The restaurant on downtown’s State Street will become Roja, with Roberto Juarez as chef and James Ashe as bar manager — and Welch will maintain the Asa Los Gatos location.

“James and Roberto are part of the original founding team that made Asa Los Altos such a success,” Welch wrote in his note to customers. “While the name will change to ‘Roja,’ the spirit of excellence and passion for sustainable harvesting and stellar service will remain at the heart of the restaurant.”

Welch has long been a figure on the Santa Clara Valley’s culinary scene. In 1998 at the age of 21, he opened The Basin in Saratoga and ran that for popular restaurant for 21 years. He gave that up in 2019 to focus on Asa, the venture named for his son. The Peninsula location was first, followed soon after by the Los Gatos restaurant.

In 2021 Michelin honored the Los Gatos restaurant, then called Asa South, with a Bib Gourmand, its award for affordable fine dining. The Los Altos restaurant has offered what’s largely the same menu.

The Asa restaurants have become known for their contemporary farm-to-table American dishes with Italian and Spanish influences, and for their Wayback Wednesdays. On those days, Welch and his chefs pay tribute to Casa de Cobre, a Mexican restaurant specializing in Michoacan fare that Welch operated in Saratoga for some years with executive chef Marcelino Hernandez.

Customers had been clamoring for a taste of Casa, so the pair brought back the recipes in 2020 — and the tradition has continued, with the restaurant packing the entrees for takeout during the Covid era.

In his announcement, Welch said a smooth transition is planned from Asa Los Altos to Roja, but no date was given for the turnover.

Details: 242 State St., Los Altos; and 57 Saratoga-Los Gatos Road, Los Gatos; www.asarestaurants.com

A note on the Campbell restaurant’s website and social media thanked customers and promised a couple of weeks of specials before Forthright, a sustainable seafood specialist, shuts its doors. The restaurant has been in business since 2016.

“The high cost of living, the pandemic, the shift in culture has resulted in people not wanting to work in our industry,” co-owner Angelique Stump said in an email, noting that ads seeking trained managers and veteran chefs have resulted in few applicants at that level.

And with six restaurants under the Hot Behind You Hospitality Management Group umbrella, the Stumps said it’s been tough to provide high-quality food and service to all patrons. So they will concentrate on their five remaining concepts.

Angelique Stump said they are giving The Table in San Jose’s Willow Glen district “a little reboot,” resuming seven-day operation, and putting a primary focus on Shepherd & Sims, their large Los Gatos restaurant.

The group also owns two small-plate kitchens — Lamella Tavern in Willow Glen and The Vesper in Campbell — along with Jim Stump’s Tavern at San Jose Mineta International Airport.

June 23 will be Forthright’s last day of business. “To savor the unique atmosphere and deliciousness one last time, we encourage you to visit us soon,” the note said. “We’ll have some incredible specials planned for the coming weeks, and we would love to share a final meal with you.”

Besides oysters (fresh and butter-roasted), Forthright also showcases halibut, crab and octopus — and sells a lot of clam chowder. In a 2018 Bay Area News Group article on great chowders, Stump said he learned that recipe back when he was a teenager working at the Pruneyard’s Outlook, then fine-tuned it during his Los Gatos Brewing Company years.

The Stumps added in their note to customers: “We want to express our deepest gratitude to each guest who has walked through our doors. Your laughter, conversations, and love for our food have made Forthright a truly special place. Whether you were a regular at the bar enjoying happy hour oysters or celebrating a milestone with a full seafood feast, we’ve cherished being a part of your memories.”

Details: Open from 4 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, 4 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, 2 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 to 8 p.m. Sunday at 1700 W. Campbell Ave., Campbell; www.eatoystersatforthright.com

Called RH Palo Alto, the Gallery at Stanford, this is the company’s fourth Bay Area gallery, after San Francisco, Yountville and Marin, and its first for Silicon Valley. RH operates galleries around the world, with recent openings in Brussels, England’s Cotswolds, Munich and Dusseldorf.

The gallery, set in a northeast corner of the center’s property, replaces the longtime RH presence on University Avenue. That legacy store is closing at the end of business today.

“We believe great architecture amplifies and renders our product and brand more valuable,” RH Chairman and CEO Gary Friedman said in an email. “We either find great historical architecture and re-adapt it” — in San Francisco, the company renovated the vintage 1917 Bethlehem Steel behemoth — “Or we build it. RH Palo Alto is an entirely new design built from the ground up.”

The galleries blend retail, design and restaurant functions in one location. Friedman said this concept creates spaces for consumers that “cannot be replicated online.”

At the Stanford center, customers will enter a spacious first-floor gallery with 13-foot ceilings where room-size displays of furnishing collections, enhanced by pieces collected by Friedman on his world travels, are arranged under contemporary RH chandeliers.

A floating double staircase leads to the second floor, which houses the RH Design Studio and its meeting spaces for homeowners and designers.

On the third floor is the RH Rooftop Restaurant, with a glass conservatory design that blurs the indoor and outdoor spaces. The restaurant seats 150 diners around a sculpted Biancone limestone fountain and offers views of the Santa Cruz Mountains to the west.

A new RH menu features such new entrees as a Whole Grilled Branzino, a Grilled Vegetable & Shrimp Salad and a signature Fried Chicken Sandwich.

A bar flanked by two quiet waterfall walls sells glasses of wine that customers are welcome to sip anywhere in the gallery, including the open-air seating spaces that wrap around the building.

The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. The restaurant serves an all-day menu from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays. Diners will find earlier hours for brunch on weekends, starting at 10 a.m.

Details: 180 El Camino Real, Palo Alto; 650-328-4004; https://rh.com/us/en/restaurants

Here are a dozen of the most eagerly anticipated restaurants expected to make their debut in the last half of the year, with a few inching even closer to opening day.

