Restaurant Review: Mayfield Bakery

Of my top five favorite things in the world, I think food has to be really high on the list. Maybe even before naps. Brunch may be one of my favorite meals as it combines breakfast foods with other dishes from the rest of the day and sometimes I just can't make up my mind what I want. Even better is when the restaurant has a breakfast dish and lunch-i-fies it. Recently I had brunch with my friend Kevin at Mayfield Bakery & Cafe and ordered a dish just like this (their beef hash made with poached eggs and barley). Soooo goooood. I loved the mix of salty, savory, and tangy flavors my meal had. The only complaint was that there wasn't enough!

We also split an order of Apple Fritters (what's a brunch without some kind of sweet treat) and Kevin got the more traditional El Camino breakfast). Needless to say by the time we were done we were stuffed and Charlie was grateful as he got a piece of the amazing bacon to munch on too. I'd love to go back and visit the bakery as the breads always look amazing or splurge on a dinner some day. The rustic atmosphere of the restaurant has a great feel to it. Bring the parents, a group of friends, or a date, either way the mood is a good one.

And now for some food pictures from the website!





I don't know why I always write these restaurant reviews right before meal time...

Restaurant Review: Joanie's Cafe

My mom recently came to visit and on her last day in town we only had time for a nice breakfast before I had to take her to the airport. I had recently had brunch with a friend at another restaurant and suggested that, but after Googling "breakfast spots in Palo Alto" we found Joanie's Cafe and opted to go there instead just to try something new. (The promise of breakfast crepes also kind of won us over too.)

As their website boasts, Joanie's Cafe was voted best breakfast in Palo Alto. When we first arrived at the restaurant we were pretty shocked at how packed it was for a weekday morning (there were only two tables available, one of which we snagged). But if there's people there obviously had to be something to the website. Yet I remained cynical. The first thing I ever learned to cook was breakfast foods so I am a stickler when eating breakfast out, especially when it comes to eggs. Joanie's serves up a lot of traditional food (eggs benedict, omelets, french toast, etc.), and I must say does it really well. We each opted for a crepe with hash browns. The eggs were not too dry and the hashbrowns were crispy and buttery. Between bites we both kept saying how good the crepe was and ate every last bit of food on our plates (well...I helped my mom finish hers off). Either way, we both left overly stuffed and very happy. Needless to say I think I've found my new brunch spot, and considering I can afford to eat there even when my mom doesn't pay, I will definitely be going back.

Crepes

I think that Crepes may be in my top 5 all time favorite foods. A deliciously thin pancake I can stuff with anything I want from savory to sweet or both? How is that not the perfect food? I tend to have phases with foods and will eat one thing non-stop for as long as I can get away with. Sushi, pad thai, anything with smoked gouda cheese, and of course crepes. I'm not in a crepe phase right now, but I'd dangling dangerously on the edge of one. So while I drool for crepes and think about how I have the fixins to make my own for dinner tonight if I wanted to, here's a few of my favorite places to get crepes.

In New York City...

- There are a few savory crepes on their regular menu, but their dessert crepes are out of this world. My normal order when I go there includes the asparagus crepe, then the peanut butter one. The waitstaff must think I'm nuts...just really obsessed.

Creperie - A little whole in the wall place I dragged my family to one of their locations for some crepes after a graduation ceremony when I was finishing up my masters degree. Since then I've been back a couple of times and have tried several different items on their menu, each one more delicious than the next. But if I had to pick a favorite, it would be the one with Brie, walnuts, and apples.

In Palo Alto...

Stanford Library Cafe - Right outside of Stanford's Green Library there is a food kiosk that has sandwiches, salads, and of course crepes. They are huge, filled with yummy stuff, and cheap.

Crepewine - This is actually a chain and I've been to a couple of different Crepevines. There's lots of different stuff on the menu, but really, why get that other stuff when you want crepes? The Le Delice (cheese and onions), Jamaican (bananas in caramel rum sauce), and Monaco (the old standard Nutella and bananas) are all good but I think the Santorini (Walnuts, pistachios, brown sugar, coconut, cinnamon and mascarpone) is next on my list to try.

