Andrew F.'s Profile

Located just a half block off University Avenue in the heart of downtown Palo Alto you just can't beat the Aquarius Theatre.   Its definitely not the megaplex experience and the screens are small but what the theater lacks in technology it more than makes up for with quaint charm.  Furthermore, it plays an interesting selection of offbeat movies that are generally quite interesting.

The Stanford Barn is beautiful.  Its a great location and an really nice open-air/modern ambiance that blends very well with the historic building.  I didn't have any problems with the service, but unfortunately, I didn't like the food very much either.  I ordered the Mediterranean Penne and I found the chicken to be a little bit too oily.  It was a pesto dish so I realize that "too oily" might seem out of place but it just didn't work for me.

Velo Tech is a great little bike shop right next to whole foods in downtown Palo Alto.  The shop used to be located out of Tom's (the mechanic) apartment a couple of blocks away.  Velo Tech provides excellent customer service and Tom is definitely one of the best mechanics in the area.  Also, they carry a lot of Italian bikes that are really  hard to find.

La Bomba & La Costena top most peoples list for the best Mexican food in Silicon Valley... but thats because they've never eaten at Three Brothers, which is a hidden gem tucked away in East Palo Alto.  The chicken is marinated in an authentic sauce and whether you go for tacos, burritos or nachos it will easily be the most tender and juicy pollo you've ever had.  I'm usually more of a burrito kind of guy but at Three Brothers I definitely recommend checking out their nachos which are gigantic.  

EPA has a bad reputation but these days its much safer than most people realize and Three Brothers is right on University Ave. so there's really no danger in eating there.  Location is the only reason why this place isn't famous.

The Osteria is my favorite restaurant in the Bay Area.  The food is fantastic and very reasonably priced.  Pasta is where these guys really shine but everything on the menu is very good.  Furthermore, I don't think any of the entrees are more than $14.50 and that includes a number of great dishes with chicken or veal.  Oh and one secret insider tip... order their coffee it is the outstanding.  If The Osteria was a coffee shop, I'd never step foot in University Cafe of Coupa Cafe, which are both great in their own right.  

There is something to the complaints about the service at the Osteria.  There can be long waits on Friday and Saturday nights but my simple solution is to eat there on Wednesday or Thursday.  The remarks about the severs are only really true of 1-2 people and while these guys are gruff they aren't rude.  Most of the folks who work their are very friendly and quite good at providing attentive but not intrusive service.

This is definitely the best pizza I've had on the Peninsula.  Well, I did love Redboy Pizza but they closed up shop at Town & Country Shopping Center in Palo Alto several years ago.  The entire Ramona's pizza from the cheese to the sauce to toppings is excellent, but its really the crust that is truly amazing.  Ramona's is a substantial crust that has a slightly sweet taste and perfectly chewy without being too "bready."  I highly reccomend the Ramona's Special, which is similar to a combo pizza but isn't overloaded with meat the way that so many others are these days.  

Ramona's is mostly a delivery shop.  They do sell pizza by the slice and they do a decent lunch business but there is only seating for 5-10 people and the decor is of a place that focuses on delivery and not dine in, ie, you will be sitting next to crates of soda.

I recently went to lunch with colleagues from work at Lavanda and was majorly disappointed.  The main dinning room is cramped and awkward.  The food is expensive and frankly it wasn't very good either.  I ordered a medium rare rib eye steak which came burned on the outside and raw in the center.  What made the situation worse was that the waitress paid so little attention to us that by the time I got her attention to let her know that my steak was too rare, everyone else was nearly finished.  Adding insult to injury and despite the terrible service that we received, Lavanda added a 20% gratuity to our party of 5.  Maybe I'm out of touch but aren't mandatory gratuities for large parties?  Maybe the evening dinning experience is better, but with so many interesting places to eat in Palo Alto, I won't ever go back to Lavanda to find out.