A pastel pink truck coming to two Central Jersey malls will be impossible to miss On its 10th annual tour of the country — and celebrating Hello Kitty's 50th anniversary — the Hello Kitty Cafe Truck will be parked at the Menlo Park Mall in Edison near Macy's from 10 a.m it will head to Bridgewater Commons across from Uncle Julio’s and Fogo de Chao from 10 a.m Fans can buy merchandise and packaged snacks from the truck which has visited 100 cities since its inception in 2014 Cats in need: Here's how to help Hunterdon kittens like Berry, who was born with spina bifida On the "menu" this year are iridescent totes and hoodies and items (especially food products) sometimes sell out “We have enough that there’s something for everybody and that’s why our fan base is so varied,” truck co-owner Urania Chien previously told MyCentralJersey ‘Can we get the thermal bottle for our tea?’ ” Attention cat people: The first cat cafe is opening in Somerset County. Here are the details The character has maintained a cult following throughout the last half-century After noticing there were many Hello Kitty-themed cafes in Asia but none in the United States Chien and her partners decided to open one in Irvine the co-owners created a truck to be showcased at the 2014 Hello Kitty Con They soon realized the truck was much more than a marketing tool “It became such a fan gathering point and joy-maker that we got two and now they just go to different cities every weekend across the United States,” Chien previously told MyCentralJersey “We didn’t know it would be its own unicorn but it got so much traction that we were just like ‘Let’s try it out and see what happens.’ ” Contact: JIntersimone@MyCentralJersey.com By: 5:30 am on March 19 March Capital Fund resubmitted the plans in mid-January of this year increasing the apartment count by 13 dwellings The latest application uses density bonuses through both the city and state programs to achieve increased residential capacity The proposal has completed an Environmental Review process for the California Environmental Quality Act The City of Menlo Park reasons the project is consistent with the Menlo Park General Plan and the significant environmental effects have already been studied The 93-foot-tall structure is now expected to add 112 units to the parcel of which ten will be designated as affordable to very low-income households and four for moderate-income households Parking will be included for 56 cars and 188 bicycles LDP Architecture is responsible for the design The overall design scheme has not changed significantly since our mid-2024 coverage with an articulated facade and a podium-top amenity deck Exterior materials will include cement plaster The building will be all-electric and aims to achieve LEED Gold certification 3705 Haven Street Avenue Street View via Google Maps Demolition will be required for an existing commercial structure The project is just the latest one looking to replace light industrial use with housing in the Bayfront neighborhood It will rise next to the sprawling podium apartments by Essex Property Trust and Anton Menlo by Anton DevCo The 0.66-acre property is located at a bending section of Haven Court across from a FedEx Shipping Center and five minutes on foot from Bedwell Bayfront Park construction is expected to last around 22 months from groundbreaking to completion and cost an estimated $77.7 million Subscribe to YIMBY’s daily e-mail Follow YIMBYgram for real-time photo updates Like YIMBY on Facebook Follow YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews This proposal needs a few more exterior materials and set backs Then it gets more expensive and maybe doesn’t pencil out especially with the current interest rate climate There’s affordable units in the property and you can’t get everything you want because of cost Exterior can be refaced later anyways if someone wants to increase the value of it but they definitely didn’t mean to add more to this conglomerate it’s doing everything it can to be visually interesting No need to have so much variation in roof height All that articulation and materials drives up the cost and creates some funky interior layouts This design for me is a case where a building designed with a pen in hand is far better than a computer program and better if the designer has a sense of urbanity and order This Frankenstein “design” sure is one hot mess Looks like my cat ate six different types of cat food and then ralphed it all up in one big pile maybe add some more setbacks and cladding materials is supposed to win our uncritical approbation At least what’s there now isn’t offensive Another thing….I see that light industrial buildings are being replaced in large numbers on the Peninsula I understand that light industrial space is at a premium Maybe some thought should be given to preserving some so contractors warehouses don’t all have to relocate to Tracy or Gilroy The Peninsula has a pretty extreme housing jobs-housing imbalance so replacing