The Marrow Spoon

We went to Cafe Brioche on California Street in Palo Alto to have a snack before wandering around IKEA. Because of damned Tony Bourdain and his "Why the French Don't Suck" show, we were craiving Bistro food in a big way. So few good places are even open on Mondays, and I came across a Cafe Brioche review from 1997's Metro while looking for information on Lulu Petite.

It was a good find, the tiny, packed place had a great wine list and excellent food, including, of course, fresh bread. We thought we'd have salads and entrees, assuming that at $7 to $9 a plate, both must be tiny. Heh, WRONG! I had the chicken liver salad, which could have served two as an entree. The best I could do with the lamb sandwich I ordered as my second course was to dip a fry or two in my companion's mashed potatoes, and wrap it to go.

The coffee and espresso were also wonderful. Very affordable, simple, casual place, with extraordinary food.

Gary Danko takes the branding just a little too far, with GD toilet paper. Otherwise, lovely.

The cheese cart and customizable menu is reason alone to go right now.

The music and decor are a little spastic, it isn't a place for a leisurely romantic meal. But the food is very good, and the portions are huge compared to other restaurants in the same class. Service was good, but special arrangements were difficult. Our server really shined while presenting the cheese cart, no easy task, considering there were 18 cheeses from various parts of the world. He seemed to know interesting details about each one.


Alex in the Wynn in Las Vegas. Don't believe the hype! The food is just lovely, it is pretty and tastes good and the flatware and china are very nice. The dining room is the most beautiful and classy I have ever seen.

Still, it was VERY VERY expensive, even for a restaurant of that category. And the service just wasn't polished. They seemed sort of caught up in the performance and didn't listen to us. The sommelier actually walked away when my friend offered his card. Yeesh. They did, however provide a little apolstered couch for my purse. Wacky.

As you can see, orchids on the table, and flawless mig presentation.

Finally, Charlie Trotter. I will have now made the flight to Chicago just to visit this restaurant twice. It's hard to describe. You just have to go and experience it. And, sadly it was too dark to take pictures. Just go, and have the tour.