Spotted: Cioppino at Flea Street

I can’t remember when I fell in love with cioppino, undoubtedly some time after I returned to Menlo Park in 1990. It is my favorite dish of all time, but one rarely seen on menus. So what a delight to discover that Chef/GM Bryan Thuerk at Flea Street has it on the menu to start the year. No surprise: It was yummy!

It’s thought that the seafood stew was invented near Fisherman’s Wharf around the turn of the 20th century by an Italian fisherman who worked off the pier and used leftovers from the day’s catch to create a hearty, warm meal that could feed a crowd. We are grateful for his inventiveness!

Chef Bryan’s take on it is minus the usual tomato broth; his is broth blanco.

Flea Street, located at 3607 Alameda de las Pulgas in Menlo Park, is open Tuesday through Saturday from 5:00 pm to closing. Reservations recommended.

Photo by Linda Hubbard (c) 2024