Restaurant Round-Up

Since I'm playing catch-up here, I thought I'd lump a bunch of restaurant assessments into one post.

But first, some background information: Tired of eating at the same ol' eateries in Cupertino EVERY DAY, the co-workers and I have been frequenting Santana Row for lunch. So all of the following are located at SR.

• Sino. Since my first visit to this place — back in February 2006 — I've been back numerous times. BUT, I was boycotting for a while because the service was so incredibly bad. For example: One time, we filled out our dim-sum order and handed it to the waitress. I'm assuming that, at that point, her job was pretty straightforward. GET THE PIECE OF PAPER TO THE KITCHEN. After 20 minutes or so, we flagged her down to inquire about our order. Turns out, SHE LOST OUR ORDER SLIP. Huh? First of all, who does that? And secondly, why wouldn't you tell us this so we could fill out another form? Sadly, it actually went downhill from there.
  
  Anyway! Fast forward to last week, when my young, single male co-worker wanted to try Sino because the women who work there are hot. Much to my surprise though, the service this time around was awesome. I could not believe it. I still can't. And the food was good, too. But I never really had any issues with the food there.
  
  Sino, I will be back.



• Pluto's. Yes, yes. I know, you already know about Pluto's. But did you know that for under $4, you can get a serving of mac'n'cheese, a side of garlicky fries, a small drink, and even a wedge of Rice Krispies treat? Indeed you can. It's called, ordering off of the kids' menu. And that is what I am all about. (If you don't like mac'n'cheese or fries, you can order other entrees and sides. But really, if you're reading this blog, you should like mac'n'cheese and fries.)



• Pizza Antica. I don't even really like pizza much, but I like this place. It's not extraordinary — just, good solid fare. With good, solid service (which is not all that common at SR restaurants actually). I like the pizza with heirloom potato, caramelized onions and white truffle oil. Yeah, not your average pizza toppings. Maybe that's why I like Antica.
  
  But either get a reservation or get here early. This place gets packed.

Two places that I'm in no hurry to visit again: Maggiano's and Roux Louisiana Kitchen. The food at Maggiano's is decent, but what burns me is the slow service. Coming here for lunch, I don't have time to wait and wait and then have you get my order wrong and wait and wait again for the correct dish to come out.

I really wanted to like Roux, but it's just not the best lunch spot because the food can be a bit heavy. And greasy. And make you ill by the time you get back to your desk.

Quattro, East Palo Alto

Jon and I have been meaning to try this place for some time, but the review by Michael Bauer last year scared us off a bit. Recently though, some co-workers dined here and had nothing but good things to say about the food. So off we went to East Palo Alto for a purpose other than Ikea knick-knacks.

Since it wasn't too cold on Friday night, and the dining room was a bit loud, we opted for an outdoor table. Walking through the restaurant, we couldn't help notice how very busy it was. On the patio, however, it was just us and a group of 20 or so women celebrating something (we're not sure what; they seemed like co-workers).

The restaurant and the patio are both gorgeous. The latter actually gets more attractive as it gets darker, when the shadows from the fountain grasses and the pebble fire feature become more prominent. There are plenty of heat lamps outside, so there's no need to worry about the dropping temperatures.

Our waitress promptly took our drink orders ... But then she disappeared, prompting Jon to ask me: "Did our waitress get fired?" Shortly after that, she finally returned to take our dinner requests. (In the end, the service was so-so. Every time they brought a dish to the table, they would accidentally leave Jon's in front of me. And then they brought us an extra dessert, which we rejected, but that didn't stop them from charging us for it.)

Jon started his meal with an artichoke salad that was delicious. I don't usually even like salads, but I would have eaten his if he had let me. My choice, the crudo, was good — nothing spectacular. It came with salmon, ahi, hamachi and one plump oyster. I didn't finish the tuna because ahi and pesto together? I don't think so.

Next up were our entrees, which included two pasta dishes: the shitake-stuffed chicken over spinach/potato gnocchi (the special for the evening) for Jon, and the fettucini with buffalo ragu for me. So let me state the positive first: The flavors were excellent. And now for the negative: Both of our pastas were overcooked. Jon's gnocchi was mushy and some of my noodles were dry and clumped together. Not a good look for pasta. (Note: I've been told by other patrons that the pasta isn't always this bad; maybe it was just an off night.)

You know that Vanessa Williams song, "Save the Best for Last"? Well, apparently, Quattro is familiar with it, too. Because that's exactly what they did. I would definitely return for their donut platter. A trio of cinnamon and sugar donuts is served alongside two sauces: chocolate and caramel with roasted bananas. SO GOOD. Seriously.

I don't even know what else was on that dessert menu. And frankly, I no longer care what's on their dinner menu. I wonder if I can get those donuts to go ...

Quattro
2050 University Avenue
Four Seasons Hotel
East Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 566-1200

Quick Bites

Not full-on reviews... Just my brief take on a couple of places I recently tried...

• Oasis Beer Garden
  241 El Camino Real, Menlo Park
  Seems like a good places for large groups or dining with kids. The menu is simple and tasty (not anything mind-blowing), with burgers, pizzas, wings, fries, etc. On a nice afternoon, be sure to sit outside -- where there's even an odd TV in a wooden cabinet for your viewing pleasure.
  
  
• San Remo Pizzeria & Ristorante
  1152 San Carlos Avenue, San Carlos
  My sister LOVES this place. She's been going here for years. I, however, have a very different opinion of San Remo. I do not understand the appeal of this place AT ALL. On Saturday night, Jon had a pasta with pomodoro sauce. He was clearly disappointed when his dish arrived at the table, as the sauce seemed a bit thin and he was expecting nice chunks of tomato. Sadly, it was also pretty bland. (The homemade tagliatelle was good though.) I ordered a pizza with sausage and mushrooms. Again, it seemed to suffer from a flavorless sauce -- possibly the same one that covered Jon's pasta? Anyway. I walked out still hungry, and with lots of leftover pizza that I had no intention of eating.
  