some employment uses with housing seems like a net plus overall although obviously some light industrial needs to remain I agree the “architecture” here leaves a lot to be desired and it would also be nice if some retail and other neighborhood necessities were added as they build all this residential so all the people living here have things in walking distance Less is more…need to simplify this immediately way to busy ga('send', 'event', ‘Robert ‘Becker, 'Impression', 'https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/desktop-ad.jpg', { nonInteraction: true }); ADVERTISEMENT ga('send', 'event', 'SF YIMBY', 'Impression', 'https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/sfyimbyadnews.jpg', { nonInteraction: true }); ga('send', 'event', 'SF YIMBY', 'Impression', 'https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/sf-yimby-dot-com-graphic.jpg', { nonInteraction: true }); Follow on Instagram © COPYRIGHT New York YIMBY LLC Sunset’s former home was the incubator and laboratory of the Western lifestyle Sunset’s historic campus in Menlo Park, the former home of this storied magazine and media company, isn’t just a collection of buildings—it’s a physical embodiment of the Western way of life. Built in 1951 by architect Cliff May It’s where Sunset redefined what it meant to live in the West It’s where we refined recipes in the test kitchen and built an indoor-outdoor lifestyle that people across the country aspired to It’s where the Western Garden Book was created where thousands of articles and dozens of books were edited and where the Sunset staff helped incubate It was a living museum of evolving Western culture and hosted thousands of visitors who toured its gardens and joined the festivities at the annual Celebration Weekends that Sunset/Menlo Atherton High School Yearbook such a massive construction project would obliterate a “campus [that] is as significant and worthy of protection and designation as Taliesin West in Scottsdale which was conceived as Frank Lloyd Wright’s desert laboratory and the Los Angeles home of Charles and Ray Eames… [and] the only difference between those tastemaking properties is that the latter two are recognized as National Historic Landmarks.” Your voice can make the difference in safeguarding a place that has shaped the way we live, eat, and dream in the West for generations. We’ve lost too much already. Let’s save what we can. Send an email to calshpo.shrc@parks.ca.gov by 9 a.m April 30—be sure to include the name of the nomination (Sunset Magazine Headquarters) and the hearing date (May 9 and so much more delivered straight to your door every quarter Copyright ©2025 S Media International Corporation. SUNSET is a registered trademark of S Media International Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy SUNSET may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website Offers may be subject to change without notice By: 5:30 am on April 14 The City of Menlo Park has opened up applications for the development of three large parking plazas in Downtown Menlo Park The city plans to build a minimum of 345 units of affordable housing spread across the three sites but has not restricted the addition of more units The program plans to integrate affordable housing options into the high-resource downtown area The three lots north of Santa Cruz Avenue are some of eight identified by the city as having potential for development to help the city meet its regional housing needs allocation The city hopes to develop them in accordance with the Surplus Land Act allowing for the densification of the downtown neighborhood Downtown Menlo Park Development Sample Proposed Layout The proposals are each keeping some parking in the new layout of the site Downtown Menlo Park Development Site 3 Current Parking Plaza Now if we could dispense with this “affordable housing” nonsense… It isn’t “affordable” can’t be in this country; ultimately the market sets the price taking government free money promoting “affordable” and everything else into account in funding the development minimizing risk in relation to maximizing profits This is being forced on all the downtown businesses that were against it Parking is already difficult in Menlo Park and at the meetings it was clear that these new buildings do not consider Parking for the new residents coming in Nor does it allocate for the parking lots they will consume Businesses want more customers proximate to them There is room for over 1000 units if they upped their density goals Imagine how happy local business owners would be with over 2k new customers right on their doorsteps That beats a couple hundred parking spaces every day and twice on Sunday Every smaller downtown in the Bay should have similar plans The NIMBYS will have their pitchforks ready Darling will open in late May from chefs Meichih and Michael Kim while Korean master sommelier Kyungmoon Kim is compiling a wine and sool list and employees who filed complaints with the California Labor Commission