foodielass's Profile
Downtown Los Altos Italian restaurants?
Agreed -- would appreciate whatever thoughts you have after you give them a try -- we get very few reports from the Los Altos area!
Downtown Los Altos Italian restaurants?
Have you tried Aldo? It's on Main on the end closest to Foothill. This is our go-to for later in the evening when we want a comforting Italian meal. The little snacks menu (I believe available only from happy hour to close, but honestly, I've never been there earlier in the day) has some pretty tasty things on it, particularly the shredded pork sort of taco-like things -- note that it's a totally different menu than the rest of the normal dinner menu. The pastas I've had have been reasonably good, and the place has a nice neighborhoody feel. Worth a look if you haven't been. I would definitely choose it over Bella Vita; I can't speak to Pompeii one way or the other.
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Bella Vita
376 1st St, Los Altos, CA 94022
Aldo Los Altos
388 Main St, Los Altos, CA 94022
Lafitte - Has anyone been?
I also went to several of the Dissident Chef events, and I agree that they were sometimes hit-or-miss, mostly due to the odd locations/lack of full cooking facilities. I liked them enough to give Lafitte a try a couple of weeks after they opened in April. Even at that early date, the place was packed. We had a party of six, and being gluttinous we ordered a lot of food, so we got to try most of the menu between us. While there were some misses, they were of the "seasonings aren't quite right/up my alley" variety, certainly nothing that was undercooked and/or raw. I wish I could remember exactly what the dishes were, but I was having too good a time to bother writing everything down! And that's just the point -- at only two weeks in, the servers were already engaged and ready and willing to discuss the food at whatever length you wanted to, and the food itself was interesting. We had a really fun meal. Personally, I'd rather go to a place which takes a few risks and produces some unexpectedly delicious dishes and a few that fall short of the mark than to a place that plays safe and gives you the same food you can get anywhere. I also appreciated the nonalcoholic cocktail list which looked to me like just as much care had gone into it as the undoubtedly much-higher-margin alcoholic cocktail list.
My one complaint about the place would be that it got fairly loud because it's got high ceilings and a lot of hard surfaces (and an open kitchen) and sound seems to bounce around.
I don't normally post, and while I am aware of the chef's own response to the Chron review, this post is not inspired by it. I read the Chron review and simply don't think the meals that Bauer reported on were anything at all like the meal I had there. Since few others were posting, I thought I'd throw in my two cents on the other side. That and the fact that I'm still thinking about the tartlet with the brandied cherries that I polished off for dessert there (and fended off the forks of my dining companions to finish off myself...!)
Howie's Artisan Pizza, Palo Alto (Town & Country Village) report w/ pics
I'd also put in a plug for the hummus appetizer. Not because the hummus is particularly special, but because the "bread" it comes with is excellent -- as best I can tell, it's just a whole pizza dough, baked with salt and olive oil, cut into chunks. Delicious, and worthy of just snarfing down all by itself while it's hot.
Brand new in Silicon Valley: where should I eat?
I agree with this, but comment further that we've always been disappointed with the main courses. So go to Joya to have drinks and starters, or plan to make a meal out of a large number of starters and skip the larger plates.
Separately, for the folks with the child -- Mayfield Bakery Cafe is a sister restaurant of the Village Pub, and is local, in the Town and Country Mall in Palo Alto. I've seen kids of all ages in there, clearly isn't an issue, and while definitely overpriced (as is pretty much everything in SV), it's tasty and a pleasant atmosphere. And if you go later in the evening, they'll often be giving away unsold bread from the bakery!
Marche in Menlo Park is another option, though I personally prefer Village Pub or Flea St. Cafe. Have not been to Baume. Some name Bistro Elan as a nicer French restaurant also on California Ave. While I like the food there, every time I've eaten there I've had some kind of serious waitstaff problem which has ended up making the experience less than fabulous. Could just be me, but generally I'm fairly easygoing about service.
If you go to Tamarine on a quiet midweek evening when they aren't swamped, it can be a great experience. I've never really been on the Evvia bandwagon -- would rather go to Dio Deka in Los Gatos, though that's fairly far away and if you're going down there for a food experience, you probably should be eating at Manresa.
Another option in Saratoga is Sent Sovi, though Plumed Horse is the more obvious choice.
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Manresa Restaurant
320 Village Lane, Los Gatos, CA 95030
Tamarine Restaurant
546 University Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94301
Bistro Elan
448 S California Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94306
Dio Deka
210 E. Main Street, Los Gatos, CA 95030
Village Pub
2967 Woodside Rd., Woodside, CA 94062
The Plumed Horse
14555 Big Basin Way, Saratoga, CA 95070
Sent Sovi Restaurant
14583 Big Basin Way, Saratoga, CA 95070
Mayfield Bakery & Cafe
855 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA 94301
where can i find Sport Ritter White Chocolate with Hazelnuts??
