Press Items Archive - StudioKDA

Bar Underdog • Spaces

Marites Abueg — Tue, 05 May 2026 22:26:06 +0000

Newly opened in Palo Alto, Bar Underdog was founded by Master Sommelier Dennis Kelly and chef Anthony Secviar, who met at The French Laundry and later opened the Michelin-starred Protégé across the street. Despite their prestigious reputations, however, Kelly and Secviar intended Bar Underdog to be the kind of convivial neighborhood spot where locals feel comfortable dropping in anytime for a craft cocktail like the No. 34, made with gin, lacto-fermented strawberry, genmaicha and yuzu, and a modestly priced bar snack, like the Korean corn-cheese puffs with smoked mozzarella and pickled jalapeño or the tuna tartare with plum miso, avocado and sweet onion “chips.”

The inviting space was designed by Studio KDA featuring a material palette that merges Japanese influence and Bay Area warmth, framed portraits of iconic pop-culture “underdogs,” and a hand-painted entry mural. Fitting the casual vibe, there are no reservations taken, and a late-night “moonlight menu” is designed to welcome the area’s hospitality workers.

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Comal Restaurant • SF Gate

Marites Abueg — Tue, 05 May 2026 22:11:43 +0000

John Paluska wants his new Berkeley Mexican restaurant Comal to be lively.

It would clash with his image if the restaurant were as quiet as a Carthusian monastery – he was, after all, manager of the rock band Phish for 17 years. But the line between creating a festive atmosphere and making sure diners can hear themselves talk is a fine one for restaurateurs.

So Paluska and Meyer Sound, a world-renowned audio engineering company in Berkeley, teamed up to test a relatively new technology that controls reverberation levels with the press of a button. By using a combination of sound absorption materials, microphones, speakers and a digital processor, Paluska can make his restaurant as loud or as soft as he wants.

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Bar Underdog • Modern Luxury

Marites Abueg — Tue, 05 May 2026 21:43:48 +0000

Master sommelier Dennis Kelly noticed a lack of welcoming neighborhood watering holes in Palo Alto. With Bar Underdog, he’s filling that gap. “Bar Underdog brings a level of craft, design and hospitality more commonly found in cities like Tokyo or London, giving locals a sophisticated but unpretentious destination that reflects their global tastes,” says Kelly. The playful space (Studio KDA did the interiors) features cozy, candlelit booths and cocktails, such as the XXX, a vodka-passionfruit concoction served with Champagne pearls.

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Bar Panisse • Modern Luxury

Marites Abueg — Tue, 05 May 2026 21:38:22 +0000

Studio KDA is behind the warm woodwork and artisanal feel of Bar Panisse, a new project from Alice Waters and her acclaimed team at Berkeley’s Chez Panisse. The 50-seat neighborhood cocktail spot is adjacent to the original Chez Panisse. Chef Amelia Telc oversees the kitchen, which serves a seasonal menu featuring gougères with pickled carrots, oysters with parsley and garlic butter, fried anchovy fritters and hanger steak accompanied by an artichoke salad. The cocktails include housemade ingredients like Meyer lemon cordial and pomegranate-ginger shrub.

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Arquet Restaurant • SF Standard

Marites Abueg — Tue, 05 May 2026 21:32:25 +0000

The Ferry Building has a new crown jewel

By Lauren Saria

Arquet takes its place as the marquee attraction of the already star-powered restaurant hall

Chef Alex Hong, who spent the last decade establishing his name at seasonal Cal-Italian restaurant Sorrel in Presidio Heights, worked on Arquet for three years before its mid-October opening. He and Joel Wilkerson, the director of operations, were originally looking at a much smaller space in the famous waterfront food hall. Then, in May 2024, the late Charles Phan decided not to renew the lease on his beloved Vietnamese restaurant The Slanted Door. Suddenly, Hong had to decide if he was ready to step into one of the city’s highest-profile restaurant spaces.

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Bar Panisse • C Magazine

Marites Abueg — Tue, 05 May 2026 21:22:04 +0000

February Top 5

California Hot List

Fifty-five years after Alice Waters opened Chez Panisse, her pioneering farm-to-table restaurant, the celebrated James Beard Award–winning chef debuts BAR PANISSE, a 50-seat walk-ins-only neighborhood cocktail bar next door to the coveted Michelin-recommend dining spot.

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Bar Panisse • Spaces Magazine

Marites Abueg — Tue, 05 May 2026 21:13:56 +0000

In the space formerly occupied by tapas restaurant César, Alice Waters has opened a companion bar to neighboring Chez P a nisse: warm, bustling, walk-in only Bar Panisse.

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Arquet Restaurant • California Home + Design

Marites Abueg — Tue, 05 May 2026 21:10:44 +0000

Design Dish: Arquet

Author:Lindsey Shook

A space inside the Ferry Building that once housed an iconic San Francisco eatery is transformed for a new culinary destination

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