Nice Place for Dinner in Palo Alto?

[syrah girl]

We will be in Palo Alto soon attending a luncheon for a 95th birthday at the California Cafe. Are there any great places for dinner later on in the day? We like nice ambiance, great food and pampering service. Any places like that in this town? I've never been to Palo Alto. TIA :)

[amytraverso]

We will be in Palo Alto soon attending a luncheon for a 95th birthday at the California Cafe.  Are there any great places for dinner later on in the day?  We like nice ambiance, great food and pampering service.  Any places like that in this town?  I've never been to Palo Alto.  TIA  :)

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If you want a really special experience, head over to Manresa in Lost Gatos. You can read a discussion about the place here. Otherwise, in Palo Alto proper, I have had very good upscale Vietnamese at Three Seasons and Tamarine.

What do people think of Trader Vic's? Spago?

Amy

[syrah girl]

Thanks, Amy! How far is Los Gatos from Palo Alto? We are considering staying at Dinah's Garden Hotel, that is where Trader Vic's is, so I would love opinions on that place. :)

[alexhills]

Bistro Elan is a pretty good upscale French/California restaurant on California Ave. Can't say I was stunned by the food, but its certainly decent. There's also a place called Zibbibo I ol;y had tapas at but left me pretty dead. I think it might be a Spago spin-off, but I'm far from sure abotu that. I lived in P.A. for 4 years and was never that impressed with the eating there. Too many expense account places that don't take care of the food. Los Gatos is about 30-40 mins drive south and Manresa is definitely more than worth it. I don't think there's anything comparable in the south bay at all, although good things have been said about 451 Ellsworth in San Mateo (that's not much less of a drive in the other direction.)

[nondual1]

Thanks, Amy!  How far is Los Gatos from Palo Alto?  We are considering staying at Dinah's Garden Hotel, that is where Trader Vic's is, so I would love opinions on that place.  :)

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Los Gatos is just a skip, slide and hop away from Palo Alto to the south, about 30 to 40 minutes driving off-peak. But Palo Alto proper has its share of good dining establishments as well.

Dianh's Garden is a bit run-down; stay there if you must, but, you might do better staying at the Garden Court, which is attached to Il Fornaio, a very good Italian restaurant. Although now part of a chain, the PA location is one of, if not the, original ones. Two birds with one stone, why not?

Another hotel that you might want to consider -- Palo Alto, frankly, is not that rich in that department, I am afraid -- is the Westin. Although it has a good restaurant (Soleil) as well, I am just wary of "hotel food." It's just me...

If you like (or, "don't mind") big-name places, then do try Spago. No further introduction is needed for it, I surmise.

The old favorite formal, sit-down, get pampered restaurant is Maddalena's. Be sure to make a reseveration ahead of time!

And if need more ideas and phone numbers, try these sites:

http://www.paloaltoonline.com/restaurants/

http://www.cyberstars.com/city/palo-alto.ca.us/restaurants/

In case you have time for less formal dining or lunch, please try the Andale's (Cal-Mex) on University and Joanie's (diner, with French influence) on California. Although I have not been there myself, many good press about Tamarine (upscale Vietnamese) on University.

Enjoy your trip and do report back with your experience!

[ludja]

I love going to Trader Vic's for cocktails and they have a very nice bar area--but I ate there once and was quite disappointed with the food--not special or well done and quite expensive to boot. I would not recommend it for dinner; strong yes for drinks. I haven't stayed at Dinah's; I think they have rennovated in the last few years when Trader Vic's came in. From what I've heard it is a slice out of Silicon Valley history--where all the mover's and shakers used to stay and kibbutz in the 60's, 70's. It could be fun to stay there but it will likely not be as upscale, sleek as some of the other places mentioned above if that is what you are looking for.

It has been a few years since I've been there, but one of the better "fine dining" places down here--if you're not going to Manresa, is Marche in Menlo Park. (This is town north of Palo Alto and is only 5 min away from downtown Palo Alto). We had a very nice upscale, French-inspired meal there with good service. It also has a elegant and calm, quiet atmosphere. We usually eat up in SF for 'finer dining' but this was one of the few meals down here that we thougt was comparable to what you can get up in SF. (Manresa is a whole other level and you can check that out in the links.)

I have not been to Chez TJ in Mountain View, but from what I have heard from a few people I would not recommend it.

For a nice, medium-scale dinner place down here, I like a Cuban-inspired restaurant in Palo Alto on California Ave called La Bodeguita del Medio.