Bistro Maxine - I have actually not been here yet but I've got some friends who have been and really like it. This is another little place tucked away on a side street. I've walked past several times and it has a very quaint European feel to it. I'm hoping I can drag Nick there soon. Some menu options that sound good are: La Cévenole (goat cheese, walnut, honey), the Gorgonzola (ham, mushrooms, cream of gorgonzola), and the Crème de marron (chestnut purée).

And if you're like me and you can't wait to go out to the next place and you want to make your own...

Stonewall Kitchen - Search for this at your local specialty food shop, Crate and Barrel, William Sonoma, or just buy online. It's taken me a little bit to get the hang of it, but with a super thin rubber spatula and large frying pan, you can make your own crepes for breakfast, lunch, or dinner at home. It takes some time because we do it buffet style which means you cook the veggies first, set out TONS of options on the table, and make each crepe individually (one batch can make anywhere for 6-10 depending on the size you make them---just keep in mind that too big=difficult not to break but too small=not lots of space to stuff), but it's well worth the effort.

Some of our favorite stuffins are:

-Gruyere cheese with mushrooms and onions
-Semi-sweet chocolate sauce or chocolate chips, peanut butter, bananas, and coconut (make sure you nuke for about 10 seconds)
-goat cheese, cherry tomatoes, and smoked salmon

I think I've made up my mind, this is what I'm making for dinner tonight.

The Counter, ie. my new favorite burger joint of all time

Sometimes I honestly think I have the stomach of a guy. I cannot even begin to describe to you of my love for a good burger enough. Top it with just about any kind of cheese and I'm in heaven. But alas, I'm not a guy. I'm a girl. And therefore I have a girly palate. I want sweet and savory at the same time, and I don't want my meat pink in the middle or dry and burnt to a crisp. And the fries better be good too. Can I also get a sweet sauce with that? So many demands! That solves it, I'm definitely a woman. Recently I've discovered The Counter, a small burger chain, and have become completely obsessed. With locations all over the country (but most in California), you can get your specialty burger fix wherever you are.

The menu itself is as simplistic as the decor. You're given a checklist to build your own burger with about 50 different options. Several different kinds of meat (all are ethically raised, yada yada) and meatless patties, toppings, cheeses, sauces, and buns to choose from. My personal favorite is a beef 1/3 pounder (that's AFTER cooking) with blue cheese, grilled onions, cranberries, and apricot sauce on a honey wheat bun. It sounds a little weird, but it is so good. My need for sweet and savory flavors are met. There's also some pre-chosen burger options to choose from too if all the options on the checklist are too much for you. Add a side of some REALLY good fries (plain, cheese, or sweet potato) or amazing onion rings and you're good to go.

Oh yeah, and don't forget the milk shakes and build your own drink menu.




Definitely looks like a great place to go to with a bunch of friends.

Something tells me after this entry, you'll think Nick and I are 80 years old...

...but we're not. I swear. We are not 80. That would defeat the whole purpose of the "young" part of this blog title. My friend Sarah often reads my blog and tells me I already sound like an old woman, so I'm sure after this I'll really be in for it.

One thing Nick and I like to do is walk. I have to admit, when it comes to paying attention to conversations, I am more the man in that respect and when we take walks it helps to focus me so I can actually pay attention to what Nick is saying. Plus being outside and exploring the neighborhood is always fun. So the last time we were in downtown Palo Alto, we took a long walk from end to end of the main road and on some of the side streets too (it also serves the purpose of checking out restaurant menus for ideas about where to go next time, or what kind of specialty shops we may want to visit one day). While we were looking in the storefronts I noticed one had posters of movies from Classic Hollywood in it and realized that it was a theater that only plays those kinds of movies.

