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Top 5 Peninsula Brunch Spots To Celebrate a Graduate

Navio (credit: Randy Yagi

This is the time of year when many students across the Bay Area are looking forward to graduation day. For parents, it's also time to start planning for festivities to honor a graduating student for years of hard work, dedication and perseverance. One of the best and most traditional ways to celebrate academic excellence is a sumptuous brunch with loved ones, with or without a glass of bubbly. With time running out to make brunch reservations, here are five recommendations for the very best places on the Peninsula to enjoy a delightful graduation brunch.

Navio
Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay
1 Miramontes Point Road
Half Moon Bay, CA  91019
(650) 712-7040
www.ritzcarlton.com/HalfMoonBay

With sweeping views of the Pacific Coast, Navio hosts one of the most acclaimed Sunday brunches in the entire Bay Area. Guests can expect to enjoy a wide variety of superb food served buffet style, including breakfast favorites, cheese and charcuterie, a seafood and raw bar, caviar, sushi, decadent desserts and much more. Sunday brunch seating begins at 11 a.m. and reservations are required. Executive chef Xavier Salomon, who previously served in the same role at two other Ritz Carlton restaurants and chef de cuisine Kevin Tanaka lead the talented culinary staff at Navio.

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Madera
Rosewood Sand Hill
2825 San Hill Road
Menlo Park, CA  94025
(650) 561-1540
www.rosewoodhotels.com/en/sand-hill

Madera is an elegant Michelin-starred restaurant, with a number of lavish dishes for Sunday brunch. The a la carte menu offers traditional breakfast dishes such as Eggs Benedict and main dishes such as Hangar Steak and Kalamata Olive Chittarra, in addition to expertly crafted libations like Madera Mimosa and the Classic Bloody Mary. Private dining for brunch is available for up to 14 guests in two elegant dining rooms, The Orange Room and The Lemon Room. The private dining menu for lunch also offers a number of delectable al la carte dishes, such as Carmelized Onion Bisque, Traditional Eggs Benedict and Tartine. The award-winning restaurant with a very extensive wine list, is located within the luxury hotel Rosewood Sand Hill.

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Four Seasons Silicon Valley 
2050 University Ave.
East Palo Alto, CA  94303
(650) 470-2889
www.fourseasons.com/siliconvalley

Quattro Restaurant features some of the finest local ingredients the Bay Area has to offer. Weekend brunch highlights include the Crab Cake Benedict, Corned Beef and Hash, and the Lobster Scramble. One specialty inspired by Craftsman and Wolves is the Whole in One, a corn muffin spiked with scallions, bacon and parmesan cheese and includes a perfectly runny, but delightfully delicious egg. Gluten-free options and a children's menu are also available. Perfect for families, the restaurant offers ample seating both inside and with an outdoor patio option. The executive chef is Marco Fossati, whose extensive culinary experience includes work with Il Carapaccio, the first Michelin-starred Italian restaurant in Paris and the Relais & Chateau five-star luxury property, the Four Seasons Hotel Milano.

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The Village Pub
2967 Woodside Road
Woodside, CA  94062
(650) 851-9888
www.thevillagepub.net

The Village Pub Eggs Benedict, French Omelette and Duck Confit are among the incredible dishes served for Sunday brunch at this remarkable Michelin-starred restaurant. The Village Pub showcases contemporary American cuisine yet inspired by French and Mediterranean culinary traditions. The Sunday brunch menu also offers intricately prepared appetizers such as Butter Lettuce Salad and Green Garlic Velouté with Sautéed Rock Shrimp and well-crafted libations like Seasonal Mimosa and the Bloody Mary. In addition to receiving a Michelin star for the past five consecutive years, the restaurant also boasts one of the Bay Area's finest wine lists and was once awarded the prestigious Grand Award from Wine Spectator. The executive chef of The Village Pub is Dmitry Elperin, whose resume includes work with renowned chef Daniel Humm at Campton Place in San Francisco.

Bay 223
Sofitel San Francisco
223 Twin Dolphin Dr.
Redwood City, CA  94065
(650) 508-7126
www.sofitelsfdining.com

California-inspired French cuisine is featured at Bay 223's acclaimed Sunday champagne brunch. The signature restaurant at Sofitel San Francisco Bay serves a buffet-styled brunch, allowing guests to visit multiple food stations for crepes, seasonal fruit, carved meats and a variety of other fine breakfast and lunch dishes. The restaurant is also open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner and reservations are highly recommended. Bay 223 is led by executive chef Alejandro Abad, a Spanish native from Barcelona, whose culinary experience includes work at Michelin-rated Restaurant Christophe and Restaurant Vermeer in Holland.

Randy Yagi is a freelance writer covering all things San Francisco. In 2012, he was awarded a Media Fellowship from Stanford University. His work can be found on Examiner.com Examiner.com.


 

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