Eos & Nyx, San Jose

The entrepreneurs behind an impressive restaurant venture named after the Greek goddesses of dawn and night — Eos & Nyx —  are hoping to energize a key downtown San Jose block with their modern Mediterranean concept.

Hospitality industry veterans Dan Phan, Johnny Wang and George Lahlouh, who co-own the spirit-centric MiniBoss, Paper Plane and Still OG, all downtown, are bullish on Urban Catalyst’s plans for Paseo, on the site of the old Camera 12 movie complex.

They’ve leased nearly 4,000 square feet for their Eos & Nyx restaurant, and construction is well under way. Schematic designs show an angular and dramatic space with 20-foot-high ceilings, live trees and wood design elements.

Managing partner and GM Ronald Bonifacio and executive chef Nicko Moulinos promise an innovative menu that features the influences of France, Spain, Italy, Greece and North Africa. Dinner, lunch, brunch and craft cocktails will be served both inside and alfresco.

Details: Planning a summer opening at 201 S. Second St., San Jose.

The Monk’s Kettle, Oakland

For nearly 17 years, The Monk’s Kettle served as a sort of church for beer lovers in San Francisco’s Mission District, pouring revered tipples like St. Bernardus Belgian Tripel and smoked Aecht Schlenkerla Urbock (gesundheit!).

But this spring, owners Christian Albertson and Nat Cutler posted a heartfelt Dear John letter announcing their intent to move out of the city, bemoaning the “crazy delivery fee numbers” and “drastically changed customer behavior” that’s damaged the pub environment. “I would say in a nutshell, the city just hasn’t recovered,” says Albertson. “And it’s not just from the pandemic, it’s really been in the works for the last decade where the economics of the city have really made people move out. In a way, we’re really chasing the clientele.”

Well, the Mission’s loss is Oakland’s gain – Rockridge’s, to be specific, that tony neighborhood of boutique shops and buzzy restaurants. The new Monk’s will feature a more spread-out space with perhaps 80 seats and plenty of standing room, plus parklets out front and a back deck with a roof trellis to protect against the elements. In other words, it’ll be a great place to hang for hours while guzzling beer and munching on chef Raiden Brenner’s elevated farm-to-table grub – including a much-lauded burger with stout-onion jam and gruyere, killer pretzels with beer cheese and fried-chicken sandos with hop-salt fries.

“We’re going to bring over our draft system with 28 drafts and do something similar with the bottle list of probably 60 to 80 bottles,” says Albertson. Those rotating drafts have featured the Russian River Brewing Company, Santa Rosa’s Moonlight Brewing and Fort Bragg’s North Coast Brewing, among others. With the move, expect East Bay beers — including Ghost Town, Cellarmaker and Temescal Brewing — to feature heavily as well.

“We’re just really excited and honestly, it feels in a way we’re getting back to what Monk’s was a decade ago, until the city fell apart and went a little haywire,” says Albertson. “We love the new space and neighborhood, and we couldn’t be happier.”

Details: Scheduled to open in September at 5484 College Ave., Oakland; monkskettle.com. (Monk’s also has a location in San Rafael.)

Pedro’s, Los Gatos

How many combination plates and margaritas do you suppose have been served in the past 52 years?

Pedro’s Restaurant & Cantina, the classic Mexican restaurant that has held forth in downtown Los Gatos since 1972, is temporarily closed for a major renovation of both the interior and the menu.

What began as a 12-table restaurant more than 50 years ago has gone through two expansions since, including opening a massive location near California’s Great America in Santa Clara. That’s where Pedro’s fans will need to get their fix until the Los Gatos original reopens.

Diners can expect a new food and drink menu that balances creativity, seasonality and authenticity, the Pedro’s team says, while retaining generational classics such as chiles rellenos and enchiladas. And longtime general manager Harry will be back to welcome customers.

Details: Look for a late summer reopening at 316 N. Santa Cruz Ave., Los Gatos; www.pedrosrestaurants.com.

The Black Cat, Livermore

Livermore’s dining scene continues to heat up with the imminent arrival of The Black Cat, a restaurant and bar that will highlight natural wines, eclectic small plates and tins of seafood known as conservas.

The Black Cat is the passion project of Dina Parks, daughter of the head winemaker at Plowboy Wine in the Sierra foothills, and restaurateur Gianni Schell, who owns Livermore’s Rebel Kitchen & Libations. The space is undergoing renovations to transition from its old life as a Mexican restaurant into a charming, retro-themed space with natural wood, pops of contrasting color and midcentury light fixtures. There’s a lush back patio and garden, with mismatched bistro sets, colorful umbrellas and picnic tables, and a restored vintage photo booth inside.

“We have just hired our chef, Abel Visa, who is the creator of Aguita Dinner Club (in Los Angeles) and has experience at numerous L.A. restaurants, such as Poltergeist and All Day Baby,” says Parks. “We are currently creating a menu based on seasonal and local ingredients. There is no specific cuisine, but the dishes are inspired by the foods that Gianni and I love to eat, but done in our own way.” That means small bites like “fresh crudo, Japanese sweet potato, bone marrow and an anchovy snack plate with Wingen Bakery sourdough which is down the street from us.”

The restaurant will stock traditional wines from California — including Wood Family Vineyards, Soda Rock Winery and Retzlaff Vineyards — as well as natural wines from the U.S., Europe and South America. The cocktail list is small but focused on craft ingredients in concoctions such as the Cat’s Meow, made with black sesame-infused aged rum, Amaro Averna and honey.

“We are crazy cat lovers,” explains Parks. “So 10 percent of proceeds from this cocktail will go to local cat-rescue groups, such as one I used to foster cats called Paws That Matter.”

