The past few weeks we've been out and about, mostly in the Palo Alto - Menlo Park areas, to keep me moving on my feet and devouring food from local eateries.
Our #1 favorite yet is Howie's Artisan Pizza in Palo Alto. Located in the Town & Country Village between Sur La Table and Paper Source, it's a relatively new addition to the mall but the place is booming. At lunchtime the place is packed - or actually the bar area is packed - with high schoolers opting for the $5 pepperoni pizza & soft drink combo, but usually there are a few seats available inside. They have unique flavors and even better, they create half & half pizzas out of any combination you choose. We love the Pizza Bianco & Broccoli Raab Pizza (shown above) and their baked potato pizza (which is not on the menu but pops up as a today's special pizza every once in awhile). We also like the Pancetta, red onion, and chili pizza and of course The Works, with everything on it (see below).
They shave the veges to be super thin and pile them on, so the texture is delicate and the flavor is full. Best of all, because there aren't huge chunks of veges visible, this seems to go into my toddler's mouth without a huge fight! All of the pizzas are $15-18 for 14" thin crust pizzas so the price is reasonable.
Another special item is their wild arugula salads. Again, not on their regular menu but a regular on their special of the day board. We've had it Greek style with olives, cucumbers and feta cheese, and also with Asian pears, almond slivers, and parmesan. Both were exceptionally good.
Of course, on the other side of Sur La Table is Kara's Cupcakes so we had to go there for dessert. I love that they have mini-sized cupcakes that aren't overpowering but the perfect pick-me-up or end to a great meal. My personal favorite is the Java (shown - the mocha buttercream is to die for!), but we also love the carrot cake, chocolate velvet, and fleur de sel flavors as well.
Counter Burgers in Palo Alto is another great place - for burgers and for their sweet fries! You can see, we shared the half & half of regular fries and sweet (potato) fries. The choose-your-own-topping burgers are great - I went all out with a fried egg (yum!), spring greens, olives, jalapenos, and grilled onions. They even gave me a few slices of boiled eggs (oops... I think they got their orders mixed up, but oh well). In any case, these burgers are filling and delicious!! Another great thing is that you can order them as 1/3 lb, 2/3 lb, or a full pound burger, but also have them split in two without an extra charge.
Jeffrey's in Menlo Park takes a slightly different approach. It's a much more "basic" burger joint (i.e., Counter Burger offers ahi tuna burgers with wasabi sauce) - I ordered an avocado cheeseburger. Then you walk over to one side of the restaurant where they have the freshest condiments laid out - just simple lettuce, tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and pickles - but so crisp and fresh, it makes a huge difference. I always get a milkshake here, too, because they give you what's left in the mixer cup as well, and it's always more than what I get in the glass! Their chili cheese fries and onion rings are great, as are their sandwiches and their fish & chips.
Finally, the Prolific Oven. I love the Prolific Oven sandwiches I've had in Palo Alto, but they also have a place in Santa Clara (Rivermark Plaza) that serves my absolute favorite - brunch food! It's a bit cleaner than the one in Palo Alto, but by no means a fancy place, which makes it a great place to hang out with the kids. Their eggs benedict was delicious, as was the strawberry banana waffle and California omelette. Of course, they sell the usual great pastries (like chocolate eclairs) and cakes here as well.