Has anyone been to Evvia in Palo Alto (sister restaurant of high end Greek restaurant, Kokkari in SF) recently?

The service and dining room are less formal than Kokkari but we had a nice meal there; been a few years though..

Edited May 26, 2005 by ludja (log)

[ludja]

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There's also a place called Zibbibo I ol;y had tapas at but left me pretty dead. I think it might be a Spago spin-off, but I'm far from sure abotu that. I lived in P.A. for 4 years and was never that impressed with the eating there. Too many expense account places that don't take care of the food.

...

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Zibbibo's is a spin of LuLu's up in SF. It has a nice atmosphere but I agree pretty much with your assessment--although I don't know if it has improved foodwise in the last few years. Recently, we've usually gone there only for drinks as there is a nice bar.

[Malik]

I'm not generally impressed with the Palo Alto dining scene. Bistro Elan might fit your bill, though I think it's a bit pricey for what you get. Tamarine is my current favorite in Palo Alto, not a destination restaurant but good for the area. Three Seasons was good when it first opened but has gone downhill quite a bit in my opinion since. Evvia is pretty good but again expensive for what it is, and I agree that Zibbibo is not that great, though they do have a nice space and a good wine list.

[ludja]

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I don't  think there's anything comparable in the south bay at all, although good things have been said about 451 Ellsworth in San Mateo (that's not much less of a drive in the other direction.)

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It's 231 Ellsworth in San Mateo. The link has a menu; I ate there once ages ago, but don't have any strong remembrances pro or con.

The Left Bank in Menlo Park might also be an option; it's a nice space and they have a mixture of French Bistro/Brasserie food.

Please do tell us where you end up and give a brief report if you have a chance! We don't have many egulleteers on the Peninsula/South Bay, so up to date information would be appreciated.

Edited May 27, 2005 by ludja (log)

[Carolyn Tillie]

The Left Bank in Menlo Park might also be an option; it's a nice space and they have a mixture of French Bistro/Brasserie food.

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I've heard really good things about The Left Bank. I know they are a chain (but a small one) and there is one in Pleasant Hill which has had good things written about it.

Thanks for putting that back on my radar -- I'll have to head to Pleasant Hill soon and check it out.

[Carlsbad]

I've always loved the Left Bank in Larkspur. The first time we were there, it was the 4th of July, and the parade was going by as we ate lunch. I also enjoyed the one in Pleasant Hill. Although it is a chain, it's headed by Roland Passot of La Folie, and the food is quite good.

[johnnycab]

If you're going to recommend driving to Los Gatos, then why not SF as well?

[Painting]

Cafe Elan is a place I personally wouldn't reccomend. Maybe I had a bad experience but having went there with my friend that has ate there a few times in the past, it's certianly not anything special in my not so humble opinion.

[Greg]

I had dinner at Lavanda in downtown Palo Alto a few weeks ago and was surprised at how good it was. I recommend highly!

[syrah girl]

Thanks all, I've made a note of all the great suggestions. We're considering driving a bit to SF. I haven't been there in a couple of years. Boulevard is full on the night we need, tho she suggested trying to walk in to eat at the bar. Any opinions on Farallon or the Waterfront Grill? Fifth Floor? Would love to dine at a Zagat rated place. :)

[melkor]

Check out Delfina, Incanto, 1550 Hyde, Mochica, or Zuni.

[ulterior epicure]

Will be picked up at San Jose around 7pm on a weekday and will be heading down toward Palo Alto where I'm staying. Would love to have a nice informalish dinner with a friend anywhere in-between, or, preferably in Palo Alto.

I've read upthread, but was wondering if any new updates/reports? I saw that Spago has an outlet there... how is it? It doesn't look terribly upscalish from the website... Evvia?

u.e.

Edited May 3, 2006 by ulterior epicure (log)

[samgiovese]

Lavanda on University Ave. is nice, casual and inexpensive. For something a bit more upscale, try Marche just up the road in Menlo Park. Edited May 3, 2006 by samgiovese (log)

[MaxH]

I have not been to Chez TJ in Mountain View, but from what I have heard from a few people I would not recommend it.

Hi Ludja, sorry to hear that. For what it's worth, I've been there more times than most people, under a variety of circumstances and at least six chefs, and never disappointed. From what I've seen of your postings, I sincerely doubt that you would be either. (Get a message to me if you want to join or set up a trial dinner there sometime and test this theory.)

Meanwhile, Chez TJ got recent mentions on this site by various folks Here and also mention in the town's newspaper's reader's poll, in post #6 (currently the last post) of Another Thread.