Intermezzo at Quattro

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There’s a new addition at Four Seasons East Palo Alto. The aptly named, “Intermezzo” now occupies the space between the bar scene and full-on dinning experience at Quattro (the Four Seasons restaurant). Last Friday, MODE had the chance to celebrate the grand opening.

Italian for “in between,” Intermezzo serves up a wildly diverse selection of small plates and appetizers. Diners have the choice of eating Famiglia (all at once), Festivo (as its ready) and Formale (course by course). A lot of the plates are designed to be shared—with this in mind there is a huge portion of the menu that can be prepared gluten free upon request. All menu items were created by Executive Chef Marco Fossati, Chef de Cuisine Edward Higgins and Pastry Chef Eric Keppler.

I started off with a the made-for-Four Seasons Iconoclast house red and white wines, a cab and a chard which went great with a lot of the tastings.

Here’s what I tried:

Bruschette
Oven cured tomato & basil.
House cured salmon & fennel salad
* These both were actually my faves of the night. They packed a big punch in just a little bite.

Salumi
Porchetta, house made

In Casseruola
Meatballs: veal & pork piperade

Pizza & Panini
Kobe Beef panino w/brie,romaine hearts, and horseradish crema cannelloni w/ricotta & spinach filling, smoked mozzarella, garlic and brown butter

La Dolce Vita
Bombollini, italian style donut w/ salted caramel sauce
Italian ricotta cheese cake lollipop W/ rice crispies clustered on top covered in white chocolate.(I found out what made the ricotta so creamy inside—mascarpone cheese! )
Mini gelati & sorbetti cones, flavors: honey lavendar (super fragrant) and chocolate chip.

Overall, the food lives up to what has come to be expected from Quattro, but with a more trendy and less formal ambiance. Great place to start a night out that you want to make memorable.

I also had the chance to meet Executive Chef Marco Fossatti and get a little bit of his cooking philosophy. Fossatti has cooked all over the world, and this cosmopolitan influence pervades his menu, which combines cultures and experimentation. A major source of inspiration for Fossatti is his own restlessness, and he admitted that he “gets bored” with his menus. “Even if something is a top seller. If I’m tired of it, it’s off the menu,” he said. With the creativity that Fossatti puts on the tables at Intermezzo, it’s sure to be a long time before anyone else ever feels this way.