Dining around the world

The one silver lining I see in Mazra's temporary closure is that it’ll force me to consider other Redwood City restaurants when I contemplate dining out. While Redwood City has a number of other Mediterranean restaurants from which to choose, I hope to try some of the other cuisines the city has to offer. Something I did just last Sunday, in fact, when my wife and I gave the newly opened Burma Spice a try.

Burma Spice is located in the small shopping center at the corner of El Camino Real and Whipple Avenue, replacing Hikari Sushi & Grill. I’ve eaten at Burmese restaurants before, but I am by no means an expert and cannot attest to their authenticity. I do know what I like, however, and what my wife and I picked up from Burma Spice that night was very much to both of our liking. We plan to visit them again soon.

For some time now, I’ve been excited about The Baker Next Door, which should be opening at 851 Main St. in the next couple of months. Although Redwood City has long had a patisserie or two — I’m a big fan of Mademoiselle Colette, and already miss the recently closed Cafe La Tartine — neither is (or was) a place to get a proper loaf of bread. The Baker Next Door, though, should be just that place, along with a number of other sweet and savory baked items. As for those looking for something different, know that the long empty Brick Monkey space at the corner of Broadway and Winslow Street is being refitted to be the new home of Baires Bakery, an “Argentine-style bakery and deli.” I know nothing about Argentinian food, but they certainly have me intrigued.

Over on Theatre Way, the large Cafe La Tartine space is being transformed into the second location for Dasbierhauz, an “authentic German beer garden” which has been operating in Mountain View for the last four years. Beverages include 18 beers on tap, 10 or so bottled beers, radler beer — beer mixed with lemonade or grapefruit soda — and a handful of nonalcoholic items. Add to that a food menu with a solid list of classic German items — including schnitzel, wurst and currywurst, sauerbraten and, of course, sauerkraut and potato salad — and you have the makings of a real European-style meal. Then again, Redwood City has long had a well-regarded beer garden in Gourmet Haus Staudt, the German store on Broadway just down from El Camino Real, so one needn’t wait if one is hankering to experience a bit of Germany right here in Redwood City.

Other ethnicities coming soon to Redwood City include Turkish, in the form of Nomadic Kitchen, which is slated to take the empty spot on Broadway where Kasa Indian Eatery (and, before that, Russian Family Restaurant) once operated. Peru is currently represented by Estampas Peruanas Restaurant on El Camino Real, but soon we’ll have another, when Limón opens its doors in the former Arya Steakhouse spot on Theatre Way. And although we have our share of restaurants serving Indian food, lovers of that cuisine will soon have another choice when Varam Indian Cuisine begins serving in the Broadway space where the Dragon Theatre once operated.

The sheer diversity of the offerings making up Redwood City’s restaurant scene is impressive; you can pretty much dine around the world just in this one city alone. The city has been intentional about wanting to become a mecca for both dining and entertainment, and, on the dining front, at least, it appears to have succeeded.

Greg Wilson is the creator of Walking Redwood City, a blog inspired by his walks throughout Redwood City and adjacent communities. He can be reached at greg@walkingRedwoodCity.com. Follow Greg on Twitter @walkingRWC.