I had drinks and dinner recently at Trapeze Restaurant in Burlingame, CA. I love places that have a great bar ambiance, one that is so warm, you prefer to “bar stool” it than sit at a table. Behind the counter was a savvy bartender (and I think he does a whole lot more), from Turkey. While the food menu is diverse enough not to disappoint, the wine menu, particularly by the glass needs to expand.
Prices were reasonable but I would have loved a few higher end choices for Chardonnay, Pinot and Cabernet by the glass. Rombauer was on the menu by the bottle and that’s about as oakey and buttery as they get if you’re into oakey and buttery chards that is. They were so accommodating that they opened a bottle so I could drink what I wanted — by the glass. A big thumbs up for understanding customer service.
Their beef is free range, their fruits are chemical free and their greens are organic. Standout entrees include salmon that showcases a big triangular wedge of fish encrusted with a mixture of sauteed spinach, fennel and leek crisped under the broiler, all married with a beurre blanc and a dainty pile of mashed potatoes.
Then there’s an old-fashioned veal scaloppine consists of thinly pounded veal swaddled in a blanket of molten mozzarella, wisp of sage, paper-thin prosciutto and an intense mushroom gravy.
Cheese is scattered throughout the menu but if you have issues with dairy, they’ll happily leave it off. There’s no snobby chef who will come out and argue with you why you must have cheese in the dish because that’s how he makes it. God help those who have dairy allergies in Paris.
They have a great antipasti platter with mozzarella caprese, bruschetta and melon wrapped in prosciutto. I’ve been trying to limit my carb intake lately so I started off with a tasty beef carpaccio topped with red onion, capers, lemon, arugula, and olive oil.
If carbs are your thing, go for the fried calamari, loaded with house tartar and cocktail sauce, garlic bread or the grilled polenta cakes stopped with mushrooms and manchego cheese sauce. If into seafood, they have a sauteed mussels and clams starter, which is served in white wine with fresh tomatoes topped with crostini.
They have an extensive list of salads to choose from including an argula with sliced pear, strawberry and feta cheese, baby spinach with sliced pear, gorgonzola cheese and carmelized walnuts, a caesar which you can have solo or with grilled chicken, Greek with its typical cucumber, olives and feta, a warm spinach and beets salad served with rasberry vinaigrette and goat cheese and the trapeze house, which is organic mixed greens, cucumber, Kalamata olives, and Italian Gorgonzola cheese in a balsamic vinaigrette.
Pastas are also plentiful for those carbaholics whether its a fettucini with clams, mussels, prawns, and scallops, or a mediterranean with black olives, tomato, garlic, capers, basil and extra virgin olive oil. Or how’s this one to make your mouth water? Penne Arabbiata with chicken, chili flakes, garlic, basil and tomato in marinara sauce or the spaghetti pesto with with olive oil, garlic, fresh tomato, Parmesan cheese, and pesto.
They also make a home made Gnocchi served with Gorgonzola cheese sauce, marinara or pesto. If it weren’t for the cream sauce, I would have been tempted by this one: Tortellini con Anatra stuffed with duck meat in cream sauce topped shitaki mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes. For vegetarians, you can try the Vegetarian Ravioli stuffed with ricotta cheese mixed vegetables and spinach in tomato sauce.
Below is the roasted prawns wrapped in pancetta with dried figs. They normally serve it with melted Gorgonzola but I asked them to leave it off. The sauce was incredible. Frankly, I think the cheese would have been overkill and too rich for the average stomach considering how rich the dish already is. (it was my favorite thing on the menu btw although I’ve yet to try that game hen and the duck (sans cream of course).
For fish, there’s the prawns and sea scallops which are seared and then topped with mushrooms, garlic, white wine, and truffle oil, an Atlantic Salmon stuffed with spinach, fennel, and leek in Myers lemon butter sauce. They have a grilled boneless game hen which they marinate with rosemary and herbs and serve with mashed potatoes and vegetables as well as a grilled iron steak (in a gorgonzola demi glaze sauce) and a grilled filet mignon (in a mushroom demi glaze sauce).
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
