earth, Charcoal & Wood, From The Sky, From The Sea, From The Hoof.
- Among the stars … From Wood: Courthouse Signature Flatbread (wood-oven dried tomatoes, fresh buratta, basil, garlic puree and truffle honey: $14.)
- From Sea: Pan roasted day boat scallops on saffron & pea risotto, $32. It comes with sturgeon caviar, which is fine on its own but detracts from the ultra-fresh taste of the large, plump scallops; ask for it to served on the side.
- And from Dessert: Chocolate Molten Cake with vanilla Crème Anglaise, candied orange zest, muddled raspberry and bourbon crème $14.
Courthouse 2021’s setting features muted wall coverings, white tablecloths, high ceilings and Mediterranean stonework. Service is informed, involved (but not hovering), formal (by California standards) and polite. At meal’s end, you feel ever so slightly more important than you really are. A sure sign of class.
The Courthouse 2021 Restaurant: 2021 Broadway, Redwood City. Monday through Sunday from 3 to 11 p.m. Street parking and public lots are readily available. www.thecourthouse2021.com. For reservations, also via OpenTable.com, (650) 367-7974.
