Redwood Grill soft opened at 356 Woodside Road in mid-July and has been busy ever since, owner Renee Barton said in an interview. She said she’s meeting a need in the neighborhood for a casual restaurant that serves high-quality food and is good for all occasions and people, from families with young children to groups of friends going out for drinks.
Barton, whose background is in investor relations and technology, grew up in Burlingame and then San Carlos. She's lived in Redwood City for the last 12 years, and always had an interest in restaurants "in the back of her mind," she said. It wasn’t until recently that she decided to leave tech behind, "jump in, feet-first deep end and just go for it."
She said she wanted to create a restaurant with a comfortable environment where locals can gather and connect over good food.
"I feel like because of the explosive growth here as well there's a lack of that community feel, like a place to gather and see people that you know — that kind of connection," she said. "I do believe that connection is very strong around eating and just gathering. That was the real vibe that I wanted to create: a place to gather and be familiar."
Redwood Grill now serves both lunch and dinner, and offers happy hour from 3-6 p.m. Barton describes the restaurant’s cuisine as "California comfort food" with an emphasis on grilled items. The dinner menu has several starters, from grilled avocado stuffed with shrimp salad to roasted honey Siracha wings; salads, burgers, sandwiches and mains. Mains include grilled meats and seafood as well as tacos and pasta. There’s also a kids menu; for $11, you can order one starter, meal (like a slider, chicken tenders or mac and cheese), dessert and drink.
Redwood Grill tries to source sustainable, local meats as much as possible, while "still trying to provide a menu that's accessible to people," Barton said. The restaurant uses sustainable grass-fed beef with no antibiotics from Richards Family Ranch in the eastern Sierra Foothills and poultry from Marys Free Range Chickens.
There's also a full bar with wine, beer and speciality cocktails. Cocktails are all $11. There’s the "Woodside" with blended scotch, elderfruit and bitters; the "Redwood Summer" with Vodka, muddled cucumber, pineapple and fresh lemon; and the "Red Morton Mule," made with vodka, muddled strawberries, fresh thyme and ginger beer.
Redwood Grill is open Tuesday-Sunday for lunch, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and dinner, 5-10 p.m.
Other restaurants at Woodside Plaza include breakfast spot Breakers Cafe, Sushi Plus, Rack & Roll BBQ Shack and Old Port Lobster Shack, which relocated there this spring after closing its original location on Veterans Boulevard.
