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Two piece fried chicken with boneless chicken thighs, sriracha honey, corn esquites and mac and cheese from Horsefeather. Courtesy Horsefeather.

A trendy San Francisco restaurant and bar is opening its second location, in Palo Alto’s Town & Country Village, later this year.

Horsefeather, a new American restaurant offering dishes like fried chicken with kimchi mac and cheese and a variety of signature cocktails, opened in San Francisco in 2016. The Palo Alto location will be much larger, have ample outdoor seating and will introduce a lunch menu, said co-owner Justin Lew.

“We want to offer things that are exciting, interesting (and) innovative to the Palo Alto market,” Lew said. “It’s not going to be a different Horsefeather, but it may not be the exact same menu.”

California Cooler with gin, thyme, Sauvignon blanc cordial, celery, fresh lime and sparkling white wine from Horsefeather. Courtesy Horsefeather.

Like its original location, Horsefeather Palo Alto will offer dinner and weekend brunch. Find classic dishes like cheeseburgers and deviled eggs, as well as more unique offerings like smoked tuna and mala cucumber. 

“We offer new American style cuisine that is comfort forward, but still has sort of an eclectic and current approach to it,” Lew said.

Double cheeseburger with chuck and brisket, smoked onion, lettuce, special sauce, pickles and a brioche bun from Horsefeather. Courtesy Horsefeather.

The cocktail program will be similar to that of the San Francisco location, Lew said, with inventive drinks like Horsefeather’s breakfast punch, a milk-washed cocktail featuring corn whiskey, Jamaican and aged rums, spices, citrus and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. 

Golden hour with turmeric honey gin, amontillado, masala brandy, toasted coconut water cordial, lime, madras tincture and acid phosphate from Horsefeather. Courtesy Horsefeather.

Ambiance at the Palo Alto location will also be similar to that of San Francisco’s, with ample natural lighting and indoor plants. 

“As far as ambiance, we definitely want to maintain an elevated, casual, approachable atmosphere,” Lew said.

Whisky butter cake with brown butter, shiro miso, coconut milk and grilled pineapple marmalade from Horsefeather. Courtesy Horsefeather.

The name Horsefeather is a play off the term “horse feathers,” meaning something is nonsense.

“It’s something that prior generations, like my grandmother, would say to me, so it’s kind of a tongue-in-cheek sort of joke,” Lew said. 

Ramblin’ Mandarin with Venezuelan rum, hojicha, shochu, lime leaf, mandarin, barley and fresh lime from Horsefeather. Courtesy Horsefeather.

Co-owner Hanson Li is a Stanford University alumnus, and he and co-owner Tiffany Yam also co-own ice cream company Humphry Slocombe, San Francisco Chinese restaurant Lazy Susan and San Francisco cocktail bar Last Rites (which Lew also co-owns).

Lew started in the food and beverage industry when he was 15 – making pizzas, bussing, dishwashing and waiting tables. After graduating with a degree in graphic design, he split his time between working in bars and working in graphic design. Then, 15 years ago, he decided to go full-time in the food and beverage industry and has been business partners with Li for the past 10 years.

Duck fat fries with umami seasoning, duck fat “snow” and curried ketchup from Horsefeather. Courtesy Horsefeather.

“We want to create a unique, memorable dining experience with exceptional cuisine, innovative cocktails (and a) welcoming atmosphere,” he said. “We want to be a cornerstone of the Town & Country Palo Alto community. We’ve had a commitment to quality and creativity and service that helped us become successful in San Francisco, and we want to exhibit that in Palo Alto.”

Horsefeather, 855 El Camino Real #151, Palo Alto; Instagram: @horsefeather.

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Adrienne Mitchel is the Food Editor at Embarcadero Media. As the Peninsula Foodist, she's always on the hunt for the next food story (and the next bite to eat!). Adrienne received a BFA in Broadcast...

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