Details: The Black Cat plans to open in early June at 2241 First St., Livermore; blackcatlivermore.com.

Rise Woodfire, Santa Clara

Restaurateur Omid Zahedi, who transformed the historic San Mateo train station into a huge eatery and bar with outside dining during the pandemic, has turned his sights to the South Bay.

He’s opening his second Rise Woodfire restaurant — with wood-fired rotisserie chicken, salmon, ribs, prime rib and pizza — in the largest restaurant space at Rivermark Plaza in Santa Clara. There will be house-baked pies too (maybe in time for summer’s stone fruit).

Zahedi grew up in the fast-food pizza business — his Iranian immigrant father opened pizzerias after coming to this country — but chose the financial services field for his career. Years later, he developed a passion for “the new wave of fine pizza” and built a brick oven on a trailer to practice on family and friends and serve at charity events.

Once the recipes were perfected, he and wife Susan Payrovi launched their first eatery, Rise Pizzeria, in downtown Burlingame in 2017.

Details: Expected to open in late summer at 3905 Rivermark Plaza, Santa Clara; www.risewoodfire.com

Calicraft, Walnut Creek

The Walnut Creek-based brewery is working on three big expansion projects right now: adding a rooftop bar in downtown Walnut Creek; building a new research and development brewing, winemaking and distilling space in Walnut Creek’s Shadelands area and launching a new taproom in Davis.

According to brewmaster Thomas Vo and CEO Blaine Landberg, the first of these to open will be a new rooftop bar and taproom planned in downtown Walnut Creek above Va de Vi. One of just two rooftop bars in the city, the new Calicraft venture will have an outdoor deck and indoor drinking space. They’re also working on building out their non-alcoholic drink offerings, with beverages like a new mint-and-ginger spritz, as a way of making their brewery a “third place” — one where people of all ages feel comfortable hanging out that’s neither home nor work.

Next, they’ll expand their production facility to not only brew more beer but expand into winemaking and distilling. The new 10,000-square-foot, two-story building in Walnut Creek will offer research and development space to broaden their offerings beyond beer. The team recently returned from a visit to Louisville, Kentucky, where they got pointers on adding whiskey distilling to their repertoire. And on the winemaking front, they’re hoping to make natural-style wines that celebrate the region and play with unorthodox grapes. That’s currently set to open in spring or summer of 2025.

And the Davis project — a new taproom and beer garden — is on deck for fall of 2025. Why Davis? Several Calicraft staffers are alums of UC Davis’ prestigious brewing program.

Details: Calicraft plans to open its rooftop taproom at 1501 Mt. Diablo Blvd. in Walnut Creek in early September; calicraft.com.

Giorgio’s, Mountain View

Red-sauce lovers who’ve been missing Frankie Johnnie & Luigi Too since the vintage El Camino Real restaurant closed for redevelopment a few years ago can rejoice: The Italian classics are coming back.

Giorgio’s, a sibling restaurant from the D’Ambrosio family, will open this summer in the new mixed-use development being constructed near Castro Street.

Look for the same great recipes (insider tip: the Sausage Bread is stuffed with links from their New York Style Sausage Co. in Sunnyvale) but a different footprint. There will be about 60 indoor and patio seats for onsite dining, as the new restaurant puts a greater emphasis on takeout, delivery and corporate catering.

For those new to the D’Ambrosio clan, they’ve been cooking in the Bay Area since 1956. The original Giorgio’s is located on Foxworthy in San Jose; there’s also one in Milpitas and the newest location in Morgan Hill. And the Frankie, Johnnie & Luigi nameplate lives on in Dublin.

Details: Slated to open in late June or early July at 939 W. El Camino Real, Mountain View; www.giorgiositalianfood.com/mountain-view

Daryoush, Walnut Creek

Berkeley’s popular Persian restaurant will be opening on Walnut Creek’s Locust Street in early June, after redevelopment at the original location forced a move, says owner Daryoush Ermagan. That’s bad news for Berkeley denizens, but excellent news in The Creek, where the eatery is taking over the downtown spot formerly occupied by Kaiwa Sushi.

Expect to enjoy the same Persian fare that has delighted Daryoush devotees near the UC Berkeley campus: Colorful appetizers including Panir Sabzi (marinated feta with fresh herbs) and Kashk-e-Bademjan (roasted eggplant dip), and 14 variations on the kebab theme, from Chicken Koobideh and Shishlik (lamb) to Salmon Kabob and Jujeh, skewered Cornish game hen.

Details: Daryoush plans to open in June at 1534 Locust St. in Walnut Creek; daryoush.com.

Petiscos, Gilroy

Carlos and Fernanda Carreira are expanding their popular Portuguese small plates concept beyond San Jose’s Little Portugal neighborhood and downtown San Jose — to Gilroy first and who knows where next?

The family that won San Jose’s first Michelin star for Adega had been balancing both that upscale restaurant and their more casual Petiscos concept. Now they and their executive chef, David Costa, are concentrating on Petiscos and their Pastelaria bakery.

What can South County diners expect? A menu with dozens of savory Portuguese choices, including Flamed Chourico, Shrimp Fritters, Codfish Cakes, Cuttlefish Tempura, Duck Rice, Pork & Clams and Roasted Octopus. Pastry chef Jessica Carreira makes the desserts, both classic and contemporary.

Look for an impressive wine list, as the Carreiras were wine importers before they got into this end of the business.

Details: Opening later this year at 7574 Monterey Road, Gilroy; www.petiscosadega.com

Crush’d, Danville

From the mind of Francis Hogan, the chef behind Pleasanton’s Sabio on Main, comes a new restaurant concept: Crush’d.

