231 Ellsworth | About Us

231 Ellsworth - Fine Dining in San Mateo

(Thank You, Director Shoko)

231 Ellsworth, previously voted one of the top twenty restaurants in Northern California, reopened its doors October 2000. A group of local professionals with more than fifty years of combined restaurant expertise and a passion for the world of food and wine have reincarnated this favorite of Bay Area diners. General Manager and Wine Director Richard Milkovich (Gordon Biersch, The Plumed Horse Restaurant) and Manager and Maitre d’ James Callahan (California Café, The Plumed Horse, Sent Sovi) have recently joined forces with Chef Isaac Miller. Chef Isaac Miller has refined his skills in some of the Bay Area's top restaurants. 231 Ellsworth presents a world-class wine list of eight hundred selections emphasizing California and French offerings. The bar pours an exceptional array of libations and signature cocktails as well as carefully selected list of wines by the glass. In the bar, guests are offered the dining room menu and are also invited for late evening treats.

The restaurant has been fully remodeled by both Barbara J. Mack of Fleece to Fibers Interior Design and Anita DeSousa of Design Directions. As you enter the restaurant, a richly appointed day cellar offers a view of the evening’s wine possibilities. The curvaceous and intimate bar area features hardwood floors, custom Cherry cabinetry and earthy, French Limestone. Coppery wall coverings and moldings accent the quiet main dining room, luxurious with brilliant tones of blue, chestnut, and wine. Cozy private booths, muted custom lighting, and a midnight blue, barrel-vaulted ceiling set the tone for an elegant evening. A new thirty-two-seat dining room fills a niche for private events or additional seating on busy evenings.

231 Ellsworth - Fine Dining in San Mateo – Meet James

General Information

General Manager: Richard Milkovich
Maitre D'/Manager: James Callahan
Executive Chef: Isaac Miller

Cuisine: Contemporary American, innovative and globally inspired.

Prices: Appetizers, $8.00 — $19.00; Entrees, $25.00 - $38.00

Beverage Service: Full—service bar with signature cocktails and a world-class list of 800 wines emphasizing California and French selections. Since 1992, a recipient of The Wine Spectator Magazine's "Best of Award of Excellence" for outstanding wine programs.

Hours:
Lunch: Tuesday— Friday 11:30 a.m. — 2:00 p.m.
Dinner: Monday— Thursday 5:30 p.m. — 9:30 p.m.
Dinner: Friday and Saturday 5:30 p.m. — 10:00 p.m.
Closed on Sunday (Available for private events)

Reservations: Recommended, required for 5 or more; call 650.347.7231

Payment: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Diners Club,
and Discover.

Features: Seats 80 in the dining room, 20 in the bar, 32 in the private room. Prix Fixe Tasting Menu nightly. Wheelchair accessible; non-smoking. Valet parking available nightly.

Chef Isaac Miller

Home Grown Chef Takes the Reins at 231 Ellsworth in San Mateo
Isaac Miller New Chef at this Popular Peninsula Restaurant

Experimenting in the kitchen at the age of five, Chef Isaac Miller discovered his love for cooking. Home-schooled in Oakland until he was eight, Isaac would help his mother prepare the evening meal. By the age of 14, he was venturing to farmers' markets on his own developing an already discerning palate for freshness and seasonality.
At the age of 19, Isaac enrolled at the California Culinary Academy and graduated with honors in May, 2000. His career began at San Francisco's One Market under Chef Adrian Hoffman. He later joined the reincarnation of 231 Ellsworth working under Chef William Collier (Wayne Nish and Quilted Giraffe alumnus) and Philip Baker (a protégé of Jean-Georges Vongerichten, David Bouley, and Thomas Keller). Under Collier and Baker's tutelage, Isaac grew and matured into a great Sous Chef. Chef Collier brought adventure to Isaac's cooking, while Chef Baker taught Isaac the importance of purity and simplicity in cuisine.

Taking a one year hiatus from 231 Ellsworth, he honed his skills and refined his style with Michelin 2-star Chef David Kinch at Manresa in Los Gatos. Isaac states "Chef Kinch's intense passion and respect for ingredients led me to realize my burgeoning desire to be a Chef. My greatest memory was when he held a piece of halved asparagus and said 'God is in the details.'" At Manresa, Isaac found another mentor in Chef de Cuisine Jeremy Fox, now Chef at Napa's Ubuntu.

Isaac returned to 231 Ellsworth in 2006 to work with Chef Timothy Hilt bringing innovative techniques and flavor combinations with him. As Chef de Cuisine, he had the freedom to craft simple, imaginative dishes rooted in French, Spanish, and Japanese cuisine. On a recent cook's tour of Europe he was able to gain profound insight from transcendental restaurants such as Kastell and Michel Bras. Chef Miller states "I take inspiration from these cuisines and pay homage, while presenting them with my contemporary vision. I love bringing together ingredients unfamiliar to each other and discovering their perfect harmony."

January 19, 2008
San Mateo, California