Balboa Cafe Mill Valley (aka BCMV) is debuting a “Journey through Mexico” Pop-Up, highlighting regional flavors of Mexico that includes the Yucatan, Baja, Mexico City, and more. Forgery will be taking over the bar featuring bar stars Jacques Bezuidenhout, Ken Luciano and Elizabeth Montana. Expect some Tequila and Mezcal flights, plus signature cocktails to pair with Howard’s Mexican-inspired menu.
The restaurant will feature the pop-up menu exclusively on August 28th for dinner service from 5-10pm. To make a reservation, call 415.381.7321 or book online through OpenTable.
Menu
“Journey Through Mexico” Pop-Up Menu
About Howard Ko, Executive Chef Balboa Cafe Mill Valley
A renowned chef with a passion for innovative cuisine, Howard Ko is ideally suited to lead the culinary program at Balboa Cafe Mill Valley. In his career to date, Ko has already worked at some of the industry’s most well-respected establishments – The Restaurant at Meadowood with Christopher Kostow, The French Laundry with Thomas Keller and in the kitchens of Goose & Gander in St. Helena, Melisse in Los Angeles, Hanilkwan in Osaka, and DB Bistro Moderne, Picholine and Daniel in New York.
Ko was raised in Koreatown in Los Angeles and fell in love with cooking at a very young age. After spending time in Los Angeles mastering the art of pastry making and baking, Ko traveled to New York to attend the Culinary Institute of America. As a student at the CIA, Ko assisted at Daniel on weekends to gain experience in the kitchen doing everything from peeling potatoes to cleaning mushrooms.
Making the move to Wine Country as Chef de Partie at The French Laundry in Yountville, Ko worked the line and focused on creating new dishes for the daily changing menu. From there he joined acclaimed chef Christopher Kostow at three-Michelin starred The Restaurant at Meadowood as Chef de Partie where he assisted at all stations and mentored the commis.
Ko accepted a position as chef de cuisine at his third Wine Country restaurant Goose & Gander off Main Street in St. Helena. As his final position before joining Balboa Cafe Mill Valley, Ko ran the kitchen and was responsible for putting a dramatic spin on the neighborhood eatery. Ko also introduced a shared plates concept, new flavors, and new techniques with the goal of bringing people together to taste different flavors.
As Executive Chef at Balboa Café Mill Valley, Ko will serve a seasonal menu with an emphasis on locally sourced ingredients taking advantage of all Northern California has to offer. The menu will consist of market driven bistro classics with modern twists. Howard Ko lives in Napa with his fiancée, Wendy, and dog, Whiskey, and when he’s not in the kitchen, enjoys CrossFit and growing his eclectic collection of cookbooks.