The new spot will offer 24 wines on tap, charcuterie, cheese and seasonal small plates, and a gourmet mini-market beginning in mid-June. The wine bar’s taps are a big deal to Hogan, who says storing wine in kegs lets wine bars optimize their by-the-glass experience. The wine temperature can be precisely controlled and there’s generally less exposure to oxygen, which can dampen a wine’s aroma and flavors, with this method than if the wine is served from an already-opened bottle.

“We’re really focused on changing the narrative about wines on tap,” he says.

Details: Expected to open in mid-June at 312 Railroad Ave. in Danville.

Pivot, Pleasanton

Hogan is also well into the ambitious process of reimagining this former Faz location in Pleasanton and converting it into a modern sports bar.

“At its core, it’s going to be everything you know and love about a sports bar,” he says, with flat screens showing sports from around the world, from the Super Bowl to morning cricket games.

The menu will offer sports bar favorites and classics, but with an elevated spin. Chicken wings, for instance, will come from free-range chickens sourced from the Central Valley, and sauces will be made from scratch.

The restaurant will also offer four private suites designed to mimic those at Chase Center, which offer passed hors d’oeuvres and a comfortable, private space for watching sports. And if you prefer to play, as well as watch, Hogan has partnered with Topgolf to create simulator suites for playing virtual golf.

Details: Pivot is expected to open this fall at 5121 Hopyard Road in Pleasanton.

Raising Cane’s, Hayward, San Jose

Cult favorites can be just as highly anticipated as restaurants with Michelin cred.

Such is the case with Raising Cane’s, which is bringing its signature chicken fingers to two more Bay Area cities, two years after making its regional debut. In the coming months, fans and the Cane’s-curious should be able to buy the crunchy, fried-to-order chicken breast strips in San Jose at the Evergreen Circle Project and in the East Bay at the Hayward Center.

Founded in Baton Rouge, the Raising Cane’s chain is known for maintaining a strict menu focus — just chicken fingers with one signature dipping sauce, crinkle-cut fries, cole slaw and Texas toast. Customers may purchase a single chicken finger, a few as a combo, loaded on a sandwich or in large party packs.

The beverage menu, also concise, includes sweet tea and “unsweet” tea, both freshly brewed throughout the day; lemonade that’s freshly squeezed daily; and fountain soft drinks.

Details: Expect opening dates to be set soon for 2394 Evergreen Place, San Jose, and 26231 Mission Blvd., Hayward; www.raisingcanes.com/home

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STILL COMING

We’ve highlighted these much-anticipated restaurants before, and they recently confirmed that, yes, they are still on the way!

Ocean Oyster Bar & Grill, Redwood City: Ocean, a restaurant in Union City with a large menu of fresh fish, seafood and raw bar offerings, is taking over the prime location on Redwood City’s Broadway that housed the Spaghetti Factory until early in the pandemic.

Hobee’s, San Jose: This venerable breakfast establishment is taking over a German beer garden downtown. Camille and Daniel Chijate, owners of the long-running Hobee’s chain, are opening soon in a historic blue Victorian on North Second Street.

The Silos, Morgan Hill: Ross Hanson, owner of the popular Oak & Rye artisanal pizzeria in Los Gatos, says work is coming along nicely on his new place called The Silos in the historic Granary District on Depot Street. Look for a big bar program and shareable small plates.

Of course, everyone has their own niche preference. Some crave crunchy, while others lean chewy. And sweetness is a continuum unto itself. The one sure thing: We know a great chocolate chip cookie when we taste it.

Here’s a guide to some of the best in the Bay Area. (Did we miss your favorite? Tell us about it via the submission form at the end.)

East Bay Bakery, Danville and farmers markets in Danville, Walnut Creek, Orinda

It’s not surprising that some of the East Bay suburbs’ chewiest, most chocolaty chocolate chip cookies come from chef Gaby Lubaba. Her small but popular bakery in a strip mall near Blackhawk has wowed locals and food critics with its unique spins on baked goods, including signature croffles and treats inspired by Lubaba’s native Indonesia.

Generally, the selection at the bakery is wide-ranging. But when it comes to cookies, Lubaba usually sticks to one flavor – chocolate chip – and focuses on doing it really, really well. We were warned that the cookies, baked fresh every morning, can sell out by noon. Fortunately, you don’t need to drive all the way out to Blackhawk to get the cookies. East Bay Bakery also operates stands at weekend farmers markets in downtown Danville, Walnut Creek and Orinda.

The cookie: As one friend announced on first bite, “This is a substantial cookie.” The cookies ($4 each) are large, and their beautifully balanced brown-butter dough is loaded with slabs of chocolate, instead of mere chips. It’s almost as if the cookies contain rich chocolate deposits — a Mother Lode of chocolate — which may spill out when you bite in, so keep a napkin handy.

Details: The Danville shop is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. on weekends at 9000C Crow Canyon Road. Find the bakery stall at the Orinda and Danville farmers markets from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays and at the downtown Walnut Creek farmers market from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sundays. https://eastbaybakery.squarespace.com

Choc Cookies, Santa Clara

It’s a good thing Choc’s website gives the bakery’s location as “in an alley behind a gas station.” You’d never find it otherwise. But it’s definitely worth the effort to find this hidden gem, which serves up some of the tastiest — and certainly biggest cookies — in the South Bay.

Each cookie clocks in at just over 5 ounces, which the Choc folks point out is roughly the size of four “normal cookies.” That makes them big enough to split with a friend — or two friends. No wonder Choc has become so popular with college students. (The late-night hours certainly don’t hurt either.)

The only caveat: Cookies are only sold by the foursome ($14.90-$16.90), so you’d better really, really like cookies.

The cookie: One giant chocolate chip cookie, with its crisp baked surface and warm, gooey interior, and you won’t even want to think about dinner. The chocolate chip is the star of the cookie menu here, which also typically includes cookies and cream, triple chocolate and ube crinkle.

