New in Los Gatos: The Toll House Hotel in Los Gatos is unveiling its new restaurant. Formerly known as Three Degrees, the aptly named Verge — as in “on the verge of town” — has been quietly serving guests, with a formal grand opening planned for late April.

For executive chef Albert Nguyen-Phuoc (Dolce Hayes, Doubletree, Montgomery hotel) it’s a chance to showcase his contemporary cuisine, with dishes aimed at both Toll House guests and local foodies. He’s of Vietnamese heritage and trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, so expect some fusion dishes. And duos are big: octopus and pork belly; beef cheek and bone marrow; braised lamb shank and lamb loin.

This being a hotel restaurant, breakfast is offered until 11 a.m. weekdays and noon on weekends. Most intriguing are the breakfast ravioli (brown butter, Parmesan, pecan) and the zucchini and farro cake. Details: 140 S. Santa Cruz Ave.; http://vergerestaurant.com.

Coffee talk: You might think the Bay Area, birthplace of such legendary java names as Peet’s, Peerless, Mr. Espresso, Graffeo, Blue Bottle and Philz, couldn’t possibly have room for another biggie. But the folks at Counter Culture Coffee think otherwise. The independent roaster, founded 20 years ago in North Carolina, is planting its first flag on the West Coast.

Counter Culture doesn’t sell cups of coffee to the public; instead, this Emeryville facility will be a roastery and barista training center that will supply restaurants and host free public tastings (10 a.m. Fridays). We haven’t tasted their coffee yet, but we are impressed by their “coal to Newcastle” success. After years of serving Starbucks’ Casi Cielo blend, Seattle’s highly acclaimed Canlis restaurant now brews only … Counter Culture coffee.

You can sample the coffee at an open house 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on opening day, Saturday, April 25, at 1329 64th St.

Sanrio sweetie: The pink phenom is coming to town. Or as Sanrio calls it, the mobile vehicle of cuteness. The company’s Hello Kitty Cafe Truck will roll into Santana Row in San Jose with an array of Kitty-themed sweets to sell, including macarons, pastries and mini-doughnuts. The truck was launched to celebrate Kitty’s 40th anniversary. Next up will be a Hello Kitty Cafe somewhere in SoCal this year. If Kitty’s fans show up from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. April 19 at this San Jose stop, who knows? Maybe the Bay Area will be in line for a Kitty cafe.

Crossing the bridge: After 20 years of creating innovative vegan cuisine in San Francisco, Millennium is being forced out of its Geary Street digs by a hotel project. Chef and co-owner Eric Tucker, citing the high costs of running an upscale restaurant in the city, has decided to relocate to Oakland. (It’s home for him, anyway.) On the Facebook and Kickstarter pages, Tucker has announced that Millennium will take over the Rockridge space that formerly housed James Syhabout’s Box and Bells. A June opening is forecast.

Send tips to Linda Zavoral at lzavoral@mercurynews.com.