Is [esc] at Four Seasons Silicon Valley the perfect escape? [esc], the new cafe/lounge space in the lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley is a sleek and welcome addition to the luxury hotel. Chef Eric Keppler, the in-house pastry chef, creates morning pastries like croissants and kouign amann for breakfast along with coffee and cold pressed juices, and tartines and salads for lunch. In the evening, [esc] becomes a swank bar, serving wine and house cured charcuterie, along with some truly stunning desserts.
I visited [esc] one drizzly grey Monday morning, and Chef Keppler had been kind enough to set out some of his desserts in the pastry case. Look at this stunning display:
All worthy of a Parisian patisserie. The colors of the pastries are based on the color scheme of [esc] itself. It was hard to choose, but my favorite might have been the C3, a perfect combination of coffee mousse, vanilla cake, caramel ganache, and praline feuilletine, topped with the most eye-catching chocolate feathers.
Yes those are chocolate feathers nor real ones. Happy to report the C3 is as delicious as it looks.
The cutely-monikered Downthyme features lemon mousse and a blueberry thyme compote on a thyme sable. The desserts will be regularly rotated with new seasonal creations.
Chou chou, a French term of endearment, is also a clever homonym for the choux puff pastry at the base of this dessert. The pastry cream and raspberry filled puff is topped with a blackberry mousse. I just really love the presentation of all Chef Keppler’s pastries – so elegant and modern.
Breakfast pastries on display. Before [esc] opened, the area was simply part of the hotel lobby, so this revamp definitely adds a lot more energy and appeal to the space. Sit down with a coffee and kouign amann, and relax with a newspaper, or come at happy hour for wine and cheese. If you’re looking for the desserts, they’re usually available in the evening at well. They’re definitely a worthy reason to stop by the Four Seasons if you’re in the Palo Alto area after work, after dinner, or just in need of a little indulgence.
Disclaimer: I was invited to visit and sample the pastries at [esc] Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions are my own.
at Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley
2050 University Avenue
East Palo Alto, CA 94030
M-F 6:00 am – 2:00 pm, 4:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Sa-Sun 6:30 am – 4:00 pm
Anita Chu, also known as pastrygirl, is a baker, writer, and photographer with a passion for pastry. She trained at Tante Marie's Cooking School and is the author of Field Guide to Cookies, Field Guide to Candy, and Lollipop Love. Anita lives in San Francisco with her husband, daughter, and dog Max. 
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