Details: Open for pick-up/delivery from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday and until 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday at 1614 Pomeroy Ave. in Santa Clara; choccookies.com.

La Noisette Sweets, Kensington and Berkeley

Growing up in Morocco, Alain Shocron would see his mother’s chocolate mousse cooling in the kitchen and – as little kids are wont to do – dip his finger in for a lick. That deep, unforgettable chocolatey taste led Chocron down a rabbit hole of baking and, after a long career as a hairstylist, he finally indulged his passion by opening a pastry shop in Berkeley.

La Noisette Sweets’ headquarters is only open two days a week, but on Sundays you’ll find Shocron holding court in a prominent spot at the Kensington Farmers Market, a charming East Bay bazaar with vivid vegetables, fresh seafood and live jazz. Jars of his mother’s super-rich mousse are on display, as are buttery croissants, galettes gianduja, creamy mille feuille and a compact but star-studded roster of chocolate-chip cookies.

The cookie: None of the chef patissier’s cookies are overly sugared, instead relying on quality chocolate and a well-measured hit of salt to deliver the flavor. The chocolate chip is an excellent version of the classic, soft and chewy with imported Valrhona chocolate and vanilla-smoked Maldon salt ($5). But if it’s chocolate you’re really after – CHOCOLATE with all-caps – then go for the triple-chocolate cookie with intensely flavored Valrhona P125, which Shocron grinds into a fine powder, as well as milk chocolate, opalys (white-chocolate chips) and a snowfall of cocoa dust on top. That’s actually four kinds of chocolate, and it’s all gluten-free, if you want to make the argument that any of this is remotely healthy for you.

Details: Open from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday and 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday at 2701 Eighth St., Suite 116 in Berkeley and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at the Kensington Farmers Market at 379-389 Colusa Ave., Kensington; lanoisettesweets.com.

Icing on the Cake, Los Gatos

“We are chip happy,” bakery founder Lynn Magnoli says of the Icing on the Cake crew and clientele. Not only are there several varieties of chocolate chip cookies, but chocolate chips are also worked into pound cakes, brownies and banana cakes at this wildly popular shop that’s been open nearly four decades, since 1985.

But we’re here for the cookies ($3.75 to $4.25), and customer demand has resulted in lots of choices. These big, satisfying cookies are all made with real butter (except the vegan Top Notch) and semisweet chips. There’s the classic, the Studly Do Right (with walnuts and sea salt), the Oatmeal Chocolate Chip, the Dee-Luxe (semisweet and white chips, walnuts, coconut), the Chocolate Cherry Chunk (with brandy-soaked cherries), the Triple Chocolate, plus nutty, vegan and other options. You can also purchase logs of dough to bake at home and Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough shots.

After 39 years of running the shop and developing recipes, Magnoli has just sold the business — and recipes — to former employee Maggie Raye, who vows not to take anyone’s favorite out of the bakery case.

The cookie: There’s no single base recipe, which means you may be tasting many to find the texture you desire. They had us at “brandy-soaked cherries,” but the Hippie Chip, a dairy-free, flour-less cookie made with almond butter, eggs and honey, was a delightfully chewy discovery. Loved the sliced almonds in that one.

Details: Open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday at 50 W. Main St., Los Gatos, with phone orders (408-354.2464) accepted starting at 8 a.m. www.icingonthecakebakery.com

Doh!, Lafayette

If you want to taste any of Sonya Ginsburg’s delectable Doh! cookies, you’ll have to plan ahead. Order your treats at least 24 hours in advance — and by the boxful — then pick up your freshly-baked batch in downtown Lafayette. Ginsburg’s cookies are worth that extra effort. And she sells the dough too, in case you want to bake them  at home for that warm-out-of-the-oven experience.

Ginsburg didn’t start out as a professional baker. She left a 20-year career in project management to go to culinary school at Diablo Valley College and found she had a knack for creating unique variations on the drop-cookie template. A generous dusting of Maldon salt flakes, for example, gives her chewy chocolate chip cookies a nice balance of salty and sweet.

The cookies: Other cookies that wowed us include her stellar peanut butter chocolate chip; a Chai Latte cookie studded with white chocolate chips and rolled in sugared chai powder; the Cafe Latte, filled with white and semi-sweet chocolate chips and espresso powder; and the Caramel Pecan Pie, loaded with salted caramel chips and candied pecans. Boxes of 13 or more cookies start at $30.

Details: Doh! offers curbside pickups on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 271 Lafayette Circle, Lafayette. Order at https://cookiedohpro.com/, then arrange an exact pickup time via email.

Little Sky Bakery, Menlo Park, Los Altos and assorted farmers markets

This farmers market darling wows with its giant chocolate chip cookies, which come with and without nuts (we tried both, obviously). The giant cookies on offer, which included a tempting dark chocolate with dried cherries option at the Menlo Park bakery’s outdoor stand, are so hefty, two of them threatened to rip right through their paper bag.

The cookie: Go for the nutty version ($6), and you’ll be blown away. Not only does this cookie contain walnuts and pecans, it has dried apricot bits mixed in among the large, melty dark chocolate chunks. Besides, dried fruit makes this healthy, right?

Details: Open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily at 506 Santa Cruz Ave. in Menlo Park and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday at 170 State St. in Los Altos; littleskybakery.com.

Sideboard, Danville and Lafayette

Over the years, Sideboard has become a town hot spot, where residents flock for high-quality, rustic, comfort food. But those long lines aren’t comprised just of fans ordering breakfast, lunch or dinner fare. There’s the bakery lineup, too. Sideboard’s scrumptious muffins, scones and other baked goods are made, like everything else on the menu, from scratch.