are some of the issues mounting for Carracci and Suzie There’s a quality pop-up for matheletes’ favorite numerical holiday this year. Astranda Bakery and baker Jessica Little Fu are bringing pie to Telescope Coffee on Friday fans can expect slices of the black sesame pie with possible flavors including strawberry matcha cream pie EDISON - A clothing brand aimed at promoting positive image is opening a store at Menlo Park Mall on Saturday sells activewear including hooded sweatshirts The new store on the mall's lower level is next to JD Sports and Zumiez shoppers will receive a 20% discount when purchasing three or more items Customers will also receive a free duffle bag with purchases more than $100 while supplies last More: Edison OKs controversial warehouse on Metuchen border next to dog park The Menlo Park Mall store is GOAT USA's sixth store The others are at Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus; on Long Island at Tanger Outlet Riverhead Tanger Outlet Deer Park and Roosevelt Field Mall; and the King of Prussia Mall in Pennsylvania "GOAT USA strives to inspire every person to be the greatest version of themself," the company's website states GOAT USA was launched in 2016 by three childhood friends the trio initially sold beer t-shirts before creating their own brand naming it GOAT USA and creating the logo Chuck the GOAT The business started in the basement of one of the friend's grandfather's home and the trio developed the brand at events like street fairs Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime please subscribe or activate your digital account today Star chef Srijith Gopinathan highlights Indian food cooked by fire in a stunning restaurant space If you buy something from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy Chef Srijith “Sri” Gopinathan and partner Ayesha Thapar will open their fourth restaurant, Eylan, on Wednesday, January 15, at the Villa Menlo Park Eylan spotlights live-fire Indian cooking influenced by Gopinathan’s nearly 20 years spent cooking in the Bay Area my dining DNA has also been altered a little bit,” Gopinathan says “Seeing and enjoying this amazing Asian food seeing and enjoying the amazing Latin-inspired food here I tend to automatically — without even knowing it — pick up flavors because I enjoy it.” Pointing to nontraditional dishes such as a hamachi crudo which “is not a dish we normally serve back home at all,” Gopinathan readily admits he’s punched up the flavors with fermented red peppers served with a crispy sesame leaf pagoda to pile the hamachi on top Another appetizer incorporates chaas into pani puri with the buttermilk poured into puchkas filled with chickpeas and green grapes There’s even caviar service at Eylan with fried maitake mushroom pakoras and a “coconut crunch situation,” Gopinathan says Rather than copy-pasting his popular restaurants into a new space Gophinathan brought this idea of live-fire cooking to Eylan “Live-fire cooking for me is not new,” Gopinathan says we did not have gas cooking back in my village It’s almost like going back and revisiting what I’m used to in the old days.” A black cod dish that Gopinathan is particularly proud of sees the fish marinated in tamarind served with kohlrabi and a side of coconut rice Another seafood item is a sea bream with a spiced scallion crust Gopinathan also highlights his take on butter chicken which pairs a halved Cornish hen with a sauce made of charred “Tomatillos [aren’t] popular in Indian cooking at all,” Gopinathan says and should diners find themselves torn between dishes Gopinathan promises a five- or six-course tasting menu in the coming months to offer alongside the current a la carte dining style Wine director Andre Sydnor’s selections, many from smaller producers, will pair with Gopinathan’s live fire-focused menu. West Bev Consulting partner (and Copra bar director) Christopher Longoria is behind a menu of full-proof cocktail options which incorporates tamarind and grapefruit with mezcal But the team also sought to create a robust and thoughtful selection of nonalcoholic and low-ABV drinks is a nonalcoholic milk punch made with Pathfinder Amaro While Ettan features an intricate tile design and Copra has lush greenery and a creme-colored macrame motif Thapar and Gopinathan wanted to continue the trend of making Eylan stand out in its own way Eylan features earth tones and art deco influences, Thapar says, with black and white geometric patterns on the floor, brass details, and a nature element — three olive trees at the center of the restaurant. Another key detail is an Indian rickshaw coming to the restaurant lobby, along with a large-scale mural Thapar calls a “beautiful whimsical representation of the Indian story done with animals” called The Great Indian Circus you want people to come back again and again and again and not feel bored or tired of the space This is a way to make the experience feel fresh and interesting every single time,” she says Eylan (500 El Camino Real