  Overall, the service was okay. Our waitress was actually very sweet and competent. But when we arrived at 4:30pm -- which is when they open -- we were rudely told by a staffmember that they don't open for another ten minutes (as if WE were the ones who did something wrong). Then, five minutes later, we were told it would be another 10-15 minutes. Is this any way to run a business?

Coming Soon to Los Gatos: New Italian Eatery

The folks behind Palo Alto's La Strada have taken over 27 North Santa Cruz Avenue in Los Gatos -- the former Pigalle space. Although I don't know the name of the new restaurant, here's what I do know:

• The cuisine will be upscale Italian.
• Lunch and dinner service will be offered.
• The restaurant is scheduled to open in mid-April.

New-ish Restaurants Round-Up

There are a couple of somewhat new places in Palo Alto that I haven't gotten around to trying, but the Palo Alto Weekly has:

• Michael's Gelato & Cafe (in the old Swensen's location on University Avenue)
• Quattro (the Italian restaurant in the Four Seasons in East Palo Alto)

Peninsula Food Reviews

Wow. The Chronicle was all over the Peninsula last week! They ran reviews of three different establishments:

• Marche in Menlo Park
• A Tavola in Redwood City (a fire forced the restaurant to move from its San Carlos location last year)
• JZ Cool Eatery in Menlo Park

Both Marche and A Tavolo are on my list of places to try -- although I'm less excited about the former now that Michael Bauer says it's not really worth the money.

As for JZ Cool, I recently went to a dinner party that was catered by the company and all of the food was delicious (the lemon bars were a stand-out). While Jesse Cool's Flea Street Cafe is also on my list, I have had the pleasure of eating at her Cool Cafe at the Cantor Center for the Arts on the Stanford campus. The cafe offers lots of healthy, organic options. I give the museum, which is free (so there's no reason not to go!), and the eatery a big thumbs up.

Cafe Torre, Cupertino

You don't expect to find a white tablecloth restaurant in a bland, suburban strip mall... But that's exactly what you get at Cafe Torre.

Located near the busy intersection of DeAnza and Stevens Creek Boulevards is this charming Italian eatery. During a recent lunch visit, owner Vince Torre greeted us at the door and showed us to our table. After just a few minutes inside the warm and cozy restaurant, you easily forget that you're in the middle of a mall. It is one of the few restaurants in the area where you could have a nice, business lunch/meeting. (Park Place, just across the street, is another that comes to mind.)

The menu was more extensive than I expected -- with a number of salads, pastas and sandwiches to choose from. After we ordered, a basket of country-style bread was brought to our table. A short while later came our three dishes: linguine with clams for me, Caeser with grilled chicken for one co-worker, and penne puttanesca for another. We all deemed our food to be quite good. I'm happy to report that my clams were not from a can, and the tomato sauce was simple yet flavorful (lots of garlic!). The service also gets a thumbs-up from me; the staff was friendly and efficient.

Although the prices are a bit high to make Cafe Torre a regular lunch stop for me, it was definitely an enjoyable meal. My pasta dish was $15, but I noticed that the sandwiches are all just under $10 and they are HUGE -- plus they come with fries and a small green salad. (Unfortunately, I'm not a big sandwich eater.)

Cafe Torre
20343 Stevens Creek Boulevard
Cupertino, CA
(408) 257-2383

Now Open: Quattro, EPA

Today's Chronicle has more details on Quattro, the restaurant in the brand-new (just opened last week) Four Seasons:

OPENING / Quattro Restaurant

Contemporary Italian cuisine using local artisanal sources, and select boutique Italian and Californian wines, headline Quattro Restaurant and Bar at the just-opened Four Seasons Silicon Valley in East Palo Alto.

The cuisine: Appetizers range from burrata with heirloom tomatoes to grilled calamari surrounded by cannellini beans. A nine-item pasta and risotto menu follows with, for example, Castroville artichoke risotto tortino, available as a large or small plate. Fish, fowl and red meats come next and include truffle and Parmesan-crusted chicken scaloppine served on a bed of Tuscan kale and pancetta potatoes.

The team: Italian-born executive chef Alessandro Cartumini comes from the Four Seasons Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz., where he was the executive sous chef at Acacia Restaurant.

The vibe: Wood, glass, generous space and deft lighting define Quattro. A courtyard and water fountains, visible through the restaurant's floor-to-ceiling glass walls, give the place a gracious, away-from-it-all style.

Quattro Restaurant and Bar, 2050 University Ave. (off Highway 101), East Palo Alto; (650) 470-2889. Lunch, dinner daily. Appetizers, $8-$20; starters, $12-$25; main courses, $25-$36; desserts, $8-$10.

The restaurant does have a web site, but the menu isn't available online.

New Restaurant in Belmont

This just in from The Chronicle's Inside Scoop:

Italian-born Vincenzo Cucco and Paolo Dominici, who own Bacco in Noe Valley (737 Diamond St., near 24th Street) are opening a second restaurant, Divino, next month in Belmont.

The restaurant, at 968 Ralston Ave. (near El Camino Real), will take over the space of the former Cafe Bellagio. The menu will be similar to Bacco's, featuring daily changing risotto and gnocchi, grilled meats and simple desserts.

Cucco will continue to cook at Bacco in the evenings, but will man the kitchen at the 70-seat Divino during what he expects to be a busy lunch. The new restaurant is located near Oracle and several other large companies.

"It is very competitive, and the only way to make a little more money is to open something else," says Dominici. "One small restaurant is not enough to support our families."