Sideboard is especially known for its really, really good chocolate chip cookies – reminiscent of the cookies your grandmother might have had cooling on the kitchen counter when you arrived. Enjoy those cookies as dessert ($3.65 each) after tucking into a hearty lunch of fried chicken, mac and cheese or a Thai chicken salad. But they’re also a yummy afternoon treat with a latte or tea.

The cookie: Erin Andrews, Sideboard’s chef and owner, said she’s a fan of chewy cookies, so that’s what her chefs bake fresh every day: large, golden cookies, with crinkly, crispy tops and loaded with chips. In one of the few times Andrew uses anything but locally-sourced ingredients, she said the chips come from a French chocolate maker.

Details: Sideboard is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily at 90 Railroad Ave. in Danville and 3535 Plaza Way in Lafayette; https://www.sideboard.co.

Butter Pecan Bakeshop, Pleasant Hill, Emeryville and Pinole

Is there any combo better than warm cookies straight from the oven and a cold glass of milk? You’ll find both at Butter Pecan Bakeshop, a newcomer that draws lines out the door for its unapologetically sweet cookies in flavors like Dark Chocolate Sea Salt and Chunky Monkey (chocolate chips, walnut, fresh banana).

Wendell Hunter, a Cal Bear who played briefly in the NFL, wandered into the baking world during the pandemic. Now he has three Butter Pecan Bakeshops and a fourth coming later this year to Fairfield.

“I used my grandma’s nut-cake recipe and turned it into our brown-butter pecan cookie,” Hunter says. “I developed a perspective on what the perfect cookie should taste like and decided to make an entire line of cookies. My ideal cookie was buttery, delicious, handmade and tasted like your grandma made ‘em. This was a sharp contrast from other popular chains that focused on oversized, doughy, dry cookies slathered with icing and weird stuff like gummy bears.”

These are cookies for fans with an intense sweet tooth – and don’t expect any concessions. There are no vegan, gluten-free or low-sugar options. We’re talking real butter, flour, eggs and sugar.

The cookie: As fun as it is to sample the entire lineup, with rotating flavors arriving every month – Banana Pudding or Rocky Road, anyone? – it’s hard to go wrong with the classic chocolate chip ($3.75). It’s a substantial discus of brown-butter dough studded with gooey hunks of chocolate, crispy on the outside and soft and melty within. Get it freshly baked and pair it with milk.

Details: Open daily at 6472 Hollis St. in Emeryville, 2360C Monument Blvd. in Pleasant Hill and 1889 San Pablo Ave. in Pinole; butterpecanbakeshop.com.

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Pacific Cookie Company, Santa Cruz

This Surf City landmark has been wowing chocolate chip cookie fans since 1980, when Larry and Shelly Pearson opened their cookie shop in downtown Santa Cruz.

All these years later, the company still follows the same basic recipe for success, offering up such incredible sweet treats as the Almond Joe cookie (toasted almonds, semi-sweet chocolate chips and coconut) at prices that defy inflation. A single chunky cookie, which will satisfy most people’s sweet cravings, runs just $1.50, with a Baker’s Dozen (13 cookies) going for $16.

Plus, the place is open late, which makes it an ideal stop — perhaps for a Mom’s Special (two cookies, one milk for $3.70) — after catching a movie or a concert downtown.

The cookie: There are so many different takes on the classic, and every one is delicious. We dig the Almond Joe — a salute to the Almond Joy candy bar — and the Cahootz with its white chocolate chips, macadamia nuts and  coconut. But our favorite is the classic chocolate chip with walnuts.

Details: Open 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and until midnight Friday-Saturday at 1203 Pacific Ave. in Santa Cruz; pacificcookie.com.

Backhaus, San Mateo and Burlingame

A first attempt to score a legendary, browned-butter chocolate chip cookie from Backhaus was stymied, sold out by 1 p.m. on a recent weekday at both mid-Peninsula locations. (This reporter consoled herself with an everything croissant bowl instead. It was beautiful, delicious and everything you’d want in a savory pastry.) The cookie’s elusiveness required a second visit – this time early on a weekend. Fortunately, the cookies were in, and let’s just say, it was worth the shlep.

The cookie: Texturally, this chocolate chip cookie ($5) has hit its golden-brown peak. It has the quintessential blend of crispy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside mouthfeel that lets you know no butter was spared in the making of this oven-fresh delicacy. Mysteriously, the entire cookie had disappeared by the end of the drive home.

Details: Open from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday at 32 E. Third Ave. in San Mateo and 261 California Drive in Burlingame; backhausbread.com.

Busy Lizzy’s Baked Goods, Burlingame

At some bakeries, it feels like the cookie selection is an afterthought. That’s not the case at Busy Lizzy’s Baked Goods, where cookies take center stage. The small Burlingame storefront is run by Lizzy Detert, who opened the shop in 2021 after offering her baked goods at farmers markets and pop-ups. The bakery’s slogan is “Happiness in a cookie” – and it delivers just that.

The cookie: The browned-butter chocolate chip cookies ($4.25) are ideal for cookie lovers who prefer their chocolate chip cookies on the softer side, so they melt in one’s mouth. Molasses adds caramel notes that blend with the browned butter and chocolate to add complexity and richness to each bite. The S’more cookie ($4.25) is also a contender. It adds graham crackers and marshmallows to the mix for a taste of campfire nostalgia, only tidier.

Details: Opens at 11 a.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. on weekends at 10 a.m. at 1231 Burlingame Ave. in Burlingame; busylizzysbakedgoods.com.

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The search is over.

South Bay resident Maggie Raye, who worked at the bakery for five years before taking a “stay-at-home-mom” break, has purchased the beloved Los Gatos business and its recipes.

