“I like to twist traditional classic things into something more fresh and modern, so that when you walk into one of my spaces, whether a house a restaurant or a hotel, you don’t know when we did it,” de la Cruz said. 'If you can cook on it and you can cut a piece of meat on it, why can�t you eat on it? It�s beautiful,' said interior designer Jon de la Cruz. Tables throughout the restaurant, including the cafe, are made of solid cross-cut walnut butcher block, some 2 inches thick. Protege restaurant's interiors contain warm walnut woods, and in the formal dining room, seen here, a carpet done ina faux bois pattern. (A private room in back diverges in pale blue.) A curvilinear bar lined with colorful bottles as a backdrop was pleasing to owners Anthony Secviar, a chef, and Dennis Kelly, a master sommelier, who wanted a place for diners to feel welcome whether having a prix fixe meal or a snack. The tailored interiors feature caramel hues, tables made of walnut butcher block and a large photo of a redwood grove. Protégé, takes inspiration from Palo Alto’s “El Palo Alto” (the 1,000-year-old redwood that has been a landmark since the days of Spanish explorers) and the refined food offered by its owners, two French Laundry veterans. The restaurant features several areas with booths and different styles of tables so that diners can come multiple times a day and feel like they're having a different experience, said interior designer Jon de la Cruz. Che Fico restaurant in San Francisco features Italian cuisine with handmade pastas rolled out in front of diners. The interior’s punchy red, black, orange and white color-blocked hues, custom wallpaper with figs, and vases of vibrant flowers lend energy to the space, while scraped concrete walls and wooden tresses overhead pay homage to the building’s garage history. Dessert was a choice of Black Forest Gateau which is what we opted for or selections from their cheese cart with jam nuts and honey.Che Fico, by chef David Nayfeld (with Matt Brewer and Angela Pinkerton), lives on the second floor of a former auto-body shop, serving up Italian food with a nod to Nayfeld’s Jewish heritage. The second course was a lobster tail, followed by a 7 layer lasagna which a bit more than bites sized but very rich and they offered a shaving of truffle for $30, followed by Romesco Crusted lamb loin which was very tender and tasty. We started with a amouse Bouche that was a Cameron I stuff with smoked fish paste, followed by a Hamachi. I had brought along a 2009 Colvin Tychson Hill Cabernet which they charged a $75 corkage for which I thought was a bit steep. We opted for the tasting menu which took almost 2.5 hours. la Carte menu, and fairly large bar in between. They have a Tasting Menu with 4 courses at one side of the restaurant that seats about 20. I have been wanting to go to this new place for almost a year and finally made it. Protege is certainly a worthy dinner destination. With the wooden service aside, the evening was enjoyable, the food was delicious, the wine and drinks were on the mark. Whoever manages the 'front of house' needs to inspire some interest and passion that'll match what the kitchen produces. They are helpful, but aloof, and their commentary is canned. They do the correct things, but their timing is off. The service is efficient and staff is clearly well trained, but their guest interaction comes off being perfunctory and bureaucratic. The menu changes seasonally so the awesome Crab & Caviar will likely be gone soon, but something equally wonderful will replace it. They have an impressive wine list and their cocktails have the same creative passion that inspires their food. The presentation is also creative and sometimes can verge on oddly whimsical. Each dish is inventive, interesting, and impeccably crafted. The inside is understated and casually elegant.

They have a number of outdoor dining tables - all pleasant even if on an active sidewalk. There's lots of easy parking nearby, and the street is vibrant without being busy.

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Protege restaurant palo alto ca