A 4 million-year-old fossil. A 3D map of New York City. An urchin shell capturing the California coast.
At Vicinity in Los Gatos, every course arrives in its own miniature world. Custom ceramics and sculptural serving pieces transform each dish into an extension of the story being told.
Tucked inside Tasting House, Vicinity is an intimate 13-course tasting menu that has already earned a place in the Michelin Guide months after opening. Executive Chef Julian Silvera draws much of his inspiration from California’s coastlines and forests, landscapes he didn’t discover until moving to California as an adult.
Each course was memorable in its own right. Here are some highlights:
The meal opened with watermelon juice poured directly from a miniature watermelon. The raspberry vinegar gave it the kind of mouthwatering acidity I love, an early sign that Chef Silvera likes to lean into bright, high-acid flavors.
There’s a first time for everything, and Vicinity gave me my first opportunity to eat off a fossil. That’s right, an abalone bite arrived perched atop a 4 million-year-old fossilized rock that the restaurant team discovered while hiking near Santa Cruz.
Another course was presented in a box containing a sea urchin shell, showcasing ingredients found around the tide pools at Pillar Point in Half Moon Bay: squid, uni, mussel, and seaweed, all brought together by a bright avocado crema whose lively acidity balanced the briny seafood.
The menu briefly traveled to Chef Silvera’s New York roots with a playful, cheesy breakfast-inspired bite served atop an impressively detailed 3D map of his childhood neighborhood on the Lower East Side.
The final savory course celebrated the restaurant’s own team. Created by Vicinity’s Filipino staff members, the kamayan-inspired spread was presented on a rustic tray with woven branches and a banana leaf, evoking the communal tradition of eating with one’s hands.
We opted for the international wine pairing, which spanned from France and Spain to Argentina and Chile, with even a Carlsberg pilsner making a cameo. With dessert, I was delighted to discover that one of the pours, a Marsala, happened to be from my birth year.
I rarely venture this far south for a Bay Area meal, but Vicinity delivers the kind of experience that reminds you why destination dining exists in the first place.