With Raye, “Icing on the Cake is in good hands,” Magnoli told customers in the big reveal this week on social media. “She is aware of the impact the bakery has in and outside of our community, what it has meant to our loyal customers and crew, our history and legacy.”

Raye added a note of her own on the bakery’s Facebook page: “New owner … same delicious Banana Cake!”

For customers and staff, that was a reassuring sign she’s devoted to maintaining the many traditions for which this bakery is known, from that banana best seller to the staggering array of cakes (classic, loaf, pound, cupcakes), fruit and cream pies, cookies, brownies, bars and baked goods for those with special diets.

“What Lynn has built is phenomenal. I don’t intend on changing any of the fan favorites,” she said in an interview. “It would be silly to buy a business and deconstruct it when it’s running so well.”

Raye, who started working the IOTC front counter in 2009, has been spending her first days back at the West Main Street shop “expanding her knowledge,” learning the recipes and becoming reacquainted with employees. “The staff has been so supportive.”

A home baker, she said she actually had long thought she’d like to own a bakery.

“It’s joy inducing. It seems to brighten up everyone’s day when they have a slice of cake or a cookie.”

The self-taught Magnoli, whose baking career started in childhood with a vintage 1965 Easy-Bake Oven, opened the first Icing on the Cake in an old house off North Santa Cruz Avenue in 1985. She moved the operation to West Main Street in 2001 and expanded into a neighboring space in 2013.

“I trust that Icing will carry on in a familiar but fresher way, growing and improving as it always has,” she wrote in her announcement. “There are positive changes that come along with new ownership, and I look forward to assisting Maggie and our team with this transition.”

Details: Open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday at 50 W. Main St., Los Gatos, with phone orders (408-354.2464) accepted starting at 8 a.m. www.icingonthecakebakery.com

Dine-in and takeout service started today at the Hacienda Business Park in a former Sweet Tomatoes space.  The new location is the 22nd in the greater Bay Area serving the Atlanta-based chain’s signature chicken sandwiches.

Aaron Clifford, the owner-operator of this and the original location in Pleasanton, is a California native who has been with the company for 25 years. He was raised in Watsonville on a strawberry farm, then moved with his family to Georgia, where he first discovered Chick-fil-A — long before the restaurant expanded to this state.

Between the two locations, he will employ 170 full- and part-time employees.

The opening comes just a few weeks after Chick-fil-A rolled back its pledge to serve only antibiotic-free chicken. “To maintain supply of the high-quality chicken you expect from us,” the company statement said, “Chick-fil-A will shift from No Antibiotics Ever (NAE) to No Antibiotics Important To Human Medicine (NAIHM) starting in the Spring of 2024.” According to NBC News, many chicken providers say the avian flu that has decimated poultry populations has forced them to turn again to antibiotics in limited cases.

As with at other Chick-fil-A locations, the chain’s charitable giving policy will focus on contributions to nonprofits that work in the areas of education, homelessness and hunger. For each new local restaurant opening, Chick-fil-A donates $25,000 to Feeding America, with the funds being distributed in the Bay Area.

Clifford also has pledged to redirect surplus food to local soup kitchens, shelters and food banks as part of the company’s Shared Table program. In addition, this location will give free entrees for a year to 100 local heroes making a difference in the Pleasanton area.

Details: Open from 6:30 to 10 a.m. Monday-Saturday (closed Sunday) at 4501 Hopyard Road; www.chick-fil-a.com

Their first, the Michelin-highlighted Rooh in Palo Alto (2020) and San Francisco (2017), takes a progressive approach to Indian cuisine. Pippal, at Bay Street Emeryville, focuses on regional Indian fare. And the menu at the recently opened Alora, on San Francisco’s Embarcadero, explores coastal cuisines from India to Italy to Spain.

Their latest, at San Jose’s trendy Santana Row, is an upscale grill and lounge that delivers a captivating sensory experience. Fitoor (the name means passion in Hindi) offers innovative dishes and cocktails, captivating and conversation-provoking design touches and a lively, Mumbai-style late-night scene.

Here’s our first look inside:

THE VIBE: Which vibe matches your mood? There’s the buzzy, sultry vibe on Friday and Saturday evenings, when fire dancers illuminate the darkened lounge and a DJ plays thumping music, Hindi remixes early in the evening and louder global club faves late at night. And then there are the quieter times and tables, like the luncheon hours and nights early in the week when the Gold Room and the Green Room offer enticing spaces for adventurous foodies.

THE INTERIOR: We love restaurants that engage our inner architect. Manu Studios of San Jose turned the Bhambris’ vision for Fitoor into three stunning spaces, each one flowing into the next. First is the front lounge, with its undulating wood-slat ceiling that rolls up from the bar and over the drinking and dining area. Geometric tiles in metallic shades line the walls. The lounge transitions into one of the main dining rooms via a cool, twisty space. Dubbed The Portal, that short hallway was created from a giant block of wood, the designers say. The Gold Room features luxe booths, marble touches and showpiece lighting fixtures. That leads into the clubby and more private Green Room, with its rich green-lacquered walls and dangling blossom lighting fixtures.

THE FOOD: The restaurant’s aesthetic calls for similarly innovative dishes, and executive chef Vaibhav Sawant meets the challenge. He comes to Silicon Valley from Mumbai, where he worked with India’s legendary Jiggs Kalra at that chef’s Masala Library and Farzi Cafe.

Start with the bite-size snacks on the Chaats of India platter ($25 for two diners, $40 for four), which features a dahi puri topped with a vegetable caviar (“when you take a bite, you’ll be surprised,” Sawant says), mini samosas stuffed with mozzarella and tomato, a deconstructed bhel bar and other nibbles.