Nick and I love movies regardless, but there's something about the idea of seeing an older movie in the theater that's kind of exciting. I don't know if I'm the only one who does this, but I wonder about the kinds of people who would have seen the movie first hand back when it was first around. Social lives, political climate, clothes, the whole works. I know there's pictures and books you can read that would tell you those answers, but it's a lot more fun to day dream and wonder.

We made up our minds that once the schedule came out we would try to see movies there. I guess that makes us lame, because we're more interested in sticking to that movie schedule than the one at the local AMC theater, but 1. it's cheaper and 2. we have Netflix. If we really want to see a new movie in the theater we will (I am already frothing at the mouth for the new Harry Potter), but just for the effect of going to the movies after dinner? I'd rather have the experience of going to Stanford Movie Theater (for less money). Plus there's a lot better restaurant options in Palo Alto than there are near the major movie theaters and the mall.

The theater was renovated, in the late 1980s, to look like it did back when it first opened. So there is ornate decoration inside, an old style ticket box office (that only takes cash), old posters and newspaper advertisements in the gallery, and a wurlitzer organ that plays in between movies, during intermissions, and along with silent movies. I assume film reels are either originals or preserved versions as the version of Notorious (directed by Alfred Hitchcock) that was saw was full of scratches and jumped in a few places. I have to admit, considering it was part of the experience, I didn't even mind that the picture quality wasn't HD perfect or in color.

Now that we have a copy of the schedule on the fridge we're planning on going again to see a Charlie Chan movie. Ok, so this definitely makes Nick and I a couple of losers, but as long as we're having fun I don't really mind.

Restaurant Review: Calafia

To finish off our whirlwind celebrations, I invited a couple of our friends to go out to eat to celebrate Nick's birthday at a restaurant in Palo Alto called Calafia.

Run by Google's old Chef, Calafia reflects his vision on simple yet amazingly good wholesome food. Much (if not all) of the food reflects sustainable living practices and the menu changes seasonally. We happened to stumble upon the restaurant our first night in California (I had a goat cheese and beet salad pizza and Nick had a spicy noodle bowl). For all the places we have tried out since then, I think Calafia is our favorite so far.

Thursday night we headed to the restaurant (which was pretty busy considering it was around 6:30 during the week) in a group of 5. We sat in the middle, so we had a really great view of their open kitchen. The first time Nick and I went we sat at the "bar" which was really more like the "kitchen" and got to watch everything be cooked. I had actually never done that before and both times really enjoyed watching as they prepared the food. The decor itself while plain looking from this picture from the website:

is actually warm and inviting. During the day time it seems like the perfect place for lunch, but in the evening it feels romantic and cozy. And the staff who work there add to the fun of the place.

The menu is split into two sides (meat eaters and vegetarian). Even though the vegetarian food is heavy on the Asian themed dishes (you know how I feel about a veg menu consisting of just things with soy sauce or curry), it is balanced with other options as well. I think, in reality, the food is "California" which I think means that there are Asian and Spanish hints to it. The overall theme of the menu seems to be rich and savory. So no matter what you order, you're going to get something delicious and good quality. I was really happy with my choice, but once the next table's food came the man sitting next to me had the most amazing looking beef dish (I've since looked at the menu and think it was the brisket). I smelled the beef and potatoes half the night, and my mouth watered. And since Calafia gets their food from local farms, I'm pretty sure I'm getting that next time.

For dinner this past week, I felt like our group ordered half the items on the menu! We had the BBQ chicken pizza (which was super spicy), pizza with duck and goat cheese, a burger (mouthwatering), mac and cheese (not the kiddie version), butternut squash soup (rich and creamy), and one of the noodle bowls. Everything was rich and flavorful and let's just put it this way, none of us had any leftovers and forced ourselves to eat a mountain-full of desserts as well (Pavlova (one word=amazing), whoopie pie (so rich and delicious, I wish I had ordered this), strawberry shortcake (it was ok, but I am also not a fan of this in general), banana split (compared to the rest of the food I was surprised how this was so "typical"), and apple cobbler (I didn't try it, but it smelled really good)).

Now for a couple pictures of the food from their website:







Ok, I think I'm ready to go back now.