First Bite: Stomp

Diablo's Editor-in-Chief gets a sneak peek at Blackhawk Plaza's new small plates and wine lounge.

By Susan Safipour

An amuse bouche with beer to start.

Last week we went to the opening of Stomp, the first of three new restaurants planned for Blackhawk Plaza. It was a warm night, so we grabbed a table outside on the patio, which filled up quickly with a chic Blackhawk crowd.

A German Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse hit the spot, as did the light Teira Zinfandel from Sonoma. Then on to the small plates—all of which sounded intriguing with unusual combinations—like the amuse bouche that arrived gratís with our drinks: a tall basket of chips, made from root vegetable, accompanied by lemon aoli sauce and crushed almonds for dipping.

Our charming and knowledgeable waitress from Argentina recommended several dishes. We enjoyed the fresh and delicious fava bean hummus ($7) and a bresaola carpaccio ($8) with light lemon aoli. Both burst with fresh and tasty flavors. We passed on the slightly chewy spiced pita bread that accompanied both dishes, in order to splurge on two of the $4 desserts.

My husband dived into his rich lemon tart with blackberry-merlot puree, and I refused to give him a bite of my salted caramel-panna cotta with vanilla bean scented lemon zest.

We got to say a quick hello to chef Matt Silverman, who will develop all three of the new Blackhawk eateries, before heading home to relieve the babysitter.

Stomp, 3451 Blackhawk Plaza Circle, Danville, stompsf.com.