Confirmed -- saw white, dark and milk chocolate versions with hazelnuts at Dittmer's today. $2.69 each. Note, Dittmer's isn't open on Sundays.
The Milk Pail also had the white and milk varieties, $2.99.
The third time isn't the charm ... need help with a muy important meal
Camino? Long trestle tables might be an issue, but the food is great. Not too far from Berkeley...
Murray Circle at Cavallo Point is pretty good and very relaxed, but whole different price scale.
Ad Hoc question
Update- went last night, they managed to move us to a five-person table and couldn't have been more pleasant. Excellent food (butter lettuce salad, kurabota pork chop with mixed roasted veggies and wild mushroom barley, Montgomery cheddar from Neal's Yard, and meyer lemon bars for dessert) -- the highlight was definitely the veggies. Who knew that'd I'd swoon more for the brussels sprouts and parsnips than dessert? Great value too, IMHO. Wish it were closer to where we live!
Ad Hoc question
Due to poor planning I booked a table for four at Ad Hoc and now have a party of five. The restaurant tells me that there is no way to increase the number at the table -- can anyone who's been there before tell me whether the restaurant has a bar where it's possible to eat? We'd be willing to sever the party but aren't willing to give up the reservation entirely!
Thanks in advance.
South Bay equivalent to Toronado Pub?
This is a little premature, but I hear there's a gastropub opening soon in Redwood City, Martins West. All I know about it is what I see on this website: http://www.martinswestgp.com/index.html, and they don't have a beer list up yet.
Chewy dried raspberries?
Had some excellent tangerine frozen yogurt at Culture, the froyo place on California Ave. in Palo Alto on Friday, and got the dried raspberries. The raspberries were fantastic -- not the freeze-dried crunchy kind that you can buy everywhere, but rather chewy and sweet, almost like a gummy bear. Does anyone know where I can buy dried raspberries like these in bulk?
Christmas takeout lunch?
Can anyone recommend a good place (something hopefully better than, say, Whole Foods) in San Francisco to get a prepared Christmas lunch/dinner to serve at home with no more effort than basic reheating and plating as necessary? I'm looking for traditional western holiday foods -- any help appreciated!
Penzeys! [Moved from SF]
I love their cinnamons, and the smoked paprika is very good. Some of their boxed assortments make excellent housewarming/hostess gifts as well. I suggest geting on their mailing list, since the catalogs you get in the mail often have coupons.
Penzeys! [Moved from SF]
Penzeys Spices is finally open in Menlo Park on Santa Cruz Ave! 10-6 M-Sat, 9-3 Sun. Hooray!
Quick and urgent No. 9 Park Question
Can anyone tell me how serious the dress code is at No. 9 Park? Dining there tonight and due to circumstances out of my control looks like I will need to wear jeans (nice jeans, not crappy ones) and a more businesslike/dress top. Will this pass?
Also, any dishes not to miss on the current menu?
Thanks in advance!
Late(r) dinning on the Penninsula
The choices aren't tremendous, but there are options:
On University Ave:
Taxi's, Zao, Rosso et Bianco, Pasta?, 5th and Madison, the gyro place up towards the CPK, and Strada (and possibly also Tamarine, I don't know) are all open until 10 on weeknights (or were last I checked). The Cheesecake Factory (I know, I know, but sometimes it hits the spot) is open to 11 on weeknights, possibly later on weekends. Red Mango will sell you fairly good frozen yogurt until 11 PM on weeknights (can't remember the weekend times).
Slightly off University:
Zibibbo, the (new) Old Pro, Evvia, Buca di Beppo, Mantra, and Gordon Biersch are all serving dinner until at least 10. Mantra also has a bar menu, I don't know how late that's available. Fraiche will sell you excellent frozen yogurt until 10 PM on weeknights and 11 on the weekends.
California Ave:
Pretty much rolls up the sidewalks at 9, with several exceptions. I believe you can continue to get food at the bar at La Bodeguita until at least 10. Med Wraps and the new Thai place are open until at least 9:30. The Counter is open until 10 (though service tends to get pretty dicey later in the evening). Fayrouz Lebanese (in the Illusions club) is open until 10. Cafe Pro Bono (ok, slightly off CA ave) serves until 10.
Grullense on El Camino towards Mountain View is open until at least 10, as is Amber India (Mountain View).
If you want something later than 11, the only place I know of (aside from fast food chains) is the Treehouse cafe on the Stanford campus in the student center. You don't have to be a student to eat there, but let's just say that it's serviceable more than it is chowish food. It may also keep weird hours during the summer session, so check before you go.
Good luck!