From the “rustic grill” side of the menu comes the juicy Peshawari Lamb Seekh Kebab ($27). He elevates that with a spicy thecha, or condiment, of horseradish, Thai chiles and peanuts, then adds two cooling sides to temper the heat: a mint chutney foam and creamy onions. The Charred Jaffna Lobster Tail ($34) is served with a miso mousse. Very popular with diners is the Reinvented Paneer Lababdar ($30), which sets a circle of paneer atop masala, giving the dish an unintentionally topical and delightful look during this eclipse month.

And then there are the multi-faceted desserts. One of chef Sawant’s trademark offerings is the 72-Hour Vodka Panna Cotta ($15) topped with a mint quenelle, then balanced by a milk crumble, white chocolate soil and strawberry compote. The other, Malai Choux Bun, is an artistic palette of seven tastes ($18). Accompanying the pastry are caramel, macerated mango and strawberry, milk cubes, rabri cremeux and paan (betel leaf) ice cream.

THE DRINKS: Beverage manager Roger Gomes and his mixology team took inspiration from the elements of water, fire, earth, air — and space — for Fitoor’s signature cocktails ($17-$19). The fiery Pasha combines bourbon, Drambuie, bitters, za’taar and butter; under airy options, the riff on the Cuban cocktail Canchanchara is rum, citrus and gardenia mix with a sous-vide black garlic clove on a swizzle stick. The list of beers ($10) offers the obligatory Kingfisher along with three other brews from India — East Brothers Gold, Bira White and Bira Blonde — and Almanac Brewing’s Kolsch from Alameda. A global array of wines by the glass is also available.

DON’T MISS: The Asado Branzino ($25) from the “rustic grill” side of the menu. In this herbaceous version, filets are marinated and layered with a coriander mint pesto and topped with crispy potato salli strips for texture. It’s flaky, aromatic and delicious. And because Fitoor doesn’t make you commit to a whole branzino like so many other restaurants, you’ll have room to try other shareables.

GOOD TO KNOW: Happy hour runs seven days a week from 2:30 to 5 p.m. The signature cocktails are just $11, and small plates (Masala Fries, Burst Chicken Koliwada, Labneh Croquettes and more) range from $9 to $16.

DETAILS: Open from 11:30 a.m. to 10  p.m. Sunday-Thursday, until 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday at 3060 Olsen Drive, Santana Row, San Jose; https://eatdrinkfitoor.com.

California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials on Thursday ordered an April 8 close to the commercial season to minimize the risk of humpback whales becoming entangled in fishing gear as they return to forage off the California coast.

The decision was made after consultation with representatives of the fishing industry, environmental organizations and scientists. Fishing fleet members had sought additional time for the removal of fishing gear.

The order applies to what the state calls Zones 3, 4 and 5, from the Sonoma/Mendocino county border south to Point Conception in Santa Barbara County.

In Zones 1 and 2 (Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties), crabbing may continue, though officials are limiting fishermen to a depth restriction of 30 fathoms, about 180 feet. That change also goes into effect April 8.

The conservation nonprofit Oceana, one of the state’s advisory groups, praised the decision for Central and Southern California but expressed concern about leaving the season open in the north.

“Over the last few years, fishery managers underestimated the risk of entanglement and did not close the fishery soon enough in the spring months as whales returned,” Oceana’s Dr. Geoff Shester said in a statement. “Sadly, we often see the result of this delayed action many months later when new entanglements are observed and confirmed.”

This season, officials said six whale entanglements have been confirmed, and a dead Pacific leatherback sea turtle that got snarled in old gear from a previous year was discovered off the Farallon Islands on Nov. 24. That species was added to the state’s endangered list in 2021.

Oceana and other conservationists are encouraging the use of ropeless gear rather than conventional vertical lines.

Central California’s commercial crab season started late this year — Jan. 18, with a 50% trap reduction — after a series of delays. The traditional start is Nov. 15 and the recreational season typically begins earlier than that.

Since 2015, there have been delays in all but one commercial Dungeness season in the Bay Area. A toxin, domoic acid, that could sicken anyone who eats the tainted crab, destroyed Northern California’s 2015-2016 commercial season and created delays in other years.

In 2018, the commercial season began without a hitch, although recreational crabbers had to postpone their fishing.

In 2019 and 2020, the fishing line danger to whales resulted in a crabbing delay of several weeks. The 2020 crabbing season was officially set to begin Dec. 23, but price negotiations between crab fleets and seafood processors delayed the start until early January 2021.

With delays to protect whales, the truncated 2021-22 season ran from Dec. 29 to April 8, and the 2022-23 season from Dec. 31 to this past April 15.

This year, officials said six whale entanglements have been confirmed, and a dead Pacific leatherback sea turtle that got snarled in old gear from a previous year was discovered off the Farallon Islands on Nov. 24. That species was added to the state’s endangered list in 2021.

This is a developing story. Come back for updates.

It’s another score for the upscale Santa Clara mall, which was selected a few years ago by Eataly for its first Italian food emporium in the Bay Area/NorCal.

Joey, a family-owned business in the “premium casual” restaurant category, boasts a menu that ranges from shareable plates of Korean Fried Cauliflower and Roasted Corn Guacamole to entrees of Ravioli Bianco with seafood, Bollywood Butter Chicken and Steak & Sushi. There’s a full bar with craft cocktails, wine and beer. The signature dessert is the Individually Baked Apple Pie.

The Vancouver, British Columbia-based chain opened in 1992. Now there are 23 locations across Canada and nine in the United States, with a recent incursion the last few years into Southern California, Washington, Texas and Florida. The four SoCal Joeys are located in downtown Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach, Newport Beach and Woodland Hills.

At the Santa Clara mall, Joey will take over the space formerly occupied by Bamboo Sushi, which closed recently.

No opening date has been announced.

Details: 2855 Stevens Creek Blvd., Santa Clara; https://joeyrestaurants.com