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Category Archives: Restaurants

MacArthur Park Restaurant (Interiors)

Nestled near the train station at the end of University Ave. in Palo Alto, MacArthur Park is a hidden gem among many fine dining experiences in the valley. On this rainy day I simply showed Faz Poursohi what his restaurant could look like through my eyes, vision and photography. I guess he was intrigued, as […]

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Fraiche Frozen Yogurt (Palo Alto)

I’ve been hearing about this frozen yogurt place for a while now, but it’s hard to get excited about “another” froyo place, I mean the opening of these places is practically an epidemic. But I recently had the opportunity to shoot Fraiche in downtown Palo Alto, and I’ve gotta say this stuff is pretty good. […]

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Manresa, Los Gatos (Interiors)

David Kinch’s Manresa is a Los Gatos fine dining icon; anyone who calls themselves a “foodie” in the Bay Area has visited the Michelin-rated restaurant at least once. David’s menu is constantly changing, depending on whatever’s “growing in the garden.” The restaurant is not huge, but boasts an intimate, classy atmosphere (dare I call it […]

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The Meat is on (The Grill)

The Grill on the Alley, nestled next to Downtown San Jose’s Fairmont Hotel, oozes with class and sports a menu that will satisfy any discerning meat ‘n’ potatoes-loving connoisseur. I always enjoy shooting here, whether it’s food or interiors. When it comes to slabs of beef, The Grill keeps it simple. Meat, broccoli, and beer […]

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Spring Menu @ Sent Sovi, Saratoga (Food)

I love shooting Josiah’s culinary creations. I can make 100 photos by cropping various portions of each dish, he has such a fine attention to detail. Here’s just a few from our marathon Spring Menu session. All the photos from the shoot are here. A few stills and a slideshow of my favorites are below. […]

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Kaama Ambiance (Architecture Photography)

I always have a tough time shooting the interiors of really dark places – not that’s it’s a technical challenge, it’s just that it’s so easy to bring out details that you really don’t want to see in a dark place. For example, when someone paints their ceiling black, it’s because there’s nothing up there […]

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Magazine Cover (Before / After)

If you’ll recall from my last cover, it’s good to envision the the final product of the mag – the proportions, negative space for coverlines, etc – when shooting your subject. But more often than not, the photos gracing many, many magazine covers were never shot with that intent. Usally Art Directors are sourcing images […]

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VIP Party (Event)

It seems like all my posts lately are related to Kaama Lounge – well there’s a lot going on there, with it being a hot new restaurant ‘n’ all. Here’s a few photos from a VIP party held the night before the place opened. Slideshow below (click it, neat!), all 166 printable photos here. [slidepress gallery=’kaama-vip-party’]

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Beer + Burgers = FireHouse Grill

I love beer. I love burgers. I love restaurants that excel in both departments. Enter Firehouse Brewery, anchored on Murphy Street in downtown Sunnyvale for several years now. The General Manager (Leticia Jensen) was kind enough to meet up with me before the craziness of St. Patrick’s Day was upon us to get a few […]

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Tasty Thai (Siam Taste)

Murphy Street, the one-block heart of downtown Sunnyvale, is getting totally remodeled right now. To the casual passer-by, it looks like a serious construction zone. But the businesses are still open, and there’s some true gems – new and old. One such jewel is Siam Taste, and although there’s nothing extraordinary going on from a […]

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Friends and Family Night (Event)

Kaama Lounge is almost open, here’s a few shots from the “Friends and Family” event – a chance to to the food and cocktails and generate a buzz in anticipation of the grand opening! Everyone had fun, and I enjoyed getting some nice shots of the guests and staff! Slideshow below. All 93 photos here. […]

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More “Fast” Food (Kaama Lounge)

In my last post, I showed some select shots from the first shoot with Matt Mermod, the Executive Chef at soon-to-be-open Kaama Lounge in San Jose. We were experimenting with high-speed (1/800 sec) food photography, which is fun, but a little stressful for the photographer (aka me) as I really only had one chance to […]

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Kaama Lounge (Food Action!)

I met with Executive Chef Matt Mermod at Kaama Lounge, which is slated to open in the next couple of weeks at 385 S. Winchester Blvd., near Santana Row in San Jose. We wanted to do something a little different from the norm with the food shots – somehow make them more dynamic with action […]

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As Showcased in Pictory Magazine…

{Click to visit Pictory Mag Site} There’s a new online photography magazine called Pictory (Picture + Story) where photographers from around the world submit a photo and short story to predetermined themes. I submitted a shot I took at Refuge in San Carlos for the “Local Flavor” theme. The website is a great idea, started […]

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New Chef in the Kitchen at Chez TJ (Portrait)

Scott Nishiyama is the new Executive Chef at critically-acclaimed restaurant Chez TJ in Mountain View. This is a gem of a restaurant, and a great place to take that special someone for some fine french dining. The atmosphere is rich and subdued, soft light cast from colorful hand-blown lamps at each table. Scott took 10 […]

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Beautifull! Food

This is a follow-up to Beautifull!’s architectural photos, click here if you missed that post. We didn’t plan on shooting any food, but like many photo shoots, it just kinda… happened. It started out with a “hey, let’s get some shots of the [delicious] polenta fries in front of the oven” …which quickly moved on […]

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Beautifull! New Restaurant (Exteriors/Interiors)

After opening their first San Francisco restaurant in 2009 (see photos here), Beautifull! wasted no time in opening their second SF location this week. They claim to offer “The best prepared fresh food in the world,” and having sampled the goods I won’t debate that statement. Alas, the food will show up in a separate […]

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Not for Vegetarians, Vegans, et al. (Skewered Meat Closeups)

Llana at Espetus asked me to get some new photos of their beautiful (and tasty) skewered meat that’s the mainstay offering of the restaurant. Last time we tried to include plated side dishes and cocktails in the shots, but because the skewers are so long, composition was challenging for those shots. Llana also wanted to […]

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Nothing Fishy With This Sea Bass

I like my Bass as much as the next guy, but Shekoh over at Shokolaat in Palo Alto takes it to the next level. This melts in your mouth and has amazing flavor. Ok, this sounds like a paid commercial so I’ll shut up and just let you enjoy the photo…

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Matt Levin, Restauranteur (Portraits)

Matt Levin, owner of The Refuge in San Carlos, stepped outside his restaurant for a few portraits. I love the neon signage, and it makes a great backdrop for these shots. I also got a couple when I was in the kitchen and he was standing out by the kitchen pickup window. Shot with a […]

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