Rehearsal dinner in Palo Alto
I regularly see Spalti on California Ave. hosting large groups of that size -- it's Italian food, pretty straightforward. If it will be late spring or summer, you might consider Caffe Riace, which is entirely outdoors (perhaps some tents at best) and has more of a fun atmosphere, though isn't cheap. Also Italian. I've been to some extremely large lunches there (about 35 people, all along one giant table), and suspect they could deal with 50-75.
Marrow on the Peninsula?
Terrible roasted bone marrow craving, have tried Andronico's, Whole Foods, Dettmer's, Schaub's in a futile quest to get some fresh bones for roasting. Tried the frozen ones they all offered me, but the frozen bones were in tiny sections that either had almost no marrow in them or didn't work right in my home oven. I know there are places in the city where you can get a nice roasted marrow dish, but I live in Palo Alto and don't want to haul up there. Anyplace closer to home that anyone knows about? Any tips appreciated!
Palo Alto Takeout - Need Your Best Ideas
California Ave. offers several takeout choices:
Indian: Tandoori (between the Starbucks and the Counter) offers fairly inexpensive and serviceable takeout Indian -- personally I go for the wraps or the tandoori chicken; the chickpeas are also tasty
American: the Counter has excellent sweet potato fries and built-to-order burgers, which you can also get in salad form. Takeout is actually a great option here because the lines can be long during normal dining hours. Note that there's always a burger of the month -- ask what it is before you order by phone, sometimes they're great.
Middle Eastern: the various appetizers at Fairuz (spelling? -- it's the restaurant in the Illusions Supperclub towards the Caltrain end of California Ave) are tasty and the non-fried ones travel just fine.
I've also ordered food to go from Bodeguita del Medio (Cuban) on California Ave., but it can be pricey and doesn't carry very well.
Not on your list, but check out Fraiche yogurt on Emerson (near the Gordon Biersch) -- tangy and fresh-made.
Dinner for 20 in San Jose
71 St. Peter might fit the bill, but I'm not sure about the gluten sensitivity. Could be worth a call... Food there is reasonably fine, service can be slow but if you're with a group and enjoying the company, that's not always a bad thing.
http://www.71saintpeter.com/private_dining.asp
SF butchers that sell marrow bones
I *love* marrow! On a trip to France last year, I ate a ludicrous amount of it, and I've been sad ever since that it's so hard to get any around here. I've never tried to cook it at home, but you've inspired me...but I need more specific information. Recipes that I've seen in the past have mentioned soaking the bones, but the one you link to doesn't seem to require that. Also, the recipe says "cut side up" -- can I assume that when you had the butcher cut the bones down for you, they cut them longways (such that the marrow is fully exposed down the length of the bone) instead of shortways (across the bone, so that you'd still have to fish out the marrow, though maybe not such a long fork would be required if the cut was short enough)?
Now maybe I can roast chestnuts and marrow bones at the same time (different pans, of course) and die a happy woman...
Any Figamajigs sightings?
Not exactly the same thing, but Trader Joe's sells tubs of chocolate-covered dried figs called "Figments" that aren't bad, and they have all of the fiber properties of normal dried figs and only as much fat as the chocolate has. Plus way cheaper per oz than what you describe above...
Dessert-only restaurant?
Have been to and enjoyed a dessert-only restaurant in Boston called Finale, which is open late and features dessert tasting menus and a wide selection of dessert wines. Is there anything similar in the SF Bay area?
Weekday lunch for large party in San Bruno environs?
Would appreciate any help in finding a place for a nice farewell lunch party for about 25 people in Burlingame/San Bruno/South San Francisco. Price less important than that it be able to seat and serve such a large party efficiently, is a fairly nice place, and has excellent food. The honoree is not a big meat eater, so a steakhouse is totally out. Can Straits handle this size party?
Geneva suggestions for solo diner?
Will be in Geneva on Feb. 8-9, looking for good places to dine alone where I won't feel strange for being alone, anywhere from cheap to moderately expensive (I didn't pack the kind of clothing necessary for a really fancy place). Pretty much anything but seafood is fine in terms of cuisine, with a preference for local flavors.
Also, are there any must-take-back food/cooking items, and any particularly good places to procure them?
Thanks in advance!
Lunch Jan. 1 for 8 people in SFO?
Ah sorry, anywhere in San Francisco. Sometimes abbreviations get the best of me...
Lunch Jan. 1 for 8 people in SFO?
I'm trying to arrange a lunch on Jan. 1 to usher in the new year pleasantly. Attendees will include a baby (a very well-behaved baby), so fancy dining is not desirable. I live on the Peninsula, so I'm not so familiar with the available options, and my research is showing that most restaurants are naturally closed on Mondays or aren't open Jan. 1. Any thoughts? Pretty much any cuisine is fine -- just spare me from Houlihan's or Il Fornaio, please!
