Unless you're a venture capitalist, Menlo Park's Sand Hill Road is probably a negligible blip as you blast down 280.

That slight should be remedied, because the stretch east of the highway is a dining nexus.

Its prime destinations are Kaygetsu, an unassuming restaurant with a faultless mission, and Madera, the fine-dining restaurant at the new Rosewood Sand Hill resort.

Kaygetsu is equally adept at two of Japanese cuisine's most demanding tenets, sushi and kaiseki. Chef Toshi Sukuma prepares some of the region's finest raw fish, wrapping rolls in nori from Japan's Ariake Sea. For dinner's traditional five-course kaiseki ($72), Shinichi Aoki cooks with a fervently seasonal approach; recently, he served tsuruna (Malabar spinach) sprouts, miso-pickled chishato (stem lettuce) and kikurage mushrooms.

Madera's chef, Peter Rudolph, lovingly turns the familiar on its head. Hillocks of beet-lentil salad ($13) are draped with marinated shrimp, while duck breast ($35) is sauced with kumquats and braised pine nuts. Rudolph spent a week in Italy in October, and the olio nuovo he pressed there is poured over his earthy chestnut soup ($11) with pickled quince. Bonus: Wine director Paul Mekis' pairings are inspired.

Though Kaygetsu and Madera serve lunch and dinner, we recommend an overnighter. Hit one restaurant for dinner, and stay the night at Rosewood. Take advantage of the property's superb spa, Sense, the next morning, then go for a replenishing hike at nearby Huddart Park, and finish with dinner at the other restaurant. Instant vacation.