Business Beat – Kenwood Press News

By Paul Gauguin

You may have noticed some recent menu changes at Palooza. That’s because there’s a new chef in charge of the kitchen at Kenwood Gastropub.

Eric Moulton grew up in Kenwood, attended culinary school in San Francisco in 2010, and has worked his way up the ranks at many of San Francisco’s top restaurants. The Waterbar, The Boxing Room, and Farallon are just a few of the places where he’ll pick up his knives around the North Bay and eventually build his own kitchen and brigade back home in Kenwood.

Moulton says he’s not trying to reinvent the wheel on the Palouse. “It’s not so much that we’re trying to replicate the whole menu, we’re just updating it, with some new things like the squash risotto and grilled flank steak. Many of the specialties we lead are also new.

Molton felt that the change in greenery was in order. “One of the first things I changed when I took over was all the lettuce. So that’s completely new,” he said.

Another new thing is the pizza dough and topping options. Since Eric took over, this reporter has had great pizza there and looks forward to more. The pie with pineapple (a crime in some circles, but not mine), pepperoni and jalapeños was memorable for the clash between the sweetness of the fruit and the nastiness of the pepper. Pepperoni is topped with a delicious stick of pepperoni on a pizza.

“The only things I haven’t really changed are the chicken wings and the mozzarella balls,” added the chef. Don’t fix what isn’t broken is a great philosophy.

Palooza is located at 8910 Sonoma Hwy. at Metropolitan Kenwood; (707) 833-4000.