The lunch menu, which Bird Dog started offering in May, is distinct from dinner with the exception of the restaurant's signature wood-grilled avocado dish. The menu is available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The dining room at Bird Dog on Ramona Street in Palo Alto. Photo by Veronica Weber/Palo Alto Weekly.
Lunch was always "in the pipeline for Bird Dog," said managing partner Emily Perry Wilson (and wife of owner Robbie Wilson), but they wanted to focus on dinner before expanding. They were also encouraged by requests from dinner patrons, she said.
"While there are numerous fast-casual options in downtown Palo Alto, there are few that offer full-service," Perry Wilson added. "We felt there was a niche to be filled."
Some current lunch-only dishes include kanpachi with grapes, yuzu kosho, finger lime and shisho ($18); a sandwich of pine-smoked unagi and mustard leaf kimchi served on a dutch crunch roll ($19); and pork katsu with smoked banana, miso butterscotch, aji amarillo and kohlrabi ($24). Prices range from $10 to $28.
The menu has been changing on average every other week "based on seasonality of product," Perry Wilson said.
There are also special drinks and desserts served at lunch. Check out the most recent summer menu below:
Chef-owner Wilson opened Bird Dog at 420 Ramona St. after running a well-known restaurant in Santa Barbara wine country. Bird Dog won best new restaurant in the Palo Alto Weekly's 2016 Best Of competition.
