THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Noca

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Noca Restaurant Review:

Talk about a dream team. The chef is Chris Curtiss, of the former Circa 1900 plus San Francisco restaurants like The Fifth Floor, Charles Nob Hill and Masa's. The owner is Eliot Wexler, a local foodie so fanatical that he “stalked” the Valley’s best chefs and interned for free, then teamed with others as a silent partner in their projects. Finally, he couldn’t resist opening one of his own. The general manager is Frank Schneider, formerly the GM of the legendary Mary Elaine's. Oh, and the food? The concept is innovative, with a fresh global approach to Italian, French, Asian and American. The menu changes frequently, but look for dishes like Italian-Asian crudos such as Japanese halibut with fingerling potato chips, and bluefin tuna with marinated beets. Appetizers might include chilled English pea soup with chorizo croquettes, and a terrific entrée of skate wing with ramps and corn pudding. An amuse bouche might be Pop Rocks candy sprinkled over heirloom tomatoes; a dessert amuse is homemade cotton candy. The Simple Sunday Supper is a prix-fixe three-course feast for $35. And here’s a little trivia: Noca stands for North of Camelback.